Freefall Training
01.07Belly Flying

Flyer Safety Brief

Understand the additional risks associated with more advanced flying and the flyer's personal role in reducing those risks and maintaining their own safety.

References: IBA STN 4/23 — Flyer Safety Brief; IBA Flyer Safety Responsibilities — Flyer Safety: Be Part of the Team; The New IBA Flyer Currency Program — Designed to Elevate Your Flying.

Prerequisite: Completed all IBA Level 1 flight skills.

Desired outcome: Understand the additional risks associated with more advanced flying and the flyer's personal role in reducing those risks and maintaining their own safety.

The IBA Flyer Safety Brief is the final sign-off required to achieve full IBA Level 1 status. It prepares flyers for the increasing risk associated with more advanced skills and must be completed before any IBA Level 2 skills are coached or flown. It is also required as part of flyer recurrency.

This approval does not replace the routine, flight-specific safety briefing given before a session. The Flyer Safety Brief establishes the overall safety foundation; each flight briefing must still address the activity being flown, its specific risks, how to abort a movement, and the most appropriate recovery or bailout position.

Additional flight risks

Instructor position and support

  • During coaching, the instructor will use the recognized handling and support position. After a skill is approved, the flyer is considered a rated flyer, and the instructor may supervise from another part of the tunnel or from the door instead of remaining in the side-body position.
  • Other flyers may temporarily block an instructor's direct access to one flyer, delaying the physical support they can provide.
  • Before every flight, discuss where the instructor will be positioned and what level of support and supervision to expect. This is especially important when returning after time away, even if the planned skill was previously approved.

Wind speed range

  • Know the range of wind speeds at which you are capable and comfortable. Do not intentionally fly outside that range, and know what action to take if the speed is not appropriate.
  • Progression through the IBA levels uses different and often higher wind speeds. At higher speeds, an unintended belly orientation can increase the risk of contacting the wall, net, or another flyer. Stronger drive also reduces reaction time.
  • Understand the appropriate bailout position for the skill being flown. Know how to recognize and verify the wind speed, and review the planned range with the instructor before flying.
  • Flyers may have different comfortable speed ranges. Confirm that the planned speed is suitable for everyone before attempting to fly together.
  • Different flight suits affect the required wind-speed setting. Use a suit appropriate for the activity and discuss suit changes with the instructor.

Spatial awareness, shared flights, and tunnel boundaries

  • Back-flying, head-up, head-down, and other orientations require greater spatial awareness to avoid the wall, door, net, and other flyers. Know the actions required to prevent or recover from unplanned contact.
  • Flying with others reduces the available maneuvering space. Differences in ability and the effect of burbles increase the risk of contact with other flyers and the tunnel boundaries.
  • Understand how to avoid another flyer's burble, how your own burble can affect someone else, and how to respond without creating a second hazard.
  • Everyone in a shared flight must agree on a plan and communicate it to the instructor. The plan must include the skills, wind speed, entrances, and exits.
  • Taking a grip in a formation further increases the risks created by reduced space, proximity, and shared movement.

Additional flyer responsibilities

Personal safety

Safety is a collective responsibility. Take responsibility for your own actions and work with the instructor to create the safest environment possible for yourself, the other flyers, and the instructor. This responsibility becomes more important when performing approved skills without direct physical support.

Flyer safety: Be part of the team

The flyer is an active member of the safety team. Before flying, review the training aids available through the IBA website and follow these practical responsibilities:

  • Maintain the logbook and flight skills. Keep the personal progression record accurate so the instructor can review it before flight and conduct an efficient, relevant briefing.
  • Stay current. After a few months away, plan to rebuild to the last approved skill level before adding new challenges. Currency matters more than total accumulated tunnel time.
  • Fly within the approval level. When flying without a coach or instructor, perform only approved skills. Learn new skills under qualified supervision and arrive with a clear plan.
  • Support friends without crossing coaching boundaries. Everyone sharing a flight must be signed off to fly together. Know the other flyers' skill levels, respect their limitations, and do not coach without the required coaching approvals.
  • Talk to the instructor before flying. Participate in the briefing, explain the plan and goals, and disclose limitations or concerns that may affect the flight.
  • Respect the rotation and the people in it. Know the rotation pattern, support less-experienced flyers, respect the instructor's responsibilities, and model behavior that encourages collaborative learning and progression.
  • Protect the flight gear and tunnel. Complete a preflight inspection: confirm shoes are securely tied, use non-marking soles, remove stones or debris that could damage the glass, secure fasteners and hook-and-loop closures, verify helmet fittings, and account for how booties or a different suit fit will affect the flight.

Communication

  • Maintain clear communication with the instructor during briefings and throughout the flight.
  • Ask when anything is unclear. In the wind, shake your head to signal “no” if you are confused or do not understand an instruction.
  • Discuss your experience, currency, comfort range, equipment, and any concerns before entering the airflow.

