Day 2: Tandem Skydiving

DATE: August 11th, 2007

Summary

Plane Ride: 10 minutes

Altitude: 13,000 feet

Freefall: 45 seconds

Speed: 120 MPH

Parachute Decent: ~6 minutes

Skydiving is one of the most exciting extreme sports in the world today. It is estimated that each year there are over 2 million skydives made around the world, and the number of people making their first skydive seems to grow every year. With continuing advances in skydiving equipment, training, and the increase in skydiving centers worldwide, skydiving is becoming more accessible to the general population.

Surveys indicate that most people jumping for the first time choose the tandem method. Some skydiving centers use tandem jumps to introduce students into the solo training programs. Training generally takes less than 30 minutes, and depending on a number of variables, a student may spend only half a day for the training and the jump.

In tandem skydiving, both the student and the instructor are attached to the same parachute system. The pair then freefall together for 30 to 50 seconds, depending on the jump altitude, which is typically 10,000 to 13,000 feet. They descend together under a single large parachute with dual controls.

Skydiving company website: http://www.skydanceskydiving.net/pg2tandem.html