Control Your Movement

Category C

Welcome to AFF Category C! This stage marks a significant progression in your training, consisting of two distinct jumps. The first jump, often referred to as the "Release Dive," is typically made with two instructors. During this jump, if you consistently demonstrate stability, your instructors will release their grips, giving you your first taste of independent freefall. The second jump in Category C is made with a single instructor, after you've successfully demonstrated your readiness and safety to do so. This progression empowers you with more freedom in the sky, and with this new freedom comes an important rule change for all future jumps, emphasizing your personal responsibility and decision-making.

Section 1: Exit and Freefall - Your Independent Decision-Making

Alternate Freefall Reference Points:

To enhance your situational awareness without constantly referencing your altimeter, you can develop alternate freefall reference points:

  • Cloud Base: Before your jump, note the altitude of the cloud base on your ride to altitude. In freefall, this can serve as a visual marker for approximate altitude.

  • Ground Object Sizing: With more practice, you'll begin to estimate your altitude based upon the relative size of ground objects (e.g. vehicles). Objects will appear to grow larger as you descend, providing a subconscious gauge of your height.

Exits with a Single Instructor:

Once you begin exiting with just one instructor, you might notice that your launch may be more vertical than previous jumps. This is a normal part of progressing to independent exits.

RULE CHANGE: Your Two Critical Questions

Moving forward, if neither instructor is in physical contact with you, you must immediately ask yourself these two questions, in this precise order:

  • Am I Altitude Aware? (If not, immediately check your altimeter) If you are still above your pull altitude, you may proceed to the second question.

  • Am I Stable? (If not, immediately return to your stable body position, recalling your stability mantra: “Heading, Altitude, Arch, Legs, Relax.”)

Decisive Action:

If you find yourself unstable and feel that the situation is not improving (i.e., you're unable to regain stability quickly), then you should immediately initiate your pull sequence. Trust your training and your judgment in these moments – safety is always the priority.

Section 2: Parachute Flight - Understanding Wing Loading, Turbulence, and Accuracy

As you gain more experience under canopy, understanding the dynamics of parachute flight becomes increasingly important. One key concept that greatly influences your canopy's performance is wing loading.

Understanding Wing Loading:

Wing loading is a critical metric that describes how much weight your parachute is supporting relative to its size. It's calculated as:

Wing Loading = Exit Weight / Square Footage of Parachute

Where "Exit Weight" includes your body weight plus the total weight of the gear you are wearing (approximately 25-30 pounds additional to your body weight)

Performance Characteristics:

All parachute manufacturers publish recommended wing loadings for each of their canopy models. A canopy's wing loading significantly affects its flight characteristics.

Generally, higher wing loadings (meaning more weight per square foot of canopy) result in:

  • Faster airspeed and descent rates: The parachute moves through the air and descends more quickly.

  • Quicker and more responsive turns: The canopy reacts more dynamically to steering inputs, due to smaller parachutes having shorter lines.

  • Better performance in turbulent conditions: The increased speed and pressure can help the canopy cut through disturbed air more effectively, making it feel more stable.

  • Increased skill required for landing: The higher speeds mean less time to react..

  • Potentially more violent malfunctions: Should a malfunction occur, they can be more aggressive.

Understanding wing loading helps you appreciate why different canopies fly differently and why choosing the appropriate wing loading for your skill level is so important for safety and progression.

Navigating Turbulence:

Turbulence is disturbed air that can affect your canopy's flight, and it's essential to understand where to find it and how to manage it.

Sources of Turbulence:

  • Downwind of Obstacles: Turbulence can be found 10-20 times the height of an obstacle on its downwind side. The effects increase with increased wind speed. For example, if the wind is flowing over a building that is 15 feet tall, you would expect to find turbulence 150-300 feet away from the building on its downwind side.

  • Meeting of Surfaces: Turbulence can also be found where two areas of different colors or textures meet (e.g., a paved runway meets a grassy field), creating differential heating and airflow.

  • Other Canopies & Aircraft: Be aware of turbulence behind other parachutes and downwind of propeller wash from aircraft.

If You Encounter Turbulence:

If you find yourself in turbulent conditions, fly your parachute at full speed, use smooth and minimal toggle inputs, and be prepared for a hard landing by adopting your PLF body position.

