| 1: Why would anyone jump out of a
perfectly good airplane? |
| There is nothing that compares to the world's most exciting sport, skydiving.
Advances in equipment and training have made it safer and easier for more people than
ever to enjoy the incredible experience of falling from an airplane or surfing the
clouds under a modern sport parachute.
|
| 2: Is skydiving dangerous? |
| There is a risk of injury or death while
participating in skydiving. Skydive Airtight Skydiving
Center has a safety record second to none. We take every step
possible to ensure that you will have a safe and enjoyable experience skydiving with us
at SKYDIVE AIRTIGHT INC.
We follow all of the rules and guidelines established
by the United States Parachute Association, which have proven to keep the risks of
skydiving to a minimum. All of our Instructors and Jumpmasters have been certified
through a USPA Certification course to prove they have the necessary skills to work with
student skydivers. |
| 3: Will
I be scared? |
|
I dunno... maybe, maybe not. It's not every day that you jump out of a perfectly good
airplane. There is definitely a lot of adrenaline and excitement going around and it
depends on how you cope with that. Before and during the jump there can be symptoms such
as an increased sense of apprehension, raised heart action, eyes the size of golf balls,
probably a dry mouth and sweaty palms. After the jump, though, most people throw a "THAT
WAS INCREDIBLE" fit and jump around a lot. Then again I have seen people just sitting
around vibrating and smiling to themselves. It depends on the individual. I can't
remember ever seeing anyone yawn. We know how you feel, we remember our first jump.
We know how to treat you and how to teach you. So when the airplane door opens up, and
you feel your heart in your throat, and your adrenaline starts pumping, just tell
yourself, "That's why I came here, to get the thrill of a lifetime, I'm meeting my
challenge." |
| 4: What
will freefall be like? |
| There aren't any words to describe it. It is a
sense of Weightlessness and Wind. There is no sense of falling or speed. You will
not "leave your stomach behind" like a roller coaster. It will feel like you're
floating in your back yard swimming pool, with a lot of wind hitting you.
|
| 5: How fast do you fall? |
| A typical freefall speed for an AFF or Tandem student is 110-120 MPH. But there is
not a sensation of falling during the entire skydive. It feels more like you are
floating or that it is just windy! You really have to experience the sensation first
hand! An accurate description is difficult to make to those who have not yet made a
skydive. |
| 6: Isn't it noisy? |
| A little - sort of like sticking your head out of a car at 120 mph. You probably won't
notice though. The ride under canopy, except for some flapping fabric sounds is peaceful
and there is a great view.
|
| 7: My buddy says you can't breath in freefall 'cause you are going
120 mph? |
| That was a statement and not a question. It is also a patently untrue one for all
humans. If it were true you would see motorcycles careening off highways all over the
place and a lot of cocker spaniels with brain damage. Ummmmm.... this might answer a lot
of questions I have. I have never thought much about this problem since I wasted a jump
ticket seeing if I held my breath.
|
| 8: What happens if you are really really afraid of heights? |
| I truthfully don't know, I would suppose you wouldn't even consider a skydive....
which would explain why I have never heard anyone mention it. But on the topic of height.
Did you know that the human eye isn't really capable of discerning distance and movement
(movement towards or away from you) properly out past about half a mile? Has to do with
how far your eyes are apart and a thing called parallax. Suffice it to say that above
about 2,000 feet there is, for me at least, no real perception of height - intellectually
I know that I am way up there but my body doesn't really notice until about 1,500 feet.
|
| 9: How high will we go? |
| IAD jumps are made from
about 4,000ft. Tandem jumps are made from 10,000ft. and
12,000ft. AFP and AFF altitudes are
between 9,500ft. and 12,000ft AGL (Above Ground Level).
|
| 10: What should I wear? |
| You should wear comfortable clothes appropriate for the season. Shorts and T-shirt on a
hot day and if it is a cooler day long pants and a long sleeve shirt. A good pair of
tennis shoes work best for foot protection. When making the jump we provide jumpsuit,
helmet and goggles.
|
| 11: What if the main parachute doesn't work? |
| It is extremely rare that the Main parachute doesn't work properly; all of our parachutes
are inspected and packed under the supervision of FAA Licensed Riggers. But if it
happens, we'll just use the Reserve Parachute, that's why it's there. But, just like
driving on the highway, if you follow the rules and double check everything, it's very
safe. |
| 13: What if none of that works? |
| Then you are having a really bad day and probably died in the shower when you were
hit by the buffalo stampede. There are no absolute guarantees of safety in skydiving - it
is after all a high risk sport and it is possible to come up with the 'worst case
scenario' if you work at it. In actual fact skydiving is quite safe if you pay attention
to what you are doing.
|
| 14: I have heard that the opening -'opening shock'- will hurt. |
| It won't hurt. While you can get a jolt if the parachute opens while you are in an
unstable position the chances of you, as a student, having it happen are slim to none.
