Posts Tagged ‘skydiving’
Skydiving is not an activity to be taken lightly, and having the absolute best skydiving equipment is a must for obvious reasons. Many people trust their skydiving company to choose the proper equipment, after all, they know their own domain better than you do, however the other side of the coin is that it’s you who is going to jump out of that plane.
In order to go sky diving in style, you will need everything from a suit to boots and head gear. Skydiving is an activity that often times warrants renting equipment instead of purchasing it because of the sheer cost of buying everything that is needed for an activity that you’re going to do only a couple times a year.
In fact, most companies that offer their services for taking people up into the sky and advising them on the moment to drop include the price of equipment rental in their fee. It is only logical that sky diving gear should be provided by the company who is taking you sky diving.
On the other hand, some people are die-hard fans, and if you are a serious sky diver and really want to do more and more of it, purchasing the necessary skydiving gear is not out of the question. In fact, it could make the skydiving adventure that much more enjoyable for you. For the basic skydiving gear, you will want to focus on comfort. You don’t want to have boots or clothing that will hinder your movement in any way.
Always make lots of movements when trying on new gear. Just because it fits you when you are standing up straight this does not mean that it will feel good when you crouch down, for example, just like you will do before you make your jump. When buying gear, look for materials that are resistant and durable, but make sure that the fibers that will be in contact with your body are going to be fibers that feel nice on your skin. Any sort of wool blend is usually not a good idea.
Check and double check the company’s history with concern to their planes and everything inside them as well as the jumper’s equipment from parachute to head gear. Though ultimately, this is the company’s responsibility, every jumper should take the importance of safety and proper skydiving gear into their own hands. When in doubt, seek a second opinion, and always get more recommendations for a sky diving company than you would for a hairdresser.
In this installment of our go skydiving guide we look at static line jumps.
In static line skydiving, you have a line pre-attached to the pack on your back which contains your parachute, which pulls the parachute open automatically as you leave the plane.
Exiting at about 3,500-4,000 feet (1,067-1,220m) above the ground, though in some cases higher, the line opens the chute a few seconds after you leave the plane and your rate of descent drops from about 120 mph (193 kph) to around 10 mph (16 kph).
Instructors will be in the plane with you prior to your jump and will ensure that the line mechanism is attached properly but they don’t exit the plane with you. Normally though, as you descend, you’ll typically be in two-way radio contact with an instructor on the ground who will provide directions on landing.
While the static line automatically deploys the parachute, jumpers still need to learn how to exit the plane, how to steer the chute and how to land safely. They also need to know how to release the reserve parachute in case of emergency. This training usually takes roughly half a day.
Static line jumping tends to be cheaper than other forms of jumping as it requires only a few hours of training and each instructor can train a small group of students at the one time. Prices will vary depending on the location of the skydiving school and whether the jumps are paid for singly or in blocks.
As well as being the cheaper option, it also has the advantages of getting you up in the air quickly and of your being on your own from the minute you exit the plane (though some might not see the this latter point as an advantage).
But people who aim to become regular skydivers see static line jumping simply as a stepping stone. They tend to progress to accelerated freefall training and solo jumping as they want more time in freefall.
Accelerated freefall training is the focus of this installment of our go skydiving guide.
Accelerated freefall – or AFF – training is method of parachute instruction intended to get novices jumping in freefall in the quickest possible time. It costs more than other forms of skydiving training, but for people who aim to become regular skydivers will need undertake an AFF course, although they may choose to do tandem or static line jumping, or both, before starting AFF.
AFF training’s first stage is instruction on the ground. Normally, this takes roughly 6-8 hours. These demonstrations and lectures will cover topics such as exiting the plane, positioning your body, deploying and steering the parachute, and landing.
After the initial theoretical training you’ll then be taken up in a plane with your instructor so you can put into practice what you’ve learnt so far. The instructor will exit the plane with you, as in tandem jumping, but instead of being attached closely together by a harness, they instead just grip you by the hand or wrist.
The instructor guides you so that you’re able and ready to deploy your parachute at the proper time and can land safely on your own. If necessary, in case of any problems arising, the instructor can open your parachute for you.
They communicate with you either with through two-way radios located in both of your helmets or via pre-determined sets of hand signals, so it’s easy enough to let them know if you’re in need of assistance. They’ll also observe you and make mental notes and will then advise you after you land as to how you can improve next time.
After a few more jumps, there might be more on-ground lectures and demonstration, this time covering more advanced skills. After as few as eight assisted jumps and 10 solo skydives, trainees can acquire enough experience, skills and knowledge to earn a skydiving license.