Learning to Skydive

Free-fall parachuting is best taught by an experienced instructor. After ground instruction, the first jumps are often made in tandem (instructor and student together). The tandem jump also offers a way for elderly or physically disabled people to skydive.

Most people experience fear when beginning to skydive. Training helps the beginner develop confidence before going on to practice advanced tech­niques with fellow skydivers. The U. S. Air Force Academy, for example, trains cadets for more than 33 hours on the ground before their first jump. Advanced training consists of more than 150 free fall jumps, progressing from a large (and therefore slow) canopy to a high-

performance display parachute with a vertical descent speed of 2 to 16 feet per second (0.6 to 5 meters per second). Top students may go on to jump with the Wings of Blue display team.