No Go-Around

Jump Journal

Every jump I’ve made toward my USPA A license. Open a jump to see its stats, video and flight path.

Path to a USPA A license

  1. Category A — 1 of 1 jumps, completed
  2. Category B — 1 of 1 jumps, completed
  3. Category C — 1 of 1 jumps, completed
  4. Category D — 2 of 2 jumps, completed
  5. Category E — 2 of 2 jumps, completed
  6. Category F — 0 of 3 jumps, up next
  7. Category G — 0 of 3 jumps, not yet
  8. Category H — 0 of 1 jumps, not yet
Jumps 9 / 25
Landings within 65 ft (20 m), no assist 0 / 5
Packed own main without assistance 0 / 1
Oral exam (100% to pass) 0 / 1
Written exam (75% to pass) 0 / 1
Check dive with a USPA Instructor 0 / 1
#9 First Solo November 1, 2026 · Solo Student · Skydive New England 13,736 ft 59s freefall

Flight path

Open to load the GPS track…

Exit 13,736 ft
Deployment 3,482 ft
Freefall 59s
Max speed 147 mph
Canopy time 3:54
Avg descent 10 mph
Winds aloft · 1:40 pm
AltitudeWindTemp
Surface 263° 6 kt (G11) 55°F
~300 ft 266° 8 kt 54°F
~400 ft 297° 12 kt 54°F
~600 ft 265° 9 kt 48°F
1,000 ft 272° 10 kt 47°F
2,000 ft 284° 11 kt 42°F
3,000 ft 311° 18 kt 40°F
4,000 ft 324° 26 kt 39°F
5,000 ft 325° 28 kt 38°F
6,000 ft 323° 28 kt 36°F
7,000 ft 318° 27 kt 34°F
8,000 ft 314° 27 kt 31°F
9,000 ft 312° 27 kt 29°F
10,000 ft 313° 28 kt 26°F
11,000 ft 313° 30 kt 22°F
12,000 ft 313° 32 kt 19°F
13,000 ft 313° 34 kt 15°F
14,000 ft 313° 37 kt 11°F
15,000 ft 312° 39 kt 7°F
16,000 ft 312° 42 kt 3°F
17,000 ft 311° 44 kt -1°F
18,000 ft 310° 47 kt -5°F
19,000 ft 309° 49 kt -8°F
20,000 ft 308° 51 kt -12°F
21,000 ft 307° 53 kt -16°F
22,000 ft 306° 52 kt -20°F
23,000 ft 305° 52 kt -24°F

Stats, media and GPS archived from Studifest on November 1, 2026 and served from this site. Original share

My notes

Dive flow: First Solo

Solo. From Skydive New England’s solo, coach and check dive dive flow card.

On the ground

  1. Check winds aloft / spot
  2. Check Ground Winds
  3. Make a dive flow and plan landing pattern
  4. Check Gear
  5. Get geared up
  6. Still need your gear checks!

Freefall

  1. Gear checked in plane
  2. Check spot with coach
  3. Face off jumprun
  4. No freeflying
  5. No tracking
  6. Do not stay off your belly for more than 5 seconds
  7. WARP by 4500

