33 Skydiving Quiz Questions with Answers (Trivia)

33 skydiving quiz questions with answers, from freefall speeds and canopy gear to the records and the jargon. Reveal each answer, or read the key at the end.

Every question gives three options and keeps the correct one behind a button, so a score stays honest. If you would rather have the whole set of skydiving trivia questions and answers side by side, the key below the scoring table lists all 33 in order. The equipment and safety questions work as a briefing-room round at a drop zone, and the rest are the sort of questions about skydiving that suit a quiz night. For the gear itself, see our rundown of top skydiving brands.

Round 1 of 3: Warm-up

These 10 questions are the ones most fans get right.

1. Which Renaissance artist sketched a pyramid-shaped parachute centuries before anyone jumped with one?

A) Michelangelo
B) Leonardo da Vinci
C) Raphael

2. What is the typical terminal velocity of a skydiver falling belly down?

A) About 60 mph
B) About 250 mph
C) About 120 mph

3. From roughly what altitude does a typical tandem skydive exit the aircraft?

A) 3,000 to 5,000 feet
B) 20,000 to 25,000 feet
C) 10,000 to 14,000 feet

4. About how long does freefall last on a tandem jump from 14,000 feet?

A) About 15 seconds
B) About five minutes
C) About a minute

5. What is the basic stable belly-to-earth freefall position called?

A) The tuck
B) The arch
C) The pike

6. What is a drop zone?

A) The altitude band in which the parachute opens
B) An emergency landing site chosen from the air
C) The airfield and landing area a skydiving operation works from

7. Which instrument tells a skydiver how high they are?

A) A barometer
B) A compass
C) An altimeter

8. What does a skydiver do with the steering toggles just before landing to slow down?

A) Lets both go
B) Pulls both down to flare
C) Pulls only one to spin

9. What is the minimum age for skydiving in the United States under USPA rules?

A) 16
B) 21
C) 18

10. What does BASE stand for in BASE jumping?

A) Bridge, Air, Structure, Exit
B) Building, Antenna, Span, Earth
C) Balance, Altitude, Safety, Experience

Round 2 of 3: Getting tougher

Records, history and the finer points of the rules.

11. What does AFF stand for in skydiving training?

A) Advanced Freefall Flight
B) Accelerated Freefall
C) Assisted Free Fall

12. What does PLF stand for when skydivers talk about landings?

A) Parachute Landing Formation
B) Perfect Landing Flare
C) Parachute Landing Fall

13. In military parachuting, what does HALO stand for?

A) High Altitude Low Opening
B) High Air Lift Off
C) Heavy Assault Low Orbit

14. In skydiving, what is a cutaway?

A) Leaving a formation early
B) Releasing a malfunctioning main parachute
C) Cutting the engine before exit

15. Which parachute in a skydiving rig must be packed by a certified rigger?

A) The reserve
B) The main
C) The pilot chute

16. What small parachute pulls the main canopy out of the container?

A) The pilot chute
B) The drogue
C) The slider

17. Why does a tandem pair deploy a drogue in freefall?

A) To steer toward the drop zone
B) To act as a backup reserve
C) To slow the pair to a normal fall rate

18. In 2012, Felix Baumgartner jumped from a capsule lifted by what?

A) A helium balloon
B) A rocket
C) A high-altitude jet

19. What does USPA stand for?

A) United States Parachute Association
B) United Skydivers of the Pacific Area
C) U.S. Parachuting Authority

20. How many jumps does the USPA require for an A license?

A) 10
B) 25
C) 50

21. What is the U.S. Army’s parachute demonstration team called?

A) The Golden Knights
B) The Blue Angels
C) The Leap Frogs

22. What is the name of the freefall position in which a skydiver falls feet first, as if sitting?

A) Sit-fly
B) Track
C) Head-down

23. What does a CYPRES unit do?

A) Tracks the jumper by GPS
B) Fires the reserve automatically if a jumper is too low and too fast
C) Records video of the jump

Round 3 of 3: Hard mode

The last 10, for people who really know their skydiving.

24. Who made the first recorded parachute jump from a balloon, over Paris in 1797?

A) André-Jacques Garnerin
B) Jean-Pierre Blanchard
C) Joseph Montgolfier

25. Joseph Kittinger’s record balloon jumps around 1960 were part of which U.S. Air Force project?

A) Project Excelsior
B) Project Mercury
C) Project Gemini

26. Who invented the three-ring release used on almost every modern rig?

A) Domina Jalbert
B) Leslie Irvin
C) Bill Booth

27. Who invented the parafoil, the forerunner of the modern ram-air canopy?

A) Bill Booth
B) Domina Jalbert
C) Ted Strong

28. In military parachuting, what does HAHO stand for?

A) High Approach Hard Opening
B) Heavy Air Hold Off
C) High Altitude High Opening

29. The 400-person freefall formation world record was set in 2006 over which country?

A) Thailand
B) United States
C) Russia

30. What do skydivers jokingly call people who do not jump?

A) Groundhogs
B) Wingless
C) Whuffos

31. What is a hop and pop?

A) A spin performed right after exit
B) A low-altitude jump with an almost immediate deployment
C) A bounce on landing

32. What is canopy formation skydiving, also known as CReW?

A) Jumpers form a circle during freefall
B) Jumpers link their open parachutes together in flight
C) Jumpers exit the aircraft holding hands

33. What is a high-speed canopy landing that skims along the ground called?

A) A swoop
B) A flare-out
C) A stall

Results

# of Correct Answers	Percentage Range	Label	Description
0-	0-49%	Freefall FumblerArmchair Athlete	You've got some learning to do, but don't worry, there's always the next game!
-	50-64%	Parachute PupilRookie Runner	Not bad! Keep practicing, and you'll be a sports trivia champ in no time.
-	65-79%	Jump JugglerMidfield Maestro	Impressive! You're getting closer to the top, keep up the good work.
-	80-94%	Air AdventurerAll-Star Striker	Wow, you really know your sports trivia! You're a force to be reckoned with.
-33	95-100%	Skydiving StarLegendary Champion	Unbelievable! You're a true sports trivia master. Your knowledge knows no bounds!

