Jump Flying display teams and other DZ's

Display jumping in the UK, locally known as "a demo," involves skydivers parachuting into an event. This can range from village fêtes and sporting events to large airshows. Flying a display team can be great fun, especially when exploring new locations. However, it requires extensive planning, some of which might not be fully understood by the display team you're flying.

Legalities & Registration

It’s important to note that skydivers can't just jump into random locations for fun. Display team captains undergo significant training on the regulations associated with skydiving in the UK, detailed in Section 13 of the British Skydiving Operations Manual (July 2025).

As of June 2024, all display teams must register with:

• British Skydiving using Form 120
• UK CAA using Form SRG1313 for the PLA (Parachute Landing Area)

Team members must also be current, with a minimum number of descents in the past 12 months. There are specific rules on the temporary parachute landing area (PLA). As a pilot, you don’t need to know all the criteria, but the team leader should brief you.

One key point is that C license holders have a reduced opening height of 1,500 ft AGL for display jumps, which may require you to fly at a lower altitude than you're used to. This lower altitude provides a different visual perspective on the horizon and ground objects. For example, during a turn at 5,000 feet, the wingtip appears to move backwards across the landscape. However, at lower altitudes, the wingtip doesn't appear to move backwards, which can prompt a pilot to overturn to regain the familiar visuals. Similarly, flying closer to the ground can give the impression of higher speed, causing pilots to slow down. Slowing down and overturning while jumpers move toward the door can lead to higher-than-expected stall speeds, so frequent instrument scans during the WDi and dropping stage are crucial.

Interestingly, display teams are not allowed to practice jumping from lower altitudes at their home drop zones. This means that both skydivers and pilots often experience lower exit altitudes for the first time in unfamiliar territory.

Planning the route to a display jump follows standard aviation practices, but remember that the aircraft's satellite navigation device may not have been updated for some years. It's essential to use an up-to-date chart or a reliable app like Skydemon, Foreflight, or Garmin Pilot, which offers excellent moving-map flight navigation. Free apps such as EasyVFR, Xcsoar, LK8000, or even a paper chart and Google Maps are available.

Your planning should aim to have you arrive at the display parachute landing area (PLA) at 2,000 ft AGL, usually at a specific time. The 2,000 ft is the height at which the wind indicator, or "widdy," should be thrown, as required in the UK (unless planned exit height is lower). Using the 214 and other weather apps like Windy, you can determine the spot just like being over the PLA at home, but watching the widdy is always a good backup. After the widdy is thrown ("Widdy Gone"), start a climbing turn to allow the jump master to observe its route to the ground.

The display jump ground crew will almost always have a radio, but in the event of radio failure, the signal cross is used just like at the drop zone (DZ). Make all the calls, as usual, to keep the ground crew and event organiser informed, as they may be running a commentary through the PA system. After everyone has descended and you are on your way back, it is standard practice for the ground crew to confirm that all canopies are down and safe.

When planning the route, especially when considering aircraft emergency procedures, be aware of the actual AGL en route. In an emergency, skydivers are often eager to volunteer to fetch help, leaving you with the stricken aircraft. Some hilly landscapes, such as those west of Skydive GB, have hills rising up to 1,500 ft (454 m). Skydivers will have adjusted their altimeters for the difference between the home PLA and the display PLA. You will most likely be flying to the local QNH issued by the LARS, so it's crucial to establish the correct QFE to ensure all jumpers exit at a sufficient altitude. In short, climbing and maintaining 2,000ft on route is efficient, but keeping a comfortable height above on-route high terrain should take precedence.

If the run-in is to commence below 2,000 ft for a 1,500 ft deployment, having an incorrect subscale setting could be disastrous. The simplest way to have the correct subscale setting is to zero the altimeter on the home PLA and then adjust it up or down according to the height difference between the two locations. The skydivers do this with their own altimeters and AADs. If the PLA is 500 ft higher, adjust your altimeter 500 ft lower and record the subscale. If it is 200 ft lower, adjust your altimeter 200 ft higher and record the subscale in your cross-country navigation blog. Once you have the subscale setting, reset your altimeter to the local QFE or QNH accordingly.

