There are three options you can choose from when taking skydiving lessons. Which you decide to do will depend on how much time you have, how much you are willing to spend for instruction and how well you handle your nerves. For your first jump during skydiving lessons you can choose between tandem, static line and accelerated freefall or AFF. Each of these methods varies in how much skydiving lessons are involved. Some are just a quick experience in skydiving while others offer a full first jump course that starts you towards becoming a certified skydiver. You will want to consider the experience each of these methods has to offer and choose the one that appeals to you the most.
Tandem Skydiving
For the first jump many choose tandem for their skydiving lessons. This allows individuals to experience skydiving first-hand without having to deal with the stress of a more involved program. Many schools will offer two types of tandem skydiving lessons: either as a fun jump or as the first step to further skydiving lessons. For a fun jump you typically only go through thirty minutes of ground instruction while the other type will require a standard first jump course that can take up to four hours or more. With tandem skydiving you will jump while attached to the instructor and follow some basic instructions. If you don’t remember what to do the instructor can easily take over control of the jump.
Static Line Jumps
Over a period of thirty years, static jumping has changed from the original military use into an effective method of training sport parachuting. With this option your skydiving lessons will consist of four to five hours of ground training and then you will jump from about 3,000 feet. You follow a poised exit from the aircraft and a static line deploys your main canopy. You get about two to three seconds of falling experience before the parachute opens.
You will have about fifteen minutes of preparation before a second static line jump and then you will be trained to pull the ripcord by yourself after about two good jumps with the static line. Although you will still do three more static line jumps while pulling a dummy ripcord to show you are ready even though the static line is still deploying your parachute for you. Then you will be cleared for your first freefall jump.
Accelerated Freefall
This AFF program started in 1982 as accelerated skydiving lessons compared to the method of static training. This is the best option if you want a true taste of the modern sport of skydiving. You will often have about five hours of ground training because you will have to do a fifty second freefall on your own during the first jump. Then you will jump from about ten to twelve thousand feet while being assisted throughout the jump by two instructors. You then pull your own ripcord at about four thousand feet.
Have you been dreaming of taking up skydiving? Does the thought of jumping out of a plane with a parachute strapped to your back and free-falling excite you? An extreme skydiving adventure may be just the ticket for you. If you are a risk taker and daredevil this is just the sort of exciting sport you would enjoy.
There are only a few of you out there with the nerves to leap from a plane falling at about a hundred miles an hour. If the plane were at an altitude of fifteen thousand feet you would be in that free fall for a distance of almost twelve thousand feet before your trusty chute would open and drop you safely to the ground.
Obviously, you can’t just jump out of a plane completely unprepared. Skydiving lessons are a necessity, not just a good idea. There is of course a small degree of danger associated with extreme sky diving, so lessons are an absolute must. Skydiving certification can be obtained relatively quickly, depending on the particular skydiving instructors and methodology used. Sometimes you can become certified in as little as two days.
Listen, learn and ask questions of the highly qualified instructors. They will have jumped hundreds of times and more than likely have had a hundred different experiences. Take advantage of their knowledge of the equipment, planes, and other key elements that go into a safe and successful jump.
Many well trained skydivers have suffered fatal accidents. It is necessary to have a healthy respect for the particular extreme sport you are involved in. Jumping out of a plane at an extreme altitude is nothing to take lightly.
An extreme skydiving adventure is no time to learn the basics. Remember the old Boy Scout moto: “Be prepared.”
Once you have taken all the classes and are well prepared it is time to purchase or rent the necessary equipment. Your life is literally only as safe as the equipment you are using.
Finding a well trained instructor, quality gear and experienced pilot are all key to a successful jump. Check references, read resumes, and test the gear and all your landings will be happy landings.
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