Following instructor directions

  • Review the instructor's hand signals during the briefing.
  • Wait for the signal before entering the airflow.
  • Wait for the signal before beginning a maneuver or transition.
  • Adjust your position only when directed.
  • If a direction is unclear, signal the instructor and do not initiate the movement until both of you share the same understanding.

Logging flight skills

Use an IBA flight logbook and keep approvals current on the IBA website. The instructor uses the logbook to confirm a flyer's approval level before flight; maintaining an accurate record supports the overall safety system.

Maintaining currency

Flyer Currency is the minimum flight activity required to maintain the personal skills needed to fly safely in a wind tunnel. The IBA Flyer Currency Program applies to rated flyers at Level 1 or above. The on-duty instructor must confirm a rated flyer's currency before flight.

To remain current, record at least one of the following in the personal IBA logbook within a 180-day period:

  • One flight.
  • A new skill approval.

The IBA dashboard calculates the Flyer Currency Date by adding 180 days to the most recently recorded flight or skill approval. Each qualifying logbook entry moves the date forward another 180 days and displays the flyer as Active (Current) or Inactive (Not Current).

Flyers with an active account who have not yet achieved Level 1 do not need to show currency because they are still flying with instructor coaching. Their currency status displays as N/A (Not Applicable).

The system sends an automated notice 30 days before the currency date expires, but monitoring currency remains the flyer's responsibility. Do not rely only on the automated reminder, and raise account or logbook problems with the IBA for resolution.

Regaining currency

After currency expires, the flyer must complete a currency flight with an appropriately qualified IBA instructor. The flight includes:

  • A supervised demonstration of the approved skills shown on the flyer's flight chart.
  • An assessment of the flyer's ability to perform those approved skills.
  • Coaching, support, or assistance where needed.

The currency flight must be planned and conducted under these conditions:

  • The instructor and flyer agree on a specific plan, goals, and expectations based on the documented skills.
  • The flight is supervised one-on-one with no other flyers involved.
  • The flyer performs no new skills during the currency flight.
  • The instructor observes every skill previously approved on the personal flight chart.
  • If the flyer cannot perform a previously approved skill, the instructor adjusts the flight chart to reflect the skills in which the flyer remains proficient.

The supervising instructor must hold the rating appropriate to the flyer's approved skills:

  • Level 1 and Formation Skydiving through Level 4: IBA Instructor Level 1 or higher.
  • Back Fly Level 2: IBA Instructor Level 2 or higher.
  • Static or Dynamic Level 3: The relevant IBA Static or Dynamic Level 3 instructor rating or higher.
  • Static or Dynamic Level 4 or Pro: The relevant IBA Static or Dynamic Level 4 instructor rating or higher.

After the currency flight, the supervising instructor records it in the flyer's account using the manual skill-assignment function or the flyer's logbook skill request. The flyer cannot log new skills until the currency flight has been completed.

Flying within the approved level

Once approved to fly without direct instructor or coach support, remain within that approval level. Do not attempt an unapproved skill without appropriate instructor support.

Avoiding last-minute movements

When the end-of-rotation lights flash, stop the planned activity and prepare to exit. Do not rush or attempt an unplanned “one more” movement. Time pressure can compromise safe execution; completing another skill is never more important than a controlled exit.

Fit to fly

Assess your physical and mental readiness before flying. The IBA brief uses the IMSAFE checklist:

  • I — Illness
  • M — Medication
  • S — Stress
  • A — Alcohol
  • F — Fatigue
  • E — Emotions

Tell the instructor about any uncertainty that could affect your ability to fly safely.

Flight gear

  • Select a flight suit appropriate for the planned activity and wind speed.
  • Bootie-style formation-skydiving suits can create increased drive. Discuss their use with the instructor before flying.
  • Confirm that the helmet and all other personal protective equipment fit and fasten correctly.
  • Understand how loose- and tight-fitting suits affect the required wind speed.
  • Discuss any new suit or other new flight gear with the instructor before the flight.

Sign-off standard

The instructor should deliver this brief after all Level 1 flight skills are complete and before coaching begins on Level 2 skills. The sign-off confirms that the flyer understands:

  1. Why advanced skills introduce additional risk.
  2. How instructor position, wind speed, spatial awareness, proximity, burbles, and shared flights affect that risk.
  3. Their responsibility to communicate, follow directions, maintain accurate approvals and currency, fly within those approvals, assess fitness, use suitable equipment, and avoid rushed or unplanned movements.

Source details: IBA STN 4/23, issued by the IBA Director of Safety and Training and effective October 1, 2023; IBA Flyer Safety Responsibilities — Flyer Safety: Be Part of the Team; The New IBA Flyer Currency Program, dated November 16, 2023 and effective February 1, 2024.