Apr 7, 2010, 6:20 AM
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Paperwork for travelling jumpers worldwide - please contribute
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Hi Guys & Gals
I know that this has been asked already over time, but after visiting a DZ outside of Austria last weekend, we came to realise, that the rules had changed over the winter and we spent quite some time arguing over rules before being able to jump So to spare travelling European/International jumpers unnecessary hassles - not having the right papers with you wont get you in the plane in some places. I am asking you to help me put together this comprehensive list for jumpers worldwide. Thanks for your input and effort!
If I forgot something feel free to add necessary points
1) Third party insurance (what kind of insurance papers do you have to have): 2) Licence (Valid through/expiry date? Indefintly valid?): 3) Ownership (do you have to carry some kind of “statement of ownership”? If yes: please explain) 4) Reserve (Described on packing card or extra paper? Serial or no serial? Lead-Seal required etc): 4 a) Repack cycles in your country? Do you accept other countries rules?: 5) AAD (Described on packing card? Serial or no serial needed? Maintainance cycle on packing card or extra paper?: 6) Main (Described on packing card? Serial or no serial needed?): 7) Gear/Container (Described on packing card? Serial or no serial needed?: 8) Who states the airworthiness? (Where? Packing card?): 9) Who is responsible for the airworthiness? (Rigger/Owner, etc?):
Needed Paperwork for Austria: In principle Austrian authorities accept the rules of other countries – whatever works in your home country is fine for our authorities, which gives you a max of freedom
1. Third party insurance: Card from insurance company (like USPA-3rd party insurance) 2. Licence: Visiting jumper must show a valid licence recognised in their home country 3. Ownership: No separate papers needed in Austria 4. Reserve: Last packjob signed off by a rigger on the packing card (no lead seal required) 4a) Repacking cycle is 1 year in austria 5. Main: Must be listed by the Austrian Aeroclub (http://www.aeroclub.at --> FAA Technik --> Liste der zulässigen Hauptfallschirme, Liste der zugelässigen Gurtzeuge, Reservefallschirme, Öffnungsautomaten und Rettungsfallschirme) 6. AAD: No extra papers (maintenance cycle according to owners manual, there has to be no extra records for maintainance!) 7. Gear/Container: Parts must be listed by the Austrian Aeroclub (see point 6) No extra paperwork needed 8. Who states the airworthiness? Rigger by date of last repack on packing card – no extra paperwork needed 9. Who is responsible for the airworthiness? Owner of rig
edit: I also posted this message in the spanish, russian and french forum for greater input
(This post was edited by feuergnom on Apr 7, 2010, 6:35 AM)
5. Main: Must be listed by the Austrian Aeroclub (http://www.aeroclub.at --> FAA Technik --> Liste der zulässigen Hauptfallschirme, Liste der zugelässigen Gurtzeuge, Reservefallschirme, Öffnungsautomaten und Rettungsfallschirme)
does that mean that someone jumping, for example, a Icarus Safire2 135 (custom size), would not be allowed to jump it as it is not listed ?
I'm not an official, so i can't give you a clear, binding answer. my take: as the type (icarus safire 2) is listed it should be ok. besides that: nobody hereabout gives a shit about these things anyway
3rd party insurance (500'000 SDR minimum, about ten times higher than the USPA-one), license, preferably B or higher (again, in USPA terms), reserve-card, in less than your homecountry's requirements, pretty much one year of swiss citizens..
NEEDED PAPERWORK FOR CANADA 1) Membership- Either the FAI affiliate from your country of residence or CSPA. (Some DZs will accept USPA whether you are a US resident or not). 2) Certificate of Proficiency- Less than a Canadian "B" will usually draw scrutiny. 3) Packing Card- packing rules in country of rigger/owner/manufacturer (depends). 3) Jump ticket. Enjoy.
Does the third party liability insurance that you receive with your USPA membership cover you outside the US? I'm guessing not...
