COURSES

ESSENTIAL SKILLS COURSE

This course meets the requirements of the B license application as well as completes the canopy proficiency card required by USPA.

Not only will you learn necessary basic skills required to obtain your B License, but you will also learn additional survival skills that every jumper should know. This course goes above and beyond your basic canopy course.

You do not need to be an A licensed skydiver to attend this course but you must be cleared to self supervise and have completed your hop and pops. At the completion of the course, the B license exam will be administered at no additional charge.

It is a recommendation that you get a packer for this course.

If you have never attended a formal canopy course, this course is for you as well.

Advanced Skills Course

Filming an advanced student at Connecticut Parachutist Inc. Photo courtesy of SkydivingStills.com

Designed for jumpers that have already been through a basic or essential skills canopy course or that already have the necessary skills required to attend an advanced course.

This course teaches more advanced techniques which enables canopy pilots to get more performance out of their wings and become safer pilots by learning more about their canopies and also the fundamentals of progressing safely.

Skills building will be tailored to swoopers and non-swoopers alike. Wherever you are in your current abilities is where we will start and progress from there.

Participants of the Essential Skills Course may easily transition into this course.

HIGH PERFORMANCE CANOPY COURSE / COACHING

Competing in the 2014 U.S. Nationals with a broken arm and torn rotator cuff which happened only 4 days prior and placing 3rd overall at the 2014 U.S. Nationals of Canopy Piloting

Whether you want to push your canopy to its limits, swoop the high performance landing area or start competing in canopy piloting competitions, this course is for you. It can be ran as a high performance course, an introduction to competition or a coaching event with no classroom necessary. Based off of 9 consecutive years as a member of the U.S. National Canopy Piloting Team and 5 World Records in Speed, power and performance are at your fingertips.

PRO RATING COURSE

Specifically designed for jumpers wanting to obtain their Professional Exhibition Ratings and learn the ins and outs of demonstration jumping to include jumping flags and smoke.

Landing the national colors during a memorial tribute to SFC (retired) Paul Rafferty — Landing the national colors during a memorial tribute to SFC (retired) Paul Rafferty

Competition and Demonstration Accuracy Coaching

With over 20 years experience of jumping demonstration and competition accuracy canopies, this course is designed to get you where you want to go... To the dead center!

Scoring a dead center at the 2002 CISM World Military Games in Algeria North Africa

TANDEM CANOPY COURSE

Offered for the past 5 years, this was the first and only course offered to tandem instructors in the U.S. The purpose of the course is to provide additional training on how to improve landings and lessen the chances of injuring students. This course focuses on consistent soft landings, accuracy, how to avoid/handle turbulence and other unforeseen issues. This course is a must for DZs wanting to improve or maintain their safety record.

VERTICAL WIND TUNNEL AND BODYFLIGHT COACHING

Train your free fall skills with an International Bodyflight Association rated instructor. Whether you are preparing to learn how to free fall or you are flying 100+ pounds worth of gear into a combat environment, build the skills you need to get the job done. SFS's staff of instructors range from multiple time world champions in 4-way and 8-way formation skydiving as well as vertical formation world record holders.

SEMINARS

There is no jumping involved during seminars.

STUDENT TRAINING TECHNIQUES

Learn the techniques used by canopy coaches to break bad habits in students. Fix them before they get broken.

DECONFLICTING AIRSPACE

(A seminar/briefing for S&TA's and DZ managers) Find out where your DZ is at risk and how to avoid the accident before it happens.

COLLISION AVOIDANCE AND SURVIVAL

Learn how to best avoid and if necessary, survive a canopy collision. Are we training our students how to properly avoid them? This seminar uses data gathered from nearly 15 years worth of canopy collisions in the U.S. An in-depth class at how/why they happen and how to avoid them is the only one being taught in the U.S. and may one day save your life.

CONFIDENCE UNDER CANOPY

Train yourself to identify contributing factors to fear and eliminate them before they invade your mind. Learn how to get over fears under canopy and build confidence.

PACKING MADE EASY

Cut your packing time in half with tried and true packing tips and techniques. Used on over 13,000 jumps during a 20 years period for every size of canopy, from tandems to Peregrines with wing loadings up to 3.5 without a single packing related malfunction.