Getting To The Drop Zone - Skydiving Down To The Basics
December 4th, 2008

Skydiving can be a fun sport and with the proper training, one of the safest of the "extreme" sports.

Typically, skydiving is done from an airplane at altitudes of around 10,000 to 13,000 feet. However, skydivers (the professionals) have been known to jump from balloons and helicopters. After freefalling for one or two minutes, during which you'll see some great aerial acrobatics, they deploy their parachute and guide themselves into or near the intended landing zone. When the parachute is open, the parachutist controls the direction of his or her descent with cords called "steering lines." The steering lines are attached to the inner surface of the chute and allow the jumper some limited navigation.

Most novice skydivers make their first jump in a tandem arrangement with an experienced and trained instructor. The instructor and student are strapped together with a harness and use a single chute. The advantage of this is that the novice requires very little instruction before actually experiencing a jump. Before a student is allowed to jump solo, the student must go through a significant period of training, both in the classroom and in a mock jump zone (jumping from a tower).

There are four basic sets of skills that the novice is required to learn: skydiving safety, free falling, operating the parachute and how to land.

Under the heading of safety, the student is expected to know how to check the parachute and harness, what to do in an emergency, how to exit the plane, what not to do when freefalling, what to do if the main chute fails to open and what not to do when landing.

The most important aspect of the freefall instruction is learning how to maintain the 'stomach down' position that allows maneuvering while maintaining the perfect position for chute deployment. When freefalling you are traveling toward the earth at approximately 125 mph, so knowing what to do and when to do it is critical.

The timing involved in deploying the parachute is critical. The jumper needs to be high enough to be able to react if the chute does not deploy properly. Every skydiver has a reserve parachute that is used (and hopefully never needed) for this emergency situation. In the US, this reserve parachute is a requirement. By law, the reserve parachute is packed or folded by a person certified by the FAA. They also routinely carry both visual and audible altimeters to help maintain altitude awareness. The lowest recommended altitude for deploying the parachute is 2,000 feet and it's not unusual to see skydivers deploy their chutes at elevations up to 5,000 feet.

Skydivers are normally trying to touch down as close as possible to a particular location, but more importantly they are attempting to land safely. The rule is if you can't land where you are supposed to land, land in the safest available spot.

If the skydiver lands properly, he or she will land on his or her feet, on the run (like jumping off a San Francisco trolley). Just before touching the ground, pulling both of the steering ropes will "flare" the chute and assist a soft, stable touchdown.

The novice skydiver has a long 'row to hoe' and they are not considered safe (by the experienced skydivers) until they have completed 50 to 100 jumps.

Considered even a worse safety hazard is the jumper who has between 100 and 500 jumps to is credit. This person is considered dangerous because he or she has gotten over the fear of jumping, but may not have developed sufficient respect for the danger of the sport and, as a result, may act foolishly.

Speaking of safety, there are 10 "Golden Rules" in the world of skydivers that are worth noting:

Golden Rules

1. Descend and land safely.

2. Land safe even if you don't land close to your target.

3. Be ready for anything to happen

4. Know what's supposed to happen next

5. Always plan ahead

6. Never give up skydiving

7. As you are falling, know your altitude

8. Don't ever jump unless you are ready and the situation is right.

9. Don't make low, sharp turns.

10. Know your gear, and check it

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