Back fly in freefall: why back position comes before sit-fly and head-down, which basic motions you must control, and why the wind tunnel is the fastest teacher.
The honest answer up front: back fly, flying on your back in freefall, is not a skill for your first AFF jumps, it is the first building block of freefly. USPA requires you to be proficient in basic back-fly skills before you try head-up or head-down [1]. That includes rotation and moving up, down, forward and backward [1].
Why the back position comes first: a freefly coach in the USPA magazine describes the order as back fly first, then upright, then head-down [3]. She also says learning back fly in the sky is barely feasible, and the tunnel gives you the feedback you need [3]. That fits this guide's purpose: you get the learning logic, not a miracle posture.
Important: this is a skill for licensed jumpers, not students. If a student accidentally ends up on their back in AFF, they practise a turn-over technique, because back position is an emergency scenario there [4].
Your coach shows you the exact body position in the tunnel, it depends on build and suit. The order of skills, however, is clearly nameable.
Licence, belly flying with heading and turns, and a coach. Without these there is no back-fly instruction in the air [1].
The tunnel organisation IBA lists the neutral back-fly position as the first back-fly skill [2]. Milestone: you hold it calmly without sliding before you move anything.
Then you learn to move deliberately: turns, forward and backward, up and down [2]. These motions match what USPA names as prerequisites for head-up and head-down [1]. One motion at a time, each returning to the neutral position.
IBA also lists the side slide, sideways gliding, as well as entering and exiting back fly under control [2]. If you enter and exit cleanly you can use back fly as a tool, not just a state.
With a coach, in small groups and with a clear plan: USPA advises starting with 2-way formations between a novice and a coach and keeping groups small [1]. Plan higher breakoffs, because freefly falls faster [1].
This guide explains and motivates, it does not replace a coach or supervised training. Back fly is a skill for licence holders with freefly instruction.
Agree on one goal per session with your coach before the tunnel: for example only neutral position and forward/backward. The magazine explicitly recommends flying with different coaches [3]. Collecting different feedback helps you find faster what truly works on your own body.
Back fly is controlled flying on your back in freefall, with turning, forward and backward and up and down movement. USPA names it as a required base before you try head-up or head-down [1]. It is part of freefly, not of basic training.
With a licence, freefly instruction and wind tunnel time. The order according to IBA: neutral position, forward and backward, turns, up and down, side slide, entering and exiting [2]. The freefly magazine says the tunnel is worth the money for this [3].
No, USPA requires a licence and instruction from an instructor with freefly experience [1]. In AFF, the back position is also a scenario where you turn over or pull, not a learning goal [4].
Freefly involves higher fall rates and less time to landing [1]. USPA therefore recommends additional equipment and more planning [1]. The sources read here give no reliable figure for back fly alone.
Practice Touches: Reaching for the Pilot Chute in Freefall