Desert Sky Alliance

Freefly Progression Program

From obtaining your USPA A license (or equivalent) to mastering multiple disciplines and orientations, this is our general recommended progression for safe and efficient learning. Of course, this plan would be tailored to each individual.

1. USPA A License or Equivalent

The first step in your skydiving journey is obtaining the USPA A license. This certifies that you are safe and cleared to skydive without supervision and can participate in basic group jumps.

2. Belly Skills

Before diving into freefly, it’s important to refine your belly flying skills. A good freeflyer is also proficient on their belly. This is the time to refine your turns, docks, and other movements, such as knee turns and side slides, while also enhancing your break-off tracking. You'll begin to relax more, focus, and increase your situational awareness. Start with 1-on-1 coaching, then consolidate your skills in small groups (maximum 4-way to start). Incorporating wind tunnel sessions is an excellent way to complement skydiving practice and accelerate your progression to advanced belly skills.

Skill Levels:

  • Basic:

    • Stable exits

    • No orbiting

    • Maintain reasonable level and proximity

    • Approach slot

    • Build 1-2 simple formations during the skydive

    • Break-off with a straight track achieving reasonable distance

  • Intermediate:

    • Linked exits

    • Consistently approach and fly in slot

    • Achieve 3+ point, simple formation skydives

    • Break-off with a straight track achieving reasonable distance

  • Advanced:

    • Linked exits

    • Achieve 4+ point, advanced formation skydives

    • Break-off with a straight track achieving reasonable distance

‘Simple formation skydives’ refers to the inward-facing random formations from the official FS dive pool (page 20) FAI dive pool. ‘Advanced formation skydives’ includes the entire FS dive pool.

3. Belly Tracking / Angles

This is a freefall discipline where the skydiver orients their body in a belly-to-earth position while moving at an angle relative to the ground. The flyer must adjust their body position to control heading, speed and descent angle, often flying in formation with others. Mistakes can be dangerous due to the speed involved, so it’s crucial to learn the fundamentals through 1-on-1 coaching.

Progression Steps:

  1. Heading awareness, communication, balance (stability), and break-offs

  2. Turns and sideways movement with consistent angles

  3. Accelerate and slow down

  4. Steepen and flatten out

  5. Combine all steps to fly to your coach

Once proficient, you can consolidate by joining small angle groups.

Angle Progression Camps:

  • Basics (Max 4):

    • Stable exits

    • Maintaining line

    • Maintain reasonable proximity

  • Intermediate (Max 6):

    • Fly close to level

    • Approach slot

    • Follow minor changes in speed/heading

  • Advanced (Max 8):

    • Fly in slot

    • Follow changes in speed/heading/angle

4. Back Tracking / Angles

This is similar to belly tracking but the skydiver orients their body in a back-to-earth position. Although more advanced, it is in some ways easier to master than belly angles. Start with 1-on-1 coaching.

Progression Steps:

  1. Transition from belly-track to back-track with heading control

  2. Turns

  3. Accelerate and slow down

  4. Steepen and flatten out

  5. Combine all steps to fly to your coach

Once proficient, you can consolidate by joining small angle groups.

5. Head-Up (Sit-Fly)

Head-Up is a more advanced, vertical orientation, which includes any body position where the body is positioned upright with the head toward the sky and feet toward the ground. The first step in Head-Up is learning to Sit-Fly, where the skydiver is in a seated position relative to the ground. This position requires precise control to maintain stability. Incorporating wind tunnel sessions is an excellent way to complement skydiving practice and accelerate your mastery of Head-Up.

Progression Steps:

  1. Control in recovery position (back-fly); transition to sit-fly; maintain balance; break-offs

  2. On heading exit, back to airflow; turns

  3. Fall rate control; forward and backward motion for docking techniques

  4. Combine all steps to fly to your coach

Once proficient, join small group jumps.

Head-Up Progression Camps:

  • Basics (Max 4):

    • Fly close to level

    • No orbiting

    • Maintain reasonable proximity

  • Intermediate (Max 6):

    • Fly on level

    • Correct heading

    • Approach slot

  • Advanced (Max 8, only after learning head down):

    • Flying in slot

    • Take grips

    • HU moving

    • Break-off using HD

6. Head-Down

Head Down is vertical orientation with the skydiver’s head toward the ground and feet toward the sky. Due to the low drag and high speed nature of this orientation, head-down flying involves precise control of body position to maintain stability, manoeuvre, and interact with other skydivers in formations or dynamic movements. Loss of control can lead to highly dangerous situations and jumps should be planned based on the skill level of the participants. Incorporating wind tunnel sessions is an excellent way to complement skydiving practice and accelerate your progression.

Progression Steps:

  1. Linked Head-Down exit; balance in Head-Down position

  2. Forward and backward motion

  3. Turns; fall rate control; break-off with 180

  4. Transitions from Head-Up to Head-Down

  5. Combine all steps to fly to your coach

Once proficient, join small group jumps.

Head-Down Progression Camps:

  • Basics (Max 4):

    • Linked exit

    • Fly close to level

    • No orbiting

    • Maintain reasonable proximity

    • Break-off with 180

  • Intermediate (Max 6):

    • Fly on level

    • Correct heading

    • Approach slot

    • Break-off with 180

  • Advanced (Max 8):

    • Flying in slot

    • Take grips

    • HD moving

    • Break-off with 180

7. Mixing Orientations & Disciplines

This is where skydiving gets truly exciting! Sequential flying, dynamic flying, and the combination of both disciplines are the focus here. Reaching this level typically requires years of dedicated training both in the sky and in the wind tunnel. But in truth, it’s a never ending journey, so remember to STAY SAFE, HAVE FUN, PROGRESS!


desertskyalliance@gmail.com