Ram Air Progression System

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RAPS or Ram Air Progression System is a parachuting training system designed to take a student from beginner to the FAI A License (or Category 8) using square ram air canopies.

[edit] System

The RAPS system was developed from the Static Line Rounds system.^[1] It enables a student to make their first jump on a square canopy which offers softer landings and is easier to control. In the early jumps the parachure is deployed automatically using a static line, after proving basic profciency the student can progess onto opening their own parachute and therefor experiencing freefall. The actual system varies from country to country but is in general based upon the following structure.

Static Line
- Basic Jumps - to prove the students ability to safely fly and land a canopy
- Dummy Ripcord Pulls (DPs, DRPs or DRCPs) - the Student demonstrates the ability to pull a dummy ripcord while still using the static line to actually deploy the canopy
Freefall
- Early Freefall - to prove the Student can successfully deploy a canopy in freefall (usually 3 to 5 seconds)
- Increase freefall time - gradually increasing freefall time (10 to 20 seconds) so the student can demonstrate stability for longer periods. It is at this stage that the student will first reach terminal velocity.
- Aerobatic maneuvers - The student has to successfully perform maneuvers such as turns, tracking and backflips.
- Final Qualifying Jump - The student has to perform one final qualifying jump to demonstrate the skills they have learnt all the skills from previous jumps (e.g. stability, turning, tracking etc...)