Skydiving Glossary

Glossary of Skydiving Terms

Portions plagurized from Skydive! Archive

A.A.D.: Abbrev. n, "Automatic Activation Device". A speed and altitude sensing device used to automatically activate a parachute if falling above a certain speed below a ceratin altitude. Typically rigged to the reserve parachute, and set to go off when about 5 seconds away from impact. Strictly an emergency backup device, in case the jumper is incapacitated, or just not paying attention.
A.F.F.: Abbrev. n, "Accelerated FreeFall". A relatively new method of training skydivers, which is replacing the old static line method. The student makes a 40+ second freefall on every jump, while accompanied by 1 or 2 instructors.
B.A.S.E.: Abbrev. n, "Building Antaena Span (Bridge) Earth (Cliff)". The sport of parachuting from solid objects. Much more dangerous than skydiving, and usually illegal.
beer light: n, a condition in which it is considered acceptable to consumer alcoholic beverages at the DZ. When the last jumper from the last load of the day has landed, the beer light is on.
base: n, the center part of a freefall formation; the first part of the formation to complete. Not to be confused with B.A.S.E.
boogie: n, agathering of jumpers for the purposes of jumping and socializing. Typically, boogies will have large aircraft, unusual aircraft (balloons, helicopters), special events (record attempts), or some sort of competition as a focal point to attract jumpers from widely diverse regions.
bounce: v, to land after freefall, without the aid of a parachute. Also: hammer in, frappe, go in. Note: As with all euphemisms, whuffos are not allowed to use this term.
burble: n, the wake of low pressure above a skydiver in freefall. Can wreak havoc on other jumpers who accidentally pass through it.
canopy: n, parachute.
'chute: n, a term used by whuffos to refer to a canopy.
C.F.S.: Abbrev., "Canopy Formation Skydiving". the new "official" term for a discipline of skydinvg in which jumpers under canopy fly their parachutes together to form various formations. However, most skydivers still refer to it by it's original name of "CRW" - "Canopy Relative Work".
cut away: v, to detach the (presumably malfunctioning) main canopy from the harness, so that it does not interfere with the reserve. Usually done by pulling a single handle. Also: chop. n, 1) The act of cutting away; 2) The detached canopy which must be retrieved from a tree or reaquired from the angry pit bull whose yard it landed in.
demo jump: n, 1) A pre-planned skydive for an audience. 2) An unplanned landing in front of an unsuspecting audience, due to a bad spot.
D.Z.: Abbrev. n, "Drop Zone". a place where parachuting operations take place.
"failed to open": Adj., phrase used by ignorant media to describe the majority of skydiving fatalities. Analogous to claiming that an automobile accident occured because the steering wheel "failed to turn" or brakes "failed to activate".
first: Adj., a landmark event in a skydiver's career, requiring him to purchase a case of beer for his fellow jumpers. Besides truely significant events (first malfunction, first jump on new gear), orally acknowledging a first for less significant events also requires a case of beer. Therefore, jumpers must constantly watch their use of the F-word.
flail: v, to freefall with all the grace of a wounded albatross on crack.
freak: n, one who practices a skydiving discipline other than the traditional belly-to-Earth style: sit flying, freestyle, head down, etc.
funnell
free fly: v, to exit the aircraft at the same time as other jumpers, but without taking grips on them. When building large formations, the base usually leaves gripped, and the remaining jumpers must free fly the exit and catch up to it. Also: no touch exit.
F.S.: Abbrev., "Formation Skydiving". The new "official" term for a dicipline of skydiving in which two or more jumpers fly relative to each other in freefall in order to form various formations. However, most skydivers refer to it by the old term, Relative Work, or "RW."
G.P.S.: Abbrev., "Global Positioning System". A system that allows a pilot to navigate accurately to a predetermined point in the sky before dumping his human cargo, thus allowing the cargo to land in the same field they took off from, rather than a corn field or a lake.Growing in popularity, but most places still use the old fashioned method of sticking your head out the door and looking. Both methods have been known to malfunction.
hill: n, the trajectory made by a skydiver in the first few seconds after exitting a moving aircraft, prior to reaching terminal velocity. Named for its shape.
hole: n, a break in the cloud layer.
