Going Skydiving Today

Kmaceri

Well-Known Member
So I'm about to leave to go skydiving for my first time. I can't wait, it's going to be a big adrenaline rush. For the people who went for the first time, how was it?
 
I really felt it was a huge let down. By no means do I regret doing it, but for what ever reason I didn't feel it to be NEARLY as thrilling as I thought it would be.

Certainly have fun though. Some people love it. I had a student when I was instructing who was an accelerated freefall instructor. He had something like 1200 jumps.
 
My training route was the static line progression. You jump alone, but a big nylon strap connects your ripcord to the airplane. After you prove you won't hurt yourself, you get to pull your own ripcord. Not much freefall time, but you're doing everything alone from the very beginning. What sort of jump are you doing? Tandem, static, Accelerated?

To answer your question, I have never experienced a thrill as great as skydiving. I remember my first jump, hanging onto the strut of a 182 at 4000ft with the jumpmaster yelling "GO!" I don't have anything that comes close to that kind of thrill. :) I'm sure you'll love it.
 
I loved it! I did a tandem jump though. Static line just doesn't seem like too much unless you are working towards getting certified.
 
I have a follow up question on skydiving. Is the "thrill" more like a roller coaster? Is it more like negative G-forces (like when you push the yoke forward and do a steep dive), or is more positive G's (like when you pull back on the yoke?).

I really don't like negative G's, however I do like positive G's. I know kind of weird but I'm quite curious because I am certainly on the fence when it comes to whether or not I would like to skydive.
 
I have a follow up question on skydiving. Is the "thrill" more like a roller coaster? Is it more like negative G-forces (like when you push the yoke forward and do a steep dive), or is more positive G's (like when you pull back on the yoke?).

Neither. I guess if I had to call it one way or the other I'd call it a positive-G experience, but really it's just a feeling of complete freedom. It's like flying times ten.

You don't get a sensation of falling because there is always pressure on your body from the wind. When jumping out of a C-182, the plane is going about 80 mph as the jumpers climb out. That's a lot of wind. From the moment one climbs out, it feels as though the wind is supporting your body.

As you let go of the plane and begin falling away, your body gradually transitions from 80 mph in a horizontal direction to about 120 mph in a vertical direction. During this transition there is a slight feeling of falling, but it mainly feels like being suspended in the sky.

Once equilibrium is reached in freefall, it feels like lying on your belly, because the wind is supporting your body.

The reason there is such a "free" feeling associated with freefall is because one can twist, turn, tumble, and fly in any way they want after they learn how to control themselves. In that sense, it's like you're floating, while still under the positive pressure of the wind, if that makes any sense.

It's hard to describe. All I can say is that I'm terrified of roller coasters, I have a fear of heights, and I'm not much of an athlete, but I love skydiving. It blows my mind how amazing it is. I think I read a quote from somebody on this forum who said, "Telling somebody you went flying when you went for a plane ride is like telling them you went swimming after you went for a boat ride." I couldn't agree more. Skydiving is the purest form of "flying" I can imagine.

If I ever lose my medical, get laid off, or otherwise get tired of working in the aviation industry, I wouldn't mind kicking off a career as a skydiving coach/instructor/videographer. Seriously.
 
I parachuted for the first and only time out of a 182, static line jump from 3200 feet somewhere in rural Virginia. It was a fantastic experience. Like JRH I have a fear of heights, but it wasn't a factor at all. I felt a great sense of freedom combined with an adrenaline-rush anxiety, knowing that I had to execute properly or I could mangle myself. (For this reason I think a tandem jump, for me, would be little more than a glorified amusement park ride).

The only other times I felt the same surreal thrill was when I lost my virginity :yup: and, to a lesser extent, when I first soloed. In short, highly recommended!

BTW, can one still do a first jump in the US without an instructor strapped to one's back? It seems that first time static-line jumps are no more due to liability concerns.
 
BTW, can one still do a first jump in the US without an instructor strapped to one's back? It seems that first time static-line jumps are no more due to liability concerns.

Yes, in fact the only way to get certified is without an instructor.

There are two options--accelerated free fall (AFF) or static line--neither of which have any permanent connection to an instructor in the way a tandem jump does.

AFF seems to be more popular at larger drop zones and static line seems to be the way to go for small drop zones. Static line is how I started. Now that I've done it a few times, I'd be scared to do a tandem...I'd rather control everything myself.
 
Thanks JRH, good to know. I've given some thought to jumping again (first jump was in 1985), but no way do I want to do a tandem.
 
I actually just went last week. I don't think I'll ever do it again, but it was awesome, and a cool thing to say that I've done. I did a tandem from 13,000 feet, free fall to around 6,000 then he pulled the chute. Let me control it for awhile then landed. Of course my favorite part was the plane ride up in the twin otter.
 
I really felt it was a huge let down. By no means do I regret doing it, but for what ever reason I didn't feel it to be NEARLY as thrilling as I thought it would be.

Certainly have fun though. Some people love it. I had a student when I was instructing who was an accelerated freefall instructor. He had something like 1200 jumps.

So, what type of skydive did you make BobDDuck? Tandem, static line, AFF?

What experiences have you had that were more thrilling than your skydive? BASE jumping, free solo climbing, soloing an F-18 ?
 
Ahh I loved it, it was such a blast. I paid the extra $90 and got the video, worth every penny. Plenty of pics for Facebook now :):)! jk about that. I am considering getting my license for skydiving. It's only $1800 for 25 jumps too!


Here is the video of the jump. WARNING for Vulgar langauge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiPJLHbev74
 
Awesome!

Watching your video makes me wish I would have dished out the extra cash to have my jump recorded.

Congrats on your safe return to Earth!
 
I did my first tandem jump in Chester SC about two weeks ago. I loved it. The only time I got nervous was going out the door but once we were in free fall, it was a blast. We jumped out of a C-182 at 10,500. I want to go back again and do it again.
 
to the OP - for me it was a nice memory to put under the list of things I've done, but overall as others have said, nothing extremely special. I'm an adrenaline junky and this just didn't make the snuff for me. Aerobatics - that was more thrilling for me.
 
Nice video. Looks like you had a good time. The whole documenting the illegal ops part makes me glad that I stopped flying jumpers before youtube got popular but that's really more of a concern for the pilot, DZ owner and tandem instructor than for you.

What's the illegal part? Not arguing, just curious.
 
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