BOSS �Course �ParaCentrum Vlaanderen (PCV)

Principles

• To continue the learning process after AFF
• Repeating levels if the safety criteria are not met with
• The BOSS program is a minimum standard. Extra exercises may be added if the student can handle it
• The student is responsible for his or her logbook: if the jump is not mentionned and signed, it did not happen!
• Stick to the plan: don’t improvise during the jump!
• Every jump is to be filmed during the course!

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Extra levels!

• Making safety a priority when jumping together
• Canopy exercises and awareness under canopy
• Builing further on the theory learned during AFF
• Solidating new skills
• Closing the gap between BOSS and rookie coaching
• Level 1 to 5 haven’t changed much
• Level 6 to 10 do not have to be followed in a strict order!

TLO’s

• Teaching-Learning Objectives
• A student can only pass a level when every TLO has been met with
• The TLO’s of previous levels have to be taken into account with every next level

Exercise 1

TO DO

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GROUP 1: What can you tell a student about ‘physical diffences’ when jumping together and how could one adjust one’s fallrate?

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GROUP 2: How should your student check his/her gear?

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GROUP 3: What information can you find on the White board? Please elaborate.

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Voorbereiding BOSS sprongen

Physical differences:

• Large/small
• Big/skinny
• Jumpsuit/sweaters
• Lead belt
• Dangers?

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Checking gear:

• 3 ringsystems
• Handles
• 3 straps check: chest + 2 legs
• AAD system on
• Check pin²
• Bridle + pilot chute

White Board

White Board:

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Exercise 2 :

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TO DO

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GROUP 1: What would you mention during a BRIEFING?

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GROUP 2 : What would you mention/comment on during a DEBRIEFING?

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GROUP 3: What does a load master do before boarding the plan?

Briefing / Debriefing

Standard structure briefing:

• Exit
• Jump
• Break (always 5000ft!): Boss instructor keeps working until student leaving at 5000ft
• When student doesn’t leave at 4500ft => track away! (red flag!)
• Canopy exercise (not below 1500ft)
• Landing pattern!

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Standard structure debriefing:

• Watch video completely without commenting
• Watch video in slow motion with detailed explanation
• Watch again
• Student brings logbook so you can write your comments down

Load master

Responsabilities:

• Check number of jumpers and names
• Organise load/exit order:
• FS
• FF

3. AFF

4. Tandem

5. Wingsuiters

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Tracking/tracing groups: depending on skill level

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🡪 Bigger groups first, smaller groups last

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Exercise 3

TO DO

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GROUP 1: What can you tell about the things to do in the plane?

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GROUP 2: What can you tell about the jump/how to correct posture of differences in level?

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Explain about:

• Opening/closing the door
• Places in the plane
• Using the belt
• Exit order
• Working of the lights
• The drop
• Communication with the pilot

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In the plane

Sprong:

• Docking
• Position for falling straight down
• Keeping Level
• Learning how to anticipate/ unforseen circumstances
• Falling faster
• Falling slower
• Avancing in freefall
• Overshoot when diving
• Going under the formation
• “Satelliting”
• TRACKING: teach the correct position + how to keep watching around for other jumpers

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Exit / Jump

Exits:

• No grips vs. linked
• Giving the key

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Exercise 4

TO DO

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GROUP 1: What do you explain about landing patterns/ the landing?

GROUP 2: What would you brief about safety when jumping with others?

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Landing

• Predictability
• Landing in the right zone
• Trying to augment precision in landing (see level 10)

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Landing

Important criteria

• Student needs to be aware of your position at all times
• Safe separation - tracking
• Altitude awareness
• Break at 5000 ft
• Wave of and pull at 3500 ft

Safety

The level needs to be repeated when the safety criteria are not met!