It's not uncommon to arrange to pick up a team of display jumpers from another airfield en route. Likewise, you may be asked to land after the jump at an airfield close to the display PLA or even at the display PLA itself and bring the team back with you. All of these arrangements require careful planning. Prior Permission Required (PPR) might be necessary for the rendezvous airfield, and you’ll need to perform weight and balance calculations and takeoff performance assessments for the runway length. Display teams carry additional items, which I'll discuss later, but for now, it's important to establish the actual total weight of the team members, not just going by the average weight of 95kg

For example, a few years ago, I was curious about the equipment a military team had laid out on their packing mat. Military teams are very disciplined in their preparation. The team members were carrying large flags with their own deployment systems and heavy weights, to be worn around the waist, smoke canisters, and other items to be presented upon landing. I asked one of the team members to check their weight when fully kitted up, and they were surprised to find they had over 30 kg of gear each. Multiplying that by five members meant the aircraft would have been overweight for the runway and conditions on the day for departure, not overweight for the aircraft, but with the grass, uphill, crosswind, and length, it was over the limit. We resolved this by busing everyone down to another airfield a few miles away with a longer runway and more favourable wind direction, and I picked them up from there. This required more PPR and planning and incurred additional landing fees and time.

For displays that require you to fly in controlled airspace (CTR) or Aerodrome Traffic Zones (ATZ), or to fit within an air display schedule, team leaders will have contact numbers and may relay the plans to you. However, I strongly suggest you make phone calls to the airspace controllers. Miscommunication from a non-pilot team leader could result in a Mandatory Occurrence Report (MOR) and even some retraining with an instructor. Flying in circles around a piece of controlled airspace can still cause concern for controllers, even if you're not entering the airspace. A friendly call with your intentions once airborne goes a long way, or at the very least, take a service with London or Scottish Information. If the local ATZ is concerned, they will know who to contact by the code you squawk.

Military airspace (MATZ and STUBS) espeacily when clumped togther may be controlled by other military controls when the main activity closes down. Don't fall into the trap of thinking they have gone home, so you can just cut through!

With that in mind, I only use the squawk code 0033 if no service is available or if it fits with those providing the service. Otherwise, I use the squawk code issued by the LARS. For a Basic Service, London Information typically assigns the squawk code 1177, while Scottish Information assigns the squawk code 7401.

Timing for demos is crucial. Your goal is to be at jump height and running in two minutes before the allotted jump time. This means arriving early enough to drop the wind drift indicator (WDI) at 2,000 ft, climbing to jump height and positioning yourself with two minutes of track mileage to the exit spot. It's not uncommon to be asked to hold off, as ongoing acts and displays need to finish and clear everything from the arena, which serves as the PLA. Tighter orbits at the two-minute marker are your only option.

Once, I was dropping a team near an international airport. Coordinating with the tower and DZ controller on timings required negotiation, especially at major events that might be televised. On that occasion, Sky Sports wanted to run additional adverts since they charge based on viewing numbers, which spike during such events. They requested the opening ceremony to be held for another four minutes, but the tower had a Dash 8 on a 30-mile approach and needed me to drop and clear the airspace.

I communicated with the demo PLA: "DZ control, we either drop in 1 minute or you wait 15 minutes until I can come back into the airspace." After conferring with the Sky Sports controller, the PLA responded, “clear drop.” They don't really cover those types of radio calls in UK CAP413:Radiotelephony Manual

In that instance, after dropping the team and clearing in the agreed direction, I was asked by the tower to confirm that all parachutes were down. A quick negotiation about my heading allowed me to parallel the approach and safely watch the last parachute land. It was a busy few minutes, and my blog had some helpful notes, things like “DON’T fly north over the PLA” (straight up the centreline of the international airport) and “Head south-east , the shortest route out of controlled airspace.”

It might sound daft when read here, but at the time, with a high workload, and most likely because I’d written it down beforehand, I knew exactly where I should and shouldn’t be.

Another demo I eventually flew was pitched to me as all being sorted, and that we could drop from 10,000 ft. It quickly exposed a disconnect between NOTAMs, SRG1313, Air Law, and what most moving map apps actually show. Many of those apps are designed for general aviation and, by default, do not display airspace restrictions above 5,500 ft.

