Definition
Flight operations conducted for the purpose of carrying parachutists aloft and releasing them for a planned parachute jump. Published parachute jump areas are charted on Sectional Charts and listed in the Chart Supplement, and pilots operating near these areas are expected to remain alert for jump aircraft and descending parachutists.
Plain English
Flights where small aircraft climb up so skydivers can jump out. The places where this regularly happens are marked on charts so other pilots know to watch out for the aircraft and the people coming down under canopy.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of other airspace areas, airport information listings, Notices to Air Missions, and radio or air traffic control advisories near parachute jump areas.
Derivation
Parachute comes from French words meaning protection against a fall: “para” means protection against, and “chute” means fall. That helps the aviation meaning because the activity involves people leaving an aircraft and using a parachute to control the fall back to the ground.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must avoid these areas or obtain clearance because descending parachutists and maneuvering jump aircraft create mid-air collision hazards.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as only the moment when someone jumps out. In FAA use, it includes the aircraft activity connected with the jump and the effect that activity can have on nearby traffic.
Example Sentence 1
While planning the cross-country, the student noticed a parachute jump aircraft operations symbol on the Sectional and chose a route that kept the flight well clear of the drop zone.
Example Sentence 2
ATC advised traffic of parachute jump aircraft operations in progress between 3,000 and 10,000 feet.