BOSS Level 1

Emphasis on:

• Standard structure briefing
• Checking gear
• Behavior in the plane
• Where to place yourself
• Communication with pilot
• Door
• Exit separation
• Good tracking

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Briefing:

• Exit order - Instructor
• Exit - Instructor
• Jump - Instructor
• Break - Instructor
• Stearing/landing - Instructor

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Exit:

• Linked exit, student dives

Jump:

• Let go of student
• Student should not backslide
• Instructor is responsible for level
• Problematic backslide or not able to correct when backsliding: repeat level
• Docking is not important in this jump�

Safety:

• Student watches altimeter

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Stearing/landing

• Stearing is controlled
• Predictable pattern
• Landing in agreed on zone

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TLO’s level 1

• Student knows how to check his own gear before jumping
• Student has no problematic backslide or know how to correct an initial backslide when it occurs
• Student is aware of altitude

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BOSS Level 2

Emphasis on :

• Exit order and spotting
• Falling faster/slower:
• Position
• Gear
• Jumpsuit
• Sweaters
• Lead

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Briefing:

• Exit order - student
• Exit - Instructor
• Jump - Instructor
• Break - student
• Sturen en Landen – student

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Exit:

• Linked exit, student floats

Jump:

• Let go of student
• Recline: student needs to fly forward
• Student needs to keep the level
• Upfloating
• Falling faster
• Initiator stays in comfortzone student
• Docks are allowed, but not necessary �

Safety:

• Altitude awareness, especially at 5000ft

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Stearing/landing

• Under canopy: above 1500ft necessary turns in half brakes
• Stearing is controlled
• Predictable pattern
• Landing in agreed on zone

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TLO’s level 2

• Student stops the exercise at 5000ft, waves and tracks away

BOSS Level 3

Emphasis on :

• First steps in diving and approach
• LSD (level-slot-dock): what to do before taking up grips
• What happens when taking up grips when you’re too high/low

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Briefing:

• Exit order - Student
• Exit - Instructor
• Jump - Instructor
• Break - Student
• Stearing and landing– Student

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Exit:

• No grip exit, student dives

Jump:

• Flying forwards
• Keeping the level
• Upfloating
• Falling faster
• Instructor stays in comfortzone student
• Docks are allowed when it feels comfortable �

Safety:

• Altitude awareness
• Student is aware of position instructor

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Stearing and landing

• Under canopy: above 1500ft necessary turns in half brakes
• Stearing is controlled
• Predictable pattern
• Landing in agreed on zone

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TLO’s level 3

• The student can position herself/himself in front of the instructor in a way that would allow a dock

BOSS Level 4

Emphasis on :

• Dropzone board
• Load master tasks
• Student organises exit order of the plane

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Briefing:

• Exit order - Student
• Exit - Instructor
• Jump - Instructor
• Break - Student
• Stearing and landing – Student

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Exit:

• No grip exit, student floats

Jump:

• Dynamic jump
• Instructor creates distance the student has to close
• Approach and correct level
• Sidebody dock on instructor�

Safety:

• Altitude awareness
• Student is aware of position instructor

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Stearing and landing

• Under canopy: necessary turns with backrisers above 1500ft (toggles in hands)
• Stearing is controlled
• Predictable pattern
• Landing in agreed on zone

TLO’s level 4

• The student is able to react to the dynamic movements of the instructor (vertically and horizontally)

BOSS Level 5

Emphasis on :

• Student plans the jump

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Briefing:

• Exit order - Student
• Exit - Student
• Jump - Student
• Break - Student
• Stearing and landing – Student

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Exit:

• Student picks exit

Jump:

• Student plans exercises

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Safety:

• Altitude awareness
• Student is aware of position instructor
• Safe separation

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Stearing and landing

• Under canopy: necessary turns with backrisers above 1500ft (toggles in hands)
• Stearing is controlled
• Predictable pattern
• Landing in agreed on zone

TLO’s level 5

• The student can give the exit order from the plane
• The student can explain the white board to the instructor
• The student can track away at 5000ft. This happens after a 180 degree turn, the tracking goes straight. In theory should the created distance be enough so the instructor could pull while staying in place (but please, don’t do that!) 🡺 Tracking has been practiced during previous levels

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Exercise 5

TO DO

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GROUP 1: What can you explain about requirements and gear adjustments for starting to freefly?

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GROUP 2: What can you explain about requirements and gear adjustments for starting to fly with a wingsuiter?

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GROUP 3: What can you explain about canopy progression?

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BOSS Level 6

Explaining why certain rules and adaptations are in place

• Freefly: visit website with progression, legstraps, BOC, starting from 50 jumps,…
• Wingsuit: visit website with progression, canopy choice, bridle, altimeter,…
• Basejump: other gear, other sport
• Canopy progression: explain different canopies, categories and wingload

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🡪 Always useful to let an expert in a discipline explain something when they are present!

