28/05/2021
Safety Check | Simple Rules
It's natural to think that accidents will happen only to other skydivers, those who court disaster by idiotically violating every rule in the book. But even the most experienced and responsible skydivers are not immune to a bad roll of the dice. That's why it's important to master a few basic skills you learned during training to remain calm under pressure 👇
Working from the top of the skydive down, the first of these survival skills is to monitor your altitude:
- Every five seconds or every 1,000 feet
- Every time you complete a maneuver
- Every time you encounter difficulty
The second survival skill of the skydive is knowing your pull priorities:
-Pull. You must deploy the parachute
-Pull at your assigned altitude
-Pull preferably while stable
The third survival skill is knowing the rules of the air:
-Look before you turn
-Turn right to avoid other jumpers
-The lower jumper has the right-of-way
The last of the survival skills is following landing priorities:
-Land with a level wing and flying in a straight line
-Land in a clear and open area, avoiding obstacles
-Flare to at least the half-brake position
Simple in their nature, basic in their application, these survival skills can save you that dreaded ambulance ride out of the landing area. When applied to every skydive, these simple rules, each for a different area of the skydive, can help you have a long and rewarding skydive career.
-Ron Bell, USPA Director of Safety & Training