With a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen or Air Missions, depending on what we’re calling it this week), you can almost raise one anywhere you like ....almost! In this case, the NOTAM was issued for parachute dropping at FL100, but the actual PLA sat right in the middle of several overlapping areas of controlled airspace. One sector was under international airport control, another under London Information, and another under Scottish. To make matters worse, just north of the PLA was even more restricted airspace, leaving no room to manoeuvre or even orbit to drop the WDI. With some careful planning and a lot of help from Scottish Control, who coordinated with the other groups, we managed to complete a drop from 4,400 ft, and that was only because of the westerly wind conditions that day.

The takeaway from that day is simple: never assume everyone fully understands the situation, and don’t let yourself be pressured. Each time I said "NO", the response came back, “but it’s been cleared — the NOTAM is in.”

Another aspect that differs at demos is the use of GPS. At your regular drop zone, you're likely accustomed to following the magenta line, with distances, timings, and tracks well-practiced. While you can still use the GPS for the actual jump run on a demo, you'll need to configure the waypoint specifically for the event. Setting the waypoint varies slightly across different devices, but the principle is the same. You either press and hold the "goto" button or simply press and enter a unique name for the waypoint.

Enter a name that's unique enough to avoid confusion yet easy to remember. I typically use the format "0D01"—the zero isn't usually used for other purposes, "D" stands for demo, and the number ranges from 01 to 99. Some newer units allow more than four characters. Once you've entered the name, press enter, and the unit will display a "does not exist" dialogue box.

Select yes by pressing the enter button, and use the big wheel to change from the flashing Create? Until you get to the position box.

This is where the process can vary between older and newer methods. The display team captain would have created the NOTAM and notified British Skydiving using Form 185, which requires coordinates in OS grid references or Lat/Long in DD MM SS format. Note that there are apps available that can generate NOTAMs using various mapping options. They may enter the Lat/Long in degrees and minutes, decimal degrees, or use systems such as the Universal Transverse Mercator, Military Grid Reference System, World Geodetic System, Open Location Code, Geohash, British National Grid, Cartesian Coordinate System, Geospatial Information Systems, or even What3words. Yeah, I just wrote all those because they do exist, but typically it's degrees and minutes converting from digital systems.

Once you have the coordinates in the correct format, enter them into your GPS. Use the big wheel to navigate and the small wheel to set the value. Once finished, press the enter button, then enter again to create the waypoint. Press enter again to select it and once more to activate it. You can now use the OBS as you usually do.

To delete the waypoint, go to the map page NAV and use the big wheel to switch to the WPT page. This will display the last waypoint you used. If it's not the waypoint you wish to delete, quickly set up a goto to the desired waypoint. Then, from the WPT page, use the small wheel to navigate to the last option. Press the menu button, select Remove waypoint, and confirm the deletion.

Whatever system or format the coordinates are provided in, you'll need to convert them into degrees, minutes, and decimal minutes (DMM) for use with Garmin. There are many online conversion tools, such as [Boulter GPS](https://boulter.com/gps/), that can handle these conversions for you.

In Europe, we have an excellent app called Skydemon, which displays almost everything you need for VFR navigation.

Skydemon also offers the ability to fly a radial on any waypoint. For the display in the picture above, the first step is to create a waypoint in the middle of the NOTAM area. We have to assume this is correct, though it might be slightly off. Zoom in on the NOTAM and place your finger in the centre. A menu will pop up, allowing you to create the waypoint. Give it a name like “D01”, click "Save" at the top right of the menu, and avoid clicking "Next".

Now, create your route. Before you take off you click the fly option, choose your GPS, and engine start. If you have already worked out the expected spot and running in the direction via the 214, windy, etc, you can set your radial before arriving. Hold your finger on the D01, and select D01 from the Waypoints menu.

Select track radial and enter the running direction, such as 120 degrees in this example. Note that Garmin uses the magenta line as your radial to track into the centre and out on the white line, whereas Skydemon does it the other way around for convenience. :-/

If you don’t see the Track Radial option, it is only available once you press the Fly button; you'll need to activate it in the settings. Click the cog next to the house icon, then select Navigation Options. Scroll down to Advanced Tools and place a check mark in Track Radial. After the WDI has been thrown, the run-in direction might change. If this happens, just hold your finger on the waypoint and reset the track radial.

To delete a waypoint, place your finger on it, select it from the list, scroll down, and choose to delete, agree, etc. It's a good idea to practice this before a demo. You can select anything as your waypoint.

