The ABC’s of Skydiving: I

In Date: This term is used to describe a reserve pack that has been fully packed. If it was packed prior to 120 days before the jump, it is considered to be ‘in date.’ If it was packed over 120 days ago, it’s considered to be ‘out of date’ and it is illegal to use an out of date pack.

Instructor: To be considered an official skydiving instructor, one must have had a jumpmaster rating for at least one year and must also have completed and passed an Instructor Certification Course.

IPC - This is an abbreviation for the International Parachuting Commission, which oversees  sport parachuting. The commission is a sub-committee of the FAI.

Freestyle Diving

Many people, especially inexperienced skydivers, believe that freestyle skydiving simply means jumping out of the plane and enjoying the feeling of the wind rushing against your face. While it’s true that this is the main benefit of freestyle skydiving and something that you should definitely take some time to enjoy, going into freestyle skydiving without having at least some basic moves under your belt could mean spinning out of control or getting caught in a position that is difficult to get out of. Here are some basics that you should know before attempting the awesomeness that is freestyle skydiving.

First, you always want to practice in a skydiving tank before trying it out from a plane. These tanks are simulators that will allow you to experience what it will be like up there without any of the danger, should you make a mistake. The first position you should try to attempt is the face-down position. With this technique, the diver’s entire body is facing the ground. It’s a very stable position and easy to get in and out of. A jumpmaster may actually get you into a position where you start to lose control so that you will be able to regain control in the air should that happen. If you don’t actually practice it in the tank, prepare yourself simply by talking it through with the instructor and visualizing it in your head so you won’t panic in the air. If you feel confident enough to get really fancy, try doing a back loop. You can do this by lying on your back and then slowly turning your head and body backward. Don’t worry if you only make it halfway through the loop, it’s still a freestyle skydiving move!

The First Jump

A very anxious man is excited to go skydiving for his very first time. He stands shifting his weight from foot to foot while listening to his instructor give him a few last-minute instructions. Once the instructor gives him the okay, he jumps out of the plane. After falling for about 5 seconds, he pulls his ripcord only to find that nothing happens. Panicking just a little bit, the man remembers what his instructor told him about his reserve chute and he pulls on that cord. Again, nothing happens. He starts frantically yanking on both cords but he only continues to fall. Looking down, he sees that there is also another man in the air but oddly, this man is going up! The man going up starts coming up beside him and the skydiver yells, “Hey, do you know anything about skydiving?”

The man going up looks at him and yells back, “No! Do you know anything about gas stoves?”

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.

Extreme Skydiving

Extreme Skydiving from YouTube

For those of you who are interested in taking skydiving to a whole new level, watch as this one extreme skydiver really does stretch the limit and truly show what facing your fears is all about. This is truly one insane ride and if you ever think that jumping out of a plane simply isn’t enough, you might want to consider doing something such as this. (Chances are though, that ’simple’ plane jump will probably start looking pretty good!)

The ABC’s of Skydiving: G

Glide ratio - This is the ratio that refers to how much a parachute glides forward, as compared to flying down. For instance, a chute that has a 3:1 glide ratio will glide 3 feet forward for every 1 foot of gliding down towards the earth.

GPS - Global Positioning System. This is mostly used in skydiving aircraft so that the exit can be clearly marked.

Grips - This is when a diver hangs on to another diver for formation or in freefall attempts. A formation is not considered complete until all grips are in proper place.

Grippers - These specifically refer to group formation and are accessories placed onto jump suits so that gripping is made easier.

Ground speed - This refers to how fast a skydiver is moving over the ground, as opposed to through the air.

Standup Surfing

Whether you are just starting out in skydiving or have been doing it for some time, it is always fun to try new tricks and standup surfing is one that is the very most fun to try. To attempt standup surfing, you must first be able to hold a standup position while in freefall mode on your own. You can then attempt to try it on someone’s back or belly, whichever gives you the most kicks!

The hardest part about completing a standup surfing position is to get on the platform, which would be your partner. The important thing is that when you start out in position, you are both belly-down with the surfer about 3 feet above the platform. Once you are ready to complete the position, the platform can gently spread their arms and legs and point them up while the surfer points their toe until it hovers above the point of the back or belly that they want to maintain the position. They can then slowly allow the rest of their body to enter the platform’s gurgle.

The ABC’s of Skydiving: F

F-111 - Pronounced “F-one-eleven”, this is a common type of material used in canopies.

FAA - This is a US agency that skydivers should familiarize themselves with. The Federal Aviation Administration oversees all aviation activity, and this includes skydiving.

FAI - This is another organization that skydivers should become familiar with. The Federation Aeronautique International is the organization that oversees all air sports.

FARs - These are the Federal Aviation Regulations and these are the laws that any people partaking in aviation activity must adhere to.

Fall rate - This is how fast a diver falls before their chute opens and it’s most important when referring to formations as each diver must have the same fall rate to execute formation properly.

Finger trap - This is a type of loop that can be installed into the loop so that it provides another method of positioning the brakes without creating rough spots in the line.

Flare - This is a way to slow down by pulling the ends of the canopy forward.

Floaters - Floaters are divers that jump out of the plane well before the base point. They are referred to as floaters because they need to descend at a much slower pace to ensure that they don’t touch down before the base point. The term floating can also be used to describe an exit position outside of the plane.

Freestyle - This type of skydiving looks very much like gymnastics being performed in the air.

FS - This means formation sequence. In this type of skydiving, a number of jumpers exit the plane at the same time and perform predetermined freefall sequences.

Formation - This can refer to either: more than one jumper leaving the plane to perform a formation or; more than one jump plane carrying divers.

Funnel - When one skydiver in a formation becomes unstable in the air and fall out of formation, the other divers tend to fall out of formation as well and this is known as a funnel.

The ABC’s of Skydiving: E

Elliptical - This is a term used to describe the shape of a wing. With this shape, the ends taper off so that the middle is much broader than the sides. This shape can be found in most higher-end canopies.

End cell - The cell that is at the outermost part of the canopy.

Exit weight - The combined weight of the jumper, clothing, and equipment.

The Aerial Freestyle Guide Book

The Aerial Freestyle Guide Book is the perfect gift this Christmas for anyone who loves skydiving and wants to learn more about it as well as the different tricks they can do while in the air. In this book, you will learn 89 different skydiving moves and positions, all with clear illustrations to further explain how to do them and in-depth detail on how to get into the position, what it will help you accomplish, and how to get out of it. The different moves range in difficulty from very basic to advanced and so any skydiver is sure to be able to find something useful and while beginners can learn about the very most basic moves, advanced divers can find more challenging moves to work on.

This book has been written by professional skydiver Dale Stuart and is available for approximately £10.00.

« Previous Page — Next Page »