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TLO’s level 6

The student should be able to tell something about the necessary requirements for:

• Freefly: needing 50 jumps, adjustments to gear, where to find an instructor,… ,
• Wingsuit: needing 200 jumps, adjustments to gear, where to find an instructor,…
• Basejump: that they’ll need another course to learn this
• Canopy progression: let them use a wingload calculator

Exercise 6

TO DO

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GROUP 1: Explain the dangers of diving to a formation

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GROUP 2: What kind of challanges appear when jumping in bigger groups?

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GROUP 3: Explain ‘traffic’ when jumping with bigger groups

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Diving / upfloating

Upfloating:

• At a distance from the formation (not under it!)
• Don’t look up
• Head sideways for surface + contact with formation
• Creating a bigger surface:

- Less arching

- Make yourself big

- Booties

Diving:

• Keep contact with the fromation at all times
• Braking by changing dive position to flat position
• Stadium approach
• Level – slot – dock

Traffic under canopy

• Bigger group = separation becoming more important
• Less vertical separation compared to smaller groups with the same amout of people
• Turning: most dangerous moment under canopy!

- Keep looking, keep looking, keep looking…

- Avoid unnecessay turns

• Respect the vertical separation created by the different wingloads: no spiraling or extra braking

BOSS Level 7: dive jump

Emphasis on :

• Gevaren van diven
• Onder de formatie terecht komen
• Upfloaten
• Burble
• Canopy: draaien en traffic

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Briefing:

• Exit order - Student
• Exit - Instructor
• Jump - Student
• Break - Student
• Stearing and landing – Student

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Exit:

• Exit without grips, student waits 2s

Jump:

• Dive until student is at same level as instructor
• Student can solve differences in level in a safe way
• Student can plan rest of the jump�

Safety:

• Active braking position
• Don’t dive on the instructor
• No dangerous burble

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Stearing and landing

• Under canopy: no unnecessary turning
• Stearing is controlled
• Predictable pattern
• Landing in agreed on zone

TLO’s level 7

The student gets to the instructor in a safe way. If the student finds herself/himself under the instructor, then she/he can get to the same level again with some help from the instructor. No dangerous situations:

• Instructor has to evade diving student
• Student is not aware of the position of the instructor while floating up
• Student burbles the instructor

BOSS Level 8: ¾-way

Emphasis on :

• Bigger groups
• Separation

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Briefing:

• Exit order - Student
• Exit – Instructor and student
• Sprong - Instructor
• Break - Student
• Stearing and landing– Student

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Exit:

• Linked exit

Jump:

• 3-way of 4-way jump (max. 2 students)
• Instructor creates a jump that is suited for the skills level of the group/student�

Safety:

• Student is aware of position other jumpers
• Safe tracking

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Stearing and landing

• Under canopy: no unnecessary turning
• Stearing is controlled
• Predictable pattern
• Landing in agreed on zone

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TLO’s level 8

• The student is aware of the different positions of every jumper (no horizontal collisions, no burble)
• When the student tracks away, it should have created enough separation from every other jumper

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BOSS Level 9: fun jump

Emphasis on :

• Na de ‘fun’ elkaar terugvinden
• Op een veilige manier de separatie inzetten
• Traffic onder koepel

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Briefing:

• Exit order - Student
• Exit – Instructor and student
• Sprong - Instructor
• Break - Student
• Stearing and landing– Student

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Exit:

• Linked fun exit

Jump:

• Making a safe return to the instructor after letting go (level and distance)
• Student plans jump after finding each other again�

Safety:

• Student is aware of position instructor
• Safe tracking

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Stearing and landing

• Under canopy: 1x flare met rear risers (above 1500ft and enough space!)
• Stearing is controlled
• Predictable pattern
• Landing in agreed on zone

TLO’s level 9

• Before the jump: student can tell what the vertical and horizontal separation between the canopies will look like in the load (if everything goes to plan)
• The student can get back to the instructor after the fun and is aware of where the instructor is before it’s time to track away

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BOSS Level 10

• Hop & pop
• Spotting is key!
• Explain about performance when wanting to bridge a certain distance relative to the wind direction
• Precision landing: select a smaller zone than the student is used to and let them try to land there (focus!)

TLO’s level 10

• Student does the spotting! �🡪 Instructor doesn’t have to be there with the student, but make sure someone’s in the plane to check with the student

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Have Fun!

Be Safe!