Each year, USPA sends out a membership survey that asks a variety of questions concerning skydivers. Members’ feedback provides valuable insight into the skydiving community, what USPA is 
doing well and where it has opportunities to grow. These findings will help guide priorities and ensure that the organization’s work continues to reflect the needs and aspirations of its membership. And while there isn’t enough space here to publish each survey answer sent to USPA, headquarters staff read through every response.
Here is a selection of feedback from those skydivers who took the opportunity to make their voices heard.
If you experienced any close calls or safety challenges in 2025, please share any lessons learned:
“I had a premature opening, highlighting the importance of replacing the BOC sooner and checking the elasticity of the BOC on a regular basis.”
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“I developed a bad habit of reaching up too high on my risers during opening and caused a toggle fire. I was also out of position after my pitch and would get line twists or a sharp yank one way or the other on opening. I corrected both issues and have not had any issues since.”
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“Be ready to jump. Once, I geared up so fast that I forgot my altimeter.”
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“Two-out scenario, due to incorrect AAD settings. Accidentally set AAD on student mode with a +600-foot offset. I sniveled through the AAD fire. I think there should be more focus on AAD settings and different types of AADs in training. I was not familiar enough with mine. Ultimately, it was my fault and my gear, so I should have known.”
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“Be fam
iliar with your digital altimeter settings. Just because a big zero is showing on the ground doesn’t mean it’s correctly set to “altitude” mode (in my case, it was set on “speed”). That’s something you want to be fixing on the ground—not on the ride to altitude.”
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“I had one line over a corner—nothing too severe—but it took 10-12 seconds to clear. I would say that I learned that staying calm and working through procedures methodically is important. React to your training. And it made me more diligent to go over my emergency procedures multiple times before each jump.”
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“Twice I saw people have hard landings with two parachutes out due to knocking their cutaway handle loose enough to disengage only one riser, and then deploying their main. This year I plan to talk with more people about how, if your cutaway handle is dislodged for any reason, you need to pull it all the way out and deploy your reserve.”
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“I find it frustrating when instructors at certain drop zones become upset when a jumper needs to land off due to heavy traffic in the air. As long as a jumper is making a safe landing decision, I believe they should respect that judgment rather than reacting negatively. This negative attitude only pushes jumpers away from coming back to that location.”
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“I was in a plane crash. I was able to tighten my seat belt before impact, which was huge in keeping my injuries minor. Now, even after 1,500 feet when we unbuckle, I keep the buckle ends in my lap instead of tossing them to the ground. As a wingsuiter, all that material would make quickly rebuckling very difficult in the event of an emergency. Also, each plane’s seat belts are a little different with where the tightening mechanism is. Sometimes it’s near the anchor point in the floor and other times it’s up near the buckle. Now, I always make sure that I know where to tighten it and how much force it’ll take.”
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“Don’t be a passenger, ever. Be a pilot.”
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USPA should know …
“I am a newbie in this sport and a longtime dream has become true. This community is incredible and I am honored to be part of it.”
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“USPA could be more proactive in sharing information regarding training camps and boogies with organizers in advance of the event through the magazine or via social media. The page dedicated to coaching or other ratings should include more events that assist in furthering skillsets in different disciplines. It could also include indoor wind tunnel events that provide coaching.”
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“I’m a Canadian skydiver. The skydiving community in the USA has always welcomed Canadian jumpers and I just want to say thank you for the hospitality and great times. Especially everyone at Skydive City Zephyrhills in Florida. Amazing staff and people!”
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“This is my 49th year skydiving. There is nothing in the world that makes me feel more alive. You might want to include questions about tunnel training in your survey. Do you train in the tunnel? 4-way, 8-way et cetera? Do you travel overseas to tunnel train? Are you advancing your skills in the tunnel? Are you team training in the tunnel? What disciplines do you train in the tunnel? Are you applying these skills in skydiving? Do you do more tunnel time because aircraft rides are getting more expensive?”
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“My boss doesn’t understand me and that’s why I need to jump.”
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“Besides fatherhood, skydiving is the best thing that has ever happened in my life!”
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“I appreciate the strong emphasis USPA places on canopy education and safety for newer jumpers. Continued access to structured coaching is extremely valuable.”
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“While I believe I may be at the point of hanging my rig up due to safety concerns stemming from difficulties presented by my knee injury (not skydiving-related), I am eternally grateful for the joy and sense of community skydiving has given me. It came along at a difficult time in my life, and has helped me through subsequent tough periods. While I may likely not jump again, I still intend to maintain my membership and somehow stay involved, even if it is just mowing grass or taking out trash at the DZ. I can’t just completely walk away from my sky family.”