Anybody been skydiving?
Discussion
Did a tandem jump a few years ago at RAF Weston http://www.rafspa.com/about-centre. It was fantastic, although far more intense than I envisaged! All the instructors were very, very cool - but they're a bunch of mentals!
Did a tandom in New Zeland.
The worst bit? - worrying about it the night before.
You get there get briefed etc, meet the mentalist who you get strapped too and jump in a plane.
When your up their the door opens, the guy shuffles to the edge and before you haver any time to worry he's launched himself, and you out into oblivion.
And its absolutly amazing. Freefall is awesome and should be experienced by all.
And once the 'chute opens its so so quiet.
DO IT!
The worst bit? - worrying about it the night before.
You get there get briefed etc, meet the mentalist who you get strapped too and jump in a plane.
When your up their the door opens, the guy shuffles to the edge and before you haver any time to worry he's launched himself, and you out into oblivion.
And its absolutly amazing. Freefall is awesome and should be experienced by all.
And once the 'chute opens its so so quiet.
DO IT!
turbotongue said:
Thinking about doing it. Not sure if I have the guts.
What was the worst bit? Jumping out of the plane?
Is it worth £140 odd quid?
Absolutely worth the 140 quid.What was the worst bit? Jumping out of the plane?
Is it worth £140 odd quid?
The worst bit (for me) was dangling my feet out of the plane doing 120 knots at 12,500ft. Very bizarre feeling.
The rest of it was totally sublime though. Freefall was amazing and over all too quickly. Once our 'chute was popped, it was eerily quiet and in comparison, almost dull . . . but then again, you'd need a reference point for exciting and I can absolutely guarantee you that 30 seconds of freefall will more than likely redefine that for you.
Don't be such a queer. You'll love it
Dan_1981 said:
Did a tandom in New Zeland.
Ditto, over the Franz Joesph glacier. There were loads of folk paying quite a bit just to go up and see the glacier in helicopters and planes - we got to see all that then got to play zero G! Dan_1981 said:
And its absolutly amazing. Freefall is awesome and should be experienced by all.
And once the 'chute opens its so so quiet.
DO IT!
And once the 'chute opens its so so quiet.
DO IT!
Even if you never skydive again, £140 is peanuts to pay for a memory that will last a lifetime. I just wish I'd paid that bit more to get the video of my skydive - as it was I just got some photos. 
The initial acceleration on leaving the plane is awesome, and falling towards the cloud layer then through it is slightly surreal, and the force when the chute pops is pretty violent. The guy then put the chute into a series of tight turns - lots and lots of G-force, like a fairground ride, but at 2,00ft!
Only other thing I can say is...
DO IT!!!!
Do it, I skydive pretty much every weekend solo and have done for a few years now. Tandems are a good way into the sport, really good fun, highly recommend you get video otherwise no one believes you've done it 
If you do decide to continue & learn to jump solo - which is completely awesome - tandem is a good way to start, the social scene is great & I jump now for £15 a jump.
Go do it
If you do decide to continue & learn to jump solo - which is completely awesome - tandem is a good way to start, the social scene is great & I jump now for £15 a jump.
Go do it
One of the best things I've done. Bloody loved it.
The scariest bit is when, hung under the canopy, your human backpack adjusts a strap to make you more comfortable for landing. This means you drop about an inch. However, this inch feels like about about a thousand feet as, if not pre-warned, it will convince you that something has snapped and that you're about to accelerate into the ground at 1g screaming like a horror movie extra.
I didn't die, but I did scream - just a little.
The scariest bit is when, hung under the canopy, your human backpack adjusts a strap to make you more comfortable for landing. This means you drop about an inch. However, this inch feels like about about a thousand feet as, if not pre-warned, it will convince you that something has snapped and that you're about to accelerate into the ground at 1g screaming like a horror movie extra.
I didn't die, but I did scream - just a little.