Skydiving Quiz Answers: The Full Answer Key

Every question in this skydiving quiz with its correct answer, in the order the questions appear above. Check your score against the table, or use the list as a set of skydiving trivia questions and answers for a quiz night of your own.

#	Question	Answer
1	Which Renaissance artist sketched a pyramid-shaped parachute centuries before anyone jumped with one?	B) Leonardo da Vinci
2	What is the typical terminal velocity of a skydiver falling belly down?	C) About 120 mph
3	From roughly what altitude does a typical tandem skydive exit the aircraft?	C) 10,000 to 14,000 feet
4	About how long does freefall last on a tandem jump from 14,000 feet?	C) About a minute
5	What is the basic stable belly-to-earth freefall position called?	B) The arch
6	What is a drop zone?	C) The airfield and landing area a skydiving operation works from
7	Which instrument tells a skydiver how high they are?	C) An altimeter
8	What does a skydiver do with the steering toggles just before landing to slow down?	B) Pulls both down to flare
9	What is the minimum age for skydiving in the United States under USPA rules?	C) 18
10	What does BASE stand for in BASE jumping?	B) Building, Antenna, Span, Earth
11	What does AFF stand for in skydiving training?	B) Accelerated Freefall
12	What does PLF stand for when skydivers talk about landings?	C) Parachute Landing Fall
13	In military parachuting, what does HALO stand for?	A) High Altitude Low Opening
14	In skydiving, what is a cutaway?	B) Releasing a malfunctioning main parachute
15	Which parachute in a skydiving rig must be packed by a certified rigger?	A) The reserve
16	What small parachute pulls the main canopy out of the container?	A) The pilot chute
17	Why does a tandem pair deploy a drogue in freefall?	C) To slow the pair to a normal fall rate
18	In 2012, Felix Baumgartner jumped from a capsule lifted by what?	A) A helium balloon
19	What does USPA stand for?	A) United States Parachute Association
20	How many jumps does the USPA require for an A license?	B) 25
21	What is the U.S. Army's parachute demonstration team called?	A) The Golden Knights
22	What is the name of the freefall position in which a skydiver falls feet first, as if sitting?	A) Sit-fly
23	What does a CYPRES unit do?	B) Fires the reserve automatically if a jumper is too low and too fast
24	Who made the first recorded parachute jump from a balloon, over Paris in 1797?	A) André-Jacques Garnerin
25	Joseph Kittinger's record balloon jumps around 1960 were part of which U.S. Air Force project?	A) Project Excelsior
26	Who invented the three-ring release used on almost every modern rig?	C) Bill Booth
27	Who invented the parafoil, the forerunner of the modern ram-air canopy?	B) Domina Jalbert
28	In military parachuting, what does HAHO stand for?	C) High Altitude High Opening
29	The 400-person freefall formation world record was set in 2006 over which country?	A) Thailand
30	What do skydivers jokingly call people who do not jump?	C) Whuffos
31	What is a hop and pop?	B) A low-altitude jump with an almost immediate deployment
32	What is canopy formation skydiving, also known as CReW?	B) Jumpers link their open parachutes together in flight
33	What is a high-speed canopy landing that skims along the ground called?	A) A swoop

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FAQ

How many questions are in this skydiving quiz?

There are 33. Each question offers three options, and the correct answer is hidden behind the reveal button below it.

Where can I read the skydiving trivia questions and answers together?

The answer key near the bottom of the page lists all 33 questions with their correct answers in order, so you can score a whole round at once.

Is this skydiving quiz hard?

It gets harder as you go. Round 1 covers freefall speeds, jump altitudes and the basics anyone who has done a tandem will know, round 2 moves into the gear, the training and the famous acronyms, and round 3 is aimed at licensed jumpers, with history, records and canopy disciplines.

Can I use these skydiving questions for a drop zone quiz night?

Yes. Read the question and its three options aloud, have everyone write down a letter, then go through the answer key at the end and count the correct answers.

What is a good score on this skydiving quiz?

Anything over half is solid. The scoring table under the last question turns your total into a rank, from Freefall Fumbler at the bottom to Skydiving Star at the top.

How fast does a skydiver fall?

About 120 miles per hour, roughly 200 kilometers per hour, in a stable belly-down position. Head-down flying is considerably faster, and a tandem pair uses a drogue to stay near normal speed.

What is the minimum age for skydiving?

Eighteen in the United States under USPA rules. Some countries allow younger jumpers with parental consent, the United Kingdom for example from 16, and there is no upper age limit as long as the jumper meets the health and weight requirements of the drop zone.

What does AFF stand for in skydiving?

Accelerated Freefall, the standard training route to a solo license. The student jumps from full altitude with instructors alongside from the very first jump.

What does BASE stand for in BASE jumping?

Building, Antenna, Span and Earth, the four categories of fixed object a BASE jumper leaps from. It is a separate sport from skydiving, with far less altitude to correct a problem.