What to do Once You’ve Landed

You may think that once you’ve sailed through the air and are back with both feet planted firmly on the ground that your skydiving experience is finished. Well before you bask in the glorious ride you just had, there are a few things you have to do first.

The first thing is to make sure that you and all of your equipment make it back to the hangar safely. This means looping all of your chains and cords so they don’t become mangled and damaged, packing things such as your ripcord, goggles, and gloves into your helmet and making sure that your canopy doesn’t rip or snag on anything. Be extremely careful with all of the equipment - it is your responsibility until you make it back and any damage could cost you hundreds of dollars!

Once you are out of your gear and have passed off all of the equipment, you want to review the jump thoroughly with an instructor or someone else who was there. This is not only important so that you can take time to review mistakes, focus on what you did well, and allow you a moment of basking, but it’s also necessary if you ever want to earn a license. When you apply for a license, only jumps that have been documented, witnessed, and signed by another party are considered so you may as well start doing it from your very first jump!

The Different Levels of Skydiving Licenses

For those who want to take their love of skydiving beyond just a hobby, you can become a student at a recognized skydiving school and start training to earn a license. Licensed skydivers are much more capable of doing certain things, both while in the air and on the ground, and are also given more responsibilities than just the hobbyist or student skydiver. However, just like most things that are licensed, the licenses for skydivers vary depending on which license the skydiver holds. Here are the different levels of licenses that you can try out for, should you choose to really jump start your love of skydiving!

An A-license shows that the skydiver has taken all of the necessary schooling to become an advanced skydiver and is now recognized by the USPA in the most basic of ways. License A skydivers can perform many tricks in the air including water jumps, basic relative work jumps, they can be their own jumpmaster, and they can assemble their own parachute.

A skydiver who holds a B-license can also be their own jumpmaster, assemble their own chute, and perform the relative work jumps as well as night and water jumps. They are considered to be an Intermediate Level and can also try to break and set records.

C-License is considered to be an advanced level and not only can most of the air work be performed at this level but skydivers can also be other’s jumpmaster as well as their own and can compete in formal competition. Skydivers recognized as having a USPA C license are also eligible for the USPA Jumpmaster rating.

Needless to say that the most advanced license of skydiving is the D License, or the USPA D. Not only can one do all that the above-mentioned licenses can do, they are also eligible for being appointed Safety and Training Advisor, a very respected position!

The ABC’s of Skydiving: A

If you are just entering the world of skydiving, or have been taking the plunge for quite some time but need to brush up, welcome to the ABC’s of Skydiving, a series of the blog that will walk you through, step-by-step, the different terms and definitions of this fantastic sport!

AAD - This is the short form, most commonly used, for an Automatic Activation Device. If the diver is descending too quickly, this is a reserve parachute that will automatically open should the diver not open theirs in time.

A/C - Aircraft.

Accuracy - This is also known as Precision Landing is an extremely difficult trick to complete. The diver needs to land on a ‘target’ and in professional competition, the target is generally no larger than 3cm in diameter, about the size of a quarter.

AAF - Accelerated Free Fall. This is a something that can be learned in advanced training, where the student can learn to free fall for 40 seconds or longer, compared to basic training, in which free falls last only approximately 20 seconds.

AGL - This means above-ground level. Altitudes are in relation to sea level and this is what skydivers are referring to when they refer to altitude.

Airspeed - This is how fast objects in the air, like chutes or planes, are going.

Altimeter - A device for measuring altitude.

Angle of Attack - This is how the wing of the chute is facing the wind. With canopies that are square, this angle will change once the brakes are used.

Angle of incidence - This is the angle of the parachute that is designed to coast through the air.

Apparent wind - This is what the wind looks like to someone observing a skydviver. It may also be referred to when describing current wind conditions.

ASP - This is Arizona’s version of AFF. The course is an advanced version of AFF and includes two tandem jumps.

ASTRA - This is a specific brand of AAD that is manufactured by FXC Corporation.

Aspect ratio - This is the ratio of the width of the chute is from side-to-side to the breadth, which is the measurement from front to back. Chutes that have 7 cells generally have a 2.2 to 1 and chutes which use nine cells generally have a ratio of 2.8 and 3.0 to 1.

Get your Kids Involved!

