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Safety
& Training Newsletter
Safety
& Training Advisors
Safety
Day
Accident
statistics
Incident
reports
Waiver
requests
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Greetings,
The USPA Professional is your e-news source for safety and training related news from USPA. It is sent to each current USPA S&TA and instructional rating holder with a current e-mail address on file at USPA Headquarters.
Be sure to add e-news@uspa.org to your contact list so that you can continue to receive newsletters from us. Contributions to this newsletter are welcome and should be submitted to safety@uspa.org.
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Year-End Numbers
The year 2007 ended with a total of only 18 skydiver fatalities in the U.S. The last year with fewer fatal accidents was 1961, which finished with 14. In 1962, there were 19 skydiver fatalities, and the year-end totals have never been lower until this past year. The significance of these figures can only be appreciated when compared to growth that has taken place in the sport of skydiving over the last 46 years. In 1961, USPA was only about 10 percent of its current size in terms of membership, with 3,353 members then compared to 31,264 today. The number of aggregate annual jumps can only be guessed, but 1961's level was nowhere near 2007's estimated 2.5 to 3 million jumps.
 At first glance, the number of fatal accidents over the years seems to rise and fall somewhat sporadically, usually somewhere between 27 to 37 per year. However, a closer look at the statistics shows that the yearly totals are now slowly declining. The average number of fatalities for the years 1993-1997 was 34 per year while 1998-2002 came to 35 per year. But the average from 2003-2007 was only 21 per year, which is a significant drop. We are moving in the right direction.
This has been a collective group effort, which would not have been possible without each skydiver, coach, instructor, S&TA, drop zone, rigger, aircraft loader, pilot, manifestor, manufacturer and gear distributor all pitching in to make the sport of skydiving safer. Keep it up!
Even though we have achieved the lowest number of fatalities in over 45 years, even one is too many. Fifty-six percent of the 2007 fatalities-10 of the 18-stemmed from canopy-related accidents. Each coach, instructor and S&TA must continue efforts to reduce canopy fatalities through better training and jumper supervision. Drop zones must continue to separate jumpers who are flying high-performance canopy approaches from those flying a standard landing pattern.
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Waiver Renewals
Many drop zones have a waiver on file at USPA for student wind limits, water gear or use of non-rated jumpers to serve as coaches. These waivers expire each year on December 31 and must be renewed annually in order to remain valid.
The waiver request form is available as a download at www.uspa.org/safety/waivers.htm. The S&TA requesting the waiver should complete the form and send it to USPA Headquarters, where it will remain on file. The form can be mailed to USPA Headquarters, faxed to (540) 604-9741 or sent via e-mail to safety@uspa.org.
The S&TA will receive a confirmation letter, which lists the waivered items, on USPA letterhead for the drop zone's records.
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Tandem Instructor Requirements
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| Keep having as much fun as this tandem instructor and student. Photograph by Jarad Westfall. |
The 2009 Skydiver's Information Manual will include a change to the Basic Safety Requirements that will require any USPA member performing tandem jumps with only a manufacturer's rating to also hold a USPA Tandem Instructor rating. This will be effective once the 2009 Skydiver's Information Manual is released, which is expected around the end of September 2008.
More information and supporting documentation can be found at www.uspa.org/licenses/ratings.htm#future.
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Safety Day 2008
USPA Safety Day is just around the corner, taking place this year on Saturday, March 8. Some drop zones may select a different date.
Each S&TA is charged with organizing the event for their drop zone. Of course most would welcome additional help from the local jumpers and instructors with any part of organizing the event.
 USPA is looking for new and different ideas for Safety Day. Typically the event will cover the outline items and other materials provided by USPA, and some locations will have different ideas or new ways to address an existing topic.
This year USPA will feature the new and interesting ideas in the Parachutist coverage of Safety Day, so dust off your thinking cap and come up with something fresh for your event. Send your ideas to safety@uspa.org so we can share them with other S&TAs around the world.
USPA will also list participating drop zones on its website, so jumpers can easily find a location to attend Safety Day. S&TAs can send the drop zone name and website address to safety@uspa.org for inclusion on the website list.
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Chesley H Judy Award
Each drop zone should also select a recipient for the Chesley H. Judy Award, now in its fourth year since the 1995 inception of the award program. The recipient should be given to a USPA member who in the past year through example, deed, training, or innovation, has promoted safe skydiving in a substantive way.
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| Air Capital Drop Zone's Willie Sinsel accepts the 2007 Ches Judy Safety Award from DZO Martin Myrtle. Photograph by Jen Sharp. |
Once the recipient has been selected, provide USPA Headquarters with the name of the recipient, the drop zone and a mailing address for the certificate no later than February 15. USPA will send the completed certificate, suitable for framing, at no charge. The information may be e-mailed to safety@uspa.org, or call (540) 604-9740, ext. 315.
So, who was Ches Judy and what is the significance of this award? A reprint of the February 2005 Parachutist article announcing the award can be found at www.uspa.org/safety/safety_day.htm.
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Is there something you'd like to see in The USPA Professional? Please send comments, questions or suggestions directly to me.
Blue skies!
Jim Crouch
safety@uspa.org
Director of Safety & Training
U.S. Parachute Association
+1 (540) 604-9746
+1 (540) 604-9741 fax |
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