The Drop

News and Resources from AXIS Flight School

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AXIS Flight School offers structured, progressive training designed to help sport skydivers of all levels achieve their personal and competitive goals. Whether you’re looking to improve your canopy skills, master new freefall techniques in the tunnel and sky, or prepare for competition, our world-class coaches will guide you every step of the way.

Category: AXIS Flight School

  • Throwback: The Day We Dropped a Bowling Ball Out of a Plane Over Moab

    We’ve had a pretty big YouTube channel for a pretty long time, but there are certain videos that never stop finding new eyeballs. This is one of ’em. If your own eyeballs haven’t found it yet, we hope you like it. Right?! Here’s the the full backstory. The Setup It’s 2011. Prince William marries Kate…

  • Go Time!

    Is a helicopter jump on your bucket list? Check out the Skydive Arizona events page for the next available Huey jumps.

  • Foundations of Flight: Approaching With Confidence – Part 4, Pattern Transformations

    In this installment, we help you use the precision landing protocols shared in the previous installments even when the world is not cooperating with your plans. Enjoy! Editors Note (illustration clarification): In the second image above (Medium/Strong Winds), the final leg should be shorter and the base leg closer to the target than the No/Light…

  • Foundations of Flight: Approaching With Confidence – Part 3, Landing Pattern

    If you missed (or want to refresh yourself on) the previous chapter (part 2), click here.

  • Foundations of Flight: Approaching With Confidence

    The December 2025 Issue of Parachutist is hitting mailboxes. 💌 As promised, in it is the next installment of Foundations of Flight: Approaching with Confidence. Enjoy! And remember that we’re always here to answer your questions. If you missed (or want to refresh yourself on) the previous chapter, click here.

  • ISSA World Cup Series Final 2025

    The AXIS Flight School hosted the ISSA World Cup Series Event of 2025 at Skydive Arizona has wrapped, following a full-throttle weekend of Speed Skydiving on December 13–14, 2025. Over the weekend, 14 competitors gave it everything they had, chasing one simple goal: fly as fast as humanly possible. 👉 Competitor Snapshot 👈11x male |…

  • Missed Foundations of Flight? Well—it’s 💥back💥, baby!

    AXIS Flight School published its first Foundations of Flight article in Parachutist Magazine back in April of 2011. (Hard to believe, right?!) Since then, we’ve used FoF to cover a huge number of freefall and canopy piloting topics, spanning everything from the A-lic fundamentals to the stuff at the pointiest end of the sport. While…

  • Dancing on the Tables

    Or: How to read FAI Records, for the Comp-Curious What you’re looking at If you’ve ever wondered how official speed skydiving records are tracked and certified, the FAI “at-a-glance” tables offer a fascinating snapshot. These tables summarise the current world and continental benchmarks recognised by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) — the governing body for…

  • To Go (Unbelievably) Fast, Slow Down

    Wind tunnel time improves balance, control, and safety for speed skydivers. Here’s why training slow helps you fly fast. Body-flight is balance in motion Body-flight, in all its forms, is a study in balance. By fine-tuning the drag forces around their centre of mass, a flyer can maintain control and maneuver efficiently through the relative…

  • AXIS Wins Fourth Consecutive Speed Nationals Title

    Skydive Elsinore, California — The 2025 U.S. Parachute Association (USPA) Speed Skydiving Nationals are in the books, and AXIS Flight School’s Niklas Daniel has claimed his fourth consecutive national title. Despite tricky weather and a few equipment curveballs, the event delivered intense competition, record-setting performances, and the emergence of a powerhouse U.S. national team ready…