What do YOU think is a safe and acceptable minimum level of currency (jumps per year)?

[caspar 0]

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."

[kelpdiver 2]

safe and acceptable to do what?

Jump Solo?
Do a 8 person hybrid?
Swoop through 22 other jumpers?

[caspar 0]

hmm, well as i said minimum level of currency an 8 person hybrid would be a bit adventurous . to just do a skydive, i.e, EP's, stability, awareness etc at a safe enough level. i thought currency in skydiving was pretty self-explanatory.

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."

[FlyinseivLP2 0]

It depends. Some one with 5000 probably doesn't need to stay as current as some one with 50 jumps. Hence the differences in USPA currency requirements.

[darkwing 5]

This is too vague to be useful. Safe to do 2-ways is different than safe to do 100-ways. Safe for straight-in landings is different that safe to do 1040's. 15 jumps spead over a year is different than 15 jumps last week.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[billvon 2,925]

For someone who has 3000 jumps to stay current enough to do hop and pops with a big canopy - 1 a year

For someone who has 200 jumps, jumps a heavily loaded canopy and does a lot of freeflying and RW - over 100 jumps a year

[DrewEckhardt 0]

It depends.

To do hop-and-pops under lightly loaded canopy (with recurency training) a single jump will do it.

To make successful freefly jumps and safely land a small high performance elliptical, 100 are too few.

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

i thought currency in skydiving was pretty self-explanatory.

it's not.

I was out nearly 9 months because of the broken shoulder. Coming back, I did a couple hours of recurrency training and we went up to do basically an AFF checkout jump. No trouble, signed off to normal again. However, by the 3rd jump I found my shoulder was too tired to track.

So I had sufficient currency to solo or jump with an AFF-I, suggesting 0 jumps in 9 months is fine. But physically I couldn't get much horizonal separation after that first jump, so group jumping would be poor idea. And of course fine when everything goes right isn't the same as fine if something bad happens.

[Schoenauer 0]

<50 solo jumps / year
100 belly jumps / year
300 Free fly / year

Time in the sport also means something in that someone who has been around for number years may be slowing down and doing other things. I know big way world record holders who may make 200 jumps this year.

Memento Mori

[jasonRose 0]

Hmmmm...

I prefer to jump with people that at least jump a few times a month all year long and continue to improve their skills.

I am not a big fan of people that jump sporadic and never build on their skills set. In short, unless you have tens of thousands of jumps you should always learning and trying to improve.

My opinion of course, which most of the time doesn't mean shit.

Some day I will have the best staff in the world!!!

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Quote

I know big way world record holders who may make 200 jumps this year.

That's the funny thing. I know for a fact that there are PLENTY of bigway jumpers who make under 100 jumps a year.

Edited to add that I also sometimes jump with a couple of old army buddies who basically quit jumping (with around 500 jump apiece) in 1991, yet can still bang out a 10 point four-way from ten grand out of a Cessna 182 on the rare occasions we get together. Some people never lose their ability to freefall on their belly. Almost all, though, lose their ability to handle small HP canopies. Both of the guys i mentioned were jumping 150's when they left the sport and can still land them fine, but I would not consider for a second lending them any of my sub-100 canopies that I jump today.

Chuck

[Tonto 1]

I feel vulnerable with under 200 dives a year. Those jumps are usually spread between AFF, Canopy piloting and wingsuiting, so I have multiple skills to maintain or perhaps improve on. I'm currently doing between 300 and 400 a year, weekends only.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[fcajump 164]

Depends entirely on:
your experience
your experience at the particular DZ
your experience with the gear you're using
your health/fitness
the weather conditions
the DZ's special events of the day (2 CASA's at a Cessna DZ)
your planned dive (complexity/other's experience)
your experience with that type of dive
your "audience" (if any... such as that cute-young-thing you were chatting up last night... telling her about yourself the "Sky God")

Other than these things, currency is highly over rated...

JW

Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

[L.O. 0]

I wasn't going to respond, but I see one thing that hasn't been addressed about the experienced people who lay-off. Experienced people are usually the ones who jump fast canopies and do difficult skydives. I have a friend who just recently came back after 6mo. off (1500 jumps)he jumps a 95sq 9-cell. He tried to do his standard hook landing..., POW. shattered collar bone. Out for 8wks.

Being Current, is about way more then just number of jumps. This sport isn't just a leisure time hobby. It can result in some very bad things if you don't treat it like your a little afraid of it, all the time.

Be safe and make lots of jumps. I make 400+ pr year and feel I am just holding my own. I say 100 to be safe in general.

HPDBs, I hate those guys.
AFB, charter member.

[Fast 0]

To just show up at the DZ and get on a small RW load I said at least 50-75. Thats at least a jump every week. I think if you are skydiving less than that you need to have a decent amount of skill retained already or you need to have special attention on your skydives.

I personally am comfortable around the 400 a year mark, but I shoot video, freefly, swoop, do 4-way, zoo loads, etc. I have a lot of skills to maintain and improve. I think any less than that and I wouldn't be comfortable. I have consistantly increased my numbers each year so far. This year I think I will be about the same as last or maybe a little less because im off to a slow start thanks to some shoulder issues.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[pilotdave 0]

Quote

That's the funny thing. I know for a fact that there are PLENTY of bigway jumpers who make under 100 jumps a year.

Yep, just look at the issue of parachutist magazine that has info about all the director candidates... I don't have it in front of me, but I'm pretty sure BJ Worth reported doing under 50 jumps in the year he organized the 400-way.

Dave