What Is The Skydiving Age Limit?

What Is The Skydiving Age Limit?

What is the age limit to make a skydive? There is no maximum age limit to make a skydive. The determining factor is fitness and health.

Individuals able to cognitively understand what they are participating in and who have the physical strength to exit an aircraft, be stable in free fall and land safely (by being able to lift their legs) can participate in a skydive.

In 2019 at Skydive Snohomish, Kathryn “Kitty” Hodges set the record as the oldest person to make a skydive at 103 years old!

Being that the question of age is one of the most frequently asked questions we receive, we’re dedicating this post to every question we can think of with regard to age and skydiving

How Old Do You Need to Be to Skydive?

The skydiving age limit varies throughout the world. Within the United States, all USPA member dropzones are not permitted to accommodate any guests under the age of 18 years old. Non-member USPA dropzones can accommodate guests under the age of 18 but are at their discretion and dependent on the type of parachuting equipment being used.**

**Many parachute equipment manufacturers have minimum age requirements for use.

Can you Skydive at 17 or 16 with parental consent?

Within the United States, all United States Parachute Association (USPA) member dropzones are restricted from hosting guests under the age of 18 regardless of parental consent. Non-member USPA dropzones can accommodate guests under the age of 18 but is at their discretion. The majority of non-member dropzones do not permit skydiving under the age of 18.

Why Do Skydiving Age Limits Vary By Country?

Skydiving age limits vary by country due to the culture of liability. The United States is considered to be a litigious society where lawsuits are common. Within the US, 18-year-olds are considered to be mature enough to understand the consequences of their own actions and thus understand what they are signing when completing the legal paperwork releasing the liability of skydiving centers and skydiving equipment manufacturers regardless of negligence.

In other countries where the societies are less litigious, it is more common to see the participation of people under the age of 18 as the issue of parental consent has been able to hold up in a court of law.

Can You Skydive Under the Age of 18 if you have a terminal illness?

Within the US and other countries, this is possible. These jumps are known as “Make a Wish” jumps and require time and planning in order to be signed off. During the 2019 Summer USPA Board of Directors Meeting, the following paragraph was added to the Skydiver’s Information Manual (SIM), Section 2-1.D, paragraph 3:

A waiver for tandem jumps may be issued to terminally ill persons under the age of 18, contingent on approval from manufacturers, who have age restrictions. The organizer of such jumps shall submit a waiver request form to the Safety & Training Director and Chairman of the Safety and Training Committee for approval prior to such jumps.

Skydiving Age Limits By Country

The minimum skydiving ages by country are:

What is the age requirement for indoor skydiving?

Many indoor skydiving wind tunnels can accommodate guests as young as three years old.

What is the minimum age requirement to skydive at Skydive Carolina?

Skydive Carolina requires that all guests be at least 18 years of age to skydive. Parental consent for minors is not permitted.