Skydiving experience
Skydiving experience
Author
Discussion

StevieBee

Original Poster:

15,335 posts

285 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
It's the OH's 50th coming up and she's always expressed a desire to skydive. Now, personally, I think anyone who voluntarily hurls themselves out of a perfectly healthy aeroplane requires care but, it's her birthday.

I know it's not particularly in fashionable thing to say this these days but I am rather fond of her and would rather select a provider that would not require me to take her home in buckets and bags so any suggestions and recommendation would be welcome.

We're in mid Essex if that has any bearing on things.

Thanks in advance.

Jasandjules

72,602 posts

259 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
Does she want to do a tandem jump or solo?

mcelliott

10,505 posts

211 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
I'm assuming this is a tandem jump. She will probably be required to sign some sort of medical declaration, either on the day or at the briefing. The briefing itself should be very straightforward, going through the basics of exiting the plane, what you do whilst you're in freefall plus the landing. The landing, by the way, is the most dangerous part of the whole thing - it's very important to keep your legs up! Guaranteed she will have a smile a mile wide. The biggest risk you'll take that day will be driving her to the venue.

NoVetec

9,967 posts

203 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
Could you compromise with a celebratory/romantic weekend away in a city that offers slightly safer base jumping?

StevieBee

Original Poster:

15,335 posts

285 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
Tandem!

Jasandjules

72,602 posts

259 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
StevieBee said:
Tandem!
I jumped out of Netheravon (solo jumps). But the Red Devils jump there and it is worth the drive to get the military dealing with it IMHO.

https://www.netheravon.com/tandem/

anonymous-user

84 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
I did it for my 40th - fking awesome. So awesome I went again a month later

mouseymousey

2,642 posts

267 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
lord trumpton said:
I did it for my 40th - fking awesome. So awesome I went again a month later
I learnt to skydive after a tandem. Turned out to be a very expensive experience now I'm hooked!

seiben

2,521 posts

164 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
Get down to Headcorn and do a tandem jump. It's by far the best experience, and she won't have to spend several days in training before being let loose on her own.

Jasandjules

72,602 posts

259 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
seiben said:
Get down to Headcorn and do a tandem jump. It's by far the best experience, and she won't have to spend several days in training before being let loose on her own.
This is about the one jump site I would not use again.............

ColinM50

2,699 posts

205 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
My only advice, and it's not from a position of expertise, is if you are fond of her, make sure she wears a parachute

Gary C

15,267 posts

209 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
Its a bit far for you maybe but it did it with black knights parachute centre in lancashire.

Maybe combine it with a trip to the lakes.

It was really fun, though I did land in the wrong field smile

griffin dai

3,341 posts

179 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
I went to Netheravon for mine around 20 years ago back in the Army.....plt sgt knew I was scared of heights but the wker still sent me!

Enjoyed it but still scared of heights.



hab1966

1,126 posts

242 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
My daughter did this for her 7th birthday - https://www.iflyworld.co.uk/

Couldn't get her out of the chamber, she loved it and did a number of the high flights with the instructor, much to my wife's horror.


Zoobeef

6,004 posts

188 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
Never done a tandom, i just went straight into a solo. Best way to do it.
(You still jump out with 2 instructors next to you.)

Jasandjules

72,602 posts

259 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
Zoobeef said:
Never done a tandom, i just went straight into a solo. Best way to do it.
(You still jump out with 2 instructors next to you.)
That is the AFF course I assume.

You can also take the longer and cheaper option of static line jumps increasing the height over time...

Buuut not everyone wants to jump solo (no idea why, like you I only wanted to do it on my own)

AdamIndy

1,661 posts

134 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
Wherever you book, make sure you read and reread the medical stuff. I wasn’t able to do mine due to having arthritis, I missed this in the medical bumph, turned up and they wouldn’t let me do it. I did get a medical certificate but by the time I’d got everything in line, the time limit ran out on the voucher I was given. I do still want to do it one day though.

S1KRR

12,548 posts

242 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
Its not near you. (It's not even near me as I live in South London biggrin) But I did my jump in Salisbury. I could see Stonehenge once the chute had opened.

www.goskydive.com

Complete novice, full 15,000 feet (or 2.8 miles!) jump with a min of freefall. 125mph

Proper company IMHO. Nothing I saw made me doubt their professionalism, standards, training or operation. Staff are all great. Equipment was all less than 2 years old. The emergency chute will auto deploy below a certain height if you are still travelling too fast. Which was re-assuring. biggrin

They've done something like 40K jumps in the 10 years they've been operating. They even run an apprenticeship to train people to be instructors!

Wasn't cheap. £320 ish for the jump and another £120ish for another guy to jump alongside me and video it, (recommend that over the wrist camera option) But I wouldn't hesitate to recommend or use them again. (In fact Ive pointed 2 people in their direction since)

Like I say, not the nearest place to you. But I'd still travel to them. It's an all day thing anyway as you tend to get delayed . I was supposed to jump at 11am. But the cloud cover had defeated them before I got there, so I jumped about 16:00 in the end. They do warn you of this when you book. And I got great views because there was so little cloud in the end.

Little intro vid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-xuHB_C9uY

This was the camera option I took (not me though)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXxWOKyZ2q4


No I am not getting paid for this blatent advert! biggrin

EDIT TO ADD

Regarding health. They did mention anything around the shoulders being something they need to know. I got the impression they use a different harness. But it didn't effect me, so I wasn't really listening. Sorry frown


Edited by S1KRR on Friday 2nd August 21:11

condor

8,837 posts

278 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
There are indoor skydiving centres where you can get the feel of it without having to do loads of training and jumping out of a plane smile

Mojooo

13,291 posts

210 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
I've done a tandem and level 1 of the AFF (solo) - they are totally different experiences of course.

I had a really bad landing on my solo and was lucky not to break my legs.

Tandem would be good as a gift, as someone else said, just ensure she lifts her legs for the landing - apart from that you don't have to do much.

I also did 12 mins in a wind tunnel - its fun but notm uch like real skydive.