Skydiving is a well loved sport, especially for the extreme goers out there. However, it may seem that skydiving is something new as a sport, but in reality, it has a very rich and colourful history that can be very interesting to know, whether you are a fan of the sport or simply curious about it.

Milestones And More

Although most of skydiving milestones happened during the 20th century, its history actually goes back further more. Originally, parachuting started around  the 1100s in China, which is about a thousand years ago. Although there were no airplanes during that time, people would find natural formations in which they can leap off and float safely towards the ground below. Additionally, Da Vinci actually made a design that shows a wooden frame parachute that has a pyramid shape. This is just one of the proofs that parachuting is actually way older than most people think.

Skydiving Sport History

If you?ll be talking about the sport of skydiving, this matter would have a much recent history in the making. The very first person who did this daring act was Jacques Garnerin. He didn?t jump from an airplane though. What he did was jump off from balloons, around late 18th century. He also performed fanciful displays when he did so. After he executed his jumps, he would then make use of a parachute to have a safe landing.

When Women Came In

Women had a part in skydiving history too. However, it was not until the 19th century that they started having participation in the sport. One of the most famous women in skydiving history is Kathe Paulus. She parachuted in Germany during the end of the 19th century and became very well known for this skill of hers.

Airplane Generation

Ever since the airplane was invented, the skydiving history became even more colourful than ever. Indeed, it took a great leap of faith, literally and metaphorically! With the evolution of the airplane, the more did skydiving evolved and became even more daring. Now, daredevils had the opportunity to parachute from a fast-moving mechanical device, which caused even more spectacular and breathtaking skydiving routines.

The first woman to ever jump off from an airplane is Tiny Broadwick. She did this daring stunt back in 1913. Additionally, she is also the first woman to do a free fall jump from an airplane, which she did in 1914.

Skydiving: It?s Official!

One interesting fact about skydiving is that it wasn?t called skydiving before. The term skydiving was only coined in the mid-1950?s and used for Raymond Young. This was the first time when it was actually declared as skydiving. Before it was termed as such, “skydiving” was simply called as “parachuting” by many.

From Novelty To Sport

Before, skydiving was considered to be more of a novelty act than a sport. It was only during the period after World War II that this art became an actual sport that a lot of people could engage in, just like basketball. This transition was due to the fact that skydiving and parachuting was commonly done as a tactical move by many countries throughout the war.

In fact, pilots during World War I were even told to crash their planes into enemy territory rather than bailing out and were just given parachutes for survival. Ever since the 1st successful bailout in 1922 of an airplane, parachuting became a popular method of bailing out for pilots.

After the Second World War, it became a mainstream hobby for many. This is because the soldiers who came back enjoyed this activity and even have the courage to do a freefall. They held some competitions which then became a popular sport for civilians too. It was in 1957 that the first skydiving schools appeared and up until now, more people are having the courage to face this extreme sport.

Skydiving has a lot of types. However, there are ones that are commonly known such as freestyle, formation and freeflying. Although these three are considered to be the ones that are always done and seen on television or in media, there are still other types of skydiving that are most likely not known to many.

If you are new to the sport of skydiving and want to know more about it, then knowing the less popular types would still be important. Who knows? Maybe you?ll be having a knack for these less popular types!

Skysurfing

This type is actually said to be an even more extreme and radical rendition of skydiving. In skysurfing, the diver would be diving with a board that is somewhat like a snowboard, but a bit smaller in size. This board would be attached to the diver?s feet.

Skysurfing is said to be hard simply because board attached to your feet is extremely difficult to control. In fact, even simply standing straight would require you some skill and precise balance that you can only get from considerable experience in free flying.

Once you gain some experience and become a master of skysurfing, you would have the ability to use your boards to execute rapid rolls, tumbles, and spinning helicopter acrobatic stunts. Just like in Freestyle skydiving, you would have to have an auxiliary partner, whose duty is to film your skysurfing performance. As a safety measure, the boards can be detached while you are in mid-aie. However, this can cause extra hazard fro those people on the ground, which is why not every skydiving club allow this kind of skydiving.

BASE Jumping: As Close As It Gets

BASE jumping is actually considered to be the most extreme and dangerous among the types of skydiving. “BASE” is actually an acronym which refers to the Antennae, which can be an uninhabited structure, aerial mast or tower; Span, which are bridge-like structures; and Earth, such as cliffs or canyons.

This kind of skydiving is only done by very experienced divers. This is so, because such kind of diving includes huge risks due to the fact that the jump is quite a short one and has close proximity to a lot of structures that give huge risks of entanglement, collision and the likes.

According to statistics, in between 1981 to 2007, there is an estimate of one hundred eleven experienced BASE jumpers have already met fatal endings due to some complications in the jump, that basically lead to a failure.

Wingsuit Flying: Flying In Style

This branch of skydiving is a recent one. A winsgsuit is an up to date invention in which skydivers put on a specially designed suit that has webbings stitched in between the arms and legs.

When the wingsuit is worn while skydiving, it results to an airfoil, which gives the skydiver a lift. Thus the diver is apportioned with an even more highly developed level of control over his descent speed and trajectory that seems impossible at normal circumstances.

However, this kind of dive would usually entail you to use portable computers and other gadgets to record your velocity and distance travelled. Records show that the slowest speed ever accomplished with a wingsuit is 25mph. Once you get to reach the specified altitude, you would have to unzip your wingsuit?s arm webbing in order to deploy your parachute.

