Operational procedures for coaches

This page is study material for a developing coach. It draws on the Australian Parachute Federation’s coaching material and on practice from gymnastics and aviation coaching. The regulatory detail is Australian unless stated. Every federation differs, so confirm the current position where you jump.

A coach is examined on operational procedure as well as on coaching and flying. Small omissions here turn into incidents.

Gear checks, the same way every time

Check the same things in the same order on every jump. A fixed sequence still works when you are tired, rushed or distracted.

A freefly check covers more than a belly check, because the airflow comes from more directions and moves faster. Work through:

• Handles clear and secure.
• The pilot chute pouch tight enough to hold at freefly speeds.
• The bridle fully covered.
• Riser covers and pin flaps closed.
• The closing loop in good condition.
• Chest strap and harness snug for vertical flight.
• A hard helmet.
• An audible fitted, set and working.

Stow any loose webbing. It can cover a handle and delay or stop a pull.

With a visiting jumper, look at everything yourself before you treat it as in order. Out-of-date reserve paperwork means no jump. When something is outside what you are qualified to judge, take it to an instructor or the drop zone safety officer.

Altitude devices

An audible can fail without a sound, so check it every time. In Australia, a working audible is required on every freefly jump. On a jump on your own there is no group breaking off around you as a second cue, so wear two audibles on any freefly jump on your own. Two audibles explains why.

The common type of AAD cuts the closing loop when the jumper is below a set altitude and falling fast. It needs both conditions, which is why it stays quiet under a working canopy. Explain that to a student and they can see why the AAD is a last resort behind their own pull.

Keep reading the visual altimeter. An audible tells you when you reach an altitude you set. A visual altimeter tells you your altitude at any moment.

Separation and breakoff altitudes

On any jump where people fly relative to one another, finish the relative work and separate at least 1,000 ft above the altitude you plan to open at. In Australia, that separation is a regulatory requirement.

The freefly breakoff guides used here are 5,000 ft for groups up to a 4-way and 5,500 ft for five or more. A common plan is 5,500 ft for any freefly group. Head-up work and head-up movement groups break off higher again. Improving the breakoff has the numbers and the reasons.

Movement jumps on the load

Angle and tracking groups cover a lot of sky, so the load needs a plan for them before anyone boards.

• Plan no more than two movement groups on one load, unless the drop zone safety officer approves more. A skills camp is the usual case. Two groups can fly opposite or diverging directions, and a third has no clean airspace left.
• Give every movement group a leader approved by the drop zone safety officer, flying belly to earth.
• Have the leader talk the navigation plan through with the load master before the jump: the flight path, its direction, and the exit point and order.
• Don’t fly movement jumps in or near cloud. The leader navigates off the ground and needs to see it for the whole jump. Have a plan B ready for the days cloud rules them out.
• Keep beginner angles to three people at most, including you as the coach. A beginner joining a bigger group needs your approval first.
• Apply these limits to belly and back separately. A flyer cleared for bigger groups on their belly learns the basics of back-flying angles in groups of three or fewer first.

Some drop zones, Hunter Valley for example, set these as rules. What a movement leader owns covers the leader’s side of the jump.

What makes a canopy suitable for a novice

Look for docile handling with a predictable stall and flare. Container fit, looks and speed all come after that.

Canopy questions come up even though they sit outside freefly coaching. Answer on that principle, and send the detail to someone rated for it.

Teach the ground part on the ground

Teach spotting in a classroom, on the ground, before anyone is looking out of a door. The same goes for most of what a coach teaches. A student meeting an idea for the first time needs time to ask questions, and the ground gives them that time.

Ground school costs only time. Keep a ground-school plan ready for the day the weather turns marginal.

Training jumps are supervised

A student partway through a progression jumps under a supervision arrangement: the chief instructor oversees it and the drop zone authorises it. That arrangement sits above you as a coach.

If you are at a drop zone that does not run training and someone asks you to take a part-trained novice on a training jump, say no and explain why. Payment does not change the answer. Explaining why is the part they learn from.

Recognising stress in a novice

Stress shows in the body before it shows in what someone says. Watch for fidgeting, a change in how they breathe, and yawning or stretching that doesn’t match how tired they are.

Any of these is a reason to slow down and ask a question. None of them proves anything on its own.

Know who to take a problem to

The chief instructor resolves most instructional problems. When one isn’t resolved, there is a chain above them. In Australia the next step is the safety and training officer for the area.

Learn that chain before you need it. Take a safety concern up the chain first. Taking it to the press or social media instead damages your ability to get anything else fixed.

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Advisory, educational content, not regulatory advice. Requirements vary by federation and by drop zone and change over time. Always comply with the current rules where you are jumping and with your drop zone’s policies.