My husband did a tandem jump in South Africa, whilst I was at home in London. It was the pre-mobile phone era, and he thoughtfully tipped me off 12 hours before he jumped, but then didn't contact me for a couple of days.
A friend of mine broke her ankle doing a skydive. She now has a scar where they inserted a metal plate. Just a cautionary tale
You know what they say about most accidents happening in the home - might as well be able to say "I sky dived" rather than "I tripped over the Hoover".
Small world, short life.
Do a tandem for your 1st jump, it lasts longer and you can't back out.
I did mine on holiday abroad where there aren't any pesky health and safety regulations like in Britain.
I think the plane was bought of del trotter.
It's hard to describe the initial free fall, i think my brain went into a kind of shock because it couldn't comprehend what was happening.
I recommend the experience though, its something which you will never forgot.
Can I ask, what does it feel like when you first jump out of the plane? Is it like the feeling when you're on a rollercoaster and it goes down...but 100 times worse I imagine...youre stomach dropping etc. I imagine after that it is fine. I just can't imagien how you feel when you first jump out.
Can I ask, what does it feel like when you first jump out of the plane? Is it like the feeling when you're on a rollercoaster and it goes down...but 100 times worse I imagine...youre stomach dropping etc. I imagine after that it is fine. I just can't imagien how you feel when you first jump out.
It is a very un-natural thing to do to jump out of a aeroplane. In my case a Reims Rocket where you had to climb out on the step before, on the say so of your instructor, you jumped backwards.
The rule was that you could refuse until you were out on the step but when on the step you had to go one way or another.
Even though you may tell yourself to jump you body does not necessarily obey.
The record for my first jump says "Hesitated on step, fell off",
Still that amazing when you find yourself floating beneath the aircraft is a moment of life never to be forgotten. The flight down seems in retrospect to be very quick but in practice is longer.
I will always be happy that I did a number of jumps. Got one or two stories to tell too.
Oh I am surprised that people are saying there is no training. Maybe not if you have someone to carry you but there certainly is if you are solo.
1. You got to learn how to land, so as not to break your leg.
2. You got to learn to steer your chute so that you get as soft a landing as possible.
But to anyone thinking about doing a jump. Definitely go for it.
A couple of people mentioned problems with their ears, and that nobody had told them about equalising the pressure. I'd have thought that was quite important.
No experience of sky diving, but when I was learning to fly, I did a radio telephony course with an aging ex-RAF chap who regaled us with tales of his flying exploits. He once took his unpressurised aircraft to some rather high altitude (I forget the exact height) whilst suffering from a heavy cold, and as a result, burst both his eardrums, permanently damaging his hearing.
Any prohibitions against sky-diving when you have a cold? The tandem jumps seem to start quite high.
Incidentally, the standard line amongst pilots I met was that it was madness to jump out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft. Then again, extreme sports cameraman Leo Dickinson was once so traumatised by a hot air balloon landing that on subsequent flights he insisted on parachuting back to Earth, rather than risk another one!
Ok as per everyone's 'advice' on here, and against my better judgement I've gone and booked for a tandem skydive next week!:o Majority of it because I wanted to do it, and also a group of friends were doing it on that day too and I thought it'll be much more fun with friends rather than going alone!
Now I am sh****** myself..:D:o and trying to prepare myself..
Any tips on how to prepare your ears for the jump? Or whether if you should jump on an empty or full stomach?:)
Any tips on how to prepare your ears for the jump? Or whether if you should jump on an empty or full stomach?:)
I went with a mate, we both ate very shortly before the jump because it was being delayed and delayed due to weather and we were starving. As soon as we ate they came to get us! He saw his lunch again after we landed, I didn't. I would say eat a few hours before
One thing I will do when I do it again is wear gloves - one of my hands went numb from the wind/cold and it was all I could think about on the way down
Lots of admiration for all those that have made the jump. In my youth I worked for an airline and spoke to a former Para Trooper about his experiences. Apparently during WW2 all Paratroopers had to make their first jump from a cage suspended under a static balloon at 600 ft - which he told me was the worst part of his training, compared to later when they jumped from aircraft. Also in those days British paratroops had no emergency second chute .
