After deciding to jump out of a perfectly good plane, I asked myself, "Now what?"
So I did some research and asked as many questions as I could think of about skydiving, which was a lot since it involves jumping out of an aeroplane. Here's what I found out.
How It Works
First, you will need to find a reputable skydiving school.
It's not too hard to do this.
There are a lot of them on the internet, in the phone book, and at airports.
Next, you'll need to look in your wallet.
One of the most expensive sports to learn is skydiving.
Then you will have to decide how you want to learn.
Training can be done in three ways: 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.
Where to Start?
Health and Safety.
You must first think about health and safety.
Know what the risks are before you start.
Skydiving is not like chess, where you move your pieces around a board while sitting on a hard bench.
You're going to jump out of an aeroplane and reach up to 250 feet per second, or 110 miles per hour, in freefall!
Talk to an instructor about your options if you have a bad heart, high blood pressure that can't be controlled, or any number of other health problems.
Also, remember that even the best athletes in this sport sometimes land harder than they want to.
So, bad knees might also be something to think about.
DO NOT be afraid or ashamed to talk to your instructor about these things before you make your first jump. It is always better to safely land on the ground than to plant yourself there. Honestly, though, if you are well-prepared and know what to do, you are more likely to get cataracts from reading this article than to get hurt badly by skydiving. Listen to your instructors, know your gear, and never think you know how to do something just because you saw it in a movie.
Which Method Should Be Used?
Methods of training
As I did research, I learned that there are three ways to get licenced as a skydiver: the tandem jump, the static jump, and the accelerated free fall (AFF).
Tandem
The easiest and fastest way to get into the air is to do a tandem jump.
After about 30 minutes of training on the ground, you will jump out of an aeroplane while strapped to a professional Tandem Instructor's chest. A student can move on to the next level after making three or four of these jumps and finishing the approved First Jump Course (ground school).
Tandem jumping, on the other hand, gives those with an adventurous spirit a chance to jump even if they don't meet the physical or skill requirements for static line or accelerated free fall jumps. If you trust your tandem instructor, you might still be able to skydive and feel the extreme thrill of it.
Straight Line
The military came up with static line skydiving as a way to keep paratroopers safe.
It is used to open parachutes quickly and reliably at low altitudes of about 2,000 to 3,000 feet.
A special cord is tied to the plane and to your parachute. As soon as you step out of the plane, the cord pulls your parachute out for you. No fuss no muss. After about two of these jumps, the student starts to show how to fake pull a ripcord. The student is ready for their first free fall after about three of these jumps.
Free Fall at a Faster Rate
If you need a rush of adrenaline, this is the way to go. Why? From jump one, you get to free fall! This method is a little more expensive because you will be jumping with two instructors, and even though you will be free falling, the instructors will always have their hands on you. After a few jumps like this, you'll be able to do it on your own with help from a single instructor. You'll get your class A licence a little faster if you use this method.
Training is over!!
Really?
After School
You can get a licence after 4 to 5 hours of ground school training and 25 jumps. You can keep going until you get your D licence, which requires 500 jumps.
But are you really done once you have your licence?
No, is the answer to your question.
You can never know everything about a skill.
There will always be the next level of skill to reach.
Every day, people come up with new tools and methods.
So now all that's left to do is get going!
Have fun, and jump well!
