Red and white Cessna aircraft on grass runway with trees in background
Your First Skydive

How to Become a Licensed Skydiver: From First Jump to A License

Learn how to become a certified skydiver in the U.S.: USPA requirements, first-jump training methods, student gear rules, and what the A license takes.

By Up Is Jump TeamUpdated October 22, 20267 min read

You've probably watched a video of someone stepping out of an airplane door and wondered what it would take to do that yourself, without an instructor strapped to your back. In the United States, being a "certified" skydiver means holding a United States Parachute Association (USPA) A license. To earn one, you must be at least 18, meet a medical standard, and train through a student program. You then log at least 25 freefall jumps, complete a progression card that includes group jumps, and pass written, oral and practical exams.

Who Makes the Rules

Two bodies shape skydiving in the U.S., and they do different jobs. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulates civil parachute operations under 14 CFR Part 105. Those rules exist mainly to protect other air traffic and the people and property on the ground. One of them, § 105.17, bans jumping into or through clouds and sets visibility and cloud-clearance minimums that depend on the class of airspace.

The USPA is a voluntary membership association, not a federal agency. It publishes safety standards and best practices in the Skydiver's Information Manual (SIM), including its Basic Safety Requirements (BSRs). Its licenses are an industry credential that USPA member drop zones follow, not a government permit to jump. The association's rules decide most of what your training looks like, so the rest of this article follows the USPA path.

Before You Sign Up

Age. The USPA BSRs set the minimum age for civilian skydiving at 18. The only exception is a waiver for tandem jumps by terminally ill minors, which needs approval from the equipment manufacturer and a USPA committee.

Medical fitness. Students do not need an FAA Class III medical certificate. The SIM lets you meet the medical requirement in one of three ways:

  • carry an FAA medical certificate
  • carry a physician's certificate of fitness
  • agree to the USPA Recommended Medical Statement, a self-declaration

The waiver. Every drop zone will ask you to sign a liability release. Read it for what it is: a document that protects the business, not you. Courts generally let these releases block claims of ordinary negligence. They cannot excuse gross negligence or intentional misconduct. Some states go further. In Virginia, the state Supreme Court held in Hiett v. Lake Barcroft Community Association (1992) that pre-injury waivers for personal injury are void as against public policy.

Membership. A new annual USPA membership costs $98, and renewals cost $83. A temporary three-month membership costs $38.

Choosing How to Make Your First Jump

Many people assume a tandem jump is a required first step. It isn't. The USPA recognizes four first-jump training methods:

  • Tandem: you jump attached to an instructor.
  • Accelerated Freefall (AFF): you wear your own parachute and jump with instructors beside you.
  • Static Line: a line attached to the aircraft opens your parachute as you leave.
  • Instructor-Assisted Deployment (IAD): an instructor deploys your parachute as you exit.

You can start with any of these and go on to a license. A tandem is still a common way to find out whether you like freefall before committing to a full course. The person you're strapped to is heavily vetted. Under 14 CFR § 105.45, a tandem parachutist in command needs:

  • at least 3 years of parachuting experience
  • at least 500 ram-air jumps
  • a master parachute license
  • an approved tandem instructor course

USPA's Tandem Instructor rating adds its own requirements: a D license (500 jumps minimum), a current FAA medical certificate or equivalent, and certification from the tandem equipment's manufacturer.

The Gear You'll Jump

Whichever method you choose, your student rig carries extra protection by rule. USPA requires all student equipment to include:

  • **An Automatic Activation Device (AAD).** This backup cuts the reserve closing loop and deploys the reserve parachute if you are still in freefall past a set altitude and speed. It never opens the main parachute.
  • A Reserve Static Line (RSL) linked to a single-point riser release. This setup helps get the reserve out quickly if you have to cut away a malfunctioning main.

Federal rules also govern packing. Under 14 CFR § 105.43, an FAA-certificated parachute rigger must have packed the reserve within the previous 180 days, or 60 days for natural-fiber canopies. The main can be packed by a certificated rigger, by the person making the jump, or by someone working under a rigger's direct supervision. That is why learning to pack your own main is part of becoming a self-sufficient jumper.

Student Jumps: Building Skills Under Supervision

Once you're jumping solo gear, you work through USPA's Integrated Student Program. It is organized into categories of skills, and each category is signed off before you move on. Weather and altitude limits keep the margin wide while you learn.

Wind limits. USPA recommends that solo students not jump in ground winds above 14 mph when using a ram-air reserve, or 10 mph with a round reserve. A drop zone's Safety and Training Advisor (S&TA) can waive these limits.

Opening altitude. Students and A-license holders must have their container open by 3,000 feet above ground level.

Group skills. You begin learning to fly with other people in Category F, before you're licensed.

Earning the A License

The A license is the point where you stop being a student. The USPA requirements are:

  • at least 25 freefall jumps
  • every item on the USPA A-License Progression Card completed
  • at least 5 group jumps
  • the USPA written, oral and practical check exams passed

With an A license you can jump without student supervision and join group freefall jumps with other licensed skydivers. You do not need hundreds of jumps for this. Formation skydiving is open to A-license holders.

What Comes After: B, C and D Licenses

Each higher license unlocks more privileges and requires more experience:

  • B license: at least 50 jumps, 30 minutes of total freefall time, 10 formation skydives, and the B-License Canopy Proficiency Card, which covers SIM Sections 6-10 and 6-11. B-license holders may open as low as 2,500 feet.
  • C license: at least 200 jumps and 60 minutes of freefall.
  • D license: at least 500 jumps and 3 hours of freefall. C- and D-license holders open by 2,500 feet, which can be waived down to 2,000 feet.

The canopy card shows that formal canopy training happens well before 200 jumps. It is part of getting from 25 jumps to 50.

Some disciplines have their own entry bar. Wingsuit flying is the clearest example. USPA's BSRs require anyone making a wingsuit skydive to hold a current license and have at least 200 freefall jumps.

How Risky Is It?

No training removes all risk, but the numbers have been improving. The USPA counted 9 fatal incidents across 3.88 million civilian skydives in the U.S. in 2024. That is a rate of 0.23 deaths per 100,000 jumps. In 2023, there were 10 fatalities across 3.65 million jumps, or 0.27 per 100,000.

The rules described above all serve the same goal: the student AAD and RSL, the cloud ban, the wind limits, and the opening altitudes that start high and drop only with experience. Each license step is designed so that you take on more freedom only after you've shown you can handle it.

Sources (29)