I ask because I've seen Canadian DZs refuse people with USPA membership (ie. require that they sign up for CSPA membership) because of the issue with third party liability coverage.
USPA insurance covers US residents worldwide, and everyone else in the US only. More to the point the CSPA dropzone insurance (the one the airports really care about) is invalid if the visiting jumper is not a member of either CSPA or their home country FAI affiliate.
Reserve packing requirements for jumpers visiting the United States were explained in an article here on dropzone.com in 2003. The regulation hasn't changed since then, but you will find very different levels of enforcement. It's best to call the DZ you want to visit in advance and seek their guidance.
thanks tom - u.s. and canadian rules are pretty obvious and easy to find out. what i am particulaily interested in are the different rulez all over europe. up to now I made the assumption, that what works in your homecountry is accepted eleswhere - big time mistake. thats why I am asking for input
OK, as instructor, DZO and former member of the Swiss Skydive board, I would try to answer for Switzerland. If somebody discover error in my post, don't hesitate to made corrections ..
Visiting jumper must show a valid licence recognised in their home country
For information : Swiss Licence is provided by Swiss Skydive and is valid until March 31th, next year ..
3) Ownership (do you have to carry some kind of “statement of ownership”? If yes: please explain)
No separate papers needed in Switzerland
4) Reserve (Described on packing card or extra paper? Serial or no serial? Lead-Seal required etc):
Reserve is MANDATORY !!! (No "base jump" rig allowed for jumping from airplane/helicopter/balloon/etc.)
Last packjob signed off by a rigger on the packing card (no lead seal required)
4 a) Repack cycles in your country? Do you accept other countries rules?:
Repacking cycle is 1 year in Switzerland ONLY IF THE MANUFACTURER OF THE HARNESS, THE RESERVE AND THE AAD AGREE WITH THIS LIMIT. Otherwise, the most limitating make the rules (For exemple, a Quasar harness with Cypres and PD reserve has a limitation of 4 month, because Strong Enterprise give this limit for his harness)
5) AAD (Described on packing card? Serial or no serial needed? Maintainance cycle on packing card or extra paper?:
AAD is recomended, but not mandatory ! No extra papers (maintenance cycle according to owners manual, there has to be no extra records for maintainance!)
6) Main (Described on packing card? Serial or no serial needed?):
There is no rules for the main. If you want to sew it in your garage .... it's your problem !
7) Gear/Container (Described on packing card? Serial or no serial needed?:
Must be authorized in the home country of the user. No extra paperwork needed.
8) Who states the airworthiness? (Where? Packing card?):
Rigger by date of last repack on packing card – no extra paperwork needed
9) Who is responsible for the airworthiness? (Rigger/Owner, etc?):
User of rig ... except for "student" (In Switzerland, you still a student with a "A" licence !) where the school is responsible.
At some dropzones or aero clubs in Eastern Europe you will be asked to provide documentation of medical fitness to engage in sporting (parachuting) activities.
Specifically I am thinking of Clinceni in Romania, and generally of other government sponsored aero clubs in the country.
There may be others in Serbia, Bosnia-Herzigovina, Belarus and so on; your best bet would be to have your documents in order before you leave home. You could still be found "fit" by a doctor in-country, just learn the local word for "cough".
and because you can never be sure exactly what documents you have to produce (read what the officials would want to see) spawned my question. last time in czech republic the security guy at the dz wanted to see papers i have never heard of
Several European DZs asked me to provide paper proof of medical insurance. As soon as they understood that I was serving in the Canadian Air Force, they quit asking. USPA insurance does not cover your (the skydiver's) medical expenses.
Proof of ownership is primarily to convince border guards that you are not importing and selling parachutes. If border guards catch you importing and selling parachutes - without paying customs fees/import duties/taxes - they will get upset. Upset border guards can make you life miserable!
