What To Know About the Skydive Landing
Skydiving
Table of Contents
- The Science Behind a Smooth Landing
- The Landing Pattern Explained
- Landing Tips for Skydiving
- Types of Skydiver Landings
- What Can Affect Your Landing
- FAQs About Skydiving Landings
- Ready to Land Like a Pro?
Key Takeaways
Skydiving isn’t just about the thrill of freefall, it’s also about the skill, control, and technique that go into a smooth and safe landing. This guide explains how parachutes slow your descent; how skydivers use landing patterns to stay predictable; what students should expect during tandem skydiving landings; and the main factors that influence every touchdown. You’ll also learn practical tips, answers to common skydiver landing questions, and how instructors keep safety as the top priority.
When researching skydiving, you hear all about the thrill of freefall – the adrenaline rush, the 120 mph winds blasting past you as you leap from the airplane. But what about the rest of the jump? Freefall lasts around 40 seconds, but you’ll spend the majority of your skydive under the parachute, soaring peacefully through the sky.
And then, of course, there’s the skydiver landing. Today’s modern, square parachutes offer far more precision and control than most people realize. Instructors can land where and how they want, thanks to these controls.
The Science Behind a Smooth Landing
Contrary to how videos may look, you don’t actually “go up” when the parachute opens, your camera flyer simply keeps falling. What really happens is your descent slows dramatically, like putting on the brakes in a car. You’ll go from freefall speeds of around 120 mph to about 15 mph as the canopy inflates. You’ll then spend about five minutes gliding back to earth, taking in incredible views of Lake Okeechobee along the way.
Once the canopy opens, you’re no longer just falling; you’re flying a ram-air parachute, which acts like a wing. A ram-air parachute is shaped like an airfoil, similar to an airplane wing. Air enters the open cells at the front of the canopy, inflating it and giving the wing its shape.
As air flows over and under the canopy, it creates lift, which counters some of the force of gravity. At the same time, the large surface area of the canopy increases drag, which slows your downward speed to around 15 mph.
Skydivers use toggles (handles connected to the steering lines) to control the canopy. Pulling down on a toggle changes the angle of the canopy and alters airflow, allowing you to turn, slow down, or flare. Flaring, i.e. pulling both toggles down at the right time, increases drag and momentarily boosts lift, reducing forward speed and descent rate for a smooth landing.
So, while freefall is pure gravity, canopy flight is all about aerodynamics.
The Landing Pattern Explained
Skydivers are trained to fly in set patterns, much like cars following traffic rules. This predictability allows for safer canopy flight and makes it easier for others to merge into the pattern.
The pattern consists of three legs: downwind, base, and final.
- Downwind: We begin flying with the wind at our back, positioned upwind of the target before starting the pattern. This allows us to gauge conditions and confirm we can return to our target. Starting too far downwind risks undershooting and missing the landing zone.
- Base: Next, we turn 90 degrees, flying across the wind. This leg can be adjusted shorter or longer depending on conditions.
- Final: The last turn lines us up into the wind, straight toward the target. Flying into the wind slows our approach and makes flaring (pulling down the toggles to reduce forward speed) more effective. Whenever possible, we aim to land into the wind to minimize forward speed.
Instructors check the weather and winds at the start of each day, but they also make in-air adjustments since wind speed and direction can change at different altitudes.
What are the landing tips for skydiving?
We have three main landing priorities for every skydive. Throughout each stage of the landing, especially on final, we focus on:
- Keeping the canopy level overhead.
- Remaining clear of obstacles and landing in a safe, open area.
- Flaring smoothly, evenly, and on time.
Landing into the wind is helpful and ideal, but it will never take priority over these three fundamentals.
Types of Skydiver Landings
There are lots of types of skydiving, but there are really only two types of landings: tandem skydiving landings and solo skydiving landings.
Tandem Skydiver Landings
Your role as a tandem student is especially important during landing. Ankle and leg injuries are the most common tandem injuries, which is why your instructor will give you specific landing instructions.
How hard is the landing when skydiving? Most of the time, you’ll land in a sliding position, seated on your butt. This allows the canopy to safely lose its remaining forward momentum.
It’s critical to lift your legs up and forward; if you put them down too early, you risk twisting an ankle or pulling a leg underneath you during the slide. The majority of these landings are soft and gentle.
If conditions allow, your instructor may go for a stand-up landing and let you touch down on your feet. Your instructor will train you on what to do for either type of landing.
Solo Skydiver Landings
Licensed jumpers usually aim to land standing up. With only two legs, it’s easier to “run out” the remaining speed. Student skydivers are also trained in a Parachute Landing Fall (PLF), a technique that distributes impact safely across the body if the landing has too much forward speed.
For tandem skydiving landings, running out the landing with four legs isn’t realistic. Which is why sliding in is the preferred method.
What Can Affect Your Landing
Several factors influence landings, and unlike airplanes, we can’t power up and “go around” again. We must land in the conditions we’re given, ideally in the designated parachute landing area.
- Winds: Strong or shifting winds can cause turbulence and affect approach.
- Landing surface: Grass, brush, or uneven terrain all change how a landing feels.
- Parachute size: Larger canopies (like tandem parachutes) land slower and more gently, while smaller parachutes (flown by experienced skydivers) are faster and more responsive.
- Skydiver skill: The timing and technique of the flare, pulling down evenly and smoothly, are critical for a soft landing.
Your instructors want to land safely just as much as you do, and their knowledge and experience play a big role in making each jump and landing as smooth as possible.
FAQs About Skydiving Landings
These are the questions we most frequently get about tandem skydiving landings. Reach out to us if you have others!
- Is the landing hard or painful?
Typically no. Most tandem landings are smooth seated slides. Hard landings can happen, but instructors do everything possible to avoid them.
- Can I get hurt during landing?
Yes, most tandem skydiving injuries occur during landings, usually to the ankles or legs. The key is lifting your legs high and following your instructor’s directions.
- What if something goes wrong?
Stay calm and listen to your instructor. They are trained to handle unexpected situations, including if a student puts their feet down early. While not all injuries are preventable, instructors do everything possible to minimize risk.
- Can I control the parachute during landing?
Instructors sometimes let tandem students steer the parachute during descent, but they take full control during landing. This is the most critical and risk-prone part of the jump, so your instructor will ensure it’s done correctly.
Ready to Land Like a Pro?
Now that you know what to expect in freefall and during landing, you’re ready to experience your tandem skydive from start to finish.
Book your tandem skydive today, and bring your friends and family along too! They’ll get to watch you gear up, take off, and land, making them part of the experience. Better yet, encourage them to jump, too! We can’t wait to fly with you!
