Parachuting has complex skills that can take thousands of jumps to master, but the basics are often fully understood and useful during the first few jumps. There are four basic areas of skill: basic safety, free fall maneuvers, parachute operation, and landing.
[edit] Free-fall maneuvers
In freefall most skydivers start by learning to maintain a stable belly to earth "arch" position[1]. In this position the average fall rate is around 190 km/h (120 mph). Learning a stable arch position is |