Parachute training can be started by anyone after meeting several requirements included in the regulations defined by the local Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Parachute training should be performed in a training center having an appropriate entry in the register of parachute training centers.

In most countries, it consists of two parts: theoretical training and practical training. Parachute training can be carried out using two popular methods.

1

Accelerated Freefall (AFF) method

Undoubtedly, this is the most effective method of parachute training. Usually, the course includes several hours of theoretical training. During this time, the student learns, first of all, the basics of safe parachute jumps, the construction of the equipment and the principles of its operation, emergency procedures along with their training on a properly prepared training station, aviation law, meteorology, and principles of moving in the air, exercises in the air and correct landing technique. Then, jumps are performed, during which the student completes the exercises with the assistance of the instructor. After completing all exercises and successfully passing the exam jump, the candidate becomes a student-jumper. From this moment on, the student can perform skydiving under the supervision of the instructor on the ground.

2

Static line method

It is the oldest method of parachute training. The theoretical training is almost the same as for the AFF method. However, the first jumps are made by the student from the plane flying at an altitude of 1000-1200 m. After separating from the plane, the parachute is opened with a rope attached to the plane. After making a few jumps with the rope opening the parachute for the student, and achieving the correct posture in flight while separating from the plane, a student will start jumping personally opening the parachute. As a result, with each jump, the student increases the deceleration and exercises body control. Training with this method takes approx. 35-50 jumps dependent on local regulations.

parallax background

The human factor during training, so what can lead to accidents…

People looking for an adrenaline rush and unique sensations, as well as people looking for freedom and wanting to break away from daily life, often sign up for parachute training. The idea of what the jumps look like and what emotions they can provide can be a bad advisor in terms of the skills you need to obtain to perform jumps not only in a pleasant but above all safe way.

The first parachute jump is associated with amazing experiences, but also with a huge amount of stress. It raises doubts and concerns about whether everything will go according to plan: departure, jump, canopy opening, flight, approach to landing, and the landing itself. It often happens that a student under stress does not respond to the instructor's commands, and the knowledge gained during theoretical training suddenly disappears ... Bad decisions during flight may result in tragic consequences (including injuries or death). For this reason, proper training and the ability to deal with emotions and stress are key to the safe execution of jumps.

During the first independent jumps, the most important thing is communication between the instructor and the student. In some centers, instructors give auxiliary commands to students via radio transmission, however, this is not a commonality in some countries. The inability to communicate with the instructor means that the student-jumper is solely responsible for making decisions. The inability to communicate may result in a lack of situational awareness or knowledge, and be the contributing factor to an accident.

Each subsequent jump is gaining parachuter knowledge and skills in flight planning, behavior in emergencies, and technique. At the beginning of his adventure with jumping, he often, despite compulsory theoretical training, the jumper is not able to correctly make quick and right decisions and execute them. This may affect its safety (e.g. wrong approach planning, landing downwind, stalling during landing, incorrect alignment) and lead to injury.

Coming to the training center, the jumper is often unable to distinguish information that is crucial from that is of lesser importance during the training. The abundance of information provided during theoretical training may lead to a situation where the student focuses more on the correct performance of tasks that are not the most important from the safety point of view (e.g. controlling the canopy and trying to define the route to the landing point) not recognizing failures when emergency procedures must be used as soon as possible.

It is one factor that becomes a silent killer. The belief that you know everything after theoretical training, or after jumping in good conditions a few times, can make you feel under the illusion that it will always be "easy". Such behavior often lowers the vigilance of even experienced instructors and causes accidents. This is especially dangerous when combined with confidence in the reliability of the equipment or the automatic canopy opening systems.

parallax background

The human factor during training, so what can lead to accidents…

People looking for an adrenaline rush and unique sensations, as well as people looking for freedom and wanting to break away from daily life, often sign up for parachute training. The idea of what the jumps look like and what emotions they can provide can be a bad advisor in terms of the skills you need to obtain to perform jumps not only in a pleasant but above all safe way.

