Your Questions Answered!
Nerves are not a worry, we fully understand that even the highest level of daredevil will have some apprehensions about their jump. Here are a few frequently asked questions about your first jump.
1. I been shopping around on the internet and seen tandem skydives much more expensive than your company, how can you be so cheap...
That's Simple, many of the Tandem jumps we make are made with the company owner Dave Luke. (See about us). This reduces our overheads and allows us to pass those savings onto you. There are many companies out there that simply mark up the price and retail the jumps to the public. Remember if you book with a more expensive company, and go to one of my centres listed, you will jump with the same instructors, from the same plane, using the same equipment as you would if you paid our lower price. Pretty Good, Book now!
2. What is BPA membership and why do we have to have it?
All centres in the UK have to conform to the British Parachute Association Rules. One of those rules is the legal requirement for you to be 3rd party insured when jumping from a plane. By becoming a temporary member of the BPA you are cover 3rd party for up to £2.000.000. This membership/insurance costs £30.00 and is included in most of the prices we display. If it's not it will be clearly shown in the special offer section on each page. I've seen companies charging £90.00 more than us claming it is due to their price including the BPA section! Not the whole truth I feel!However, this price is set on the 1st April every year. This means we cannot take into acount any price increase untill then, so if the price goes up on the 1st of april and you have booked before then or have a gift voucher redeamed after this date there may be a small surcharge on the day. Last year this was £5.00 the year before there was no change.
3 Why do some centres cost more than others.
The centres which operates "full time" 5-7 days per week and run turbine aircraft are able to charge less due to a lower cost per-head than smaller centres. which only open 2 days a week. In the same way Tesco can sell the same jar of coffee cheaper than the corner shop. So big centres can charge less for their jumps. Also Note that exit altitude is important. Most Small centres normally drop from 10.000 feet the larger centres which charge less normally drop from 12,000-13.000feet, which means in terms of freefall time you get 40 seconds freefall instead of 30 seconds, or 30% more for your money. It makes no difference to Static Line -RAPS courses, but a large difference for Tandem and AFF courses. Which are more popular at the moment.
4. Can anyone skydive?
Most people have no problems. The weight limit for AFF and static line jumps is 15 stone, for tandem jumps it is between 14 and 16 stone (depending on the jump centre), although these weights must be in proportion to your overall height. You do need to be in good health with average fitness for AFF and static line jumps. You do not need to be in excellent health to do a Tandem Jump. We have taken many people who, for one reason or another, are wheelchair bound. If you are over 40 you will need a doctor's stamp on a medical form (this will be sent with the information pack). If you are under 18 you will require parent/guardian permission (the form for which will also be sent with the information pack).
5. Where about in the UK can I fly from?
Please see the locations page for details of all areas which you can fly from, as well as detailed directions.
6. What type of jump do you recommend?
We personally recommend the tandem jump to everybody except those that believe they want to take up the sport of skydiving. The reason for this is that a tandem jump will show you and let you experience free fall without all the need for lots of training. You will normally exit the aircraft from between 10.000 to 13.000 feet depending on the centre and aircraft used. With the parachute being opened at 5000 feet. You then get to float down the last mile with your instructor to a normally soft landing.
7. How fast will I be falling when in free fall?
Approximately 120 miles an hour (if you are flat and stable).
8. Can you breath in free fall?
Yes you can! Very rarely a 1st time skydiver will have difficulty catching their breath. After a few jumps you would give breathing no more thought than you are now!
9. What happens if my parachute fails to open?!?
All parachutists wear two parachutes when making a jump. If you are a tandem passenger the instructor will carry out the reserve drills and use the "spare" if required. If you are a Static Line Student then as part of the course you are taught how to deal with this situation and what action to take. This is one of the reasons the Static Line Course takes so much longer to learn.
10. What happens if I don't or can't use the reserve and should have?!?
All student parachute equipment has a device to open the reserve parachute automatically if required.
11. What happens if the weather is bad and I cannot jump on the day I am booked in?
British weather being what it is you can never guarantee a jump will take place on the day booked. Tandem Skydives we will give you the option to call early on the day of your jump for an accurate weather check. And if the weather is very poor we will rebook you for a different day of your choice. For AFF or RAPS course it will make no difference as you will need to attend and undergo the ground school regardless of weather. Do not pay too much attention to the T.V. weather forecast, if years in this sport have taught us anything it is these are very unreliable!