Canopy

  1. Controllability Check
  2. APT
  3. Fly safe and predictable landing pattern

Jump 9 on its own page →

#8 Cat E2 October 25, 2026 · Skydive New England 13,811 ft 54s freefall

Video

Landing Video · 20s
Main Video · 84s

Flight path

Open to load the GPS track…

Exit 13,811 ft
Deployment 4,237 ft
Freefall 54s
Max speed 147 mph
Canopy time 5:08
Avg descent 9 mph
Winds aloft · 10:26 am
AltitudeWindTemp
Surface 287° 3 kt (G6) 46°F
~300 ft 300° 5 kt 50°F
~400 ft 294° 3 kt 50°F
~600 ft 298° 4 kt 50°F
1,000 ft 282° 6 kt 49°F
2,000 ft 259° 6 kt 52°F
3,000 ft 254° 5 kt 51°F
4,000 ft 256° 4 kt 50°F
5,000 ft 245° 3 kt 49°F
6,000 ft 217° 3 kt 48°F
7,000 ft 208° 4 kt 46°F
8,000 ft 229° 3 kt 42°F
9,000 ft 300° 3 kt 38°F
10,000 ft 329° 5 kt 34°F
11,000 ft 335° 6 kt 30°F
12,000 ft 338° 7 kt 26°F
13,000 ft 344° 6 kt 23°F
14,000 ft 354° 5 kt 20°F
15,000 ft 19° 5 kt 17°F
16,000 ft 48° 5 kt 14°F
17,000 ft 64° 7 kt 10°F
18,000 ft 71° 9 kt 6°F
19,000 ft 74° 11 kt 2°F
20,000 ft 76° 14 kt -2°F
21,000 ft 77° 17 kt -7°F
22,000 ft 76° 20 kt -11°F
23,000 ft 76° 21 kt -15°F
24,000 ft 75° 23 kt -19°F

Stats, media and GPS archived from Studifest on October 25, 2026 and served from this site. Original share

My notes

Dive flow: Cat E2, Flips/Rolls

1 instructor. From Skydive New England’s AFF dive flow card.

Freefall

  1. SPOT
  2. Diving Exit
  3. Instability Recovery
  4. Optional Practice Tracking
  5. 6500 All maneuvers stop
  6. 6000 Lock On
  7. 5000 WARP

Canopy

  1. Controllability Check
  2. APT – Traffic, Altitude, Position
  3. Fly to holding area
  4. Stall-point drill
  5. Fly landing pattern
  6. Level wing on final
  7. Land within 165ft without assistance

Jump 8 on its own page →

#7 Cat E1 October 24, 2026 · Skydive New England 13,519 ft 52s freefall

Video

Main Video · 66s

Flight path

Open to load the GPS track…

Exit 13,519 ft
Deployment 3,955 ft
Freefall 52s
Max speed 152 mph
Canopy time 4:25
Avg descent 10 mph
Winds aloft · 4:14 pm
AltitudeWindTemp
Surface 279° 2 kt (G6) 60°F
~300 ft 287° 2 kt 58°F
~400 ft 304° 1 kt 58°F
~600 ft 218° 3 kt 55°F
1,000 ft 270° 2 kt 53°F
2,000 ft 313° 3 kt 48°F
3,000 ft 341° 7 kt 45°F
4,000 ft 349° 13 kt 44°F
5,000 ft 346° 17 kt 43°F
6,000 ft 343° 18 kt 41°F
7,000 ft 343° 19 kt 39°F
8,000 ft 344° 18 kt 37°F
9,000 ft 348° 17 kt 34°F
10,000 ft 351° 15 kt 31°F
11,000 ft 349° 15 kt 27°F
12,000 ft 347° 14 kt 23°F
13,000 ft 343° 14 kt 19°F
14,000 ft 339° 14 kt 16°F
15,000 ft 336° 14 kt 11°F
16,000 ft 334° 15 kt 7°F
17,000 ft 333° 14 kt 3°F
18,000 ft 332° 13 kt -1°F
19,000 ft 332° 13 kt -5°F
20,000 ft 330° 12 kt -9°F
21,000 ft 329° 12 kt -14°F
22,000 ft 331° 12 kt -18°F
23,000 ft 333° 13 kt -22°F

Stats, media and GPS archived from Studifest on October 25, 2026 and served from this site. Original share

My notes

Dive flow: Cat E1, Flips/Rolls

1 instructor. From Skydive New England’s AFF dive flow card.

Freefall

  1. SPOT
  2. Solo Exit
  3. Barrel Roll – Altitude
  4. Front Flip – Altitude
  5. Back Flip – Altitude
  6. Forward – Altitude
  7. Repeat as altitude allows
  8. 7000 All maneuvers stop
  9. 6000 Lock On
  10. 5000 WARP

Canopy

  1. Rear riser turn off jumprun before releasing toggles
  2. Controllability Check, APT
  3. Head to holding area
  4. Sweet-Spot Drill
  5. Fly landing pattern
  6. Level wing on final
  7. Land within 165ft without assistance

