Earning Your B-License
Earning a skydive certification is an incredibly rewarding feeling. And we want that feeling to last as your progress through this sport as it’s easy to get lost after earning your skydiving A-license. This article is all about setting you up for the next steps in your skydiving journey. Here, we’ll outline the requirement for earning your skydiving B-license.
What Requirements Do You Need to Earn a B-License?
All you need is to have earned your A-license, and then you can start working towards your USPA B-license requirements which are as follows:
- Complete 50 jumps
- Have logged at least 30 minutes of freefall
- 10 jump landing within 10 meters (approx 33 feet) of a target
- Have done one of the following
- Perform a left & right 360, back loop and repeat within 18 seconds
- Complete 10 successful group freefall jumps
- Complete a water training course (Ultimate Skydiving Adventures offers the ground training classroom portion online!)
- Complete a canopy course
- Complete the B-license exam
Where and How Do I Complete These Requirements?
Where? Right here at Ultimate Skydiving Adventures! We have instructors certified to teach water training, canopy courses, conduct the USPA B-license exam, and verify your other achievements. We schedule water training and canopy courses ahead of time and soon will post a calendar of events. Otherwise, you can CONTACT US to set up a date and time. You can take your B-license exam once all these other requirements are complete any time you’re ready and at the dropzone.
How? You will need to log all of your jumps in your skydiving logbook that includes:
- Date / Location / Type of Plane / Exit Altitude / Equipment Used (type of container and main parachute)
- Freefall Time – you can see a chart of freefall time HERE that considers your exit altitude and type of skydive: FREEFALL TIME CHART
- Describe what you did on each jump including the type of exit, freefall maneuvers, and discipline, as well as canopy flight and landing distance from the target
- Have your logbook signed by another licensed jumper, instructor, Safety and Training Advisor (S&TA), Dropzone Owner (DZO), pilot, USPA judge, or USPA Board Member that witnessed your jump
- Local jumper Melissa Lowe is a licensed jumper, USPA instructor, S&TA at large, and USPA National Director
- Dropzone Owner Ben Lowe is a DZO, pilot, and master rigger
- Joey Torstveit, Tandem and IAD Instructor
What are the Costs for a Skydiving B-License?
By the time you have completed your A-license, you will have between 25-30 jumps as everyone learns at a different pace. All of these jumps count towards your B-license jump requirements. Therefore, you will need around 25-20 more jumps for the B-license. Here are all the other costs associated with earning the B:
| Cost | |
| Gear Rental | $25 |
| Pack Job* | $8 |
| Jump Ticket to 9,000′ | $25 |
| Jump Ticket to 3,000′ | $15 |
| Water Training | $100 |
| Canopy Course + 5 Jump Tickets to 3,000′ | $200 |
| B-License Exam | $0 |
| B-License Submission to USPA | $36 |
*If you pack your own parachute, then you will save $8/jump.
The approximate cost: if you are renting gear, hiring a packer, and have 20, jumps to complete your 50 jump requirement, and jump from 9,000′ each jump, the cost of earning your USPA B-license is approximately $1,536. You can complete this at your own pace, consider learning how to pack, or purchase your own equipment so you can save a few bucks.
What Can You Do with a B-License?
As if the adventure in earning your A-license wasn’t enough, as soon as you’re licensed, the world of skydiving opens up! Earning your B-license allows you to participate in more activities. What activities you may ask? Here’s an outline of the fun stuff:
- Jump on a beach (these happen quite often at exotic boogies)
- Jump from a helicopter
- Jump from a hot air balloon
- Do a night jump
- Once you reach 100 jumps, you can start the pre-requisites of becoming a USPA Coach!
Owner Ben Lowe (on right) with wife (on left) at a boogie in Mexico.
Currency Requirements
Ultimate Skydiving Adventures has more strict currency requirements than that recommended by the national organization, United States Parachute Association. They are as follows:
A-License
| Not Jumped In: | 2 months – 1 year | * Basic Refresher (Appx 1 hour) |
| * Emergency Procedure Practical | ||
| * Recurrency Test | ||
| * Coach Jump | ||
| Not Jumped In: | Over 1 year | * Full Ground Refresher Course (4 hours) |
| * Emergency Procedure Practical | ||
| * Recurrency Test | ||
| * Coach Jump |
B-License
| Not Jumped In: | 3 months – 1 year | * Basic Refresher (Appx 1 hour) |
| * Emergency Procedure Practical | ||
| * Recurrency Test | ||
| * Coach Jump | ||
| Not Jumped In: | Over 1 year | * Full Ground Refresher Course (4 hours) |
| * Emergency Procedure Practical | ||
| * Recurrency Test | ||
| * Coach Jump |
The cost of a recurrency training (whether a basic or full class), is $125 (not including gear rental or pack job).
We’re excited to welcome you to the world of skydiving and help train you along the way in this mega sport! For more information CONTACT US here, and we’ll be stoked to help!
Ultimate Skydiving Adventures – we train skydivers!