" ...4 a) Repack cycles in your country? Do you accept other countries rules?:
Repacking cycle is 1 year in Switzerland ONLY IF THE MANUFACTURER OF THE HARNESS, THE RESERVE AND THE AAD AGREE WITH THIS LIMIT. Otherwise, the most limiting make the rules (For example, a Quasar harness with Cypres and PD reserve has a limitation of 4 month, because Strong Enterprise give this limit for his harness) ..."
That was under the old American Federal Air Regulations. Since FARs have been amended to 180 repack cyle, American-made skydiving gear is now on a 180 repack cycle. If you ask Strong Enterprises for an updated version of the Quasar manual, it will say: "180 day repack cycle."
Of course, I should have said "Certificate of fitness" instead of documents - that was what I was discussing at the time.
In a few weeks my wife and I hope to leave for Europe - that is to say, we are booked on flights. First stops will be Romania and Bulgaria. If I find any unusual requirements for visiting skydivers I will post them for you here.
It is as amazing to me, as it must be to you, how different from one dz to another the requirements for visiting jumpers can be. From Lodi California's "Your waiver is on the back of your ticket", to the marathon of signing reams of paper, induction and indoctrination sessions that seem to take up half a day at other places.
Aw hell; I'll give it a go. Other Dutch jumpers, feel free to correct me.
Translated from the Royal Dutch Aeronautical Association (RDAA) regulations:
1) Yes. BUt the regulations are not very clear on what document is considered appropriate.
2) a valid skydiving licence, recognised by the (foreign equivalent of) the RDAA. Students are a special case; I wouldn't know the official policy. Dutch students get an oefenvergunning" ("permit to practice") after completing their FJC, which in this context also counts as a 'licence'.
3) [I don't understand]
4) Reserves must be repacked by a Dutch senior or Master rigger or foreign equivalent, as per the manufacturers guidelines. A 'rigger seal' is mandatory, except if if the reserve is packed by a rigger from a country were sealing is not permitted. A packing card including serial#must be shown.
4a) Repacks are 6 months. I don't know about longer nor shorter cycles in other counries.
5) AAD+serial+maintainance is described on a logcard.
6) Main: serial is described on a logcard, but no inspection cycles are recorded.
7+8) H/C are decribed on a logcard. Serial needed. Gear used by foreign jumpers is evaluated for airworthiness (sp?) by an instructor/rigger. Note: this includes whether or not the I/R thinks the jumper should actually be jumping that canopy.
9) Responsible for airworthiness: ultimately, the owner.
Other papers: - a logbook - a membership certificate of the Royal Dutch Aeronautical association (or a foreign equivalent).
(This post was edited by Baksteen on Apr 23, 2010, 7:35 AM)
Sweden - this is what I've found scouring the "Svenska Bestämmelser för Fallskärmsverksamhet (Swedish regulations for Skydiving Activities) document of 2010. Corrections/additions welcome.
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The license must be issued by an FAI affiliate.
The license must contain the following:
*The words "Fédération Aéronautique Internationale" *FAI logotype *The words "International Parachutist Certificate" *Name of licensee *Date of birth *Nationality *Signature of licensee *Date of issue *License grade
The Swedish rules essentially say that foreign skydivers may follow the rules of their home country regarding airworthiness, reserve repacks etc. They are also allowed to jump anything that's allowed under the Swedish rules, even if it's banned in their home country. The current rules say nothing about insurance requirements for foreign skydivers.
A skydiver who has been banned from jumping in another country, may not jump in Sweden either.
If a skydiver with a foreign license lives in Sweden for more than 12 months, their license must be converted to a Swedish license.
As a Traveling Skydiver, I say, Just don’t be the air Gestapo Papers Please!……paperwork …..it should be avoided wherever whenever possible……this being one of them wherever whenever possible situations.
If you don’t know a skydiver when you see talk to one, maybe sell your DZ to someone that dose
or just get right to it and install naked body scaners in the parking lot.
I bring so much paperwork most never do more than glance at it
…..it should be avoided wherever whenever possible……this being one of them wherever whenever possible situations. 
maybe sell your DZ to someone that dose 
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