Though there will be some heavy deceleration the harness distributes the force well.
Tender vittles will have to be stowed properly, though. |
| 15: Are the landings rough? |
| The ram air parachutes
used today allow for soft landings as the rule instead of
the exception. AFF and IAD students are taught how to do a Parachute Landing Fall in
the event that they misjudge their landing flare and land harder then usual. Tandem
students are taught to hold their feet up for the landing and let the instructor touch
down first.
|
| 17: How can I make my first jump? |
We offer 3 methods of
first jump training, Tandem,
IAD, or Advanced
Freefall Progression (AFP).
For Tandem information click HERE.
For the Solo First Skydive IAD (Instructor Assisted Deployment) information click HERE.
For Accelerated Freefall Progression information Click HERE.
|
| 18: Which type of jump is the best? |
| That's a very tough one to answer. A lot of the answer depends on your goals. Tandem
jumps allow you to freefall for about 45 seconds and fly the canopy for 6 to 8 minutes
with the assistance of an instructor. Accelerated Freefall Progression, (AFF) also allows you to
freefall for about 45-60 seconds and fly the canopy for 6 to 8 minutes except you are doing a AFP training tandem
preparing you for a 12,000' solo skydive (AFF). When making
a IAD Jump you will exit the plane at 4000 feet and the parachute will deploy immediately
allowing for about six minutes of canopy flight, once again flying by yourself. If you'd
like to experience freefall and canopy flying with very little training, tandem is
probably for you. If you want to make just one parachute jump by yourself for the least
amount of money, IAD is probably for you. Any
first jump is an unmatched experience for the money. |
| 19: How long will it take? |
| Tandem plan to be here half a day.
IAD, and AFF first jump courses plan to be at the Drop Zone
from 8:00am until dark.
|
| 20: How long is the class & can I jump the same day? |
| Tandem is an hour long class, but plan to be here half the
day, longer if there are lots of tandem students.
IAD and
Accelerated Freefall classes take approximately 6-8 hours and you can jump the same day
weather permitting. Make sure you can stay till dark.
|
| 21: What about the weather? |
| Skydiving is a sport governed very much by wind and cloud conditions. If you are
scheduled to make a tandem jump and conditions look bad for jumping, we recommend calling
the drop zone or come out anyway to see how it looks. AFF and IAD students will
complete the ground training for their jump regardless of weather conditions. Once you
have completed training you can jump anytime during normal days of operation and good
weather conditions.
|
| 25: Who will my jumpmasters be? |
| SKYDIVE AIRTIGHT INC.
instructors and jumpmasters have "Tons of Experience",
some have as many as 7,000 jumps, and many years of experience. All are licensed,
certified, and trained by the United States Parachute Association. |
| 26: Do I have to have... like... actual muscles to make a jump? |
Well...you don't have to be Arnold like
but it helps if you can wiggle around a little.
This is an active sport after all and the better your physical condition the more you
will enjoy the experience. And while we are on the subject of health....
There can be problems when a person weighs over 250 pounds and we don't recommend the
sport if someone has a weak heart, a possibility of blackouts or fainting spells (...duuuhhh),
or is seriously pregnant (check with your doctor - he will probably say no if you are
too far along, but he might surprise you and say 'sure'.).
The atmospheric changes that come with altitude has been known to give people with
respiratory illness some problems, but I have known asthmatics who don't have problems
- again consult your doctor if in doubt.
Keep in mind that you will be wearing about 30 lbs of gear, be crammed into a Volkswagen
with four other people, be under an opening parachute and have to land it far away and
walk back on foot in the heat or cold carrying it in your arms. That being said, keep in
mind that paraplegics, 85 year old great-grandfathers, and 62 year old computer nerds
(pick me, pick me!!) have made skydives and lived.
If you have doubts or questions, give us a call or drop by and we will talk it over with
you; and we always recommend that you consult your doctor before participating in an
active sport.
|
| 28: What if I chicken out? |
| Only about one in a thousand first timers totally chicken out. But if that happens
to be you, so what, you are the customer, you don't have to jump. No, we will not push
you. If you want to jump, it's the greatest thrill on this planet. If you don't want to,
no problem. You're the Boss.
|
| 30: Are there any 'hidden
costs' in skydiving? |
| I can only think of one, other than the drain to your bank account that occurs after
you become addicted. It has become tradition for jumpers to buy a case of beer to
celebrate a 'first'. You will find that some of the old hands try to tell you that this
includes throwing away your ripcord, your first jump, your first solo freefall, your first two-way, your first
three-way, your first bowl of Fruit-Loops, the first time you do the biffy on site, etc.,
etc, etc.. You can tell them to get knotted. While everyone will be suitably appreciative
if you buy a (single) case of beer for your first jump (you get first dibs of course), it
is strictly a voluntary gesture and no one will think less of you if you don't - for
whatever reason. Unless, of course, I am at the DZ in which case it is mandatory.
