Skydivers Wary of Potential New Regs in FAA Reauthorization

The United States Parachute Association is offering a safety management system as an alternative to a proposal it says could put some small operators out of business.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, September 18, 2023 at 01:00 PM ET

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The United States Parachute Association (USPA) is fighting proposed legislation that would require additional aircraft inspections and training for jump-plane pilots. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The United States Parachute Association (USPA) has developed a comprehensive safety management system (SMS) for the skydiving industry, based on FAA templates and international models, aiming to promote professionalism and enhance safety.
This SMS development is a strategic move by the USPA to counter proposed federal legislation that would mandate additional aircraft inspections and pilot training, which they argue could economically cripple smaller skydiving operators.
The USPA contends that existing pilot training is adequate and many accidents are due to pilot error; their new SMS seeks to foster an internal culture of safety, empowering employees to identify and mitigate risks, rather than relying solely on increased external regulation.

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There is sometimes a fine line between increasing government oversight to make a business safer and making it economically infeasible to stay in business. The United States Parachute Association (USPA) is keenly aware of this, and as such it spent months crafting a safety management system (SMS) that can be applied to its industry.

The goal, according to Michael Knight, USPA director of government relations, is “to promote professionalism within the industry.”