Brought to you by AXIS Flight School Instructor Niklas Daniel at Skydive Arizona in Eloy. Photos by Steve Curtis. For more information visit axisflightschool.com or search “Axis Flight School” on Facebook. more »

As a student, your instructor taught you (or should have taught you) how to perform a proper gear inspection, as well as basic rig maintenance such as replacing a closing loop and maintaining the 3-ring release system. Remember that training? If a recent Safety Day seminar gives any indication, the answer is probably not! During the seminar, a USPA Safety and Training Advisor had participants examine an intentionally fouled-up rig to try to find 17 different rigging errors. A surprising number of participants missed basic items such as leg straps that were improperly routed through the friction adapters, a misrouted main bridle and an incorrectly assembled 3-ring system. Surprisingly, the newly licensed jumpers scored better than the more experienced skydivers! more »

Q:

What are tension knots, and how can I avoid them? more »

During normal use, a slider will repeatedly rub against the washers that are inside the slider stops and create friction. Over time, this friction can wear the stabilizer fabric, eventually creating holes that can expose the metal washers inside. These washers then wear on the slider grommets, which can create burrs on the grommets that will damage the canopy’s suspension lines during every deployment. In a worst-case scenario, the washer could fall out and allow the slider to trap part of the stabilizer in one of its grommets. This would likely cause a streamer malfunction, as the slider would be stuck all the way at the top of the lines. more »

For a tandem instructor, the day can get pretty busy (and even a little monotonous) when there are lots of students waiting to jump. However, the key word here is “student.” Each person gets to have only one first skydive, and the focus of that skydive must be the student’s experience, from start to finish. Tandem skydiving is a student training discipline, with Federal Aviation Administration requirements that instructors must meet with every student. Federal Aviation Regulation 105.45 states the following: more »

by Ali VanHoose | B-37618 | Celebration, Florida

In 2003, I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression with a side of anxiety. I got on meds, went to therapy regularly and tried to sort out my life. I came across an organization called SOAR (Speaking Out About Rape), founded by Kellie Greene. In 2005, I had the pleasure of meeting her at a weekend retreat in Orlando. It was then that I heard about Operation Freefall, an annual skydiving fundraiser hosted by SOAR. It involved raising money by jumping out of a plane. At the time, I took little pink pills to calm my nerves on flights. I always wanted to jump, dreamed of flying and desired to participate, but fear held me back for years. Seven years, to be exact. more »

by Brian Giboney

Jen Sharp is passionate about skydiving, education and the internet. Sharp holds multiple USPA instructional ratings, owns Skydive Kansas in Osage City and has developed several skydiving websites, including skydiveschool.org, an online student program; dzos.net; educationalfoundationforskydivers.org; and femaleskydivinginstructors.com. She also created Skydive JumpSTART, a team-building workshop for business people that culminates in tandem skydives and she consults with other drop zones to help them streamline their schools. more »

Change requires courage! It also requires persistence and passion, but mostly, it requires patience! That was one of the first lessons I learned while attending a USPA Board of Directors meeting, and it certainly remains true today. more »