What to expect when skydiving is the topic for this part 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 parachute cord is pulled, the main canopy is released and fills with air. This increases air resistance and the fall immediately begins to decelerate because of the sudden increase in air resistance. If the chute is opened at a safe height, the jumper will land at roughly 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.
Depending on the type of skydiving you want to do – Tandem, Static Line, AFF (accelerated free fall) – you may spend anywhere from an hour to eight hours training, which will cover: some basic physics about how the body and parachute work together; how to use a lot of complex gear safely; how to jump from the plane; the different falling / flying techniques; how to land safely.
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.