Jump 7 on its own page →

#6 Cat D2 October 24, 2026 · Skydive New England 13,213 ft 46s freefall

Video

Landing Video · 14s
Main Video · 80s

Flight path

Open to load the GPS track…

Exit 13,213 ft
Deployment 4,450 ft
Freefall 46s
Max speed 141 mph
Canopy time 5:16
Avg descent 10 mph
Winds aloft · 2:47 pm
AltitudeWindTemp
Surface 280° 2 kt (G4) 58°F
~300 ft 287° 2 kt 57°F
~400 ft 342° 2 kt 56°F
~600 ft 256° 2 kt 53°F
1,000 ft 290° 2 kt 51°F
2,000 ft 312° 3 kt 46°F
3,000 ft 344° 8 kt 44°F
4,000 ft 344° 14 kt 44°F
5,000 ft 333° 18 kt 43°F
6,000 ft 328° 21 kt 41°F
7,000 ft 327° 22 kt 39°F
8,000 ft 331° 21 kt 36°F
9,000 ft 337° 20 kt 34°F
10,000 ft 343° 19 kt 30°F
11,000 ft 346° 17 kt 27°F
12,000 ft 349° 16 kt 24°F
13,000 ft 347° 15 kt 20°F
14,000 ft 344° 15 kt 16°F
15,000 ft 342° 15 kt 11°F
16,000 ft 340° 15 kt 7°F
17,000 ft 340° 14 kt 3°F
18,000 ft 342° 14 kt -1°F
19,000 ft 343° 13 kt -5°F
20,000 ft 343° 12 kt -10°F
21,000 ft 344° 11 kt -14°F
22,000 ft 343° 11 kt -18°F
23,000 ft 343° 10 kt -23°F

Stats, media and GPS archived from Studifest on October 25, 2026 and served from this site. Original share

My notes

Dive flow: Cat D2, 180° Turns

1 instructor. From Skydive New England’s AFF dive flow card.

Freefall

  1. SPOT
  2. Same Setup and Solo Exit
  3. Exit: Sky Up Down Arch
  4. Circle of Awareness
  5. Look and turn 180° in indicated direction, Altitude
  6. Look and turn 180° in indicated direction, Altitude
  7. Look and turn 360° in indicated direction, Altitude
  8. Look and turn 360° in indicated direction, Altitude
  9. 7000 No more turns
  10. 6500 Lock On
  11. 5500 WARP

Canopy

  1. Before releasing brakes: Rear riser turn off jumprun
  2. Controllability Check, TAP
  3. Fly to holding area
  4. Rear Riser Turns with brakes released
  5. Return to toggles as controls at 2000ft
  6. Level wing on final
  7. Flare with min. assistance
  8. Land within 165ft with assistance

Jump 6 on its own page →

#5 Cat D1 October 3, 2026 · Skydive New England 13,998 ft 54s freefall

Video

Landing Video · 12s
Main Video · 111s

Flight path

Open to load the GPS track…

Exit 13,998 ft
Deployment 4,558 ft
Freefall 54s
Max speed 136 mph
Canopy time 5:53
Avg descent 9 mph
Winds aloft · 1:13 pm
AltitudeWindTemp
Surface 308° 3 kt (G4) 66°F
~300 ft 307° 4 kt 64°F
~400 ft 319° 4 kt 64°F
~600 ft 341° 3 kt 59°F
1,000 ft 323° 4 kt 58°F
2,000 ft 323° 5 kt 53°F
3,000 ft 329° 4 kt 48°F
4,000 ft 335° 4 kt 43°F
5,000 ft 345° 4 kt 39°F
6,000 ft 341° 4 kt 37°F
7,000 ft 320° 6 kt 36°F
8,000 ft 307° 11 kt 36°F
9,000 ft 295° 16 kt 36°F
10,000 ft 283° 20 kt 35°F
11,000 ft 274° 23 kt 33°F
12,000 ft 268° 27 kt 31°F
13,000 ft 264° 30 kt 28°F
14,000 ft 262° 33 kt 25°F
15,000 ft 263° 36 kt 22°F
16,000 ft 263° 39 kt 19°F
17,000 ft 263° 41 kt 15°F
18,000 ft 262° 43 kt 12°F
19,000 ft 260° 45 kt 9°F
20,000 ft 257° 47 kt 5°F
21,000 ft 254° 50 kt 1°F
22,000 ft 250° 53 kt -3°F
23,000 ft 247° 56 kt -7°F
24,000 ft 244° 59 kt -11°F

Stats, media and GPS archived from Studifest on October 3, 2026 and served from this site. Original share

My notes

Dive flow: Cat D1, 90° Turns

1 instructor. From Skydive New England’s AFF dive flow card.

