How Do Skydivers Know Where To Land?

Key Takeaways

Skydivers use a combination of technology and visual cues to identify a good “spot” to jump. Before jumping, skydivers and the pilot work together to choose the best path for the plane to let jumpers out based on the current wind conditions. Then, using their eyes, skydivers spot the dropzone landing area before exiting the plane.

When it comes to questions about skydiving, how to land is one of the most common. Skydivers generally land back where they took off from. But how do you control where you land when skydiving? Are parachutes that easy to maneuver? Yes and no! Our parachutes are pretty impressive – we can maneuver ourselves to the landing area if we exit the plane within a reasonable distance of the dropzone. But, we also use technology to know the winds aloft, GPS on the plane, and our good ol’ fashioned eyeballs.

Landing in the right area takes a lot of factors working together. We’ll go over the process from start to finish, beginning with planning something skydivers call “jump run.”

What Is Jump Run?

Before anyone exits the aircraft, the pilot flies along a specific path called the jump run. Jump run is the direction the airplane travels when the door opens and skydivers begin exiting. It’s not random; instead, jump run is carefully selected based on wind conditions both at jumping altitude (the “uppers”) and near the ground (the “lowers”).

Wind plays a big role in determining where a skydiver lands. When the wind is stronger and higher, the skydiving canopy will drift farther. Pilots and experienced skydivers will work together to study winds aloft forecasts to decide how far upwind the airplane needs to be from the dropzone for the jumpers to exit.

How Do Skydivers Know When To Get Out?

Skydivers determine the right spot to get out before they even get into the airplane! The “spot” is the exit point in the sky where jumpers leave the airplane to ensure they land back at the dropzone. Choosing the right spot involves some math! We can’t always get out right on top – we have to read the wind and account for drift.

Before takeoff, the pilot or dropzone staff calculates the spot by looking at wind data to determine freefall drift. GPS systems help guide the pilot along jump run, but once the door opens, skydivers don’t just rely on instruments – they use their eyes. The person “spotting” looks out the door to check if the plane is over the correct area.

Is the Door Open the Whole Time?

Nope. The airplane door is closed for take-off and usually up to 1,000 or 1,500 feet AGL (Above Ground Level) in larger planes. For certain planes, like our three Cessna 182s, the door stays closed during the entire ascent.

So, how do jumpers know when to open the door for spotting? The pilot gives the signal! Sometimes this comes verbally, or some airplanes have a light (usually colored red) that will turn on next to the door when it’s time. With a light system, red usually means “get ready,” and green means “go.”

The pilot makes this decision by using a GPS system and accounts for the uppers and lowers.

What Is Skydive Spotting?

How do you know where to land when skydiving? Spotting: the act of looking out of the aircraft to ensure you’re in a good spot to exit.

Skydivers use obvious landmarks to find the dropzone from the sky. For those new to a dropzone, it’s helpful to familiarize yourself with what the dropzone looks like from above by studying a satellite map of the area before jumping.

Spotting also involves checking for hazards. Is there a cloud bank between the plane and the dropzone? Is another aircraft nearby? Only once the spot looks good does the first skydiver climb out for exit.

How To Spot

It may sound simple, but spotting is a skill that takes practice. To spot correctly, the jumper needs to lean out of the airplane (yes, out of the airplane) and look straight down. 

Many beginners make the mistake of looking forward, or may just be too nervous to lean all the way out of the door, which doesn’t give an accurate picture of where the plane is relative to the ground. Looking straight down allows you to line up the aircraft’s position with landmarks like runways, fields, and roads.

What If the Spot Is Bad?

Sometimes, despite all the preparation, the spot isn’t perfect. Winds can shift, or the person spotting could have made a mistake and left too early. If jumpers exit too far from the dropzone, they can adjust once under canopy.

Skydivers can pull their parachute a little higher than usual and use techniques like flying in half brakes to stretch their glide back to the landing zone. Pulling on the rear risers instead of the brakes is another similar technique. Knowing how parachutes work is important. By changing the shape of the canopy, a skydiver can fly further while preserving altitude.

Modern canopies are efficient, but if it’s impossible to make it back, jumpers must look for an alternate landing site – often referred to as “landing off.” It’s important to decide on an alternate landing site early enough to strategically follow a new landing pattern.

What is the landing pattern for skydiving? It’s a traffic pattern consisting of a downwind, base, and final path to aid in accuracy while maintaining predictability for other jumpers in the sky. Following this pattern also ensures no big, low turns – promoting overall safety.

What Is an Off-Landing?

An off-landing is when skydivers must choose an alternate landing area. Safety is the priority here. Skydivers use the acronym “SOFA” to guide their decision: Soft, Open, Flat Area. A wide grassy field is ideal. A parking lot, a lake, or a patch of trees? Not so much.

Landing off is not the goal, and it is rare with good spotting and canopy control, but it’s a skill every licensed skydiver trains for.

Do Skydivers Have To Be Accurate?

In order to get a skydiving license, all A-License students must demonstrate some level of accuracy! This ensures they understand canopy flight and can return to the dropzone reliably. With every USPA license, the accuracy requirements become more and more strict.

Tandem students: rest assured. Instructors must have a D-License – the highest license level attainable from the United States Parachute Association – demonstrating impressive accuracy skills. Tandem instructors are adept at navigating canopies back to the right spot, even in tricky conditions.

Some skydivers go above and beyond with their landing skills – there are skydiving world records for accuracy!

Is Skydiving Landing Hard?

Not really – in either sense of the word. Finding the landing zone isn’t as difficult as it may seem thanks to skydive spotting, canopy control, and planning. And physically landing under a parachute is smoother than most people expect. 

Students practice flaring (pulling down both brakes to slow the canopy) to land softly, and tandem instructors handle it all for you on your first jump. For more insight, check out our guide on what skydiving landings are like.

You might also be wondering: how long does it take to land after skydiving? While you’ll be going super fast during freefall, which lasts 45-60 seconds, the canopy flight takes about five minutes. That may seem quick, but it’s actually plenty of time to complete the landing plan and enjoy the view.

Ready to Try It For Yourself?

Come visit Wisconsin Skydiving Center to jump with us! Book your tandem now. Blue skies!