Dynamic 302 — Fly movement into vertical

The checklist

1. Plan the jump

1.1

State the jump's single declared objective and success criteria.

1.2

Plan the sequence, the moving exit, the steepening line, the transition-to-vertical point fixed by landmark reference, the round, the accordion and, where briefed, the closing movement segment, matching it to the working time.

1.3

Verify every participant's standing against the jump: FFP-DY301, group vertical competence in the planned orientation, and currency.

1.4

Match group size, and the decision to fly the closing movement segment, to the least-experienced flyer within the 2–4-way guide.

1.5

Design the flight path clear of jump run and other groups' airspace, with planned opening points and a backup plan for weather or jump-run changes.

1.6

State the breakoff and deployment altitudes (guides: 5,000 ft up to a 4-way, 5,500 ft for five or more; where the jump is flown head-up the floor rises, head-up groups 5,500 ft minimum; breakoff at least 1,000 ft above the highest planned deployment), the fan-out plan, and the lost-leader protocol.

2. Prepare

2.1

Complete a freefly-specific gear check on self and a cross-check of one other flyer (handles, BOC, riser covers, closing loop, helmet, audible set and functioning; a second audible recommended).

2.2

Walk the full sequence in the dirt dive, slots on the line, the transition-to-vertical key, round slots and grips, the accordion build and, where briefed, the grip-release key and slot-to-orientation assignment for the closing movement segment (per FFP-DY301).

2.3

Brief the abort criteria: the group goes vertical only from a tight angle, when the group is not in slot and tight as the line steepens, the leader shallows the line back out and the jump stays an angle.

2.4

Confirm exit order, separation and the planned flight path with the load, manifest and any other movement groups (guide: two movement groups per load).

3. Perform

3.1

Exit and establish the briefed slot on the moving line before the leader steepens.

3.2

Hold the briefed slot and level, tight to the formation, as the leader steepens the line toward vertical, matching the leader's speed and pitch (entering the leader's zone, no line busts).

3.3

Clear own airspace visually before every transition, no blind transitions.

3.4

Transition to vertical (head-up or head-down) on the briefed key, holding slot and level through the transition.

3.5

Hold the angle slot when late on the transition key, transitioning only once the flyer ahead is vertical and own airspace is clear, never while closing on the group.

3.6

Build the briefed round, approaching on level and docking without destabilising the formation.

3.7

Build the accordion on the briefed key, taking the briefed grips and holding level through the build.

3.8

Where the closing movement segment is briefed, break grips on the leader's key, coming out in the assigned orientation, following the leader back onto a line and ending the jump on an angle.

3.9

Execute the off-key rule after missing the grip-release key on the closing segment: hold orientation, let the group depart, and follow the group's line from below, transitioning only in clear air, never late into the departing group.

3.10

Control closing speed on every approach, slowing, never turning 180° from the group heading, if overtaking the leader or the group.

3.11

Recover in slot on any instability, never track away, rejoining only when stable and on level.

3.12

Execute the lost-leader protocol immediately on losing sight of the leader on a moving segment: transition to back, turn onto a back angle, and follow the group from below.

3.13

Abort the transition to vertical when the group is not in slot and tight on the steepening angle: the leader shallows the line back out, every flyer holds their angle slot, and the jump stays an angle.

4. Complete

4.1

Initiate breakoff at the briefed altitude (within −0/+300 ft).

4.2

Roll from back to belly only when on a clear trajectory with no one above.

4.3

Fan out on the briefed arc line and track, checking airspace.

4.4

Deploy at the planned altitude after clearing airspace.

4.5

Fly the agreed canopy separation plan, holding off the jump-run line until airspace is confirmed clear.

5. Review

5.1

Debrief against the declared objective using video, marking angle faults (slot and level misses on the steepening line) and vertical-formation faults (transition, round and accordion) separately.

5.2

Identify one steepening-segment fault and one vertical-formation fault, with a correction for the next jump.

5.3

Log the jump with criteria results and a reflection naming the unit and skills assessed (e.g. "FFP-DY302 movement into vertical, held slot through the steepening, late on the accordion grip"), entries like this make the logbook a meaningful training record.

