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Example: A skydiver (in a fixed freefall position) who has a terminal fallrate of 62
meters/sec at 10,000 feet will have a terminal fallrate of 50 meters/sec at 3,000
feet.
It will be seen that the difference in altitude (air pressure) makes it difficult to
compare the fall-rates when measured using TAS.
SAS
The SAS formula calculates airspeed (using the same metrics used with TAS) as
though the complete skydive had been performed at a fixed air pressure and a fixed
temperature which corresponds to 4,000 feet ASL.. 4,000 feet is chosen as the
reference altitude by LARSEN & BRUSGAARD since this is the average altitude at
which the working time of a skydive is normally ended.
Conclusion
Using SAS, skydivers in any body position can express their vertical speed by a
number (SAS). This number remains virtually constant regardless of altitude with
little or no variance due to temperature differences and can be compared with the
airspeeds of other skydivers. This means that regardless of the elevation of the DZ
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