Skydivers carry a range of items on display jumps, such as flags, smoke canisters, streamers, flotation devices, and even large cuddly toys or footballs for event purposes. Apart from the potential weight considerations, keeping an eye on their plans is always a good idea. For example, having a skydiver film from the rail as others exit is usually not an issue. However, if they have a 30-foot streamer, it's crucial to ensure it's secure and won't deploy and become entangled in the elevator.

Smoke canisters are typically worn on the jumper's lower leg or foot. These may be activated just before they jump, and although there is a brief delay, some smoke may enter the cabin and cockpit. Being aware of this beforehand is always helpful. Some jumpers may trail a leg, igniting the smoke canister and hanging their leg out the door or remaining on the float rail while others exit. The airflow around the door may introduce smoke into the cabin, so knowing this in advance is helpful to avoid mistaking it for an engine fire and calling for a mayday.

Some owner-operators do not allow jumpers to use smoke on their aircraft, so it's worth checking with them beforehand. If you're involved in a "fly-and-try," you might be asked to fly over the arena while a jumper trails a leg with smoke due to unsuitable jumping conditions like low cloud bases. Remember, low-flying rules still apply to your VFR flight, and any turns should be made gently and coordinated, with the door positioned skyward to ensure the safety of those in the open door.

Flying at other drop zones is increasingly common, and your aircraft may be rented for special events. At first glance, this might seem straightforward, but each drop zone can be quite different, with unique expectations for pilots. The most significant differences often relate to airspace and local noise complaint issues. During these visits, many assumptions are made, often with phrases like “as you know” and “of course,” implying that everyone is familiar with local practices. However, these supposed common knowledge details are often omitted from your briefing. Therefore, having a comprehensive list of questions is crucial:

1. What are the local no-fly areas?

2. What radio frequency is in use?

3. What listening frequency is used, and do you need to call them every lift?

4. What are the in-planning areas?

5. How is fuel handled?

6. What calls must you make to LARS and the DZ? Some zones have specific timings, like three minutes, one minute, and 30 seconds, not just the “usual” two minutes.

7. what are the climbing areas and descending routes if the DZ is flying multiple aircraft?

8. What are the policies on aircraft in controlled airspace, if any?

9. What calls are made to jumpers by the pilot, if any?

10. Where are the parking areas?

11. Do the loading areas have rules about how the aircraft should face?

12. What is the maximum distance you are happy to drop from? Is that different for AFF and solo students?

13. Do you have different run-in directions for static line students?

14. Are your static line lengths correct for the aircraft? For instance, taking an Airvan to a DZ that usually uses a Caravan might mean the static lines are too long for the Airvan. Remember, they should not touch any part of the tail section.

This list is not exhaustive; many questions might be answered with “normal.” Don't be surprised if, halfway through the day, someone asks, “Do you know about the ...?” Having a thorough understanding of these details beforehand can help you navigate the unique challenges of flying at different drop zones.

Before leaving our DZ, you need to plan the fuel and determine if the aircraft is being rented wet or dry. Ideally, if the aircraft is rented dry, you should aim to return the same amount of fuel you left with, which means you can't fill it to full tanks. To ensure the correct 45-minute reserve and alternates, start with a baseline of 120 litres (for the GA8-TC Airvan at Skydive GB). This 120-litre allows for two lifts and a reserve on your return. Cruising at 24/24 will enable you to lean the fuel back to 70 litres per hour, but always check the POH.

For instance, if the DZ you visit is 1 hour and 30 minutes away, you need 105 litres of trip fuel in addition to the 120-litre baseline, totalling 225 litres. The 105 litres is added to the cost of the aircraft rental. Refill the aircraft to 225 litres for the return trip, ensuring you arrive back with a baseline of 120 litres. If anything happens en route, you have 80 litres plus a 40-litre reserve for alternates. The visited DZ may have different fuel testing methods, but you can still use your own method with fuel paste.

Ensure you have all the necessary aircraft paperwork with you and bring it back. The visited DZ will need copies for their records. During audits by British Skydiving, they will ask to see all documents for visiting aircraft, including your license, medical, BS membership (pilot), and proficiency. We continue to use our tech logs at other DZs as part of our engineering paperwork. It is expected to either have the visiting DZ scan a copy or send them a photo for their records. Since our tech logs incorporate the tacho for each flight, there is no need to supply this separately; some centres only record the tacho at the start and end of the day.