Introducing Skydive Sim Instructor: A New Way to Guide, Teach and Control Skydive Sim Sessions
- Amir Valinia
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
We’re excited to introduce Skydive Sim Instructor, a free companion app designed to make it easier to guide someone through Skydive Sim from outside the VR headset.
Whether you’re an instructor working with a student, a drop zone using Skydive Sim as a supplemental educational tool, or simply introducing a friend to VR skydiving for the first time, the Instructor app gives you a completely different way to interact with the person inside the headset.
And it goes far beyond simply casting what they’re seeing.
The Problem We Wanted to Solve
If you’ve ever tried introducing someone to Skydive Sim who isn’t familiar with VR, you probably know the routine.
You put the headset on them. Then you realize something needs to be changed.
Take the headset back.
Change the altitude or another setting.
Give it back.
Tell them which button to press.
Take it back again.
It works, but it isn’t exactly seamless.
Skydive Sim Instructor was created to change that.
With the Instructor app running on a phone or tablet, you can see what’s happening inside Skydive Sim and control many aspects of the experience without taking the headset away from the person using it.
More Than VR Casting
Skydive Sim Instructor connects to the VR headset over the same local Wi-Fi network.
Once connected, the headset must first be locked to the Instructor app. This requires approval from inside Skydive Sim, preventing someone on the network from simply connecting and taking control of another person’s session.
After the connection is approved, the instructor can begin managing the experience directly from an iPhone, iPad or Android device.
And that’s where things get interesting.
Set Up the Jump from Outside the Headset
Many of the settings you would normally configure from inside Skydive Sim can now be handled through the Instructor app.
For example, you can:
Change the exit altitude
Adjust clouds and other environment settings
Configure wind conditions
Enter body weight and canopy information to calculate wing loading
Load saved equipment presets
Search for a jump location
Start the jump
This means an instructor can prepare the experience while the student remains inside VR and ready to go.
Instead of explaining how to navigate menus, the instructor can handle the setup and let the student concentrate on the part that matters: flying.
Guide Someone Through the Jump
Once the jump begins, the Instructor app changes from setup controls to in-session controls.
If someone is completely new to VR and doesn’t know how to move forward, for example, the instructor can use the app’s joystick control to help move them off the exit platform.
Once they’re in freefall, the instructor can even deploy the parachute remotely if necessary.
Under canopy, additional controls become available.
The instructor can activate the:
Left toggle
Right toggle
Both toggles together for a flare
That doesn’t mean the instructor needs to fly the entire canopy ride for the student. In fact, most of the time the goal will be to talk them through it and let them fly.
But having those controls available gives the instructor an additional way to guide someone who is still learning how Skydive Sim operates.
Pause the Simulation and Actually Teach
One of our favorite features is also one of the simplest: Pause.
Imagine a student is flying under canopy and entering an area where you want to explain something about their position or landing pattern.
Instead of trying to explain everything while the simulation continues moving, the instructor can pause the session.
Now you can stop, discuss what the student is seeing, explain where you want them to go and why, and then resume the simulation when they’re ready.
For instruction, that opens up some interesting possibilities.
The person inside the headset can concentrate on holding the controls and flying while the instructor handles some of the more advanced interaction from outside VR.
Session Controls When You Need Them
The Instructor app also provides several controls for managing the overall session.
You can restart a jump, end the session, recenter the headset, and refresh the device search if the headset needs to reconnect.
The canopy controls can also be displayed in two different layouts.
Split Mode places the left toggle on the left side of the device and the right toggle on the right.
Grouped Mode places both canopy controls together, leaving the other side available for movement controls.
It’s a small option, but it allows instructors to choose the layout that feels most natural for the way they’re using the app.
For Supplemental Training — Or Just Introducing Someone to Skydive Sim
Although the app was built with instruction in mind, its usefulness goes beyond formal training.
Sometimes you just want to put a friend in Skydive Sim and let them experience skydiving without giving them a five-minute lesson on VR controls first.
With Skydive Sim Instructor, you can handle the complicated parts from outside the headset while they experience the jump.
For instructors and training facilities, it provides a new way to observe, guide, and interact with a student during a simulation.
For experienced Skydive Sim users, it makes introducing someone new to the experience significantly easier.
And this is only the beginning.
We expect to continue developing Skydive Sim Instructor as people begin using it in real-world training, demonstration, and event environments.
We’d especially love to hear from skydiving instructors, drop zones, training facilities, and regular Skydive Sim users.
What would make the Instructor app more useful for you?
Let us know what you think.
Important Safety Notice
Skydive Sim is a virtual simulation intended for entertainment, familiarization, visualization, and supplemental educational purposes. It is not a substitute for professional real-world skydiving instruction, training, supervision, certification, licensing, or applicable safety requirements.
Use of Skydive Sim does not qualify, certify, or establish the proficiency of any person to
participate in real-world skydiving or parachuting activities.
Skydive Sim Instructor is free to download for iOS and Android and is designed to work with Skydive Sim VR.
Download Skydive Sim Instructor for free:
The World Is Yours!
Comments