Skydiving Gifts for Your Skydiver

So you’re looking for skydiving gifts for the adrenalin addict in your life. Skydivers are a special group of people; what do you get for someone who thinks a roller coaster is boring? Finding gifts for skydivers can be tough. Well the first suggestion is pretty obvious- skydiving gift certificates. Of course after the first jump and ground school, what is there? Actually there is still quite a bit to learn, in fact parachuting can be a lifelong hobby. In order to jump “solo” a parachutist needs to have a United States Parachute Association “A” license. There are four licenses granted by the USPA, A through D, with each one requiring more jumps to qualify, and granting additional privileges to the jumper. Until successful completion of twenty five jumps and instructor sign off, a skydiver is still a student.

Let’s talk about what it takes to get that “A” license- you need to have 25 jumps with a USPA instructor observing, complete 5 group freefalls with at least two other jumpers, and get the official signature and sign off on the USPA License card. Once you’ve accomplished that, you can go to any drop zone in the US, jump without supervision, and even pack your own chute!

Twenty five jumps down and still kicking for more? A USPA “B” license is the next step on the ladder. First off you need to knock off another 25 jumps. After 50 jumps, you also need to have at least 30 minutes of controlled freefall time. And this time it’s getting harder- landing is important. For at least ten jumps, you have to be within thirty feet (10 meters) of the target. And while in the air, you need to demonstrate some mastery- things like 360s, and backloops. You also need to be part of ten group free fall jumps AND complete the formation, which is easier said than done when you have a bunch of people falling toward the ground at 200 mph! Last but not least, you need to conduct a live water landing. That’s right, chute, gear, the works into the water, while following the procedures in the Skydiver’s information manual. Got all that? Then you can earn a “B” license which allows you to become a coach (when you hit the century mark for jumps)- and to jump at night. Oh yeah, there’s a written test too- just because you’re out of school doesn’t mean those things stop, hehehe.

Onward and upward (or is it downward) to a “C” license. More jumps (most definitely the good part), this time you need 200. More precision targeting, this time you have to land within TWO METERS of the target on 25 jumps. That’s hitting the bullseye in a big way when you start thousands of feet off the ground. There’s quite a bit of aerobatics too- according the the USPA you need to be able to complete the following:

“…during freefall, perform in sequence within 18 seconds-a backloop, front loop, left 360-degree turn, right 360-degree turn, right barrel roll and left barrel roll”

And of course you have to do a written test as well. Complete all that and you can be a USPA Instructor. Not a tandem instructor mind you, but a class C license most certainly isn’t a trivial accomplishment.

The D license is almost anticlimactic. Complete 500 jumps, have night instruction training from another instructor with a D license, and complete an exam. You also have to have two night dives with over 20 seconds of freefall- one by yourself and one in a group.

Okay, that takes care of the skydiving courses and licenses your jumper needs, you can always go for gear. Of course you could get them their own parachute. However, skydivers are understandably very picky about their equipment. If you want to do something like this, speak to the jumpers friends and instructors, they’ll give you a good idea of the type of equipment your loved one would enjoy. Also understand that the chute is the most expensive equipment, you’re looking at anywhere- middle of the road price is about $2000. You can get a better deal on used equipment- you may want to just buy a skydiving gift certificates that can be redeemed for gear and let them decide.

A cheaper option is helmets, you can get a quality one for about $500. They have a variety of options, including full face models to protect the face from wind. Buying a good altimeter will also save that jumper a rental cost, and finally about the least expensive gear you can get your skydiving enthusiast would be a quality pair of skydiving goggles. There are many choices for skydiving gifts- we recommend instruction first and gear second.