Beginner’s Guide To Skydiving : What To Expect
What to expect whilst skydiving is the focus of this installment of our go skydiving guide.
In skydiving, a jumper exits an airplane at heights of 10,000-18,000 feet (3,050-5,500 m) and moves through the air – downwards and horizontally – before opening a parachute.
At the point of exiting the plane, the force of gravity is far stronger than that of air resistance, causing a rapidly accelerating descent. After a few seconds, and a few hundred or a thousand feet, the two forces become equal and the jumper reaches terminal velocity. This speed varies according to the person’s body and posture, but will be between 120-180 mph (193-290 kph).
The actual speed depends on the size of an individual’s body and the posture assumed. Most people position their bodies with the arms spread out and the face and belly pointing to the ground, but higher speeds can be achieved through a diving-like posture with head down, arms together or by the side and legs together.
Once the jumper pulls the parachute cord, the main canopy is released. It fills with air, increasing the air resistance, which causes deceleration. The descent will slow down to a safe landing speed of about 10 mph.
The risks of skydiving (malfunctioning equipment, turbulence, mid-air collisions, etc.) are relatively low, with only about 1 jump in 100,000 leading to a fatality every year, but it's important to be alert and safety conscious at all time.
Training requirements vary according to the type of skydiving an individual intends to do. You can put in anything from one to eight hours of training, depending on whether you are preparing for tandem, static line or AFF (accelerated free fall) jumps. Training will teach you how to jump from the plane, use complex gear safely and effectively, and land safely. It will also cover basic physics on how the jumper’s body and parachute work together and will outline various falling and maneuvering techniques.
Skydiving isn’t cheap. It can cost between $50 and $200 for a jump, depending on the type of skydive and the status, facilities and location of the skydiving school. Equipment is not always provided by the school and skydivers may need factor in the expense of buying or hiring gear.