I've done two jumps now.
First was a tandem dive, that was ok, when it comes to leaving the plane you obviously have no choice in the matter as you're strapped to someone.
I then decided it would be a good idea to do a full advanced freefall course to allow me to do solo jumps.
First day, doing level one, consisted of lots of standing around in a hanger, learning whats going to happen, the signals you need to give, and recognise from your instructor.
At the end of the day you do your first jump. This is done with two guys either side of you to steady you as you fall or you're likely to go tumbling off.
So, standing in the doorway, I got the signal to jump and the first thing that entered my head was "you are having a laugh". So I just stood there thinking, there's no way I can do this. Somehow I did manage to leave the plane, the drop itself was fine, one guy either side of me holding onto one arm and leg each. I pulled the ripcord myself and then its just the floaty part, which was nice. While floating they tell you to do a few turns and just mess about up there.
Well, it seems I'd managed to get myself into totally the wrong area to do my turns, and when I eventually realised I was very far from where I was meant to be, it was a little too late to get into the right place.
I tried as best I could to get there but I was pretty far from the correct landing zone.
So far in fact, that, by the time I was close to the ground, the very plane I had jumped out had already landed, and was taxiing across the field, and I floated about 30 feet above it. Two engines, propellers spinning, and I'm floating above the thing. It wasn't great.
That said, my landing was textbook.
Just as you're about to hit the ground, you pull both steering cords which acts like a brake, and I basically just stepped onto the ground.
So anyway. After that, and thinking about just how much I had messed up, I decided it wasn't for me and didn't go back.
But I do have to say, a few months before this, I did a bungee jump, and I would take the freefall over the bungee jump any day. If you look down from the cage before doing the bungee, you can see, that is going to hurt if things go wrong. At 15000 feet, it's just a ludicrous height and you know you wouldn't feel a thing if things went wrong.
I remember reading an article about a sky diving event that almost ended in tragedy for the plane, the pilot and skydiver. Several skydivers boarded the plane which was a DH Rapide and when it had reached the required altitude one by one they jumped via static line. All went well up to the last one to leave who was also in charge of the group. But as he left the plane his static line became caught up on the plane, leaving him twisting and turning, and unable to release himself.
I cant recall the exact sequence of events but it went something like this. T
I remember reading an article about a sky diving event that almost ended in tragedy for the plane, the pilot and skydiver. Several skydivers boarded the plane which was a DH Rapide and when it had reached the required altitude one by one they jumped via static line. All went well up to the last one to leave who was also in charge of the group. But as he left the plane his static line became caught up on the plane, leaving him twisting and turning, and unable to release himself. I cant recall the exact sequence of events but it went something like this. The only person now on the aircraft was the pilot and the only course open to him was to cut the static line with a knife that was on board the plane for that purpose. However the Rapide is a one pilot aircraft with no auto pilot control that would mean he would have to try and walk to the rear of the small aircraft which would then alter the center of gravity, possibly putting the aircraft in a dive or climb attitude which could lead to treble disaster. Somehow at considerable risk he managed to achieve the impossible and cut the skydiver free and both lived to see another day
Sorry about the half completed version. Sticky key pad.
Comments
Small world, short life.
I did mine on holiday abroad where there aren't any pesky health and safety regulations like in Britain.
I think the plane was bought of del trotter.
It's hard to describe the initial free fall, i think my brain went into a kind of shock because it couldn't comprehend what was happening.
I recommend the experience though, its something which you will never forgot.
It is a very un-natural thing to do to jump out of a aeroplane. In my case a Reims Rocket where you had to climb out on the step before, on the say so of your instructor, you jumped backwards.
The rule was that you could refuse until you were out on the step but when on the step you had to go one way or another.
Even though you may tell yourself to jump you body does not necessarily obey.
