Licensed Skydiver Medical – Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs below from (i) the Licensed Skydiver, (ii) Relatives/Friends/Group Organisers, (iii) Doctors; and (iv) Instructors or Drop Zone Operators.
From the Licensed Skydiver:
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You can approach any other doctor in your area for a private sports medical. That other doctor may wish to contact your own GP to ensure there is no medical problem preventing them signing your form. Read the first paragraph of BPA Form 115B for details of how to find a doctor who is likely to be willing to do this sort of medical. Alternatively, ask your nearest flying club about who does their pilots’ medicals.
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The Data Protection Act entitles you to obtain a copy of your NHS record from your GP. Nowadays most GPs have your current records and a lifetime summary on a computer database, with your old paper records kept in storage. At present (2017) you can apply for a printout of your entire computerised record for a maximum charge of £10. From 25 May 2018, even this charge is eliminated by the General Data Protection Regulation. Obtaining copies of old records held purely on paper can be more expensive but is rarely necessary.
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No. Your old doctor’s certificate on Form 114 remains valid for the interval specified on the form and can be used until that date. Once your Form 114 has passed its date of validity, you should use form 115E or 115F as appropriate.
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Sorry, NO. You will need to approach your own doctor or specialist using BPA Form 115F. Postpone jumping until you have been able to do this.
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Your doctor is no longer being asked to say you are fit to jump. He or she is being asked to assess your risk as No Extra Risk, Acceptable Extra Risk. Acceptable Risk if the Chief Instructor is Informed or Unacceptable Risk. This allows a doctor far more leeway to issue a certificate provided you are aware of and accept moderate extra risks. It also allows quite a bit of room for negotiation by the licenced parachutist with his or her doctor. our own GP/specialist probably knows more about you than any other doctor. If your own doctor feels you have unacceptable risks for jumping, it is unlikely that any other doctor will certify you as fit, and at the very least you should carefully consider your doctor’s advice. Without a doctor’s certificate, you should not jump. This is for your protection. If your doctor wishes advice on whether your level of risk is acceptable, he/she can telephone BPA HQ for contact details of the BPAs Medical Adviser. The Association’s Medical Adviser will not try to alter your doctor’s decision in any particular direction but will simply provide advice.
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Until 2017, the BPA Operations Manual had contained a fairly blunt statement that ‘Sport parachutists are advised that parachuting and giving blood are not compatible’. The new medical forms are intended to allow a more flexible approach to this socially beneficial activity without putting safety or performance at risk.
The volume of donated fluid is replaced quite rapidly but the return of full oxygen carrying capacity is less predictable. This is important for performance above 8000ft and and for avoidance of hypoxia related problems. With drop zones regularly operating at altitudes of up to 15,000ft, jumpers are already at the edge of their hypoxia tolerance even when in perfect health. A large framed well muscled young jumper giving blood for the first time and having a diet rich in iron would normally be expected to have a fairly rapid return to normal blood levels but a small framed jumper with iron stores depleted by recurrent donation, a vegetarian diet or heavy/long periods may have a prolonged recovery.
The reality is that the BPA has no knowledge of, or control over, what you do when away from the dropzone. However, the Association does have a responsibility to give advice to help you manage your level of risk.
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Your doctor can telephone BPA HQ for contact details for the BPA Medical Adviser.
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You will need to take advice from your own GP or specialist, using Form 115F. Please also download BPA Form 252 ‘Asthma & Skydiving’ (enter ‘252’ or ‘asthma’ in the Forms Search Box in the header of this page). Ensure your doctor has sight of both documents before you see your doctor.
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Many medical conditions exist on a spectrum ranging from perfect health at one end, through minor and infrequent symptoms of no importance to skydivers, then moderate symptoms and then severe or life-threatening symptoms. Inevitably there is room for some judgement or discretion at the ‘minor symptom’ end of the range. This may apply particularly if you have successfully jumped with the symptom or diagnosis for many years and have no regular medication for it and no continuing need to see a doctor for it. However, this FAQ page cannot make that decision for you. If you are in the slightest doubt, you should seek your doctor’s advice.
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Sorry, NO. Your own GP or specialist has the most detailed technical information about you. Please take BPA Form 115F to your own GP or specialist for advice.
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Approach your own GP or specialist with BPA Form 115F.
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Do not jump unless you are happy to do so and to accept the risks that are always attached to a parachute jump and any extra risks that come with your medical condition. If you wish to discuss further, please contact the BPA Medical Adviser. BPA HQ can provide contact details.
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In Britain it is against the law to try to set a fixed price for this sort of service. It is between the doctor and applicant to negotiate a mutually acceptable fee. You are free to shop around.
From relatives/friends/group organisers:
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NO. You will NOT be able to do this as a surprise. The person making the jump will need to approach their own doctor with BPA Form 115B.
From Doctors:
From Instructors or Drop Zone Operators:
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Additional medical information on the form will usually invalidate it. A Parachute Training Organisation or parachute instructors are not expected to interpret extra medical information (even when the handwriting is legible!). If the licensed parachutist is unable to obtain a 115F free of additional medical statements, they should not jump. Non-medical information or riders restricting parachuting may sometimes be allowable if they directly refer to parachuting activity and are easily understood by the PTO staff (eg ‘May not act as jumpmaster’).
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The Chief Instructor has the last word on who can jump at the drop zone and can request a doctor’s medical certificate for any jumper if there are concerns about the possibility of an overlooked medical condition. Form 115E is only valid when completed truthfully.
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The Chief Instructor has the last word on who can jump at the drop zone. Possession of a doctor’s certificate should never get in the way of either poor performance or worrying patterns of behaviour being properly addressed. BPA HQ can provide contact details for the Association’s Medical Adviser if you need further advice.
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There are some doctors who do not possess a rubber stamp but who are still qualified to give a medical assessment. The purpose of the stamp is to allow clear and legible identification of, and contact details for, the signing doctor. Provided hand written details meet this criterion, they are acceptable.
FAQs
Safety Manuals
- Operations Manual
- Equipment for Instructors
- Rigging Manuals & Reserve Packing Guide
- Jump Pilots Manual
- Safety Info Bulletin