I had a go at an indoor sky diving simulator, which had the benefit of getting the idea of what was involved as opposed to leaping out of a plane was also much cheaper
http://www.bodyflight.co.uk
was also much cheaper http://www.bodyflight.co.uk
rhinochopig said:
One of the best things I've done. Bloody loved it.
The scariest bit is when, hung under the canopy, your human backpack adjusts a strap to make you more comfortable for landing. This means you drop about an inch. However, this inch feels like about about a thousand feet as, if not pre-warned, it will convince you that something has snapped and that you're about to accelerate into the ground at 1g screaming like a horror movie extra.
I didn't die, but I did scream - just a little.
I think I felt most scared when they opened the doors, I was thinking " why are they opening the doors, were flying for christ sake!!" hahaThe scariest bit is when, hung under the canopy, your human backpack adjusts a strap to make you more comfortable for landing. This means you drop about an inch. However, this inch feels like about about a thousand feet as, if not pre-warned, it will convince you that something has snapped and that you're about to accelerate into the ground at 1g screaming like a horror movie extra.
I didn't die, but I did scream - just a little.
Also was weird seeing my OH dissapear out of view through the door.
I did a tandem jump late last year.
I got to the center for just after 0730. Being Oct the weather wasn't the best and we had to wait a while... in the end I was in the last group to go up at around 1730(dusk). By the time we got to around 9,000ft it was pitch black. While sitting at the door the mentalist that I was attached too then shoved me out the door but he didn't follow for what seemed a life-time (hanging at 9,000ft via some clips with not 1 part of your body touching the plane is quite scary.)
He the jumped out and we did a forward flip and then into free-fall.... Absolutly amazing.... no theme park ride can recreate free-fall!
DO IT! you won't regret it!
I got to the center for just after 0730. Being Oct the weather wasn't the best and we had to wait a while... in the end I was in the last group to go up at around 1730(dusk). By the time we got to around 9,000ft it was pitch black. While sitting at the door the mentalist that I was attached too then shoved me out the door but he didn't follow for what seemed a life-time (hanging at 9,000ft via some clips with not 1 part of your body touching the plane is quite scary.)
He the jumped out and we did a forward flip and then into free-fall.... Absolutly amazing.... no theme park ride can recreate free-fall!
DO IT! you won't regret it!
Hi
I have just come back from Spain - yesterday.
I completed my AFF and A license. This enables me to jump the Uk. Hopefully this weekend looks good.
It is an awesome course, and will be going back in 4 weeks. I hope to complete FS1 so that I can jump with others :-).
Girona is not far and from there about 45 mins in the car.
There is nothing like skydiving - period..... doing double, trip loops, 360s, tracking - it is awesome. The canopy work is also great fun and another aspect to master!
-bjm
I have just come back from Spain - yesterday.
I completed my AFF and A license. This enables me to jump the Uk. Hopefully this weekend looks good.
It is an awesome course, and will be going back in 4 weeks. I hope to complete FS1 so that I can jump with others :-).
Girona is not far and from there about 45 mins in the car.
There is nothing like skydiving - period..... doing double, trip loops, 360s, tracking - it is awesome. The canopy work is also great fun and another aspect to master!
-bjm
Did a tandem jump in Australia afew years back. Going up with an open door so you can see how far up you are is f
king scary. Standing at the door about to jump out is worse. But once you're out there it is pretty exhilirating and as soon as the canopy is deployed you can feel it breaking your fall (for want of a better phrase) and having done a tandem hang glide I was relaxed from that moment on. Oh, and the time between leaving the plane and the shute being deployed you won't think about. It's just a massive buzz.
In fact, i should do another one.
You won't regret it. Do it!
king scary. Standing at the door about to jump out is worse. But once you're out there it is pretty exhilirating and as soon as the canopy is deployed you can feel it breaking your fall (for want of a better phrase) and having done a tandem hang glide I was relaxed from that moment on. Oh, and the time between leaving the plane and the shute being deployed you won't think about. It's just a massive buzz.In fact, i should do another one.
You won't regret it. Do it!
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