Skydiving is a wonderful hobby and if you’re an avid skydiver, you may want to get your kids interested in your hobby as well but may feel a little queasy at the thought of letting them jump out of a plane. Getting children involved in skydiving is easy, but it’s something that must be done slowly as it can be very scary and intimidating and you don’t want to turn your children off right away. A great way to introduce the subject is to make a toy parachute - it’s super easy and will show your kids how much fun skydiving is!

1.) Get a white handkerchief and have you and your child decorate the outside of it with markers, stickers, and anything else that comes to your imagination.

2.) Gather fishing line or string and cut 4 - 14″ pieces of it. Tie one piece of string to each corner of the handkerchief, being sure to tie them very tightly.

3.) Tie all ends of the string not attached to the handkerchief to a cork. Again, tie them tightly or your parachute may fall apart mid-air.

4.) Stand on a chair and drop your parachute with the cork pointing towards the ground. Watch your child “oohh” and “aahh” as it glides gracefully to the ground.

Skydiving Myths

Besides the actual fear of chutes not opening, or simply facing the fear of moving through the air so quickly at such heights, many people choose not to partake in skydiving simply because of things they have heard about the extreme sport, most of which is not true. Here are some of those myths and the truth behind them.

1.) You can’t breathe while freefalling. While the sheer beauty may take your breath away for a few seconds, you can absolutely breathe during freefall.

2.) Having a conversation during freefall is possible. This is not possible as you are simply moving too quickly and the wind is too loud to be able to hear anything else.

3.) You can hold onto somoene with an open chute and land safely. The person with the open chute will land safely but the body jerks a lot when the chute opens and the person hanging on would be thrown off.

4.) Freefalls take about 5 minutes. Freefalls actually only last about 35 seconds due to the fact that skydive planes don’t travel high enough for anything else.

Knee Positions

Some may wonder why you would ever want to fly through the air on your knees but for beginners who want to get comfortable not only being in the air but doing cool stuff while you’re up there, this is a great, easy trick to begin with. Being on your knees also allows you more control as your knees actually provide a surface for the wind and allows you to move just about wherever you want to go!

To get into knee-flying position, hold your torso straight up with your knees slightly bent. Make sure that your thighs are almost horizontal to the ground and that the knees are spread almost as far apart as you can get them. Your knees should be tucked back far enough to almost touch your rear or they can be spread out by your thighs, whichever is easiest. Keeping your arms outstretched or up in the air will help with balance and again, it’s whatever’s most comfortable.

When getting into the knee position from the air, try to pull the torso vertical to the ground and think about something pulling you up from your arms. Don’t lean too far into the wind as this will cause you to fall backward. To change direction, point your knees in the direction you want to go and pull your torso in the opposite direction. It may take a few tries but you’ll get the hang of it and will soon have mastered a new skydiving trick!

Ideas for Skydiving Tattoos

Those who like extreme sports such as skydiving are also very often the same people that will be the first in line for other extreme activities, such as getting a tattoo. Here are some great ideas if you have thought about placing your passion on your skin!

- Parachutists used to, and often still do, call “Geronimo” as they jump out of the plane. Geronimo was actually an ancient Indian chief and one very creative skydiving tattoo idea is to show a depiction of the Chief himself jumping out of a plane while yelling your name!

- A calming tattoo could show a skydiver making his peaceful descent with his colorful parachute ballooning behind him, all against a multi-colored sky!

- Show a jumper in the middle of your favorite trick or show a diver jumping with an expression on his face that you think captures the experience of skydiving: panic, enlightenment, happiness, etc.

The choices are truly yours and this is one that you’ll want to put a lot of thought into as it will show others your true passion!

Which helmet should you choose?

One of the most vital pieces of equipment in skydiving is the helmet that you wear. Not only does it protect your head in the event of a bumpy landing but it also protects your eyes and ears from the wind that will be rushing past them. When buying a first helmet, it’s best to talk to a number of people who are heavily involved in the sport to see what brands and styles feel the most comfortable and what the different features are of some of the most popular helmets.

When it comes to the type of helmet that is worn, it is really the wearer’s preference. Most skydiving helmets are a simple helmet with a chin strap and the face is left open with goggles that are attached to the helmet to protect the eyes. Another type of helmet is one where there are no goggles because the front consists of an entire clear plastic face shield. Some skydivers prefer this type of helmet because the lack of goggles means that the view is completely unobstructed and those who wear glasses may also find the full-face helmets more comfortable.

The most important thing to remember when looking for a skydiving helmet is to remember that safety comes first, comfort is second, and price is third. This is simply one area where you can’t skimp on the price!