Freefall

  1. SPOT
  2. Same Setup and Exit
  3. Exit: Sky Up Down Arch
  4. Circle of Awareness
  5. Look and turn 90° in indicated direction, Altitude
  6. Look and turn 90° in indicated direction, Altitude
  7. Repeat as altitude allows
  8. 7000 No more turns
  9. 6500 Lock On
  10. 5500 WARP

Canopy

  1. 90° rear riser turns before releasing toggles
  2. Controllability Check
  3. APT – Fly to holding area
  4. Rear riser turns with brakes released
  5. Return to toggles as controls at 2000ft
  6. Fly Landing Pattern and assess altitude
  7. Flare with min. assistance
  8. Assisted landing within 330ft and 60°

Jump 5 on its own page →

#4 Cat C1 October 3, 2026 · Skydive New England 12,249 ft 41s freefall

Video

Main Video · 85s

Flight path

Open to load the GPS track…

Exit 12,249 ft
Deployment 5,398 ft
Freefall 41s
Max speed 129 mph
Canopy time 7:18
Avg descent 9 mph
Winds aloft · 11:06 am
AltitudeWindTemp
Surface 344° 5 kt (G8) 63°F
~300 ft 344° 7 kt 62°F
~400 ft 348° 5 kt 61°F
~600 ft 347° 6 kt 57°F
1,000 ft 345° 7 kt 55°F
2,000 ft 343° 8 kt 51°F
3,000 ft 344° 8 kt 46°F
4,000 ft 341° 9 kt 44°F
5,000 ft 339° 9 kt 41°F
6,000 ft 337° 9 kt 37°F
7,000 ft 335° 10 kt 35°F
8,000 ft 329° 13 kt 34°F
9,000 ft 317° 18 kt 35°F
10,000 ft 305° 22 kt 35°F
11,000 ft 296° 26 kt 33°F
12,000 ft 289° 30 kt 32°F
13,000 ft 285° 34 kt 29°F
14,000 ft 282° 37 kt 26°F
15,000 ft 281° 40 kt 23°F
16,000 ft 280° 42 kt 19°F
17,000 ft 278° 45 kt 15°F
18,000 ft 277° 48 kt 12°F
19,000 ft 275° 51 kt 8°F
20,000 ft 274° 53 kt 4°F
21,000 ft 272° 55 kt 1°F
22,000 ft 272° 58 kt -3°F
23,000 ft 271° 61 kt -7°F
24,000 ft 271° 63 kt -11°F

Stats, media and GPS archived from Studifest on October 3, 2026 and served from this site. Original share

My notes

Dive flow: Cat C1, 1st Release

2 instructors. From Skydive New England’s AFF dive flow card.

Freefall

  1. Setup: Right hand, Right foot, Left hand, Left foot
  2. Check-in, Check-out
  3. Sky → Up → Down → Arch
  4. Circle of Awareness
  5. 1 Practice Touch
  6. Circle of Awareness
  7. (Instructor Release)
  8. Practice touch if signaled
  9. Small Circles (H. A. A. L. B)
  10. 7000 Lock On
  11. 6000 WARP

Canopy

  1. Controllability Check
  2. APT
  3. Fly to holding area
  4. Fly Landing Pattern with minimal assistance
  5. Flight Cycle Drill
  6. Level wing on final
  7. Flare with minimal assistance
  8. Stage 10-12 ft above ground, Flare 3-4ft

