Safety Check: Turbulent Landings and How to Handle Them

Safety Check
Thursday, August 7, 2025

Above: Photo by Laszlo Andacs.

Let’s be clear from the start—the most intelligent decision you can make when the winds are questionable is to stand down. There is no jump worth making when the conditions are outside your comfort or experience level. Sitting a load out is a decision rooted in good judgment, not weakness. But as any seasoned skydiver knows, turbulence doesn’t always come with a warning label. Sometimes you’ll check the winds, set up your pattern and still find yourself flying through unpredictable air. That’s why it’s critical to not only understand when to say no, but also how to respond when turbulence shows up unexpectedly. Landing in rough conditions can challenge even the most experienced jumpers, but with preparation, awareness and solid canopy control, you can minimize risk and make smarter choices in the sky.

Understand Turbulence and How it Affects Your Canopy Flight

Turbulence is often the result of disrupted airflow caused by terrain, temperature, wind shifts or wind gusts. Understanding what creates these conditions gives you the power to anticipate them and avoid the worst of it.

Mechanical Turbulence occurs when wind flows around or over obstacles, such as hangars, buildings, trees or even other canopies. These objects disrupt the airflow, creating chaotic, swirling air on the downwind side—an effect that becomes more pronounced as wind speed increases. For canopy pilots, flying into these turbulent zones can cause sudden surges, drops or unexpected turns, making it harder to control heading, glide and flare timing, especially during landing approaches near obstacles.

Shear Turbulence occurs when there are abrupt changes in wind speed and/or direction over a short distance, often between layers of air at different altitudes. In canopy flight, these shifts—known as wind shear—can lead to sudden surges in lift, unexpected drops or lateral movements. Canopy pilots may experience changes in pitch or roll or notice the canopy becoming less responsive, particularly when moving between different air masses.

Thermal Turbulence: Common on hot days or over uneven terrain, thermal turbulence is caused by rising pockets of warm air, known as thermals. These typically form over surfaces like tarmac or runways, which heat up faster than surrounding areas like grass or dirt. As this warm air rises, it can disrupt your descent under canopy by causing sudden lift, instability or changes in glide performance. This can make your pattern and final approach less predictable and require active piloting to stay on heading and manage altitude.

Dust Devils: These rapidly rotating columns of air form when intense thermal activity combines with light-to-moderate wind. You’ll usually see dust devils form on hot, dry days over sun-heated surfaces such as dirt, gravel or asphalt. As the rising warm air begins to spin, wind can help shape it into a vertical vortex that travels with the prevailing surface wind. Though often short-lived, dust devils can create severe turbulence under the canopy, leading to sudden surges in lift, loss of heading, partial or even full canopy collapse. They are especially dangerous near the ground, where there’s limited altitude for recovery. Watch for visual cues such as swirling dust, debris or leaves, and avoid areas where dust devils are likely to form. Additionally, be aware of any dust devil activity upwind of you, as they can develop and move quickly in your direction.

Wind Gusts are common, but it’s the difference between the sustained wind and the peak gust that matters most. A steady 10–12 mph wind allows for predictable canopy flight, but a reading of 10 gusting to 18 means conditions are variable. These sudden changes can cause unexpected lift, shifts in heading or canopy instability. Just as critical, if a gust dies off on your final leg, your forward speed can suddenly increase, making it harder to time your flare and potentially leading to a harder or faster landing. This is especially important to consider for lighter wing loadings and smaller landing areas.

Understand Your Canopy Flight Cycle

Turbulence isn’t just about the air—it’s about how your canopy responds to that air. The better you understand and control each phase of your flight, the more effectively you’ll manage sudden changes.

What to Practice:
Important Reminder: Always practice canopy exercises above pattern altitudes, in clear airspace and while maintaining altitude awareness. Avoid aggressive inputs or significant speed increases in the landing pattern, especially when turbulence is present.

• Braked Flares: Get comfortable flaring from various positions—not just full flight. Understanding each phase of your flight cycle gives you more flexibility to respond and recover from turbulence.

• Turn Recovery to Flare: Practice recovering from a turn with sufficient altitude to flare. The goal is to recover while still maintaining lift and to get back under a level wing before touching down. This is crucial when turbulence alters your heading or forces you to adjust your pattern.

• Flat Turns to Flare: A lifesaving tool in any jumper’s skill set. Flat turns allow you to change direction at low altitude without losing a significant amount of height or building a significant amount of speed—a critical skill when you need to avoid an obstacle or must shift your pattern due to unpredictable winds. The recommendation is to practice 45-degree flat turns to a flare, focusing on maintaining a level wing and a steady flare.

Prioritize Safety Over Pressure
There’s no shame in standing down or choosing to land off for safety if conditions don’t feel right. One of the most critical skills in skydiving isn’t about technique—it’s about judgment. If your gut tells you something’s off, trust it. Don’t let pressure from others—or yourself—override your instinct. It’s easy to feel like you have to land on target to squeeze in one more jump, but safety always wins.

Pro Tips:

• Always have an alternate landing area in mind.

• Keep scanning wind indicators on the ground and in the air.

• If you’re on final and notice erratic canopy behavior, get ready to land off. It’s better to walk a little farther than to risk a rough or dangerous landing.

Turbulent landings aren’t rare, and you shouldn’t take them lightly, but you can manage them with the right mindset, preparation and flight skills. It starts with awareness—understanding the air in which you’re flying. Then it’s about control—knowing how to make minor, smart adjustments throughout your flight. Above all, it’s about staying safe—listening to your intuition, not your ego.

If you’ve had your own experiences with turbulence, USPA would love to hear what you’ve learned.  If you are willing to share videos and stories, please reach out to the USPA Safety and Training Department at safety@uspa.org. Education is key, and if we don’t share our experiences, then we can’t learn from them, either.

Angie Aragon D-30898
 AFF, Tandem and Coach Examiner; USPA National Director