Equipment Used For Skydiving

Skydiving Is Safer And More Feasible Than Most People Think: Options For Beginners

You may have heard skydiving considered as an expensive exhilarating fall to you death; nothing could be further from the truth. Advances in technology, safer training practices and a greater understanding of the dynamics of skydiving have led the sport to an overall safety rating greater than that of driving in an automobile. Marshall Brain, from HowStuffWorks.com, states that one has to perform 17 jumps in one year to equal the chances of a possible fatality from driving only 10, 000 miles per year. The United States Parachuting Association (USPA) reports 313 fatalities since 1998. That is roughly 28 deaths per year compared to Brain's statistic of 110 automobile deaths daily in the United States alone. Brain also mentions that skydiving receives more bad publicity for fatalities precisely because of the infrequency of deaths in skydiving. Granted, skydiving does not boast 100% safety, but neither does riding the elevator at work.

According to the USPA, "relatively few fatal accidents involve student skydivers. This is due largely to the design of skydiving equipment used for students and the quality of instruction and care provided at most skydiving schools." The chance still exists that something may go wrong, but therein lies the nature of high-adrenaline sports. Drop zones that become USPA members are required to provide students with approved safety gear, which includes an automatic activation device (AAD) for parachutes, a skydiving helmet, goggles, an altimeter, a reserve parachute and, of course, a main parachute. USPA-member drop zones also have to provide approved first-jump courses and use USPA-rated instructors.

Some people, either aware of the strict safety regulations or not, argue that skydiving would burn a hole in their wallet. Although the individual prices may vary by location, an experienced skydiver may pay as little as $15 for a jump. Learning how to skydive, however, is worth the money that people claim is too expensive. There are multiple ways to learn how to skydive that vary in price depending on how fast you would like to become a licensed skydiver.

Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) Program

The most expensive way to learn, providing the quickest entry into the sport of individual skydiving. The extra cash required comes from extensive ground training and jumping with two unattached instructors that teach students the basics while in the air. Each jump works on different aspects of skydiving such as stabilization, turning and landing. Generally, students can start jumping without instructors present within 5 to 10 jumps.

Tandem Jumping

If you are looking to simply experience skydiving the quickest way possible, tandem jumping may provide a cheaper alternative to AFF. With tandem jumps, students usually have less than an hour of ground training, and they are attached to an experienced instructor who does all the work for them. All that would be required of you is to have fun.

Static-Line Jumping

A less common alternative to either tandem or AFF, static line jumps usually involve the student climbing out of the aircraft and jumping with the parachute opening immediately. This form of beginner jumping usually costs the same as tandem jumping, and after 6 or so jumps the student can move on to a freefall jump.

Whether you plan to only skydive once or make it a lifetime hobby, plunging toward the earth at terminal velocity will blow climbing Everest away any day.

Works Cited

About Skydiving > Equipment, United States Parachute Association

About Skydiving > Risk Overview, United States Parachute Association

Become a Skydiver! > Choose a Method, United States Parachute Association

Brain, Marshall. Sky Diving Accidents, HowStuffWorks.com

STF Rates, SkydivetheFarm.com