Professional Structure - FWCP

The FWCP (Walloon Federation of Parachuting Clubs) organizes professional roles into 3 levels:

Instructors

Responsables Techniques & Technical Directors

Examiners

Each level has its own access requirements, skills and responsibilities.

Instructors

What is an instructor?

An instructor is a certified professional who teaches, supervises and supports students or progressing skydivers. They deliver theoretical and practical knowledge, ensure safety during jumps, and validate certain qualifications (e.g., CSC). Instructors are the backbone of day‑to‑day training in FWCP clubs.

Base Instructor

Requirements

Minimum 21 years old.
Minimum 500 jumps.
3 years of practice.
Pass the instructor theory course (≥70%).
First aid training (within 6 months after exam).

Skills

OA theoretical/practical courses.
Theoretical courses AFF.
Radio guidance AFF (landing remains the student’s responsibility)
Student gear checks.
After 2 years: C License course.

CSC Instructor

Awards the CSC License (Safety in Freefall).
Mandatory practical test (filmed jump + briefing/debriefing).

AFF Instructor

Minimum 1000 jumps and 8h of freefall; supervises AFF students in freefall and may intervene physically if needed; ensures emergency deployment.

Learn more about the AFF qualification

Tandem Instructor

Minimum 1000 jumps + validated tandem course.
Takes passengers on tandem jumps.

Learn more about the Tandem qualification

Freefly / Track Instructor

Freefly coach (FF‑F) or Track (TR‑F) qualification.
Oversees freefly or track progression.

Wingsuit Instructor

Specific training with federation/manufacturer.
Oversees wingsuit progression (WS‑A to WS‑F).

First Aid Certificate Requirement

Regarding instructors, obligation to pass the first aid certificate which is valid for 2 years.

Responsables Techniques & Technical Directors

What is a Responsable Technique?

A Responsable Technique is an experienced instructor providing broader supervision. They oversee not only students but also instructors. They act as a liaison between clubs and the FWCP and may serve as an occasional Technical Director (TD).

Responsable Technique

Requirements

Instructor AFF and/or Tandem.Tandem.
6 years of practice, including 4 as an instructor.
1‑year internship under a TD’s supervision.

Skills

May act as occasional TD.
Supervises AFF/Tandem instructors.
Guardian of pedagogy and safety.

Technical Director (TD)

What is a TD?

The Technical Director is the chief person in charge of a dropzone: coordinates safety, training, and operations. They are the ultimate reference for safety and pedagogy.

Requirements

Responsable Technique for ≥4 years.
75 supervised jump days.
Validated by the FWCP board.

Skills

Leads a dropzone.
Coordinates instructors, Responsables Techniques, examiners.
Ensures FWCP compliance.

Examiners

What is an examiner?

An examiner is a highly experienced instructor or Responsable Technique whose mission is to:

Train new instructors.
Assess and validate their skills.
Ensure quality control to maintain a high safety standard.

Examiners represent the FWCP’s technical authority and are validated by the board.

Types of examiners

AFF Examiner: validates AFF instructors (≥1500 AFF jumps + 5 years exp).

Tandem Examiner: validates Tandem instructors (≥1500 tandem jumps + 5 years exp).

Wingsuit Examiner: validates wingsuit instructors.

Freefly / Track Examiner: validates Freefly/Track instructors.

Base Examiner: validates base instructors.

Pricing

Courses are provided by FWCP and validated by it.

Requests must be sent to the federation in advance to be accepted or not.

Base instructor course: 170 euros (the 20 euros for the license are already included). If the student fails the exam but retakes it, they will not pay the 20 euros again. However, if they stop, it is lost.
Tandem instructors: 1250 euros VAT included
AFF instructors: 1250 euros VAT included
Responsables Techniques: 1250 euros VAT included
Crossover: 250 euros VAT included

Payment is made to the federation's account and we remunerate the various participants.

P.S.: The payment of 1250 euros VAT included for Tandem, AFF and Responsable Technique follows the following split: 850 euros for the instructor/Responsable Technique and 400 euros for the federation.

Visual summary

Level	Definition	Examples	Requirements	Skills
Instructors	Student basic trainers	AFF, Tandem, CSC, Freefly, Wingsuit, Track	21 years, 500 jumps, theory course	Coach students, award licenses
Responsables Techniques	Instructor supervisors, occasional TD	Responsable Technique, Technical Director	6 years incl. 4 instructor, 1‑year internship	Supervise instructors, ensure pedagogy & safety
Examiners	Validate and train instructors	AFF, Tandem, Wingsuit, Freefly, Base	1500 spec. jumps, 5 years exp., board validated	Quality control, instructor training