|
| 31: If I want to buy my own gear, how much will I have to spend? |
| I wouldn't recommend buying your own stuff until you are sure you are going to stick
around. But if you do, prices range from about $2,000 to $3,000 for a good second hand
rig - up to about $6,000 for top of the line new gear including a $1,300 A.A.D. Used gear
is not always available locally when you want it, but enough of it comes up that it is a
good place to start if you are on a budget (but get it checked out by an independent
'rigger' before you buy).
|
| 32: Can I try skysurfing or maybe a B.A.S.E. jump? |
No.
Well O.K., you can skysurf - but it takes a few years to work up to it. First you have to
be a really strong skydiver.
The same thing applies to B.A.S.E. jumping only more so. The acronym stands for Buildings,
Antennas, Spans (bridges), and Earth (cliffs) and is highly illegal except at some very
specific locations (all such locations are private or government property) at some very
specific times. I suppose you could build or buy your own 2,000 foot structure or cliff
somewhere and get around this problem, but then the liability would become yours and you
would undoubtedly forbid anyone to jump from it.
|
| 33: Did you ever hurt yourself? |
| Yes, I broke both femurs on a motorcycle once, and my wrist playing volleyball. Oh!!,
...skydiving!! Well... yes. I have gotten careless and damaged myself, but I didn't have
to. Normally there is no pain involved in skydiving, if there was most people wouldn't
do it.
|
| 34: Drink |
You will also dehydrate a lot, so either be prepared to drink our water (no charge and
relatively free of algae) and buy our soft drinks, juice, and bottled water ) or bring your own - your choice. If you imbibe spirits, the same thing goes - BYOB
if you wish to celebrate after your jump after all the jumping is done for the day.
Remember that CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL AND /OR DRUGS IS NOT PERMITTED BEFORE YOU GO
SKYDIVING and we will not make exceptions to this rule. If you are using prescription
medication you are probably O.K., BUT tell your instructor just to be safe.
What you do after the last skydive is pretty much up to you and the parties sometimes go
quite late.
|
| 35: Food |
| You will get hungry so pack a lunch or be prepared to drive into town for a burger or
whatever. Every now and then people get together and send out for subs and such, but
don't count on it. |
| 36: Fatigue |
| Be rested up when you come out, it would be a shame if you dozed off and slept through
your skydive. By the end of the day you will be toasted up pretty good from the sun and
excitement. Don't come out drunk or hung-over. If you are the former you will be sent
away, if you are the latter you might be. Besides, it just isn't considered 'good form'
to hurl in the plane.
|
| 37: Kids and other Crawlies |
| Several of the regulars at our place have kids, so it stands to reason that well behaved
kids are welcome and, while no one will ever baby-sit them,' keep an eye' on them, or be
held responsible for what happens to them, most of us won't let them die of thirst. And
you probably will be told where they are if they fall into the latrine or some such. The
same things apply to pets.
|
| 38: Stray Bits |
If you have previously made a skydive, bring your logbook, licenses, etc.
If you have questions, problems, or fears associated with what's happening; talk to
someone. We have been there ourselves, we're friendly, and we probably even have an
answer for you.
If you have a modest sized good luck charm (rabbits foot or medallion or some such) or
ritual that makes you feel better - use it. You probably won't even come close to being
the weirdest person on the dz, and we could all use a good laugh.
|
| 39: Skydiving Myths |
You can't talk in freefall, the wind is too loud. But I did once (from the ground) hear a
guy named Aaron yelling while he was in freefall. And on quiet days (at least until
recently when everyone started wearing fluorescent spandex) you use to be able (from the
ground, again) to clearly hear the rushing sound of people falling through the air.
It isn't possible for James Bond to age perceptibly during freefall. The maximum
practical freefall is about 80 seconds. Normally you get about 45-60 seconds.
Real people (unlike those in 'Point Break') don't engage in 'low-pull' contests. Everyone
tries to deploy at 2,500 feet - 2,200 at the lowest. If something goes wrong from that
height (at 1,000 feet every 5.5 seconds) you only have 12 - 15 seconds before things gets
painful. Besides, at below about 1,500 feet your eyes are able to distinguish distance
properly and the earth starts to rush at you. Distinctly unsettling. Anything under 1,000
feet and it is definitely Huggies time. |
That's all for now folks. Any Questions?
Note:
Any spelling errors in these pages were entroduucced intentionally to
demonstrate new and improved ways of spelling old, worn-out words.
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