Skydiving Glossary
A
AAD: Automatic Activation Device
Audible: an altimeter that makes noise and usually placed in your helmet in the ear flap
Altimeter: altitude reading device
Avgas: Gas for aviation.
B
Beer light: A signal that signifies the end of jumping for the day. Beer can be consumed.
Bridal: attaches the pilot chute to the main parachute
C
Canopy: a parachute
CoP: skydiving certificate of proficiency
Chop: the act of releasing a malfunctioning main parachute
Cell: a section of the canopy
CSPA: Canadian Sport Parachute Association
Container: The magic backpack that holds the main and reserve parachute
Cracker: a parachute that has opened very abruptly
D
Dytter: See Audible
D-Bag: See Deployment Bag
Deployment Bag: a bag the parachute is packed into before being put in the container
DZ: A place or area where skydiving takes place.
Drop Zone: See DZ
Deploy: Activate the parachute
Dump: Activate the parachute
Drogue/Drougefall: a mini circular parachute used in tandem skydiving to keep the tandem pair falling at regular skydive speeds. Also ensures stability during the skydive. Thirdly it acts as the pilot chute when the skydive is over.
E
Exit: the act of exiting the aircraft
F
Fack: a word often used by skydivers to explain frustration or surprise
Freefall: falling towards the earth with no parachute overhead
G
Groundspeed: The speed the plane is moving over the ground regardless of airspeed and winds
H
Head down: freefall in an upside down orientation
I
J
Jump: a skydive
Jump run: The heading held by the airplane when skydivers exit
K
Kill Line: the line that collapses the pilot chute after the canopy has been released from the d-bag
L
Lines: the rope that attaches the parachute to the harness
LONG: to be far away from the dropzone on jumprun.
M
Meatbomb: a skydiver falling from a plane
Malfunction/ MAL: A situation where a parachute become unserviceable
N
O
P
Parachute: a canopy
Pilot chute: A small parachute that starts the deployment of the main parachute.
Pre-me: a parachute that open prematurely
Q
R
Reserve: a 2nd back up parachute
Rigger: a qualified/certified person who packs parachutes and makes alterations to equipment
S
Swoop: generating lots of energy with an aggressive turn close to the earth and using the energy to put the parachute into level flight at ground level
Stall: when the parachute loses all lift and collapses
The spot: The exit point relative to the ground when skiydivers exit.
Sigma: The tandem container system
T
Tunnel: the wind tunnel, indoor skydiving
Toggle: the (usually) yellow handles used to steer the parachute
Terminal: Maximum velocity of a falling object. Human or not.
U
USPA: United States Parachute Association.
UPT: United parachute technologies / UUPT Uninsured
Uppers: In reference to the winds in the upper atmosphere
V
Vidiot: a skydiver who records tandem videos and tandem photos
W
Weather hold: To stop jumping due to weather.
X
X-wind: wind the is flowing perpendicular to the line of flight
Y
Z
Zoo dive: a skydive where all the skydivers on the jump are out of place
#
182/ King Air: The models of planes that Skydive Ontario owns, made by the Cessna aviation company.