
Category Archives: UPT
Foundations of Flight | Canopy Turns, Spirals and Spins
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Niklas Daniel wins 2022 USPA Speed Skydiving Nationals
The 2022 United States Parachute Association National Championships were held at Skydive Chicago September 2nd – 21st. AXIS Flight School coaches Brianne and Nik participated in speed skydiving, which had a total of 14 competitors (see scores below).
Over the course of two days, the competitors completed 8 jumps to attempt their fastest terminal velocity. This is measured by a Speed Measuring Device (SMD) worn on their helmets. This device records GPS positioning and the judges use the data to view the speeds reached on each jump. The fastest 3 consecutive seconds recorded during a jump determines the final score. The competitor with the highest accumulative score at the end of the meet wins. For more information about speed skydiving, check out the USPA Skydiving Competition Manual (SCM Chapter 15).

Nik took first place with a total of 4,043.62kmh (2512.59mph), averaging 505.5kmh (314.10mph). He is only the second person, after Marco Hepp during the German Nationals 10Sep22, to consistently break the 500kmh barrier in all 8 rounds. 2021 World Champion Kyle Lobpries reached a total of 4,021.04 (avg 502.6kmh) for second place, and TJ Landgren got third with a total of 3,865.45kmh (avg 483.2kmh).

In addition, Brianne and Nik set two Illinois state records with their highest scoring rounds in the female and open categories respectively:
Brianne – 395.20kmh / 245.57mph
Nik – 509.45kmh / 316.56mph
Both Nik and Brianne secured their slots on the USA Speed Team for the 2023 World Cup in Prostejov, Czech Republic.



With the World Championships with less than a month away, Nik is looking forward to competing at his home dropzone – Skydive Arizona.
AXIS Flight School would like to thank all of its Sponsors for their continued support!

Operation Enduring Warrior through Joost’s eyes
Foundations of Flight | Flare Technique
Playing with UPT’s Mutant Harness over Skydive Arizona
Foundations of Flight | Landing Priorities
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OEW Skydive student Jonathon Blank receives USPA A-License
We would like to congratulate Jonathon on receiving his USPA A-License. Over the course of several visits, Jonathon has trained with AXIS Flight School at Skydive Arizona. He has been on a custom training program to meet all the USPA standards and we are very proud of him and his success.

OEW Skydive Update: Jonathon Blank

Back in September 2021, Operation Enduring Warrior (OEW Skydive) sent Jonathon to AXIS Flight School at Skydive Arizona to get them ready for their custom Accelerated Freefall (AFF) program. Over the course of three days, Jonathon trained with Brianne Thompson, Niklas Daniel, and Joost Luijsterburg, getting him through his First Jump Course (FJC), flying 15 minutes in the Skyventure Arizona wind tunnel, and completing two succesful skydives.
What follows is a pictoral of Jonathon’s progress.













Unfortunately we got weathered out by strong winds and were unable to continue jumping.

We look forward to flying with Jonathon again in early March, completeing his A-Licesene and beyond.
Skydive Radio Photo of the Week Show #253!
I would like to thank Dave at Skydive Radio for making my image below their pic of the week! Skydive Radio is the world’s leading internet radio show dedicated to the sport of skydiving. Weekly episodes include commentary, feature interviews with industry insiders, listener-contributed photos, and e-mails from an audience that spans the globe.
To watch the video of the intensional cutaways, click here.
