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.