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There is, by definition, a basic risk associated with the sport of parachuting. After all, you are leaving the safety of an airplane that has elevated you to 10,000 or more feet in the air. It is no surprise that one of the first items of business attended to when a novice skydiver signs up at a skydiving school is a registration form that includes an acknowledgment of the risks associated with the sport. If you can believe it, skydiving has been around for hundreds of years. Some historians have traced the first parachutes back a thousand years ago to China.

Once you have completed parachute training you will be tested regarding your knowledge. Oral, written and practical tests are part of the testing skydivers must undergo. Oral testing is used to develop decision-making abilities, while written tests give students the opportunity to explain their knowledge and understanding of parachuting. Practical testing is of vital importance as well to demonstrate reactions and skills.

When it comes to taking your first jump, a tandem free-fall is often the most common form of parachute jump. A tandem jump means that the jump is done while the student and the instructor are attached to the same parachute system. You will free-fall for about thirty to fifty seconds, depending on the altitude. Both the instructor and student descend together under one single parachute that has dual controls.

Another method that is used is called accelerated free-fall, and is done with two instructors exiting the airplane with the student. All three fall together for about thirty to fifty seconds, depending on the altitude. The instructors will maintain a grip on the student’s harness. This is for “in the air instructional purposes” as well as helping stabilize the student, if necessary. When a level of about 4,000 feet above the ground has been reached, the student is instructed to open the parachute and pilot it to the landing area.

Another form of skydiving is called the instructor-assisted deployment, also called the static-line method. This is done after classroom instruction of the essentials has been completed, and includes climbing out and exiting of the aircraft, free-falling, canopy flight, landing and emergency procedures. A key difference with this method is that the parachute will deploy immediately upon leaving the aircraft. This is typically done at about 3,500 feet. The student will then pilot the parachute to the ground.

Still another training technique used in the sport of skydiving is called the vertical wind tunnel. It is a large fan that produces a current of air which is strong enough to support a person or a small group of people. Instructors sometimes use this technique to teach stability and maneuvering prior to an actual free-fall.

Parachuting lessons and jumps sites can be found from coast to coast, from California skydiving to Florida skydiving, no matter if you are a beginner looking for your first tandem ride or a seasoned veteran looking for your next adrenalin rush. The United States Parachute Association (USPA) has a list of skydiving schools and drop zones on its website at www.uspa.org, and has a list of the basic safety requirements that prospective parachutists will need to meet.

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