hook turn: n, a high-speed turn with either the steering toggles or the front risers performed at very low altitude in order to build up speed before landing. See turf surf.
hop 'n' pop: n, a skydive in which the jumper deploys his parachute within 5 seconds of leaving the aircraft - usually because it is being performed at low altitude. Also: clear and pull.
horny gorilla: n, a freefall formation, in which 4-8 skydivers start docked in a star, and hook their feet together in the center. Good crazy fun, but sets up the potential for a monstrous 180 mph funnell from hell. Leave yourself plenty of altitude to recover!
hypoxia: n, a condition caused by continued exposure to low oxygen levels at high altitudes. Drunk-like symtoms include lack of coordination, and poor judgement. This is of particular concern to skydivers, who spend a lot of time at high altitudes, and whose judgement isn't too keen to begin with.
main: n, the primary parachute. Usually packed by the person using it.
P.C.: Abbrev., n, "Pilot 'Chute". A small (24-30" diameter) parachute which initiates the deployment sequence of the larger canopy. Note: This is the only acceptable use of the term 'chute. The thing that you land is a canopy, or in informal cases, a parachute.
point: n, in competitive formation skydiving, the completion of a pre-planned formation. A team tries to complete as many points in a dive as it can.
pull: v, to deploy a parachute.
Quincy: n, a town in Illinois that hosts the annual World Freefall Convention. Specialty aircraft have included helicopters, bi-planes, hot air balloons, and a Boeing 727.
R.S.L.: Abbrev., n, "Reserve Static Line". A device which will automatically activate the reserve canopy if the main canopy is cut away. The idea is that the reserve is opened as quickly as possible, rather than waiting for the jumper to pull the reserve handle.
reserve: n, the secondary, or backup, parachute. Must be carefully re-packed and inspected by a certified rigger every 120 days, whether it is used or not. Also: Plan B.
speed star: n, a competitive event, in which the jumpers (typically 10) must free fly the exit single file, and build a star formation as quickly as possible. Usually judged/timed by video.
static line: n, the traditional method of training skydivers. A line attached to the aircraft activates the student's canopy as soon as they jump. Once a student has demonstrated a stable exit and the ability to pull a dummy ripcord, they graduate to longer freefalls.
skydiving: n, a modern sport that involves parties, bragging, sexual excesses, the imbibing of large quantities of beer, and, on rare occasions, parachuting from aircraft.
spot: n, the point on the ground above which a skydiver exits the aircraft. Ideally, one which, taking into account winds aloft, will allow the skydiver to return to the landing area. v, the act of directing the aircraft pilot to that point.
terminal velocity: n, the equilibrium speed between the force of gravity and wind resistance for an object in freefall - i.e. the speed at which a jumper falls. Usually about 120 mph; freaks usually fall faster, and speeds over 200 mph can be achieved in verticle dives.
track: v, to move horizontally at a high rate of speed using a method best described as "body surfing" on the air. Typically done at the tail end of a skydive to seperate from other jumpers before deploying a canopy.
turf surf: v, (also, to "surf it") a high-speed style of landing. The jumper builds up speed (see hook turn) and then flares mere moments before touchdown, resulting in a spectacular landing in which the jumper skims mere inches above the ground at 30-40mph, for up to 100 yards. Or, if the jumper flares too late, resulting in a spectacular landing in which the jumper impacts the ground, leading to medical bills, orthopedic surgery, and/or death. Attempt this maneuver at your own risk!
U.S.P.A.: Abbrev. n, "United States Parachute Association". the self-governing organization that handles many aspects of skydiving within the U.S., including licensing, safety, training, and legal issues.
whuffo: n, a person who is not a skydiver (from the often-asked phrase "Whuffo you jump out of them airplanes?")
X-Games: n, Used to be "Extreme Games". An annual television event on ESPN, featuring various 'extreme sports': street luge, mountain biking, blah, blah, blah, blah, and SKY-SURFING! Pretty cool, except that they air the skysurfing on a weekend (when the couch-potatos are at home) so skydivers (who are out being alive) usually miss it. Thanks to the X-Games, too, every DZ will have one or two guys (always guys) show up, never having jumped before, asking for "a sky-surfing lesson", to the great amusement of the DZ regulars.

Glossary of Skydiving Terms

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