Skydiver jumping from vintage military plane with HA-AO registration
Your First Skydive

Your First Skydive: What Really Happens, From the Waiver to the Landing

Walk through a first skydive from age and weight rules to tandem gear, freefall, canopy, and landing, with USPA and FAA safety numbers.

By Up Is Jump TeamUpdated October 21, 20267 min read

You've probably watched someone's skydiving video and felt your palms sweat at the moment they leaned out the door. Here's what a first jump really involves. In the U.S., most first-timers make a tandem jump, harnessed to an instructor, after a briefing that usually takes less than 30 minutes. You fall at about 100 to 130 mph for 30 to 60 seconds. The parachute must be open by 5,000 feet above the ground. Then you fly down under canopy. Federal rules and backup systems cover every step.

Who can jump

At a drop zone affiliated with the United States Parachute Association (USPA), you must be at least 18. That age comes from USPA, not the federal government. USPA's Basic Safety Requirements tie the minimum age to the legal age for signing a liability waiver, or to a parent or guardian signing for the jumper. USPA does not license anyone under 16. The FAA rule for tandem jumps sets no age at all.

Weight limits are not universal. USPA leaves weight, height, age and fitness requirements to each drop zone, and the numbers vary. Skydive the Wasatch lists a tandem limit of about 230 pounds. Skydive Cross Keys allows up to 275 pounds and charges extra above 200. The limit exists because the gear has to carry you, your instructor and the equipment together.

You will probably not need a doctor's note. USPA says participants "must usually disclose medical conditions that could impair the safety of their skydive." For most tandem students, that means answering health questions and signing a waiver. The medical certificate requirement in USPA's rules applies to the instructor who jumps with you.

Tandem or solo: choosing your first jump

Once you know you qualify, your next choice is how you'll get out of the plane. USPA describes three paths.

  • Tandem: You are harnessed to an instructor and share one parachute. You may be allowed to pull the ripcord or steer, but you don't have to. Training is generally under 30 minutes.
  • Accelerated freefall (AFF): Two instructors hold onto you in freefall but are not attached to you. You open your own parachute and fly it down alone.
  • Instructor-assisted deployment (IAD) or static line: You jump alone from a lower altitude. Your parachute is deployed for you as you leave the aircraft.

AFF and static-line students sit through several hours of ground school before their first jump. That is where the long training sessions come from in most first-jump stories: steering practice, emergency procedures and landing drills. A tandem student gets a much shorter briefing, because the instructor handles those jobs.

The briefing

Every first-timer gets trained, even on a tandem. Federal rules require the tandem instructor to brief you before you board the aircraft. Expect to cover how to move to the door, the body position your instructor wants in freefall, and what to do with your legs and hands at landing. Details differ between drop zones and instructors, so the briefing you get on the day is the one to follow.

Practical details such as what shoes to wear and what ID to bring are also set by each drop zone. Check your drop zone's list before you drive out.

The gear on your back

The tandem harness you'll be strapped into is built to rules in 14 CFR Part 105, the FAA regulations for parachute operations.

  • Two parachutes. The main does the normal work. The reserve must meet a federal standard (TSO C23) and be packed by an FAA-certificated rigger. The main must have a single-point release, so the instructor can cut it away in one motion before deploying the reserve.
  • An automatic activation device (AAD). This small computer opens the reserve if the jumpers are still falling too fast at low altitude. It must be approved by the gear's manufacturer, maintained to the manufacturer's instructions, and switched on for every tandem jump. Solo students must also jump with a working AAD until they earn their first license. USPA says at least 90% of experienced skydivers use one too.
  • Repacking deadlines. The main must have been packed within 180 days before the jump. A reserve made of synthetic fabric must be repacked by a rigger at least every 180 days, or every 60 days if it contains silk or other natural material. The FAA lengthened that interval from 120 days in 2008.

The person on your back

The tandem instructor is the "parachutist in command," and federal rules set a high bar for the job. They need at least three years in the sport and 500 freefall jumps on a ram-air (rectangular) parachute. They also need a master parachute license from an FAA-recognized organization and a tandem course from the gear's manufacturer. They must also hold a current medical certificate.

Two organizations write the rules, and their roles differ. The FAA writes and enforces the law, Part 105. USPA is a voluntary membership organization. It sets its own Basic Safety Requirements for affiliated drop zones, issues skydiving licenses, and is recognized by the FAA to issue the tandem master license.

Freefall and the opening

At the door, follow your instructor's lead. USPA puts freefall speed at about 100 to 130 mph and freefall time at 30 to 60 seconds. Exit altitude varies by drop zone, so ask yours how high the plane climbs.

The instructor watches the altitude for both of you. USPA requires the parachute to be opening by 5,000 feet above the ground on a tandem. Solo students and newly licensed jumpers must open by 3,000 feet. Tandems open higher because two people under one canopy need more room to sort out a problem. If the main fails, the instructor cuts it away and opens the reserve. If neither jumper acts in time, the AAD fires the reserve.

Under canopy and landing

The parachute flight is quiet after the noise of freefall. On a tandem, your instructor may hand you the steering toggles for part of the flight, but they fly the approach and the landing.

Landing is the part to take most seriously. Among all USPA members, the most common injury needing medical treatment is an ankle injury on landing. Do exactly what your briefing told you to do with your legs as you come in. AFF and static-line students learn to flare the canopy and land it themselves in ground school. Tandem students leave that to the instructor.

How risky is it

USPA members made about 3.47 million jumps in 2025. There were 16 civilian skydiving deaths in the U.S., a rate of 0.46 per 100,000 jumps. These figures cover all skydivers, from first-timers to experienced competitors, not just tandems.

Problems are more common than deaths, and the backup systems handle most of them. In 2025, 11.8% of members reported using their reserve parachute, about 4,777 reserve rides, or roughly one per 726 jumps. Also, 5.6% reported an injury that needed medical treatment, and ankle injuries on landing were the most common.

After the first jump

If you want to keep going, the next step is a solo student program: AFF or static line, with ground school, instructor-led jumps and an AAD on every jump until your first license. After that, the sport opens up to group freefall, canopy courses and, eventually, wingsuits. USPA requires at least 200 skydives and a current license before your first wingsuit jump. It also recommends starting with a first-flight course taught by an experienced wingsuit coach.

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