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VIDEO TRAINING
by Brian Germain

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Canopy Flight Skills and Safety
Weekend Courses

(in person courses, see below)
Video courses, go here

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Whether you are a new jumper or an expert, this canopy flight skills and safety course has something for you. You can: get signed off for your B license canopy course requirement, work on advanced maneuvers, learn about canopy design, get softer more accurate landings, dial in your swoop and become a better, safer skydiver. This course covers all aspects of canopy flight safety, as well as addressing the mental and emotional aspects. This course will profoundly enhance both your skill and your safety.

The teacher:
Brian Germain has well over 10,000 jumps and 27 years of skydiving instructional experience. As a parachute designer, test pilot and author of The Parachute and its Pilot and host of the much-loved Skydive Radio segment "SAFETY FIRST", Brian offers a unique perspective on the topic of canopy control. His passion for flight is deeply infectious, and his masterful ways of teaching will enthrall you and leave you wanting to learn more.

Canopy Courses with Brian Germain

Current Seminars: (click to learn more)
Canopy Skills and Safety Course
Instructors Course

Two Day Course $195 per person + Travel Expenses (~$25 each)
(Brian's travel and accommodations may be added to this amount)

Minimum Participation: 10 Students (or Equivalent)
*One Organizer or Scholarship slot available

Testimonials:

"I took Brian's canopy control course this weekend at The Ranch. It was a life changing experience for me. Brian gives vocabulary, experience, ideas as part of his course. It's like being under a water fall, there's so much information there. And, it doesn't stop. Thank you, Brian."
Street Scooby, Blue Sky Ranch

“A true gentleman and teacher!”
Bradley Moon, Skydive Sussex

“Unfortunately I couldn't take the second day due to a lack of transportation but that being said I feel so much more comfortable now than I ever did! I took about 20 pages of notes and my head was just so full after day one that I couldn't sleep!”
Shahram Dabiri, Skydive Sussex

“I'm a big fan of Brian's courses - I encourage everyone I meet to take his courses, no matter how many jumps you've got. He's a great teacher.”
Andrew Metcalfe, Chicagoland Skydiving

“Very relaxed atmosphere and very, very enlightening.”
Ryan Hanold, Skydive Tecumseh

Testimonials

The Parachute and its Pilot, A Seminar Series
Learn Canopy Piloting from Brian Germain

The course targets parachuting skills as the primary subject matter, from the perspective of a parachute designer, avid canopy piloting enthusiast, and transcending fear specialist. Brian will, however, adapt the class to incorporate anything the hosts believe to be appropriate, as well as shaping the subject matter to fit the needs of that particular group of students.

General Topics Include

  1. Parachute Aerodynamics
  2. Dynamic Maneuvers
  3. Flying in Turbulence
  4. Navigation
  5. Pattern and Accuracy
  6. Landings
  7. Advanced Approaches
  8. The Psychology of Adrenalin

Possible additional subjects include:

  1. Packing Secrets
  2. Gear Maintenance
  3. Freeflying
  4. Tracking Dives
  5. Yoga and Meditation Techniques to enhance your skydiving          

We often include jumping in the course, but that isn't necessary at all. The bulk of the learning is in the classroom, not the air. It has been aptly said: “The sky makes a terrible classroom.” That is where we test new concepts, and create concrete experiences that deepen our understanding. Even if the weather prevents us from jumping, the course is very effective in creating long-term change.

If we get a chance to jump, Brian will provide specific jump objectives, as well as providing video debrief of landings. Jumps are usually made from 7000 feet AGL to allow the participants to focus exclusively on the targeted objectives of the jump. Good weather days usually allow us to make 2-3 jumps per day.

*A note on the one day course: we usually do not jump at all in this class, as there isn’t ample time to jump and get through the information to make the course effective.

I strongly recommend having video of each participant's landing prior to the course, in mini-DV format. This will personalize the discussions in the event that the weather does not work out for jumping.

The DZ management or host arranges my transportation (flights or gas), as well as reasonable accommodations. This can include staying at someone's house, or other cost-effective avenue (just not too trashy, please). It has become standard procedure for the host to charge a bit more than Brian’s fee in order to cover the travel expenses, and even add a bit of profit to the endeavor.

Preferred class size is 10-20 participants. There is no maximum number of students, although more than 20 participants should include a third day.

I highly suggest booking well in advance of the planned date of the course, as the demand for this has become quite high worldwide. Emailing your jumpers with the course dates and details no less than one month before the course is essential.