Landing Patterns and Accuracy: Modifying Your Approach

In order to have more accurate and safe landings, it will become increasingly important to be able to modify your pattern while flying it. Your ability to adjust for wind, traffic, and your position relative to the target is a hallmark of an advanced canopy pilot.

Section 3: Alternate Landing Areas - Navigating Off-Field

While our primary goal is always to land safely in the designated landing area, a crucial skill for every skydiver is the ability to confidently navigate to an alternate landing area if necessary. This might happen due to wind shifts, unexpected traffic, or misjudging your pattern. Return to Category A to review the “half-way down, half-way back” rule.

Off-Airport Landing Protocol:

Decision Altitude: If you determine you must land off the airport in an alternate landing area, your decision altitude for this is 2,500 feet. This gives you sufficient time to assess and plan.

Continuous Scanning: As you descend, you should scan your intended alternate landing space every 500 feet for potential landing hazards and obstacles. Below 500 feet, you need to be continuously looking for obstacles, as the ground comes up fast.

Transferring Your Pattern: If possible and prudent given the conditions, carefully transfer your landing pattern to the alternate landing area, just as you would for a primary landing.

Landing Priorities Remain:

Always apply your fundamental landing priorities:

  • Wings Level, Flying Straight

  • Land in a Clear, Open Area (prioritizing safety over a specific direction)

  • Flare to at least Half Brakes Prepare to PLF (Parachute Landing Fall)

Respect Private Property:

Be considerate of private property. While your safety is paramount, minimize impact and avoid landing on private structures, crops, or in sensitive areas if possible.

Section 4: Equipment Fundamentals & Regulations

Understanding the essential components of your skydiving system and the regulations that govern it is fundamental to safe progression.

Rigger Certification:

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulates the training and certification of riggers – the highly skilled professionals who inspect, maintain, and pack reserve parachutes. Reserve parachutes must be repacked every 180 days: the rigger records the date of each repack on the reserve data card and affixes a seal over the reserve pin to show that the reserve has not been tampered with since it was last repacked.

USPA Basic Safety Requirements (BSRs) for Student Equipment:

Students must have:

  • rigid helmet (not soft)

  • visual altimeter

  • Automatic Activation Device (AAD)

  • Reserve Static Line (RSL)

  • main ram-air canopy with either a ripcord-activated pilot chute or a BOC (Bottom-of-Container) throw-out pilot chute

Automatic Activation Devices (AADs):

The AAD is an incredible backup device that automatically causes activation of the reserve parachute if certain parameters (altitude and speed) are met. Its workings will be covered in greater detail in Category D.

Pre-Flight Checks:

As you progress, you should start actively participating in all of your pre-flight equipment checks. The USPA recommends that you perform a thorough pre-flight check of your gear, typically starting at the back first and then moving to the front, always beginning at the top and working down. A helpful acronym to remember your personal equipment is SHAGG:

  • Shoes

  • Helmet

  • Altimeter

  • Goggles

  • Gloves, if needed

Section 5: Spotting and Aircraft

Spotting (determining the optimal exit point from the aircraft) and understanding how aircraft movement affects your jump are important skills that evolve with experience. As you progress, your understanding of wind and canopy dynamics will deepen.

Predictability in Landing Patterns:

Landing patterns are a very important part of piloting a parachute; by following a landing pattern, your movements become more predictable to everyone else in the air, significantly enhancing safety.

The Most Hazardous Turn: Base-to-Final

The most hazardous portion of the landing pattern is often considered to be the turn from base onto final approach. To understand why this is true, imagine two people under parachutes: one is performing a left-hand pattern and the other performs a right-hand pattern. As they both turn onto their final legs, they are turning towards each other and simultaneously getting closer to the ground, increasing the risk of collision if either pilot is not fully aware. This is why maintaining clear separation and performing proper clear turns are paramount.

Impact of Wind Speed on Landing Patterns:

A higher wind speed will significantly affect your landing pattern in the following ways:

  • Shortened Base and Final Legs: You'll cover ground faster, requiring shorter turns onto base and final.

  • Longer Downwind Leg: You'll travel further downwind, requiring a longer downwind leg to compensate.

  • Further Upwind and Narrower Holding Area: Your initial holding area will need to be positioned further upwind to allow for the increased drift, and it will feel narrower due to the faster ground speed.