Wingsuits are commonly used and popular with BASE jumpers. This is due to the reason that when they wear wingsuits, they can have the ability to turn their 60 second freefall period into a longer span of 3 minutes. Nevertheless, this kind of skydiving is only done by very experienced divers. I fact, it?s recommended that you should have hundreds of jumps under your belt even before you decide to embark on this kind of skydiving.

Accuracy Landing: Getting It Straight To The Point

This type of skydiving is a competitive one in which a skydiver would earn points in the competition for being able to land as closely as he can to a specific target point or area on the ground. It is usually done solo and the landing part is the one given the most attention.

Beginner skydivers can try tandem skydiving if it is their first time which helps them to enjoy the experience more without the worry. Overall New Jersey is a great place to skydive for people of all skill levels.

Are you worried about skydiving?

Do you desperately want to skydive but you are worrying about undergoing lots of different tests and training? It could be that you are absolutely terrified about doing the skydive and you would like some moral support and this is where tandem diving comes in.

Everything You Need to Know About Tandem Skydiving

Tandem skydiving could be the answer to allow people to enjoy the whole experience without the need for any extended written exams. Basically with a tandem skydive, the person is connected to an experienced skydiver using a harness. The great thing about this is that they will control the whole jump including the jumping, freefalling, using the parachute and then the landing too. Because of all this, the student will only need a minimal amount of instructions to keep in mind for the jump. This takes the stress out of worrying about the jump and just enjoying the whole experience.

A great place to go skydiving is with Skydive Jersey Shore who are there to make a skydivers experience the best that it can be. They ask you to fill in paperwork before you attend a 30 minute class and they will cover the equipment, safety, how to land, freefalling etc. As a student you will be told about everything that is associated with skydiving to mentally prepare you for jumping out of the plane.

You will be about 2 miles up and being mentally prepared is imperative, but it is certainly worth it for the people who take the plunge. It will be a great scenic view from high up in the plane especially on a nice clear day, making the experience that much better.

As you and the instructor jump out of the plane, you will experience up to sixty seconds of freefalling, knowing that the instructor is right behind you all the time. As the parachute opens, you will then have a breathtaking experience lasting from four to six minutes in the air before landing. You get a chance to steer the parachute which can also be a great experience and then you can take in the great views and sights around you.

If you are a more experienced skydiver, New Jersey can also be a great place to go skydiving. A lot of the skydiving schools offer an eight jump skydiving program to its students, or you can choose a lesson by lesson program for whatever suits your requirements.

So whatever level you are at, skydiving in New Jersey helps to cater for everyone to offer the best experience possible.

A compilation of jumps during my summer holidays 2006 …

skydive …

Jumping from a plane meters above from land is not a safe sport as everybody may think. Skydiving poses that same feeling to anyone. In fact, skydiving safety has been better over the years.

Most skydiving fatalities and incidents are not caused by faulty equipment but failure to obey necessary precautions before jumping, like wrong timing of deploying the parachute, incorrect folding of the parachute and performing or experimenting with maneuvers that are extremely difficult and dangerous

The most common reasons for skydiving deaths and injuries, and that is 92 percent, are mistakes in judgment and procedure. This means that the jumper should be prepared well for the jump and do everything accurately to the time it takes until he reaches the ground.

Even in the process of signing up practice honesty. State or inform your skydiving instructors of any medical condition you are in. Saying that you have medical condition would not automatically stop you from skydiving, but absolutely doctor?s approval would be needed.

Before jumping, knowing and checking you gear is very important, however experienced or eager you are to make your first jump. Ensure the goggles, helmet and jumpsuit are all in good condition.

Parachute checks are also done before the jump. Parachutes are not always 100 percent safe, that?s why jumpers have a reserve parachute completely independent form the main chute. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that the reserve parachute be inspected and repacked every 120 days (whether it is used or not) by a FAA- certified parachute rigger.

Aside from the reserve parachute that can be used when the main chute is malfunctioning, the AAD is another safety device that skydivers are currently using. AAD stands for automatic activation device. The AAD automatically activate the jumper?s reserve parachute in the even that the jumper is disabled or disoriented or has lost track of the altitude and failed to deploy the main parachute.

The AAD was introduced by a German named Helmut Cloth. It was first called as CYPRESS or Cybernetic Parachute Release System. It used to be a student only device. During a free-fall, the CYPRESS uses computer interpreted barometric metering to constantly assess a skydiver?s altitude and rate of descent. If a skydiver is descending faster that a certain speed, this device will instantly activate the skydiver?s reserve.

Currently, the AAD is available for novice and expert skydivers. It has evolved into a compact, reliable and readily available for an average of $1200.

Other safety items that skydivers bring are visual and audible altimeters. When a person is skydiving, it is difficult to inform how close to the ground you are. Opening a parachute requires you to be at a specific altitude. Altimeters provide the altitude reading and even activate alarms whenever you have reached the height for releasing the parachute.

Aside from these issues with the equipment questioning how safe skydiving is, there are also several myths about skydiving that make people more afraid of it. An example of a skydiving myth is that divers cannot breathe during free fall which is totally untrue, since consciousness is needed to open the parachute.

Nobody would argue that skydiving is a safe thing to do. And statistics can be manipulated to make skydiving look very safe or very dangerous. Generally, safety in skydiving is determined by the individual. Rarely do skydiving accidents result from equipment failure or bad luck.

It took me 21 skydives and 3 months to get there. And still, I am tumbling through the air from 14500 to 4000 feet.

Fatal Sky Dive. The guy that had his legs cut off was actually the one that survived.