WHAT IS A TANDEM INSTRUCTOR?

 The USPA Instructor is the one of three instructional racings USPA administers, preceded by USPA Coach and followed by Instructor Examiner.

Our Tandem Instructor Course will endorse you for both the USPA Tandem Instructor as well as for the UPT manufacturer rating (VECTOR2/SIGMA systems). The requirements for each system are slightly different however. We will explain here the needed requirements and course outline for the complete package of both ratings. If you are looking at starting your Tandem Training, we recommend meeting requirements for both ratings (USPA+UPT) right away.

A USPA Tandem Instructor may:

  • exercise all privileges of the USPA Coach rating 
  • conduct tandem instruction jumps and the  tandem first-jump course or transition training to  the tandem method
  • conduct training in the general portions of any first-jump course
  • train and supervise jumps with non-method- specific students
  • conduct the A license oral quiz and check dive
  • verify certain USPA license applications. according to the requirements in SIM Section 3
  • supervise a USPA Coach in training students and making recurrency jumps with licensed skydivers

Requirements for taking the course

  • Current USPA Membership (
  • USPA D-license 
  • Minimum 18 years of age
  • Minimum of 500 jumps (ram-air canopy), 3 years in the sport (signed logbook or any other approval, no audibles)
  • USPA Coach Rating 
  • Current FAA Class 3 Medical Certificate (or foreign equivalent Euro Class2) 
  • Study content of IRM (part Tandem) 
  • Fill in prerequisites on the USPA Tandem Proficiency Card 
  • Fill in the answer sheet of the Open Book Exam of the General-I and Tandem -I prior to the course 
  • Study content of UPT VECTOR2 and SIGMA manual 
  • Fill in the written exams of UPT VECTOR2 (65 questions) and SIGMA (20 questions) 

For USPA Coach course pricing and dates please contact us.