Has anyone sky dived before?
823249
Your question gives a wonderful excuse for some reminiscing!\nA group of us were in the flying club bar (after flying had finished!) and in came a few of our resident sports parachuting club members. At various times one or two of us had flown the aircraft from which they had jumped, and after a  convivial shandy or two, one of the parachuting instructors said, half jokingly,"How about you lot making a jump?" ... to which a couple of us said, also half jokingly, "No problem. When?" \nAnyway, next day we started the compulsory basic training, and the following day we were at 2,500 feet over a well known airfield in the South West of England, in a Cessna 172.   So that tells you why and where...\nNow, how did it feel?  Exhilarating and a little scarey, sums it up!  You see,  in those days you made your first jumps all  by yourself (not strapped to an instructor like today), using a static line  - i.e., a line attached between the aircraft and your main chute,  which,  when you fell away from the machine, pulled out the pilot and main 'chutes.  (NB You also  wore an emergency chest parachute). You stood with your left foot on the aircraft's starboard main wheel (the pilot held the brakes on so that it did not rotate), and swung yourself  out of the door so that your right leg hung out into space, while your two hands grasped the wing support strut - a sort of 'letter X' position .  On the word 'Go!' you leapt backwards and counted up to 3 secs, by which time your main chute would be (or should be!) deployed.  If it was - fine;  you simply settled down to enjoy the view and the silence.   Of course, if it was not open fully then you had a few seconds to sort out  the problem or to pull the emergency chute! \nWould I (did I) do it again? Well, yes -   because  I made several more jumps, but in the end decided that staying in a nice warm aeroplane was preferable. :- ) \nAnyway, go for it - several friends of mine made it their hobby and carried out hundreds of jumps in several different countries.  And as you progress to high altitude free fall you will be even more thrilled by the experience.  So good luck and happy landings!
196304
I did. I ended up in isreal. It's horrible. \n\nNo Joke.\n\nI almost lost everything and everyone.\nI left 9 months ago, got on a plane and never got on the return flight. Noone knew exactly where I was and why I went. I even acted "differently" for two months (got myself in a lot of trouble doing that).\n\nAnyway...in less than a month I am running back to my life. And NOW i am scared witless.~Its harder going back.
299084
If you believe everything you read, a woman parachuted from 50 ft, her shoot did not open and she suffered only broken bones.  It was in our local paper last night.  I personally do not know nor care how high I can jump, I'm just greatful I can walk and not fall down most days!  But good luck in your experimentation = sometimes that's the best teacher.
114814
yep, I have. I've gotten into the bathtub trying to drown my sorrows and cried and put my head under the water. I wasn't trying to commit suicide, just having a good cry and dunked my head under the water.
1013783
Absolutely. Surround yourself with people that care and they are sure to catch you every time. Besides......once you learn from your mistakes its amazing to see how one can "bounce" back into good graces. So even then, hitting the ground only stings for a second.....then you are off and running and soaring higher than ever.
341570
I've been to Miami several times and gone diving there while on vacations from Chicago.\n\nBut since my dive buddy moved from there about six months ago, I haven't been back.
644709
SKYDIVING Newcomers can either go for a freefall experience (tandem) or get into the learning process (static line) immediately. In the tandem jump, a student wears a harness which connects him/her to the instructor. The instructor deploys and pilots the canopy to the landing area. The advantage to this method is that it gives the student freefall experience of about 36 seconds (from 10,000 to 5,000 ft) and a canopy ride of about 3 to 4 minutes; a great initiation into the sport. \n\nThe static line progression is for those who want to really get into the sport. It consists of 5 jumps where the canopy is automatically deployed using a line that is connected to the airplane. After being shown proper body position and learning how to pull a practice ripcord, the student goes on to make short freefall jumps, gradually gaining the skills necessary to jump on his/her own. \n\nRates: \nTandem jump - 9,000 pesos from 10,000 feet, includes ground training (1-1/2 hrs), equipment, plane ride (one way!) \nStatic line first jump course - 7,000 pesos, includes ground school (5-7 hours), equipment, plane ride \n\nContact: \nMort Freedman, Chief Instructor \nc/o Margarita Station, Angeles City \nTel: +63-645 892-6547 \nEmail: theville@datelnet.net \n\nMartin Imatong, Instructor \nTel: +63-2 892-1361 \nEmail: imatong@dow.com \n\nStuart Kawasaki \nTel: +63-2 633-8734 ext. 504 \nEmail: darrebearr@yahoo.com
1027096
I have had 2 that I can think of.. probably more if I put my mind to it.. :)\nI was swimming under a floating raft in a lake and got my foot tangled in the chain underneath that was attached to the anchor that kept it from floating away.. I was pulled out from under it 2 minutes later and woke up to my sister pushing on my chest and some guy I don't know giving me the liplock of life.. I heaved up a whole lot of water.. but here I am :) .. the other one was when I reached into a mailbox in a thunderstorm.. lightning hit the wooden mailbox post and shattered it while my hand was inside. I got a small zap from it and sat or fell onto the sidewalk.. my mother came out screaming saying my hair was steaming :) go figure? I lived.. no worries.. life is full of them.. people are like cats.. just not as lucky.. if only we had 9 lives.. then I could have 6 more near death experiences.. what a thrill that would be :) naw.. I am joking.. it is scary to imagine what not having the luck to walk away from it would mean.