The record for my first jump says "Hesitated on step, fell off",
Still that amazing when you find yourself floating beneath the aircraft is a moment of life never to be forgotten. The flight down seems in retrospect to be very quick but in practice is longer.
I will always be happy that I did a number of jumps. Got one or two stories to tell too.
Oh I am surprised that people are saying there is no training. Maybe not if you have someone to carry you but there certainly is if you are solo.
1. You got to learn how to land, so as not to break your leg.
2. You got to learn to steer your chute so that you get as soft a landing as possible.
But to anyone thinking about doing a jump. Definitely go for it.
No experience of sky diving, but when I was learning to fly, I did a radio telephony course with an aging ex-RAF chap who regaled us with tales of his flying exploits. He once took his unpressurised aircraft to some rather high altitude (I forget the exact height) whilst suffering from a heavy cold, and as a result, burst both his eardrums, permanently damaging his hearing.
Any prohibitions against sky-diving when you have a cold? The tandem jumps seem to start quite high.
Incidentally, the standard line amongst pilots I met was that it was madness to jump out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft. Then again, extreme sports cameraman Leo Dickinson was once so traumatised by a hot air balloon landing that on subsequent flights he insisted on parachuting back to Earth, rather than risk another one!
Now I am sh****** myself..:D:o and trying to prepare myself..
Any tips on how to prepare your ears for the jump? Or whether if you should jump on an empty or full stomach?:)
I went with a mate, we both ate very shortly before the jump because it was being delayed and delayed due to weather and we were starving. As soon as we ate they came to get us! He saw his lunch again after we landed, I didn't. I would say eat a few hours before
One thing I will do when I do it again is wear gloves - one of my hands went numb from the wind/cold and it was all I could think about on the way down
You can't really, just listen to what they tell you on the day and all should go fine.
The advise they gave us was not an empty stomach.
I used a gopro and this is my video of my skydive! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHlDyXWqq8U
My friend faced both to raise money for a suicide prevention charity and wanted to go again as soon as he landed.
All I could hear during his descent was him just screaming "woooo" the whole way down.
First was a tandem dive, that was ok, when it comes to leaving the plane you obviously have no choice in the matter as you're strapped to someone.
I then decided it would be a good idea to do a full advanced freefall course to allow me to do solo jumps.
First day, doing level one, consisted of lots of standing around in a hanger, learning whats going to happen, the signals you need to give, and recognise from your instructor.
At the end of the day you do your first jump. This is done with two guys either side of you to steady you as you fall or you're likely to go tumbling off.
So, standing in the doorway, I got the signal to jump and the first thing that entered my head was "you are having a laugh". So I just stood there thinking, there's no way I can do this. Somehow I did manage to leave the plane, the drop itself was fine, one guy either side of me holding onto one arm and leg each. I pulled the ripcord myself and then its just the floaty part, which was nice. While floating they tell you to do a few turns and just mess about up there.
Well, it seems I'd managed to get myself into totally the wrong area to do my turns, and when I eventually realised I was very far from where I was meant to be, it was a little too late to get into the right place.
I tried as best I could to get there but I was pretty far from the correct landing zone.
So far in fact, that, by the time I was close to the ground, the very plane I had jumped out had already landed, and was taxiing across the field, and I floated about 30 feet above it. Two engines, propellers spinning, and I'm floating above the thing. It wasn't great.
That said, my landing was textbook.
Just as you're about to hit the ground, you pull both steering cords which acts like a brake, and I basically just stepped onto the ground.
So anyway. After that, and thinking about just how much I had messed up, I decided it wasn't for me and didn't go back.
But I do have to say, a few months before this, I did a bungee jump, and I would take the freefall over the bungee jump any day. If you look down from the cage before doing the bungee, you can see, that is going to hurt if things go wrong. At 15000 feet, it's just a ludicrous height and you know you wouldn't feel a thing if things went wrong.
I cant recall the exact sequence of events but it went something like this. T