How fast do you go?

It takes one person about twelve seconds or 1000 feet to reach terminal velocity of 200 kms per hour. A tandem pair would go faster except for the small pilot chute or drogue thrown by the tandem master shortly after exiting the plane. The drogue slows you both down to the speed of one person.

What are the age limits?

The minimum age to do a tandem skydive is fourteen, but you need your parents permission until eighteen. The minimum age to undertake your solo course is sixteen. There is no maximum age. Pete, our chief instructor has taken many people in their late eighties!

What are the physical requirements?

If you weigh more than 100 kgs, please contact us to see if you will be able to skydive. Very few people have medical conditions which prevent them from tandem skydiving, but you will be required to lift your legs for the landing, and if you have a weak heart, experience feinting or dizzy spells, you should get your doctors advice before you decide to jump. You should be reasonably fit if you plan to jump solo. You will have to wear about twelve kilos of equipment, manoeuvre your canopy, and carry your equipment back to the clubhouse. Skydiving is a sport, and you will be using muscles that you don't normally use. Arching in freefall will strengthen the muscles in your back!

What does freefall feel like?

Believe it or not, it doesn't feel like you're falling! It's more like flying, but extremely windy! We can achieve complete directional control. That's what we teach you on your solo course, how to fly your body! It's usually pretty difficult to wipe the smile off your face in freefall, and you completely forget about everything else.

How hard is the landing?

Today's parachutes are rectangular and are steered with right and left toggles, which also act as brakes on landing. We land into the wind, so the more breeze, the slower the landing. On a tandem, you are reguired to lift your legs, so the tandem master takes the weight of the landing, and you can just gently put your feet down. Almost all landings are a gentle touchdown.

What should I wear?

Regular shorts or pants are fine. Loose clothing is good, rather than bulky clothing or tight clothing that may restrict you. The main thing is to wear a pair of running shoes or joggers. No thongs, high heels, or heavy boots with hooks, please.

Is it cold up there?

It is usually about ten degrees cooler up high than it is on the ground. In Summer, we can't wait to get up there! The weather in the North West is perfect through Winter, and is usually quite pleasant up high. You'll feel a blast of cold air when the door opens, but it is only for a few seconds, and your adrenalin is keeping you warm by then. You won't feel cold in freefall, you can't feel anything but great!

What if my parachute doesn't open?

By law, every parachute harness must carry a main and reserve canopy. The main is packed by a qualified person with an Australian Parachute Federation 'Packer B' rating. The reserve is meticulously packed and thoroughly inspected every six months by a qualified 'Packer A' or Parachute Rigger. If you familiarise yourself with the design of a parachute system, you will understand  that the laws of physics make it impossible to just not open, and human error has just about been removed in the systems used to pack reserve parachutes. In addition, every parachute you may jump is required to be fitted with an Automatic Activation Device which calculates your speed and altitude and deploys your reserve parachute, in the event that no one else does!

So is it safe?

Tandem skydiving is about the safest form of transport there is when you look at the fact that there are around 70,000 tandem skydives carried out in Australia every year. Skydiving is a highly regulated sport, and we are extremely focused  on safety. A skydiver must always follow the rules, in the same way a driver has to. Common sense is paramount!

But I'm scared of heights!

Don't worry, so are lots of skydivers! Many people try skydiving to cure their fear, and then fall in love with it, still fearing heights!. It's not like standing on the top of a building. You are travelling so fast that's it's impossible to get that tummy wobbling vertigo feeling, and you are so high up that you can't get any perspective, so the earth just looks like a big pizza.  Once you have jumped you will wonder what you were worrying about.

I'm scared of planes!

You will never feel so safe in a plane as when you are wearing two parachutes!

And last but not least, the most frequently asked question of all...

Why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good aeroplane?

If only I had a jump ticket for every time I had been asked that question! There are almost as many answers: "Because it has a door", "Because I can", "Because I've got two perfectly good parachutes", "There is no such thing as a perfectly good plane", and "Because I'm in love with my parachute and it's the only time we get to spend quality time together"... But seriously, it's impossible to think about work or any of your worries when you're in freefall. It's the anticipation on the ride to height, the burst of adrenalin when the door opens, the absolute focus on flying your body, the smiles on your friends faces in freefall, and the silence under canopy as you take in the views and wonder how you got this lucky. Afterwards, it's the confidence and openness you gain in every aspect of your life, and lastly, it's the wonderful friends you make from all walks of life. Doctors and garbage collectors alike share a bond after jumping together. Skydivers are a giant family united in their love of flying and freedom. It's a beautiful thing.