SKYDIVING SAFETY DAY
Spring is a special time of year for skydivers, especially in the Midwest. We start preparing to take to the skies again after a long, winter hibernation. At Skydive Midwest, we start jumping in late March or early April. There’s lots to do to prepare for another season of 7-days-a-week skydiving. One of the most important things we do before resuming jump operations is host Safety Day.
What is Safety Day?
Safety Day was established by the USPA in 1997 from an idea by Patti Chernis. It provides a worldwide forum at local drop zones to prepare jumpers for the year ahead.
The exact format and information presented varies from dropzone to dropzone but most involve seminars on safety related topics. The goal is to both refresh skydivers on basic safety and also update jumpers on new safety related topics.
Who should attend Safety Day?
EVERYONE in the skydiving community, of all experience levels should attend- AFF students, licensed skydivers, instructors, pilots and all staff members are welcome and encouraged to participate.
Why should you attend Safety Day?
At SDMW Safety Day is a social event as well as an educational experience. Attendees get free pizza dinner just for participating! You’ll also get to see all of your skydiving friends and potentially make some new friends! We try to choose at least one new speaker every year and have even invited special guest speakers who are industry leaders to keep the event feeling new.
Skydiving is centered around safety and mitigating risk. It’s especially important to do a through review after taking some time off from jumping. Being uncurrent can be the cause of skydiving accidents and injuries.
What topics are covered at Safety Day?
You can always count on some of the basic safety topics to be covered. Things like:
- Gear Checks & Gear Maintenance
- Landing Patterns
- Canopy Safety
- Malfunctions and Emergency Procedures
- Aircraft Safety and Emergencies
We’ve also presented some less talked about topics. Things like:
- Mentorship in Skydiving
- How to be a Good Load Organizer
- Flight Planning for Angle Groups
- How to Improve Your Breakoff and Tracking Skills
- In Depth 2 Out Scenarios
- Emergency Response Training
- Skydiver Longevity
- Freefall safety: Exit Separation and Breakoff
When is Safety Day?
Each dropzone chooses their own date to host Safety Day. However, most skydiving centers choose a date in March or April. Skydive Midwest always hosts Safety Day on the evening prior to the first official day of the jumping season. In 2024 SDMW Safety Day was on March 29th.
Skydive Midwest has been hosting Safety Day annually since 2008. We’re passionate about helping skydivers start out the season with a solid foundation for safety. Every year we receive comments from even the most experienced skydivers, telling us they learned something they didn’t know, from one of our talented speakers. Safe skydiving is achieved by the efforts of the individual and the community as a whole. Attending Safety Day is a great way to support the safety culture at your drop zone. To learn more or to find a Safety Day near you visit United States Parachute Association > Experienced Skydivers > Safety Day (uspa.org)
