Obviously, there is the crosswind and steady wind speed limit of the aircraft you are jumping from, but that aside, what are the wind speed (including gusts) limits for the average tandem skydive?
1 Answer
Skydivers should have personal limits, just like pilots do. Landing safely becomes more and more difficult with higher wind speeds and with higher gust factor. This refers mainly to the ground winds- skydivers in the air don't "feel" the wind speed anymore than a plane does.
The USPA sets limits on the maximum wind speeds for solo student divers in its Basic Safety Requirements, of 14 mph with a ram-air canopy and 10 mph with a round reserve. It does not set any hard requirement for tandem dives or solo dives by licensed divers. It is up to the individual diver to decide what is safe and what is not based on the conditions and their experience level.
Of course, if you're not jumping from your own plane into your own drop zone, whoever operates the plane or the drop zone may have their own more restrictive limitations.
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1$\begingroup$ It is also up to the dropzone which will have thresholds for sustained winds and gusts. $\endgroup$– SDHJul 31 at 22:58
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$\begingroup$ Ok, but there must be an average number! 20kts, 25kts? $\endgroup$– CloudAug 1 at 12:27
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1$\begingroup$ @Cloud Sure. 20-25 knots is probably about right for experienced skydivers. $\endgroup$– ChrisAug 1 at 15:46
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$\begingroup$ @Cloud Here is a good reference article: skydivecsc.com/blog/know-your-skydiving-wind-limit $\endgroup$– SDHAug 2 at 2:18