August gave licensed jumpers more than reasons to stay current. It created room to work deliberately, whether that meant refining bodyflight, gaining high-altitude experience, or becoming more confident under canopy. Now, with two major September events approaching, the momentum at Skydive Arizona is only beginning to build.
August in the Rearview
AXIS B-License Weekend | August 29–30
August closed with AXIS Flight School working with a small group on deliberate canopy control. The course explored slow flight and stall recovery before moving into more effective use of toggles and risers. Every landing became a coaching opportunity, with individual analysis between jumps.
The weekend also moved into the pool for live water-landing training, turning a license requirement into practical preparation for beach boogies and unfamiliar landing areas. Participants could finish by taking the written B-License exam. It was focused, hands-on work designed to make every jumper more capable under canopy.
A Month Made for Training
That weekend capped a month with a clear progression theme. High-altitude exposure gave jumpers more working time and a chance to become familiar with oxygen procedures before a future big-way or record attempt. Elsewhere on the calendar, Brenn Richards brought a creative edge through belly freestyle and hybrid experiments. Mark Kirkby and Laura Hampton offered close 3:1 coaching during Summer Survivors. Summer in Eloy was time to train.
Photo of the Month: Arizona Airspeed 4 way FS team.
Photo by Alex Swindle
September Steps It Up
Good Luck at USPA Nationals
September brings the USPA National Skydiving Championships. Skydive Arizona will be represented by sponsored teams and by teams that train here in Eloy. To everyone heading to Nationals: trust the work, fly your best, and know the whole drop zone is cheering you on. Good luck!
Women’s Upright World Record Training Camp | September 19-20
Large-formation upright flying takes awareness and the ability to stay composed when the picture gets busy. Sara Curtis and Amy Chmelecki will lead a two-day camp designed to sharpen those skills and identify potential team members for future women’s record attempts. Participants should already be comfortable flying both head up and head down. They must also be able to manage level and proximity, make head-down approaches, and break off from a vertical big-way. The plan is about five jumps per day.
VIEW CAMP DETAILS AND REGISTER
Arizona Days
Arizona Days is Skydive Arizona’s annual thank-you to the jumpers who keep the drop zone moving. Registration is free, and lift tickets will be heavily discounted throughout the customer-appreciation weekend. Register in advance to make check-in easier, then come ready to put a few more Eloy jumps in the logbook.
Tell Your People!
Trade a Weekday for Freefall and Save $30
Make Monday, Thursday, or Friday the day your friend finally does it!. We’re running our Summer Savers offer through to the end of September which means tandems who jump on Monday, Thursday or Friday through to September 30 save $30 on the normal price. Spread the word!
Featured read | High-Altitude Skydiving: Twenty-Two Seconds Isn’t (Quite) Enough
A speed jump gives a skydiver roughly twenty-two seconds of working time. Nik Daniel and Brianne Thompson explain why going higher can add the seconds needed to train at the edge of performance, what the Arizona records demand, and why getting high-altitude experience before a big-way or record attempt is worth having in your logbook.
Nik Daniel pushed that same high-altitude work into record territory on August 15, reaching 576.437 km/h at Skydive Arizona without a drogue. His performance secured an Arizona state record for Greatest Freefall Speed and a record for Maximum Vertical Speed Without a Drogue, both currently awaiting ratification. AXIS Flight School explains why the number is even bigger than it looks.
Featured Business Partner: United Parachute Technologies
UPT has helped shape modern skydiving equipment through the Vector family of harness-and-container systems. From sport rigs to tandem and military systems, its designs, rigging resources, and product support make UPT a trusted partner for Skydive Arizona’s high-volume training environment.
September Starts Here
September gives you two very different reasons to return to Eloy: focused record training and a customer-appreciation weekend built for jumping. Check the calendar and meet us at the loading area.