To begin the process of getting Brian to your drop zone, email us here:
bgermain@bigairsportz.com

Sincerely,

Brian Germain
www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com
bgermain@bigairsportz.com

The Parachute and its Pilot
A Weekend with Brian Germain

*Times and topics may vary!

Brian Germain

Day One (Saturday Morning)
(often moved to Saturday or Sunday)

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM 

 Performance Psychology and Aviation Terminology

11:00 AM - 11:15 AM 

 Break

11:15 AM - 12:00 PM 

 Parachute Dynamics and Landing Theory

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 

 Harness Training (If available)

11:10 AM - 12:00 PM 

 Parachute Dynamics

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM 

 Jump/Debrief

2:00 PM - 4:10 PM 

 Navigation

2:10 PM - 3:00 PM 

 Jump/Debrief

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM 

 Pattern and Accuracy

 4:00 PM - Sunset 

 Jump/Debrief

*If the weather prevents jumping: Packing Secrets


Day Two(Sunday)

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM 

 Advanced Maneuvers

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM 

 Jump/Debrief

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM 

 Turbulence and Parachute Stability

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM 

 Jump/Debrief

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM 

 Questions and Answers (various topics)

6:10 PM - Sunset  

 Jump/Debrief

Sunset

 Last Wrap-Up

(If weather stinks: More in-depth discussion of High Speed Approaches and/or Landings)

Also available in book format!

The Parachute and its Pilot is the singular resource for canopy flight information. Whether you are a new jumper looking for further your education or an expert canopy pilot seeking tips on advancing your techniques, this book has something for you. The book is jam-packed with information compiled over 18 years of skydiving experience, and offers technical yet very straight-forward explanations of ram air parachute flight. Written by one of the industry's leading parachute designers, The Parachute and its Pilot is a must-have handbook for every skydiver.

CLICK HERE FOR PURCHASING INFORMATION

Past Course Locations

Adventure Center Skydiving, Hollister, California African Freefall Convention, South Africa Australian Parachute Federation Conference, Cairns, Australia Benefit Seminar: Tunnel For the Cause, Orlando, Florida Blue Sky Ranch, Gardiner, New York Chambersburg Skydiving Center, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Chicagoland Skydiving Center, Hinkley, Illinois Coastal Skydivers, North Carolina Collegiate National Championships, Lake Wales, Florida Danish Parachute Federation, Roskilde, Denmark Dutch Parachute Association Conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Edmonton Skydive Centre, Edmonton, Canada
Finland: Hämeen Laskuvarjourheilijat
Freefall, Lake Taupo, New Zealand
Green Beret Sport Parachute Activity, Fort Bragg, North Carolina Hassfurt Skydiving, Hassfurt, Germany Hilversum, The Netherlands (Holland) Skydive Hoogeveen, The Netherlands International Parachuting Symposium
            Orlando, Florida
            Houston, Texas
            Reno, Nevada
Irish Parachute Club, Dublin Ireland
National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC Norweigian Freeze Fest, Opdal, Norway Oestre Aera, Norway Paradise Skydives, Vinton, Iowa Raeford Parachute Center, Raeford, North Carolina S.A.F.E. Association Symposium, Phoenix, Arizona Skien, Norway Skive, Denmark Sky Knights, Wisconsin Sky's The Limit, Pennsylvania Skydive Burnaby, Ontario, Canada Skydive Carolina, South Carolina Skydive Chicago, Ottawa, Illinois Skydive City, Zephyrhills FL Skydive Houston, Houston, Texas Skydive Kansas, Osage City, Kansas Skydive Nagambie, Australia Skydive New England, Lebanon, Maine Skydive New Mexico, Belen, New Mexico Skydive Orange, Orange, Massachusetts Skydive Ramblers, Toogoolawah, Australia Skydive Richmond, Richmond, Indiana Skydive Stockholm, Sweden Skydive Suffolk, VA Skydive Sussex, Sussex, New Jersey Skydive Tecumseh, Tecumseh, Michigan Skydive Temple, Temple, Texas Skydive Utah, Erda, Utah Skyventure Colorado, Highlands Ranch, Colorado Skyventure New Hampshire, Manchester, New Hampshire Sydney Skydivers, Australia US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado US Special Forces, Arizona West Point, West Point Virginia Winnipeg Skydiving Centre, Manitoba Canada

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