ABC’s of Skydiving: H

Hand Deploy – To have to manually deploy the canopy as opposed to pulling the ripcord.

Harness/container – The piece of material that holds both the canopy and the reserve chute to the skydiver.

Heading – The position the aircraft, skydiver, or canopy is facing. It’s essential when group diving to be able to recognize and control one’s heading.

Holding – This is when a canopy is flying directly into ambient wind.

Hook knife – This is a small piece of equipment that’s attached to the jumper’s suit. The knife is designed so that the edge is hidden inside of a hook so that the jumper will not cut themselves when reaching for it.

Hook turn – This is a 90 degree turn that is performed close to the ground. It’s extremely dangerous and should not be done.

Hot fuel – This is when the aircraft is running while the fuel is being refilled. The aircraft should never be boarded at this time.