Skydiving Alaska

Skydiving is an activity involving the breaking of a free-fall from a height using a parachute. The history of skydiving began with a descent from a balloon by Andre-Jacques Gernerin in 1797. Skydiving has been used by the military since the early 1900s. Early competitions date back to the 1930s and became an international sport in 1951.

Despite the seeming danger of the leap, fatalities are rare. However, each year a number of people world-wide are hurt or killed parachuting. About 30 skydivers are killed each year in the U.S., which works out roughly to one death every 170,000 jumps.

In recent years, one of the most common sources of injury is a low turn under a high-performance canopy and swooping. Swooping is the discipline of making a high performance landing. Changing wind conditions is another risk factor. In strong wind conditions and hot days with turbulence the parachutist can be caught in downdrafts near the ground. Shifting winds can cause a crosswind or downwind landing which have a higher potential for injury due to the wind speed adding to the landing speed.

Equipment failure rarely causes fatalities and injuries. While approximately one in 400 jumps results in a main parachute malfunction, reserve canopies are packed by an FAA licensed rigger and are designed to be highly reliable.

Because of the potential physical and mental stress involved, you may wish to get the prior approval of your physician.

For safety reasons, learning how to skydive is an involved process:

During the initial training, you will be on the ground as you learn the basics of skydiving, including how to exit a plane, freefall through the sky, how to land, and other necessary skills.

The first jump is a tandem skydive in which you will be physically attached to an instructor by a harness.

Depending on the school or skydiving program you choose, you may graduate to a tandem jump with a relatively short freefall. Though physically connected to an instructor, you will be the one to pull the ripcord.

Some schools offer the option of then jumping at the same time as two instructors, but not being physically attached to them. You will experience some freefall time in the vicinity of the instructors but you will land your parachute yourself. During these jumps you will work on basic flight maneuvers with the help of the nearby instructors.

Subsequent jumps entail improving forward flight, turns, possibly loops and emergency recovery training.

Finally, you will experience your first solo skydive.