All You Need To Know About Skydiving
John Ewing
Having decided to jump from a perfectly good aircraft, my next
question was, “Now what?” So I did the research and asked as
many questions as I could think of about skydiving, and there
were quite a few, considering the nature of the sport. Here is
what I learned.
The Basics
First, you will need to find a skydiving school with a good
reputation. This is a fairly easy thing to do. The internet,
phone book, and local airports are full of them. Next, you will
need to check your pocket book. Skydiving is one of the more
expensive sports to learn. Then, you will need to decide how you
want to learn. There are three methods of training: tandem,
static line, and Accelerated Free Fall (AFF). All of these
methods have their benefits and drawbacks, but we will touch
more on those a little later.
What’s First?
Health and Safety.
First, you must consider health and safety. Know the risks
involved before you get involved. Skydiving is not chess; you
will not be sitting on an uncomfortable concrete bench moving
your pieces around a game board. You are going to step out of an
airplane and, in freefall, will reach speeds of up to 250 feet
per second… that is 110 miles per hour!! If you have a bad
ticker, unregulated high blood pressure, or any number of other
health problems, speak to an instructor and discuss your options
in detail. Also keep in mind, even the best of the best in this
sport sometimes hit the ground a little harder then they intend
to. So, bad knees may also be a consideration. DO NOT be afraid or
embarrassed to discuss these things with your instructor before
making that first jump. It is always preferable to hit the
ground safely then to plant yourself in it. Truthfully though,
with the proper preparations and instruction you would be more
likely to develop cataracts from reading this article then
suffer a serious injury from skydiving. Listen to your
instructors, know your equipment, and never assume you know how
to do something just because you saw it in a movie.
Which Training Method To Use?
Training Methods
As I researched information, I discovered that there are three
approved methods of training to become a licensed skydiver, the
Tandem jump, the Static jump, and the Accelerated Free Fall
(AFF).
Tandem
The tandem jump is the easiest and quickest method to get into
the air. With ground training typically lasting about 30
minutes, you will then jump out of an airplane while strapped
to the chest of a professional Tandem Instructor. After three
or four of these jumps and completion of the approved First
Jump Course (ground school), a student may then move on to the
next level.
Tandem jumping, however, does provide an opportunity for the
adventurous spirit who may not quite meet the physical or
proficiency requirements for the static line or accelerated
free fall jumps. By relying on tandem instructor's skills, it
may still be possible to experience the extreme thrill of
skydiving.
Static Line
Static line skydiving was developed by the military as a safety
measure for paratroopers .It is used for instant and reliable
deployment of parachutes at a relatively low altitude, about
2000 – 3000 feet. Basically what happens is a specially designed
cord is attached to the plane and to your parachute. As you step
away from the plane, the cord immediately deploys your parachute
for you. No fuss – no muss. After about two of these jumps the
student begins demonstrating mock-pulls of a dummy
ripcord. After about three of these jumps the student is then
ready for their first free fall.
Accelerated Free Fall
This is the way to go for the adrenalin junky out there.
Why? You get to free fall from jump one!! Of course this method
is a little more expensive due to the fact that you will have
two instructors jumping with you, and, although you will be in
free fall, the instructors will maintain hands-on contact at
all times during free fall. After a few jumps like this, you
will begin doing it on your own with a single instructor giving
more advice and training. This method will get you your class a
license a little faster.
Training Completed!! Really?
After Class
After you have completed 4 to 5 hours of ground school training
and have made 25 jumps, you are qualified for a license and can
keep going all the way to your D license, requiring 500
jumps. But once you have your license, are you really done? The
answer to that question is no. As with any skill, you never
learn everything. There is always going to be that next skill
level to work towards. New equipment and techniques are being
developed every day. So the only thing left to do now is to get
started! Have fun and good jumping!
About The Author: John Ewing is the editor and webmaster of
http://www.skydiving-parachuting-guide.com . John publishes
articles on powered parachutes
(http://www.skydiving-parachuting-guide.com/powered-parachutes.html).
He also and helps people to find the best placesto skydive
around the globe, for further information visit his website.
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