Accuracy landing

Competitive accuracy landing

Competitive accuracy landing is a team event with 5 persons on each team that takes place over 8 rounds. The team jumps together, generally from an altitude of 900 m, although sometimes as high as 1100 m. The score is measured in meters from "dead center". The best score for each round is 0,00 meters (meaning hitting dead center) and the worst score for a round is 0.16 meter (16 centimeters or 6 inches). Scores for each round are added together, and the scores count both as individual scores and as part of the team score. In some competitions only the four best scores count in the team competition.

The target

The target, known as "dead center" is a circle with a diameter of 2 centimeters (a little less than an inch). The disk measures the distance from the edge of the dead center circle to the point the disc is touched, in increments of 1 centimeter (0,01 meters). The accompanying picture shows the electronic disk with the yellow dead center.

Note on dead center size: The 2 cm dead center has been in use from 2007. Previously the dead center was 3 cm and before that 5 cm, and before that 10 cm. The reason for reducing the size of the dead center is to have more separation between the top competitors. If two or more competitors have the same score they do re-jumps until a winner is found. Smaller dead center makes it more difficult and less likely to have many with the same score.

Technique

The picture at right shows the final second before landing. The heel is poised over the dead center ensuring this will be the first place the skydiver touches the ground.

World record

The world record has been broken in 2013 by a member of the French Parachuting Team, Thomas Jeannerot. It was during the 4th Dubai International Parachuting Championship at Skydive Dubaï. The new record is now 2 cm in 10 cumulated jumps. It has been validated by the FAI (World Air Sports Federation) in the beginning of 2014.

References

References

1. Dan Poynter. (1984). "The Parachute Manual: A Technical Treatise on Aerodynamic Decelerators". Para Publishing.