Criteria in bold are safety-critical: they protect the flyer and everyone else in the group. A coach should not sign off the course while a bold criterion is Not Yet Satisfactory, however good the rest of the flying. Outside a course they are strongly recommended practice. Regulation stays with your federation and your drop zone.

Assessment conditions

• Sky jumps from 12,000 ft or higher (recommended). The moving part and the vertical build both need working time.
• Assessment jumps are flown as a real group within the 2–4-way guide: a qualified leader plus at least one other flyer, completing the full sequence from moving exit to accordion.
• Where the coach briefs the closing moving part, it is assessed as an extension. The core sequence stands on its own.
• Video of every assessment jump is required, from an outside camera or leader-flown, with the flyer identifiable.
• Equipment: a visual altimeter, a working audible (a second recommended), an AAD (recommended), and freefly-suitable gear.
• The group declares the flight path to the load and manifest. Conditions stay within every flyer’s cleared limits.
• Dynamic 301, or the same record for it, applies on every route, and the Dynamic 202 assessment jump is recommended for every flyer.
• The assessor is a freefly coach current in dynamic and movement coaching, using the Dynamic 302 checklist. Each criterion is marked Satisfactory or Not Yet Satisfactory.
• As a guide, it takes about 8 coached jumps, at least 4 through the full sequence, over at least two days or conditions within six months.
• Tunnel time can build the transition to vertical and the vertical formation. Exits, navigation and breakoff are learned in the sky.
• If you already fly movement into vertical, your coach can assess you on two jumps, or from your logbook, video and tunnel records backed by sky jumps.

Coaching priorities

Safety first, then fun, then learning. Hold the bold criteria to the standard above. Set one objective per jump, match the tempo to the group, and offer the closing moving part as the reward once the core sequence is tight. End each debrief on something that went well, with one thing to improve.

• APF Freefly and Angles Guide (APF006): the breakoff guides and the caution against radical level changes on vertical jumps (§3.2–3.3), recovering in slot without tracking away (§4.3), and in-line transitions over the body and fly zones (§5.11–5.13).
• APF Operational Regulations (V01-2026), regulations 9.1.4, 9.2 and 9.9, as jurisdictional context.
• USPA Skydiver’s Information Manual 5-10: grading movement jumps by transition count, matching the jump to the least experienced flyer, and rolling from back to belly at breakoff.
• Newcastle Sport Parachute Club, Hunter Valley angle and movement jump guidelines: movement groups per load, the navigation brief with the load master, cloud, the belly leader approved by the drop zone safety officer, and belly and back group sizes.
• Movement-jump practice across the community: leader and follower duties, tempo and speed management, and the moving group staying clear of the straight-down groups.
• The Freefly Project’s dynamic track: the small-group guide, the abort and missed-key rules, the lost-leader plan, belly-led leadership, and the steepen-and-pull-out geometry and belly-to-back check from Dynamic 202.

Regulations change, so each rule is given with its document edition, as context for where you jump. No national body defines sky dynamic.

• Australia (APF). These jumps sit between the freefly rules and the tracking-and-angles rules.
• The freefly rules (OR 9.2) require the applicable Freefly Crest for vertical groups larger than a 3-way, and a functioning audible on every freefly descent.
• The tracking-and-angles rules (OR 9.9) require a Certificate Class C, the DZSO’s written endorsement for groups larger than a 3-way, and an approved leader.
• An APF Freefly Coach and a Certificate C holder, each with DZSO approval, are among the OR 9.9.3 movement-jump leader qualifications. Elsewhere, the national or drop zone equivalent applies.
• Separation completes at least 1,000 ft above planned deployment (OR 9.1.4).
• USA. USPA SIM 5-10 grades movement jumps by transition count (0, 1–3, 4+). One to two planned transitions per flyer on this jump sits in the middle band.

Acronym key. APF, Australian Parachute Federation. OR, the APF Operational Regulations. DZSO, drop zone safety officer. USPA SIM, the United States Parachute Association Skydiver’s Information Manual.