Skydiving Terminology Explained

Table of Contents

• Getting Started: Basic Skydiving Terms
• Body Positions & Flight Concepts
• Deployment & Canopy Terms
• Skydiving Roles
• Training & Progression Terms
• Safety & Emergency Awareness
• Gear & Equipment
• Skydiving Slang You’ll Hear
• Start Your Skydiving Journey with Confidence

Key Takeaways

Skydiving comes with its own language, and understanding it can make a big difference in your experience. From basic skydiving terms to more advanced terminology, knowing the meaning behind common skydiving slang can help tandem jumpers, students, and fledgling skydivers feel more confident and prepared – you can more easily follow instructions, communicate clearly, and fully comprehend what’s happening all around you. 

Skydiving has its own language, and if you ever decide to pursue your skydiving license, you’ll quickly learn it. However, even as a tandem skydiver, there can be comfort in understanding the terminology being used around you.

Knowing common skydiving phrases used on the dropzone helps with communication, builds confidence, and gives you a better understanding of what’s happening throughout your experience. This guide is designed to help first-time jumpers, tandem participants, and new students decode common skydiving slang – from basic phrases to more advanced terminology. 

Getting Started: Basic Skydiving Terms

These are the everyday skydiving terms you’ll hear most often around the dropzone. Understanding them will help you follow along with what’s happening and feel more comfortable during your experience.

• Skydiving: Skydiving is the act of jumping from an aircraft, experiencing freefall, and then landing in a designated area using a parachute. While it may look simple from the outside, there is a lot of training, planning, and coordination behind every jump.

• Skydiver vs. Jumper: Both terms refer to someone who skydives. They’re used interchangeably, but “skydiver” is the more commonly used term within the sport.

• Dropzone (DZ): A dropzone is the skydiving facility where operations take place. This includes the airport, landing areas, aircraft, hangars, and office. When someone says, “See you at the DZ,” they’re referring to the skydiving location.

• Manifest: Manifest is both a place and a function. The manifest office is where you check in, get scheduled, and receive your load time. Manifest staff coordinate aircraft loads, pair tandem students with instructors, and keep the day running smoothly. You can both “go to manifest” and also “talk with manifest”. 

• Load: A load refers to one aircraft flight carrying skydivers. Every time a plane takes off with jumpers on board, it’s considered a load. You’ll often hear people ask what load they’re on or when their load is called.

• Aircraft: Different dropzones operate different types of aircraft depending on their size and volume. Common skydiving aircraft include Cessna 182s, Caravans, Twin Otters, and Skyvans. The aircraft determines how many jumpers go up at one time, how quickly operations move, and at what altitude jumpers will exit.

• USPA: The United States Parachute Association is the governing body for skydiving. Established in the 1930s, the USPA oversees safety, regulations, training, and licensure for civilian sport parachuting. Today, the USPA has over 40,000 individual members and supports more than 220 affiliated dropzones nationwide – including Skydive Palm Beach.

Body Positions & Flight Concepts

Skydiving is more than just falling; it’s learning to control your body in the air. These skydiving terms describe the different ways skydivers fly during freefall and the disciplines, or flying style, you may hear people talking about.

• Belly Flying (Relative Work or RW): Belly flying means flying in a belly-to-earth position. This is where all students begin because it’s the most stable position. From here, skydivers learn to fly with others and build formations, which can range from simple two-way jumps to large or even competition style formations.

• Back Flying: Back flying is the opposite of belly flying, where the skydiver flies facing upward – back-to-earth. This skill is typically introduced later in progression and builds additional body control.

• Sit Flying: Sit flying is part of freeflying, where the skydiver flies on a vertical axis. In this position, the skydiver is upright, as if sitting in a chair. Because it’s less aerodynamic, it takes time and practice to become proficient and controlled.

• Head Down: Head-down flying is an advanced freefly position where the skydiver is vertical with their head toward the ground. Fall speeds increase significantly in this position, and it requires strong control and experience.

• Tracking: Tracking is horizontal movement across the sky. Skydivers track at the end of a jump to create separation from others before deploying their parachutes. And some tracking dives could consist of tracking for the entirety of the skydive. Good awareness and navigation skills are important for safe tracking jumps.

• Freefall: Freefall is the portion of the skydive before the parachute opens. In a stable belly position, most skydivers fall at around 120 mph.

• Wingsuiting: Wingsuiting is a discipline where skydivers wear a specialized suit designed to create lift and allow for horizontal flight across the sky, increasing total freefall time and distance. It’s sometimes referred to as a “squirrel suit,” but the correct term is wingsuit.

Deployment & Canopy Terms

Once freefall ends, the focus shifts to getting back to the ground safely. These terms relate to parachute deployment and how skydivers control their canopy for a safe landing.

• Deployment: Deployment is the act of opening your parachute to end freefall and transition to canopy flight.

• Pilot Chute: For sport skydivers, a small pilot chute is thrown into the airflow. It catches air and assists with pulling the main parachute out of the container so it can open.

• Main Canopy: The main canopy is the primary parachute used on every jump. After landing, it is packed so it can be used again on the next jump.

• Reserve Canopy: Every skydiving system includes a reserve parachute for emergencies. Reserve parachutes must be inspected and packed by a certified FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) rigger every 180 days, even if they haven’t been used.

