IAD stands for Instructor Assisted Deployment. It’s one of the methods used to train new skydivers and get them safely and confidently jumping solo. Unlike AFF (Accelerated Freefall), where students jump with two instructors holding onto them in freefall, IAD students exit the plane solo while the instructor stays on board and deploys the parachute as the student exits.
This method allows students to focus first on parachute handling and canopy control before progressing to freefall skills. At Skydive the Wasatch, we believe that mastering parachute skills early on is crucial to long-term skydiving safety and success.
As students progress, they gradually take on more responsibility, eventually deploying their own parachutes and completing freefall jumps as they work toward their USPA A-License.
