Skydiving and skydivers

By Joe Collins // 22 November 2010

Skydiving

One of the ultimate adventure activities, and there is no where in the world better to throw yourself out of an aeroplane than Australia. Almost anyone over the age of 14 years can tandem skydive. But be warned, It's FUN, it's SAFE, it's EASY and It’s HIGHLY ADDICTIVE!!

Tandem

Tandem jumps are the best way to introduce yourself into the world of skydiving, make the first jump with an experienced and trained instructor. During the tandem jump the jumpmaster is responsible for the stable exit, maintaining a stable freefall position, and activating and controlling the parachute.

Solo jump course

One day of theory and training instruction. 12,000 ft solo 45 secs freefall. Australian Parachute Federation (APF) membership.

AFF course

The Accelerated Freefall (AFF) Course is the most advanced method of learning to skydive. It consists of 9 stages which provide you with the skills and knowledge for solo freefall and controlling the parachute.

Need for speed

In freefall, skydivers generally do not experience a "falling" sensation because the resistance of the air to their body at speeds above about 50 mph (80 km/h) provides some feeling of weight and direction. At normal exit speeds for aircrafts (approx 90 mph (140 km/h)) there is little feeling of falling just after exit. Skydivers reach terminal velocity (around 120 mph (190 km/h) for belly to Earth orientations, 150-200 mph (240-320 km/h) for head down orientations) and are no longer accelerating towards the ground.

Click here for a list of the best skydive sites in Australia.