Jump 4 on its own page →

#3 Cat B October 3, 2026 · Skydive New England 12,767 ft 48s freefall

Video

Landing Video · 25s
Main Video · 119s
Main Video · 82s

Flight path

Open to load the GPS track…

Exit 12,767 ft
Deployment 4,839 ft
Freefall 48s
Max speed 135 mph
Canopy time 5:52
Avg descent 9 mph
Winds aloft · 9:07 am
AltitudeWindTemp
Surface 347° 5 kt (G13) 58°F
~300 ft 344° 8 kt 58°F
~400 ft 327° 9 kt 58°F
~600 ft 331° 11 kt 55°F
1,000 ft 340° 14 kt 53°F
2,000 ft 341° 15 kt 51°F
3,000 ft 340° 15 kt 48°F
4,000 ft 333° 13 kt 44°F
5,000 ft 327° 10 kt 40°F
6,000 ft 320° 10 kt 37°F
7,000 ft 311° 12 kt 35°F
8,000 ft 303° 17 kt 34°F
9,000 ft 294° 22 kt 36°F
10,000 ft 287° 27 kt 36°F
11,000 ft 280° 31 kt 34°F
12,000 ft 274° 35 kt 33°F
13,000 ft 271° 38 kt 30°F
14,000 ft 269° 42 kt 26°F
15,000 ft 267° 45 kt 23°F
16,000 ft 265° 48 kt 19°F
17,000 ft 263° 49 kt 15°F
18,000 ft 260° 51 kt 12°F
19,000 ft 258° 52 kt 8°F
20,000 ft 256° 52 kt 3°F
21,000 ft 253° 53 kt -1°F
22,000 ft 254° 55 kt -5°F
23,000 ft 255° 57 kt -8°F
24,000 ft 256° 59 kt -12°F

Stats, media and GPS archived from Studifest on October 3, 2026 and served from this site. Original share

My notes

Dive flow: Cat B, Basics

2 instructors. From Skydive New England’s AFF dive flow card.

Freefall

  1. Setup: Right hand, Right foot, Left hand, Left foot
  2. Check-in, Check-out
  3. Sky → Up → Down → Arch
  4. Circle of Awareness
  5. 2 practice touches
  6. H.A.A.L.B.
  7. Alt. → Legs Out 3 seconds
  8. Maintain a heading
  9. Maneuvers stop @ 8K
  10. H.A.A.L.B.
  11. 7000 Lock On
  12. 6000 WARP

Canopy

  1. Controllability Check
  2. APT
  3. Fly toward holding area
  4. Practice Flares
  5. Start pattern at 900ft
  6. Level wing on final
  7. Stage 10-12 ft above ground, Flare 3-4ft
  8. Assisted landing within 330ft and 60°

Jump 3 on its own page →

#2 Cat A September 24, 2026 · Skydive New England 13,698 ft 49s freefall

Video

Landing Video · 29s
Main Video · 89s

Photos

Photo from jump 2, Cat A at Skydive New England

Flight path

Open to load the GPS track…

Exit 13,698 ft
Deployment 4,579 ft
Freefall 49s
Max speed 136 mph
Canopy time 5:44
Avg descent 9 mph
Winds aloft · 4:29 pm
AltitudeWindTemp
Surface 67° 6 kt (G11) 68°F
~300 ft 66° 8 kt 63°F
~400 ft 84° 11 kt 62°F
~600 ft 66° 9 kt 61°F
1,000 ft 61° 9 kt 60°F
2,000 ft 53° 9 kt 55°F
3,000 ft 46° 10 kt 51°F
4,000 ft 48° 13 kt 47°F
5,000 ft 56° 17 kt 45°F
6,000 ft 62° 18 kt 45°F
7,000 ft 61° 17 kt 44°F
8,000 ft 59° 17 kt 42°F
9,000 ft 57° 18 kt 39°F
10,000 ft 56° 18 kt 37°F
11,000 ft 57° 19 kt 34°F
12,000 ft 58° 19 kt 32°F
13,000 ft 60° 20 kt 28°F
14,000 ft 62° 20 kt 25°F
15,000 ft 63° 21 kt 22°F
16,000 ft 64° 21 kt 18°F
17,000 ft 64° 20 kt 14°F
18,000 ft 63° 20 kt 10°F
19,000 ft 62° 19 kt 7°F
20,000 ft 60° 16 kt 4°F
21,000 ft 57° 13 kt 0°F
22,000 ft 54° 9 kt -3°F
23,000 ft 47° 5 kt -7°F
24,000 ft 6° 2 kt -11°F

Stats, media and GPS archived from Studifest on September 25, 2026 and served from this site. Original share

My notes

Dive flow: Cat A, Arch/Altitude

2 instructors. From Skydive New England’s AFF dive flow card.

