Here are some answers to some commonly asked questions about skydiving.  If you don't see the answer to your questions here you can email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will be glad to help you out.

Absolutely not! At least a hundred Tech students jump every year... and the number of jumps by Tech students reaches past 1000 every year. Our more active members make around 400 jumps per year

Skydiving has a reputation for being a dangerous sport but it is actually much safer than people expect.  It doesn’t matter how you crunch the numbers, the result is that you are in more danger of injury just driving a car.  Skydiving has come a long way since the days of round parachutes and no altimeters, and safety has been the number one concern in the development of all the new equipment. 

Skydivers today use a square parachute that you can actually fly and steer down for a soft landing, similar to stepping off of a chair.  Equipment failure is extremely rare and there are backups for everything that might go wrong.  The majority of skydiving accidents are from the skydiver making an error trying a high performance maneuver.  Accidents among student and novice jumpers are extremely rare. 

What if my parachute doesn’t open or there is an equipment malfunction?

This is probably the most popular question asked and there is a very good answer for it.  Every parachute rig contains a reserve parachute that is manufactured and packed under strict regulations from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and USPA (The United States Parachute Association).  If there is a malfunction with the main parachute, the skydiver pulls the ‘cutaway handle’ to release the main parachute.  The skydiver then pulls the ‘reserve handle’ that fires the reserve parachute.  On our rigs, we have an RSL (Reserve Static Line) that is attached to the main parachute and to the reserve parachute pin.  When the cutaway handle is pulled and the main parachute is released, the RSL pulls and fires the reserve parachute for you.  This is a safety precaution incurred due to disorientation that may happen during a malfunction. 

The reserve parachute is highly reliable and made to open very quickly and accurately.  The pilot chute that pulls the reserve chute out of the rig is spring loaded and engineered to react very fast.  The reserve is also required to be packed by a FAA Licensed Rigger every 120 days regardless of whether it has been used or not.  This helps to make sure that the equipment is regularly checked by a qualified professional and to see that it remains in proper working order.

Another precaution taken for an instance where a skydiver cannot pull their own parachute is an AAD (Automatic Activation Device).  The AAD is a computer that reacts to vertical velocity and altitude to determine if a skydiver is still in freefall.  If a skydiver is falling at a preset velocity at a preset altitude, the AAD reacts and fires the reserve parachute for the skydiver.  This system has drastically reduced the already small number of injuries that occur from this happening. 

Our club uses Cypres and Cypres 2 which are AAD's manufactured by Airtec GmbH and are very reliable.  A Cypres or Cypres 2 is required to have maintenance performed by the manufacturer at the 4 year mark and the 8 year mark.  The manufacturer tests and calibrates everything as well as checks the battery.  The Cypres and Cypres 2 are both required to be retired after 12 years.  All of our rigs are up to date and are not jumped if they fail any of these criteria. 

The old round parachutes that the military still uses do give a hard landing.  We use square parachutes that fly like a glider’s wing.  We land using a landing pattern similar to that which the pilot of a plane would use.  When we get close to the ground we ‘flare’ which is a term for pulling the toggles down all the way.  Flaring puts the parachute into deep brakes which, in turn, provides extra lift and slows it down to a comfortable landing speed.  This combination of reactions stalls the parachute and sets the skydiver down gently, similar to stepping off of a chair, and usually only requires a couple steps to completely stop. 

There are a couple of programs that you can choose from to get certified to skydive on your own.  The most popular one is AFF (Advanced Free Fall) and includes ground school and 7 jumps.  Here you get to make your first jump on your own with two instructors holding on to either side of you.  The next most popular way of getting certified is Tandem Progression.  The first jumps are Tandem where the student is attached to the front of an instructor and shares the same parachute.  The instructor is there to help the student fly the canopy if need be.  This is a popular program for someone who is a little more cautious about the sport and wants a little more guidance along the way. 

You can find more information about both of these programs on our website under the ‘Skydiving Info’ link in the left hand menu.  If you would like to pursue one of these programs, you can make a reservation at Skydive Atlanta at least one week ahead of time.  You can see their contact information on our site under ‘Drop Zone Info’ or on their website:  Skydive Atlanta!

Being in good physical condition does help in the sport of skydiving and will provide a more enjoyable experience.  Body weight is also a concern because it is a deciding factor for what parachute you will be flying whether with a Tandem Instructor or on your own as a student.  In general, if you weigh over 225 pounds you should call the drop zone to make sure that they have a parachute and rig that will fit and an instructor that will be a good match. 

Medical conditions are also a concern when considering skydiving.  Someone who experiences fainting spells, blackouts, has a weak heart, or back injuries should not be jumping.  Someone with respiratory illness may have a problem due to atmospheric changes at altitude.  Very few people have medical or physical conditions that prevent them from skydiving.  In any case, tell your instructor of any and all conditions or injuries you may have or have experienced.  Something may seem fine on the ground and then cause trouble in the air, so don’t be shy about asking your instructor or the drop zone questions.

When you leave the aircraft, you are moving horizontally at the same speed as the aircraft, typically 90-110mph.  During the first 10 seconds, a skydiver accelerates up to about 115-130mph straight down (A tandem pair uses a drouge chute to keep them from falling much faster than this).  It is possible to change your body position to vary your rate of fall.  In a standard belly-to-earth position, you can change your fall rate up or down by 10 to 20 mph.  By varying your position to a head down or stand up style in freefall, an experienced skydiver can learn to reach speeds of over 160 mph. Speeds of over 200mph require significant practice.  The record freefall speed, done without any special equipment, is 321mph.  However, one would slow back down to about 110mph before opening their parachute.

Once under parachute, descent rates of 1000ft/min. are typical.  A lighter student with a bigger canopy may come down more slowly and a heavier person may have a slightly faster descent.  Experienced jumpers can descend (in normal glide) at up to 1500ft/min. and during radical turns, the descent rate can go well over 2000ft/min.

In a nutshell you can't unless you are already a very experienced skydiver.  "Skysurfing" or "Skyboarding" refers to skydiving with a small board, similar to a snowboard, attached to your feet.  This allows for some radical maneuvers in freefall.  Such jumps should only be attempted by expert skydivers, and preferably after long discussion with one of the many skysurfers who have experience.  Some board manufacturers and experienced skysurfers offer instructional classes or videotapes.  BASE jumping involves jumping off of fixed objects (Buildings, Antennas, Spans (bridges), Earth (cliffs)), then flying a parachute in for a landing.  While being an expert skydiver isn't an absolute requirement, you do need a great deal of experience in parachute packing, canopy control, quick reflexes, and body position awareness before this can be attempted with any real safety. Start with skydiving then go from there.  Furthermore, there are very few places where one can BASE jump legally and most of those are private property.

More Info on Skydiving Equipment, Safety, and History!

The USPA has more information on all of these topics and is considered the official resource for sport parachuting.  Their official website is www.uspa.org.
The following is a link to one of their particularly informative pages:
The Sport of Skydiving