• Cutaway: If the main parachute opens incorrectly or is not safe to land, the skydiver releases it. This is called a cutaway and is followed by deploying the reserve parachute.

• Line Twists: Line twists occur when the suspension lines are twisted after opening, which can cause the canopy to spin. Minor twists can often be “kicked out,” but depending on the severity, altitude, and type of canopy, a cutaway may be required.

• Toggles: Toggles are the steering handles used to control the canopy’s direction and speed.

• Flare: Flaring is the action of pulling both toggles down during landing. This changes the canopy’s angle and slows the descent, allowing for a softer landing.

Skydiving Roles

A dropzone runs smoothly because of a team of trained professionals. These are some of the key roles you’ll see and hear about spending a day on the dropzone.

• Tandem Instructor: Tandem instructors (TIs) are certified to take first-time jumpers on tandem skydives. The student is harnessed to the instructor for the entire jump.

• AFF Instructor: Accelerated Freefall Instructors (AFFIs) teach students who are learning to skydive independently. This role involves both ground instruction and in-air supervision.

• Coach: Coaches work with students after their initial AFF levels, helping them build skills and progress toward their A-license. A Coach rating is an introduction to instructional ratings and is required for both TI and AFFI ratings.

• Load Organizer: Load organizers help licensed skydivers plan jumps, organize groups, and improve their skills. Their role is to help create safe, productive, and fun jumps.

Training & Progression Terms

If you decide to continue beyond a tandem jump, these skydiving terms describe the training methods and milestones skydivers work through as they progress in the sport.

• AFF (Accelerated Freefall): The most common training method for learning to skydive independently and working toward a USPA A-license.

• Static Line: A training method where the parachute deploys automatically when the jumper exits the aircraft. While less common in civilian training today, it is still used in some programs and military operations.

• A, B, C and D Licenses: Skydiving licenses reflect experience and skill level. The A-license is the first major milestone, and higher licenses require additional jumps, knowledge, and demonstrated skills. These licenses are issued by the USPA.

• Tunnel Training: Indoor wind tunnels allow skydivers to practice body flight in a controlled environment, which can significantly speed up skill development.

Safety & Emergency Awareness

Creating a culture of safety is a core part of skydiving, and these concepts are emphasized from the very first jump. Understanding these terms helps explain how skydivers stay aware and prepared throughout every skydive.

• Altitude Awareness: Maintaining awareness of your altitude at all times is one of the most important safety skills in skydiving. Knowing where you are in the sky ensures you make decisions and complete actions at the correct time.

• Altimeter: A device that shows your altitude above ground level. Altimeters may be analog (dial) or digital and are used during both freefall and canopy flight to maintain altitude awareness.

• Audible: An audible device worn in the helmet that beeps at preset altitudes as a backup reminder. It supplements, but does not replace, a visual altimeter. 

• Emergency Procedures: Skydivers practice emergency procedures (EPs) regularly so they can react quickly and correctly if a problem occurs. At skydiving speeds, you need to react to emergencies swiftly and appropriately.

• Malfunction: A malfunction is any situation where the main canopy does not open or fly properly. Depending on the issue and altitude, the skydiver may cut away and deploy the reserve.

Gear & Equipment

Skydiving equipment is designed with multiple layers of safety and reliability. These skydiving terms cover the essential gear you’ll see and how it contributes to a safe jump.

• Jumpsuit: Jumpsuits help protect clothing as well as ensure clothing stays in place and doesn’t get in the way. It can also affect how a skydiver flies, and different disciplines use different types of suits. For example, AFF students need suits that have grippers on them, so instructors can easily hold on to them.

• Container (Rig): The system worn on the back that holds both the main and reserve parachutes.

• Automatic Activation Device (AAD): Most modern rigs include an AAD, which will automatically deploy the reserve parachute if the skydiver is still falling at a certain speed below a preset altitude. AADs are required for all student and tandem rigs and serve as an additional safety backup.

Skydiving Slang You’ll Hear

Along with technical terms, there are a few informal phrases that are part of everyday dropzone culture. Here are some of the common skydiving slang meanings.

• Boogie: A special skydiving event designed for lots of jumping, visiting skydivers, and often larger aircraft and organized activities.

• Hop’N’Pop: A lower-altitude jump where the parachute is deployed shortly after exit. This is required during A-license training so skydivers are prepared to exit and deploy safely at lower altitudes if necessary. Many experienced jumpers also use hop and pops to work on canopy skills.

• Pie: A long-standing skydiving tradition where someone gets “pied” after reaching a milestone jump number.

• Blue Skies: Skydiving is weather dependent. Saying “blue skies” is a way to wish someone well – hoping they have ideal jumping weather and good fortune. It serves as a universally friendly greeting and farewell between skydivers around the world.

Start Your Skydiving Journey with Confidence

Skydiving has a learning curve, and understanding the terminology is a great first step. Whether you’re making your first tandem jump or starting your training, knowing the language helps you feel more confident and more connected to the sport and the broader community.

If you have questions about any of these terms or about making your first jump, feel free to contact us – we’re always happy to help. And when you’re ready to skydive in the beautiful Florida sunshine, book your jump! Blue skies!