Skydiving for the Masses

Skydiving the sport of daredevils, stunt men, professionals.... well actually no, not anymore. Skydiving has become a pass time, like golf, but with a little more adrenalin. Skydiving used to be expensive and reserved for the only the risk takers. Those madcap, crazy people who went on adrenalin sprees and bungee jumped off bridges. They were the only ones skydiving other, than professionals. Nowadays everyone is skydiving. You can buy a skydiving gift certificates for presents. Heck you can even get married while skydiving.

What you need to know about skydiving today:

Skydiving isn't dangerous. It isn't as scary as you might think either. When you're in the air you don't feel the sensation of falling, you feel a sensation more akin to floating. While you may get stomach flip flops if you stare at the ground, the act of falling itself does not cause any discomfort.

New technology makes skydiving safer than ever. Gone are the days of spraining your ankle when landing. The new skydiving equipment lets you land as if you're stepping on a mattress.

Most skydiving facilities even have computerized gear which acts as a safety net should something happen midair. These devices can even open your chute for you, should you not do so in a timely manner. Although this is a moot point if you go tandem skydiving.

Tandem skydiving is done with a certified skydiver. The certified instructor is strapped behind the diver and guides the free fall and landing. Tandem skydiving allows you to experience skydiving in a completely safe environment. You can relax and en anjoy the feeling of free fall and beautiful view knowing an instructor will guide you safely to the ground.

For solo skydiving options, there is Static Line Training and AFF (Accelerated Free Fall) Training.

More commonly used in the military, static line training lasts for about 4-6 hours for one course. Made at short distances of about 3,000 feet, the parachute is actually opened as the student leaves the plane. There is little to no free fall and the entire dive takes about 3 minutes.

Feeling a bit more bold? You can spend five to seven hours in a skydiving course and make your first free fall skydiving jump solo. Skydiving classes teach you the correct way to operate your chute, hold your body correctly, safe landing positions, and even tricks. During a typical course the trainee will take a number of assisted dives with an instructor. These are known as AFF or Accelerated Free fall Training.

If you're not ready to take the plunge of skydiving training in the actual heavens, you can train on land in indoor skydiving schools which use vertical wind tunnels to simulate free fall. You may have seen these used in movie stunts or on Mythbusters.

Prices for the different types of skydiving vary throughout the USA. A tandem jump may run anywhere from $200-300. Static jumps are about $100 - $125, and as stated above offer the least amount of free fall. AFF training and jumps are usually sold as a package with numerous jumps. Prices vary according to state, but you can expect to pay around $1200-$1800.

However you choose to fly, research the specific schools and trainers. Prepare for a safe and fun jump. Happy landings!