Packing Courses

Learn to pack you main parachute. Everything you need to know to pack, fault find and maintain your equipment.

Packing courses have two parts. Part 1 is the learning phase, Part 2 is an examination, the "tangle test". After part one you'll need to solo practice to get ready for the test. After successfully passing the test you'll be awarded an "Approved Packing Certificate".

Prices:

  • Part 1 - Learning to pack - £40
  • Part 2 - Exam - £40
Packing Parachute

Part 1

Click here to see available packing courses (Part 1) and book a date.

Part 2

Click here to see available packing courses (Part 2) and book a date.

When you sign up for a packing course you take the next step towards becoming an independent skydiver! Not only will you learn how to pack your parachute for yourself, you will also learn how to maintain your equipment and how to take it apart and put it back together again.

What to expect on a packing course - part 1

This is a full day course during which one of our highly experienced packing instructors will educate you on how to pack and main parachute and why we do it the way we do.

You will be walked through the whole process, step by step, with practical demonstrations. Expect to be over in the hangar for the majority of the day, with every student having their own kit to learn on - which can be your own personal equipment, or the Langar equipment you typically use.

By the end of the day, you will feel confident in doing your own pack jobs and be able to go away and practice in your own time until you're proficient and ready for your packing assessment, which is part 2 of the course.

What to expect on a packing course - part 2

Part 2 of the packing course is the day on which we'll assess your skills and hopefully award you with your Approved Packing Certificate. To do this, you will be assessed while doing a full pack job, in which we want to see you're confident in what you're doing and hitting all the necessary steps for the pack job to be safe for the sky.

Further to this, you'll learn more about kit maintenence, including how to reattach a cutaway canopy, and how to hook up a new canopy. You'll be tested on your ability to do this through a 'tangle test', in which your instructor will tangle up the canopy for you to untangle, and then a cutaway tangle test, where we'll tangle up a detached canopy and have you untangle and reattach it.

We'll be there to help you every step of the way and the aim of this course, aside from getting you what you need for your B licence, is to help you feel confident in taking care of your own gear.

Why are there two courses?

In the Packing Course - Part 1 you will learn how to pack your own parachute and how to recognise wear and tear on your own equipment. This part of the course takes several hours depending on how quickly you pick it up. There is a lot of information to take in during this course but you will practice each stage several times until you are ready to practice on your own.

Packing Course - Part 2 is the final stage of learning to pack. You will be assessed on your ability to pack and you will also undertake a tangle test. Before signing up for this course, you must be confident that you can pack your parachute with no help. This session will also provide you with even more knowledge including how to assemble your own kit. If at the end of the course you have shown to be capable of packing unsupervised, the instructor will sign your packing certificate.

When will I be ready to do Part 2?

Learning how to pack correctly takes a lot of practice. We recommend doing around 20 complete pack jobs before signing up for the second part of the course. We have practice rigs that you can use or can use your own equipment if you have it. Around 80% of malfunctions are due to incorrect packing or poor kit maintenance. Knowing how to pack correctly and, more importantly, knowing when to start again if something doesn’t seem right, is extremely important. Do not try to rush this stage. Take your time.

Do I need to learn to pack?

Packing is an essential skill for all skydivers, even if you do not plan to pack much for yourself in the future. Knowing how to recognise when something isn’t quite right or when there is a maintenance issue with your own equipment can highly reduce the risk of having a malfunction. At Skydive Langar, you are required to have your full packing certificate before getting your B Licence.