Freefall

  1. Setup: Right hand, Right foot, Left hand, Left foot
  2. Check-in, Check-out
  3. Exit: Sky → Up → Down → Arch → Arch → Arch!!!
  4. Circle of Awareness
  5. 3 practice touches
  6. Circle of Awareness
  7. Small Circles (A. A. L. B)
  8. 7000 Lock On
  9. 6000 WARP

Canopy

  1. Controllability Check
  2. APT: Altitude, Position, Traffic
  3. Fly toward holding area
  4. Practice Flares
  5. Stay in holding area
  6. Start pattern at 900ft
  7. Level wing on final
  8. Prepare to PLF
  9. Stage 10-12 ft above ground, Flare 3-4ft
  10. Assisted landing within 330ft and 60°

Jump 2 on its own page →

Note Ground School: Learning to Leave the Airplane September 23, 2026
Packing hangar at Skydive New England with a blue packing mat, a wall of student rigs, and a USPA Group Member banner
The packing hangar. Most of the day happened in the classroom and training room.

Before your first jump at Skydive New England, you spend a day on the ground. Mine was the first day of AFF Boot Camp. It covered what I’d need on my first jump: how to leave the airplane, how to fall stable, how to open the parachute, what to do when something goes wrong, and how to land.

The banner on the hangar wall says Skydive New England is a USPA Group Member. That means the dropzone has agreed to follow USPA’s Basic Safety Requirements. It’s the first thing I’d look for if I were picking a place to learn.

The classroom

Small classroom with a wall-mounted screen, a table, and a whiteboard map of the landing area
The classroom. The map on the right shows the landing pattern.

The morning started in the classroom. We went through Category A of the USPA Skydiver’s Information Manual. That’s the first stage of AFF. It covers gear, body position, altitude awareness, emergency procedures, and landing.

The whiteboard map shows the landing area with the pattern drawn on it: downwind leg at 900 feet, base at 600, final at 300. Written under the map are three words: altitude, position, traffic. That’s the order you check things once your canopy is open and flying.

This part felt familiar. My private pilot training was also built on set altitudes and a set pattern. The difference is what happens when things aren’t right. In an airplane, if the approach looks wrong, you go around. Under a canopy, there is no go-around. You fly the pattern you’ve got and land.

Exits and body position

Training room with a mock aircraft door and a padded body-position trainer on a cable spool
The aircraft door mockup (right) and the arch trainer (center).

Next was the training room. The white structure on the right is a mockup of the airplane door. We practiced climbing into position and leaving it the same way every time, with the exit count said out loud.

The padded board on top of the cable spool is for body position. You lie on it belly-down and practice the arch: hips forward, head up, arms and legs out. Staying stable in freefall depends on it.

Emergency procedures

Suspended training harnesses hanging from a wooden beam next to a post covered in handwritten A-license numbers
Hanging harnesses for emergency drills. The post on the right is covered in A-license numbers.

The hanging harnesses are where we practiced emergencies. You hang in a harness and run through the procedures until they’re automatic: find your handles, look, pull, and do it in the right order.

The post on the right is covered in A-license numbers written by skydivers who got their license here. That’s where I’m trying to end up.

The gear

A parachute rig on the blue packing mat with the canopy and lines stretched out
An unpacked rig on the mat, so we could see every part of the system.

After the classroom, we went out to the packing mat. An instructor unpacked a rig so we could see the whole system laid out: canopy, lines, risers, and container.

Rows of student parachute rigs on a wall with a sign reminding jumpers to check the whiteboard
The student rig wall.

Student rigs hang on this wall. The sign says to always check the whiteboard when picking up gear. Every rig gets checked more than once before you jump, by you and by your instructors.

Rack of colorful student jumpsuits under a clock styled like an altimeter
Student jumpsuits, under a clock that looks like an altimeter.

Student jumpsuits hang across the room, under a clock designed to look like an altimeter.

End of the day

The last slide on the classroom screen told us to finish the dropzone tour and take a class picture. After a full day on the ground, the next step was the airplane. That’s the next entry.

This is one student’s experience, not training advice. If you want to learn to skydive, train with USPA-rated instructors at a USPA Group Member dropzone.

This note on its own page →