368778
Yes I tried it once and was terrified and spent 10 minutes on the edge of the platform in New Zealand and only jumped when they said they had to close because I was the last jump of the day. Then there was a malfunction in the unit that made me dangle for over 5 minutes while they tried to get me down.
419088
My life was once boring.  Nothing to do.  Actually there was always something to do, I was just lazy.  Well, when I turned 18, I went out on my first sky diving thrill.  Is this a considered a thrill?  Well, I did that, 30,000 ft above the air, people so small, you feel the blood runing throug your body very fast!  \n\nI then went out for bungee jumping from a bridge in Southern California's mountains.  That was also a good one..I thought I would hit the ground, but the rope itself pulled me back up before I did.  Is this a thrill?\n\nThen I thought of a water sport...white water rafting in Denver, CO.  Now that was a mega thrill, torrent waters, sharp rocks, drowning and crashing possibilities, but were able to manage good.  \n\nLast but not least...hang glyding...now if you're not afraid of heights and love flying...you should definitly try that.  It's awesome.  At first you're runing on land to pick up speed, then there's nothing below you, at least when you're already 10,000 ft high or more.  flying.  \n\nWould I recommend all this?  Hell yeah!
672182
sky diving,i thought this is only for swimming?
54277
I've once tried doing parachute. I waas very lucky and when the parachute was open, i fall through a cloud.  cloud is not liquid water, it's water vapor. So you don't get wet but it's kind of really moist. Like if you put your face over boiling water, except it's not hot.
1067192
Yes I have. My girlfriend and I was riding in the car on the highway and I mooned a couple of guys. It was last year I was 32. But, I used to do it all the time as a teenager on a dare.
401707
Joseph Kittinger actually jumped from the stratosphere.  It was part of something called Project Excelsior to test a multi-stage parachute system for high-altitude ejections.  \n\nOn his third test jump he jumped from 102,800 feet (31,300 m), or almost 20 miles.\n\nPretty crazy, huh?\n\nFor more info see the Wikipedia article below:
376687
It is a freakin rush!!!!!!! I've done it twice, off of a 250 foot crane. The euphoria was so intense! Nothing else compares. As a result, I want to go skydiving now. For the thrill seekers like me, it's better than any drug, and the intense feeling eclipses sex. That is just my opinion. I loved it, and will do it again.
414287
Probably could, but there is a small chance you'll get bent doing it.  Is it worth the risk?  Keep this in mind:  Helicopters, when transporting divers, cruise at a ceiling of 50'.  That is as high as they're willing to go.  \n\nChanges in altitude are very dangerous after diving and should be done cautiously.
549721
I have jumped static, freefall and AFF (accelerated Freefall) including one over the North Pole out of the back of a jet.\n\nThe flight up isn't too bad although, I wont lie to you, you will be scared ... the few seconds to the door are pretty nerve-wracking but once you are out (and past the sensory overload) you will be amazed.\n\nNot sure what type of skydive you are thinking about - for a first time jumper your choices are really a static line from pretty low (2000 ft ish) or a tandem (from c15,000 with a c50 sec free-fall). Both have their advantages but the freefall is probably what you want to feel.\n\nIf you freefall (most likely tandem for a first jump but you can do AFF)there is little or no sensation of falling but rather just being blasted in a strong (upward) wind. Pay the extra for a video of the jump - you wont regret it.\n\nIf you need any more info drop me a note.\n\n\nBlue Skies =8-)