The first parachute jump is associated with amazing experiences, but also with a huge amount of stress. It raises doubts and concerns about whether everything will go according to plan: departure, jump, canopy opening, flight, approach to landing, and the landing itself. It often happens that a student under stress does not respond to the instructor's commands, and the knowledge gained during theoretical training suddenly disappears... Bad decisions during flight may result in tragic consequences (including injuries or death). For this reason, proper training and the ability to deal with emotions and stress are key to the safe execution of jumps.

During the first independent jumps, the most important thing is communication between the instructor and the student. In some centers, instructors give auxiliary commands to students via radio transmission, however, this is not a commonality in some countries. The inability to communicate with the instructor means that the student-jumper is solely responsible for making decisions. The inability to communicate may result in a lack of situational awareness or knowledge, and be the contributing factor to an accident.

Each subsequent jump is gaining parachuter knowledge and skills in flight planning, behavior in emergencies, and technique. At the beginning of his adventure with jumping, he often, despite compulsory theoretical training, the jumper is not able to correctly make quick and right decisions and execute them. This may affect its safety (e.g. wrong approach planning, landing downwind, stalling during landing, incorrect alignment) and lead to injury.

Coming to the training center, the jumper is often unable to distinguish information that is crucial from that is of lesser importance during the training. The abundance of information provided during theoretical training may lead to a situation where the student focuses more on the correct performance of tasks that are not the most important from the safety point of view (e.g. controlling the canopy and trying to define the route to the landing point) not recognizing failures when emergency procedures must be used as soon as possible.

It is one factor that becomes a silent killer. The belief that you know everything after theoretical training, or after jumping in good conditions a few times, can make you feel under the illusion that it will always be "easy". Such behavior often lowers the vigilance of even experienced instructors and causes accidents. This is especially dangerous when combined with confidence in the reliability of the equipment or the automatic canopy opening systems.

Find out more about safety and ways to improve it

Acquiring the correct skills and knowledge while exercising on the ground is essential for safe air operations in the air. We recommend skydivers practice the free fall phase in aerodynamical tunnels.

You will successfully practice skills related to training flights with an open parachute canopy, emergencies, and planning using our simulator.

Risk is inherent in the performance of air operations. Accordingly, accidents and errors do and will happen. The worst, however, is if we are not able to precisely conclude them. For this purpose, we must determine the cause of the error or accident, then develop and implement a method that will prevent similar situations in the future. To do this, however, we must remember the flight. People's memory and senses can be unreliable, so for paraglider jumpers and pilots, we recommend the GUARDA data acquisition system with software that will not only record the course of the jump but also allow for its analysis in an accessible way.

One of the difficult considerations when performing parachute or paragliding training is whether the instructor should assist the student with the training via radio communication. On the one hand, the lack of help may result in an accident due to the lack of sufficient student skills. On the other hand, the instructor cannot see everything that is happening in the air, and therefore there is a risk of giving incorrect advice.

We are not able to decide which approach is better, but we are convinced that thanks to the transmission system developed by our company, the instructor knows more about the jump than by using any methods used so far. This allows them to react when help is required.

Find out more about safety and ways to improve it

Acquiring the correct skills and knowledge while exercising on the ground is essential for safe air operations in the air. We recommend skydivers practice the free fall phase in aerodynamical tunnels.

You will successfully practice skills related to training flights with an open parachute canopy, emergencies, and planning using our simulator.

Risk is inherent in the performance of air operations. Accordingly, accidents and errors do and will happen. The worst, however, is if we are not able to precisely conclude them. For this purpose, we must determine the cause of the error or accident, then develop and implement a method that will prevent similar situations in the future. To do this, however, we must remember the flight. People's memory and senses can be unreliable, so for paraglider jumpers and pilots, we recommend the GUARDA data acquisition system with software that will not only record the course of the jump but also allow for its analysis in an accessible way.

One of the difficult considerations when performing parachute or paragliding training is whether the instructor should assist the student with the training via radio communication. On the one hand, the lack of help may result in an accident due to the lack of sufficient student skills. On the other hand, the instructor cannot see everything that is happening in the air, and therefore there is a risk of giving incorrect advice.

We are not able to decide which approach is better, but we are convinced that thanks to the transmission system developed by our company, the instructor knows more about the jump than by using any methods used so far. This allows them to react when help is required.

About the training