skydiving

Scroll to see replies

Reply 20

nightfairy

Yep im at uni, but i dont think there is a club for this. Will have a look though.

Reply 21

cwood88

nightfairy

Would you reccomend tamdem skydiving or the solo one. Id probally want to do the solo one, simply because i was to get over my fear, and look back and think 'Damn, i did that' with out being strapped to an instructor.

:yep:

Im doing it! Never done anything like it before, and i think it would be something i'd remember and love.

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread. I’ve just joined but thought as a skydiving instructor I could through my ten pence worth in.

Three main options in the UK:

Static line - Often referred to as RAPS (Ram Air Progression System) is a type of jump where you do 6 hours training but the jump is done entirely by yourself. You get yourself out of the aircraft (assisted by an instructor of course) and your parachute should be deployed automatically. When open you steer it down and land by yourself although you will have a radio as a backup. Any problems with your parachute opening - well, your 6 hours training covers all of this, so you'll be able to deal with it. You don't get freefall in the conventional sense as you are tethered to the aircraft until your canopy (parachute in normal language!) opens, but there is a delay of about 4 seconds whilst this takes place.

On subsequent jumps you can, if you complete certain objectives, progress onto freefall and then more elaborate freefall manoeuvres until you have gained the experience to become fully qualified. Remember - all of these jumps are done on your own although a friendly instructor might pop out to film/watch you on some of the longer freefall delays.

Accelerated Freefall (AFF) is similar to RAPS in that you will go through similar training except when it comes to the jump you will be taken to a much higher altitude and will have 2 instructors assisting you until you open your own parachute. Again, you will be responsible for dealing with any problems that occur during or after the opening (however unlikely) and then steering your canopy to the ground. As with RAPS, your subsequent jumps will involve more complex manoeuvres but the progression is generally faster as you will accumulate more time in freefall than a comparative number of RAPS jumps... but it costs more as a result.

Finally, Tandems. Think of this as the fairground ride equivalent. you only need minutes of training as a highly qualified instructor will be with you all of the way and is responsible for everything. Similar to AFF you will have a freefall before your canopy opens, and then the instructor will most likely give you the opportunity to steer the canopy for a bit. There is no formalised progression from a tandem although having experienced freefall a lot of prospective students will go onto an AFF course as a result.

In summary RAPS and AFF are both challenging as a lot of responsibility sits on your shoulders. RAPS training allows you the opportunity of training with up to 12 of your friends, and then depending on the centre/aircraft going up in the aircraft all together. For the thrill of freefall, but without the responsibility, go for tandem.

Finally, as has been said, see if your Uni has a skydiving club or if you are military minded; join the University Officer Training Corps. As well as offering discounted jumps the Army runs free parachuting courses too! If neither are to your fancy, get a bunch of mates together and if you can get time off during the week, a lot of centres will offer heavy discounts. Pester them!!! I've seen crazy discounts when people have been necky enough to ask for them!

Wow... long email... but hope it all helps.

Blue Skies, C

Reply 22

Roobsa

I did a 15k foot skydive in new zealand. highly highly recommended. something everyone's got to do in their lifetime in my opinion!

Reply 23

englandforever

I'm so fly I feel like I'm skydiving

Reply 24

*Mike*

cwood88

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread. I’ve just joined but thought as a skydiving instructor I could through my ten pence worth in.

Which DZ you jump at?

Reply 25

elspeth.cf

what instructor ratings do you have?

Reply 26

iwwhty

nightfairy

Has anyone ever been skydiving? if so, how was it?
Where did you go?

Id love to do this for my 20th :smile:

Im flipping scared of heights but i really would love to go skydiving to get over my fear. Might be silly considering i hate heights, i cant even go up a ladder with out feeling uneasy. :rolleyes:

Anyhoo, anyone ever been?
Told my sis i'd love to do this, and the reply i got was 'do you want to die, its dangerous!! don't you dare do it' but im still going to. :smile:

I did a 14,000ft tandem skydive at the Black Knights Parachute Centre last year, it was brilliant. I would like to do one of the courses mentioned in this thread at some point and do it solo, but I've no money at the minute.

I had a fear of heights as well but the only way to overcome your fears is to confront them. I climbed the top mast of this ship:

http://sailing-ships.oktett.net/stavros-niarchos-tsr.jpg

did the skydive, and abseiled 150ft down this:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqT1a_2vkoo/SI4wIhy7n2I/AAAAAAAAAPc/HnAzGKTWMdA/s400/m5b.JPG

Like somebody else said in the thread, you've got more chance of being killed in a road accident on the way to the airfield, than you have of dieing during a skydive. And if you did die, well at least it's an exciting way to go! It's not silly, the confidence and self-esteem you will gain by overcoming your fears will be immense and it will transform your confidence in all other areas of your life as well.

If your fear is particualrly bad, I would recommend doing a tandem jump first as you can just turn up on the day and you have an instructor strapped to you so he more or less does all the work. I've not done a solo jump yet so I can't really comment on that but I'm going to do one at some point!

Reply 27

Cyclone33

I got invited to go so I went to the "hell no" route. I enjoy watching people skydrive on TV but it is not my thing.

Reply 28

elspeth.cf

I'm a regular skydiver, I do it most weekends when my local drop zones are open. I did a tandem first on my gap year when I knew nothing about the sport, then joined my uni skydive club. I started (and qualified) through RAPS and loved every minute of it. I now compete for my University team, and its a great way to meet new people.

Initially it was the fear which gave me the huge rush of adrenaline, but once I began to trust myself more I lost the fear and it became just a hugely enjoyable experience. I was, and still am somewhat terrified of heights (as are many qualified skydivers), but you just have to trust your equipment and yourself. Once you have got down to the ground several times on your own, fear of heights doesnt matter, for me it was often just the initial exit of the plane, after that i was fine.