July 2009 | by Jim Crouch

Patience: most skydivers could use a lot more of it. Actually, it seems that these days almost everyone could use more patience. We all want everything cheaper, easier, faster … and we want it now.

While this is all fine and good if you are waiting in line at the local burger joint, a lack of patience could easily get you killed in skydiving. There are many fatal accidents that trace back to jumpers simply getting in over their heads, mostly because they did not have the patience to accumulate the necessary experience and training before trying something that it turns out they could not handle.

Nowhere in skydiving has this been a bigger issue than in the area of canopy flight. Rapid downsizing was a factor in countless serious injuries and fatalities over the last 10 years. A look at the statistics shows there were 190 canopy-related fatalities since the beginning of 1999. Many involved jumpers who were flying parachutes that were smaller and faster than they were prepared to handle. Maybe the person was trying to avoid an obstacle or another canopy, intentionally trying a swoop landing, or negotiating into a tight, off-field landing area surrounded by trees or buildings; for whatever reason, the landing was apparently too challenging for the jumper’s skill level. There are all sorts of difficult situations skydivers can face under canopy, and when the going gets tough or unforeseen issues arise, you really need to know how to fly your parachute well. Those skills can only be developed with time and training under an appropriately sized parachute. Skydiver’s Information Manual Sections 4, 5 and 6 contain a lot of useful information regarding canopy flight and downsizing guidelines.

It is common to see skydivers disregard recommended experience levels in every area of the sport, not just canopy flight. Camera flying and wingsuiting are two disciplines in which the recommendations are often disregarded. It is difficult to say how many jumpers are getting into wingsuits before meeting the minimum recommendations, but of the four wingsuit-related fatalities in the last six years, none of the jumpers met the minimum-jump-number recommendations published by USPA and the wingsuit manufacturers. These statistics certainly seem to indicate that heeding the recommendations is a good idea.

As cameras have become smaller and lighter, many jumpers are tempted to throw one on a helmet long before reaching the recommended C-license experience level. Some students even request to hold a small camera in their hands during a first accelerated freefall or tandem jump! Even though technology has provided us with very small and light equipment, there is more to consider. Basic flying skills need to be honed without adding the complications of a video camera.

Skydiver’s Information Manual Sections 6-8 and 6-9 give camera-flying and wingsuit-flying recommendations. The fact that each discipline has its own section in the Skydiver’s Information Manual should tell you that there is a lot to consider.

Take time to learn the basics of skydiving before adding complexity with difficult maneuvers, larger formations or complicated gear. Even though it can be difficult to exercise the virtue of patience, it will help you obtain your goals as safely as possible. Benjamin Franklin said, “He that can have patience can have what he will.” He lived to be 84 years old.