Your Questions, Answered

Safety matters

  • Skydive Skydown operates a Cessna 182 for jumping purposes. The Cessna 182 is a commonly used skydiving aircraft and is well-suited for small-group student and sport skydiving operations because it creates a more personal, focused environment for students and instructors.

  • Absolutely! As an official USPA Group Member, we pledge to comply with USPA Basic Safety Requirements (BSRs), use current USPA-rated instructors, and provide required safety equipment.

    We place a strong emphasis on student safety, equipment readiness, and open communication. Additionally, we have a certified rigger and a Safety and Training Advisor on site at all times, giving students access to experienced safety support before, during, and after their jump.

  • You are allowed to ask questions, raise concerns, and stop the process if you are not comfortable. Our safety culture is built around communication, qualified staff, and making sure students feel informed before they jump.

  • Safety is a shared responsibility among instructors, riggers, packers, experienced jumpers, and students. Our on-site  Safety and Training Advisor plays an active role in discussing and reinforcing safe practices with anyone jumping at the dropzone.

  • Students are encouraged to speak with our Safety and Training Advisor at any time. Their role is to help answer questions, discuss concerns, and support safe skydiving practices across the dropzone.

  • Say something. Whether it is a question about your gear, weather, nerves, instructions, or the jump itself, we encourage students to speak up. Your instructor, the Safety and Training Advisor, or our rigger can help address your concern.

  • All student and rental rigs are packed by a certified packer, instructor, or rigger. Additionally, our certified rigger is on-site at all times. We ensure that all student equipment is handled by trained personnel who understand proper parachute packing procedures. Any equipment-related questions, inspections, and maintenance concerns can be addressed on-site at any time.

  • Absolutely! We encourage students to ask questions about the equipment, how it works, and who maintains it. Between instructors, certified packers, the on-site rigger, and the Safety and Training Advisor, we always have knowledgeable staff available to explain the process.

  • You can speak up at any point. We encourage students to say something if they do not wish to continue, even if they are already on the plane. You are never expected to jump if you are not comfortable continuing.

  • Yes. We have a certified rigger on site at all times. A rigger is trained and certified to inspect, maintain, and pack reserve parachutes, and their presence adds an important layer of equipment knowledge and safety oversight.

  • USPA recommends that people who have been scuba diving should not skydive for at least 24 hours afterward.

  • No. USPA Basic Safety Requirements state that no person may jump, or attempt to jump, while under the influence of alcohol or drugs that affect their faculties, and no person may jump within 8 hours after consuming alcohol.

  • Maybe, but you need to tell your instructor. USPA notes that participants should not be taking medications or substances that impair their ability to skydive. In some cases, you may need a doctor’s statement or FAA medical certificate.

  • Yes. USPA says people engaging in skydiving must meet medical fitness requirements, and students should be in good health and physical condition. Some medical conditions can be managed, but your instructor needs to know about anything that could affect your ability to skydive safely.

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everything student training

  • Your first step is student training, aka ground school. Many students interested in the program choose to complete 1-3 tandem jumps before they start.

    Skydive Skydown follows the USPA Integrated Student Program, designed to take students from their first jumps through the requirements for a USPA A License.

  • Most students will vary in the time they finish. Some finish the program in 1-2 weeks while others may take longer, depending on weather and scheduling.

  • You must be 18+, weigh under 240 lbs, and have a basic fitness level. No prior skydiving experience needed.

  • Yes—jumpsuit, helmet, goggles, and parachute assembly are all provided as part of your package.

  • Ground school is the classroom and practical training that prepares you to make your first AFF student skydive. It covers equipment basics, aircraft and exit procedures, free-fall body position and skills, deployment and emergency procedures, canopy flight, landing patterns, and decision-making and safety priorities. These are the core skills needed to skydive safely as a student.

  • To qualify for a USPA A License, you must complete 25 freefall skydives, complete all A-License Progression Card requirements, and pass the written, oral, and practical exams.

  • USPA recognizes tandem jumps as one of the student training methods. At Skydive Skydown, tandem jumps count towards your total 25 jump minimum for A License requirements.

  • AFF stands for Accelerated Freefall. In AFF, the student exits the aircraft with at least one instructor who holds onto the student by the harness during the jump. It is one of the student training methods recognized by USPA.

  • The A-License Progression Card tracks your progress toward your license. After each jump where you meet a license requirement, your instructor or coach signs off the appropriate section. It can be completed online or on paper.

  • Yes. Before receiving your A License, you must pass a written exam, an oral exam, and a practical exam, commonly called the A-license check dive.

  • The USPA A-License written exam includes 40 questions, and students must score at least 75% to pass.

  • The check dive is a practical exam jump with one of our USPA Instructors. It verifies that you can demonstrate skills such as a stable exit, 360-degree turns, a back loop, forward movement to dock, breakoff, wave-off and deployment, canopy checks, and a landing pattern.

  • Students remain under instructor responsibility until they receive a USPA A License. During progression, some students may be cleared for certain levels of self-supervision after demonstrating required stability and heading-control skills, but that clearance is made by the instructor.

  • Self-supervision means an instructor has authorized a student to make solo jumps without instructor supervision in the aircraft, in freefall, and under canopy before completing the A License. However, the student still must receive a gear check from one of our instructors or coaches before boarding.

  • USPA membership is required for any skydiver cleared for self-supervision at Skydive Skydown, with limited exceptions for non-resident foreign nationals who belong to their own national aeroclubs.

  • Currency matters. Per USPA recommendations, students who have not jumped within the preceding 30 days make at least one recurrence jump under the direct supervision of one of our USPA Instructors.

  • After the A License, you can keep building skills, jump with others, work toward higher licenses, learn more advanced canopy skills, and eventually pursue ratings if you want to coach or instruct. The next step is the USPA B License, which requires at least 50 jumps and additional requirements.

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slow is smooth, smooth is fast

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