Tandem skydiving is an extreme sport, where, unlike snowboarding and skiing, you cannot go wrong as a beginner because, as mentioned above, you’re strapped to a professional who will be watching you the whole time, right until the moment, when you land, to make sure you don’t make any mistakes.
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The location you arrive at for the jump will obviously be some sort of airfield, typically a grassy airfield with a small aircraft. There you will first have to fill out some paperwork and sign a lot of forms, as obviously the primary concern of any company is to be legally on the safe side. Not to worry, you’re more likely to die of cancer or a heart attack at 90 than skydiving, and even bungee jumping is significantly more dangerous.
A short training session will then begin, explaining exactly what will happen and how you should arrive to ensure your own safety.
After the briefing, you will be given the suit you will be jumping in and you will be escorted to the aircraft with your companions. The size of the plane depends on how many people they take on at a time.
You will be buckled up by a professional jumper on the plane during take-off. There are some domestic companies that will take you up to 4,300 meters.
There, they open the door of the plane, you have to put your feet out, nod your head to the professional and you jump out of the plane…
You’ll never forget the adrenaline rush of tandem flying! You’ll be freefalling for long minutes, watching the scenery, if you’re not too scared to close your eyes.
The parachute has to be opened for the last 1,500 meters at the latest, after which you are usually whirled in the air by someone who is holding you to enhance the experience.
When you land, you must make sure that you do not land on your feet, but always lift your feet up so that you land on your bottom. However, if you forget to do this because of the shock, the person behind you will pull you up to finish the jump correctly. This is why we wrote at the beginning of this article that this is a “safe extreme sport”.
Nowadays, you can also request a version where they video your entire jump with a selfie stick. It’s worth taking advantage of this option, because when you rewatch the footage of your jump, you’re guaranteed to have a good laugh. Not just you, but your girlfriends and boyfriends too. And of course, you’ll grow in the eyes of your friends.
