Academy › Wind & landings
Wind & landings
Headwind, tailwind and crosswind, rear-riser landings step by step, and the awareness that keeps landings boring.
Practise every drill high and only with your coach and S&TA's agreement. Nothing here is a turn height, a technique to try near the ground, or permission to progress. There is no requirement for any skydiver to swoop.
Wind: headwind, tailwind, crosswind
Airspeed is flare power and does not change with the wind; ground speed does. Move the sliders to see it.
Ground speed
35 km/h · 22 mph
70% of airspeed
Sideways drift
0°
0 km/h · 0 mph sideways
Crab to hold a line
0°
heading into the wind
Airspeed — your flare power — is the same in every wind; only ground speed changes. That is why the published advice is to keep the flare technique the same in all conditions. Source: Skydivemag — Flare Technique and Airspeed (Julian Barthel) ↗
Headwind
Slower over the ground and a steeper path; you cover less distance, so the landing spot comes up short sooner. Flare technique stays the same.
Source: Skydivemag — Flare Technique and Airspeed (Julian Barthel) ↗No wind
Ground speed equals airspeed, so it looks fast. Adding brake to slow down before the flare reduces airspeed — and flare power — making the landing harder.
Source: Skydivemag — Flare Technique and Airspeed (Julian Barthel) ↗Tailwind / downwind
Airspeed and flare power are unchanged but ground speed is much higher. Land as you normally would — it will be faster — and be ready to slide or PLF.
Source: Skydive Perris — Skydiving Landing: How It Works ↗Crosswind
The canopy drifts sideways over the ground. The published landing priorities put a level wing and a clear area first: 1) wing level, 2) clear area, 3) flare symmetrically to at least half brakes, 4) into the wind.
Source: Skydive Perris — Skydiving Landing: How It Works ↗Gusts & turbulence
Guidance adds one exception to 'same flare every time': turbulence during the flare itself.
Source: Skydivemag — Flare Technique and Airspeed (Julian Barthel) ↗Rear-riser landings — technique, step by step
How the published sources teach it: grip, small input, the stall signs, the recovery — all learned up high, with a coach, long before it is needed.
Grip. Toggles stay in your hands; grab the rear risers high, where the lines meet the risers.
Learning it — step by step, always up high
- Plan it with your coach, on a full-altitude hop-and-pop, clear of other traffic. Source: USPA Parachutist / AXIS Flight School — Foundations of Flight: Rear-Riser Stall (Niklas Daniel, Nov 2012) ↗
- Practise rear-riser flares with the toggles still stowed; then again with one brake released, as if a steering line had broken. Source: Skydivemag — Landing on Rear Risers ↗
- Rear-riser stalls: slow, level entry; learn the look, sound and feel of the stall and a slow, smooth recovery. AXIS says to stop stall attempts by 2,500 ft. Source: USPA Parachutist / AXIS Flight School — Foundations of Flight: Rear-Riser Stall (Niklas Daniel, Nov 2012) ↗
- Repeat many times up high before ever landing on rears — the stall comes more abruptly than with toggles. Source: Skydivemag — Landing on Rear Risers ↗
- Whether you should land on rears at all is a question for an experienced canopy coach, for your skill level and your canopy. Source: Skydivemag — Landing on Rear Risers ↗
What the sources stress
- No "safe speed". A stall is a very high angle of attack, not low speed — so a wing can stall on rears even when it is flying fast. Source: USPA Parachutist / AXIS Flight School — Foundations of Flight: Rear-Riser Stall (Niklas Daniel, Nov 2012) ↗
- Small range, sudden stall. Rear-riser stalls start more suddenly than toggle stalls (recovery is smoother). Source: USPA Parachutist / AXIS Flight School — Foundations of Flight: Rear-Riser Stall (Niklas Daniel, Nov 2012) ↗
- Plane-out on rears is used by high-performance pilots — but rears will not pull you out of a low turn; changing the angle of attack too aggressively stalls the wing at any speed. Source: USPA Parachutist / AXIS Flight School — Foundations of Flight: Rear-Riser Stall (Niklas Daniel, Nov 2012) ↗
- Higher injury risk than a normal toggle landing if done wrong — be ready for a PLF. Source: Skydivemag — Landing on Rear Risers ↗
Foundations of Flight — The Rear Riser Stall
AXIS Flight School
What to watch for: grip position, the slow entry, the trailing edge before the stall, and the gentle recovery.
Foundations of Flight — Front Riser Applications
AXIS Flight School
What to watch for: how front-riser input changes speed and how the dive is stopped — up high.
Canopy Training: 2-stage flare
British Skydiving
What to watch for: the two parts of the flare and where the eyes stay.
Awareness — the part that keeps you alive
- Sight picture is built over many jumps and fades quickly when you're not current; a new drop zone or distractions change it. If it says you're low, listen. Source: Skydive Langar — A Safe Return to Swooping (Curt Bartholomew & Tommy Botten Jensen) ↗
- Red mist — the “I have to swoop” feeling that ignores traffic, wind or a bad setup. Recognise it and say no: a straight-in landing is always available. Source: Skydivemag — Canopy Piloting: 8 Principles (Paul Dorward, Flight-1) ↗
- Currency: after a break, dial it back and rebuild from the landing you're most comfortable with. Source: JYRO / USPA Parachutist — 25 Ways to Become a Better Canopy Pilot (Alan Martinez) ↗
- Traffic and rules: high-performance landings only where and when your drop zone allows them, with a separate area or pass. Source: USPA SIM 5-9 — Canopy Piloting ↗
- Instruments: audible and visual altimeters on every canopy jump — if any part isn't working, don't swoop. Source: Skydivemag — Canopy Piloting: 8 Principles (Paul Dorward, Flight-1) ↗
Sources
- JYRO / USPA Parachutist — 25 Ways to Become a Better Canopy Pilot (Alan Martinez)
- Skydivemag — Canopy Piloting: 8 Principles (Paul Dorward, Flight-1)
- Skydive Langar — A Safe Return to Swooping (Curt Bartholomew & Tommy Botten Jensen)
- USPA — Introduction to Canopy Piloting Conditioning (Dr. Nancy Grieger & Christian Cody)
- USPA — Warm-Ups for Canopy Pilots (exercises shared by Justin Price)
- JYRO — How to Become a High Performance Canopy Pilot (Cornelia Mihai & Olga Naumova)
- USPA SIM 5-9 — Canopy Piloting
- FAI — 2024 World Canopy Piloting Championships, Pretoria
- Skydive Arizona — 2025 FAI World Cup of Canopy Piloting results
- Flight-1 canopy courses
- Krav — Canopy Piloting course with Curt & Jeannie Bartholomew
- USPA Parachutist / AXIS Flight School — Foundations of Flight: Rear-Riser Stall (Niklas Daniel, Nov 2012)
- Skydivemag — Landing on Rear Risers
- Skydivemag — Flare Technique and Airspeed (Julian Barthel)
- Skydive Perris — Skydiving Landing: How It Works
- FAI — Competition Rules, Canopy Piloting (2022 edition)
- FAI — Canopy Piloting
- Wikipedia — Canopy piloting (FAI records listed there)
Safety notice: This tool is for data review only. It does not replace canopy coaching, DZ rules, traffic awareness, S&TA guidance, or manufacturer guidance. Everything here is information for learning — not advice or a recommendation about any canopy, wing loading, turn or decision. Your decisions are your own. See the Terms of Service.