|
Skydiving Programs: First Time Jumpers and Advanced Instruction
The West Tennessee Skydiving programs consist of the Tandem Jump for first time jumpers and the Accelerated Freefall program for advanced instruction. The Tandem Jump is a prerequisite for the Accelerated Freefall Program.
Tandem Jump Program
 The Tandem Jump is a training skydive where you will experience all aspects of skydiving with little training or time required as you will jump with a parachute harness that attaches to your instructor's harness. It is similar to taking flying lessons, as the instructor is along to give you hands-on experience before solo. Our instructors average well over 1000 jumps and have completed certification courses in the use of the Tandem Parachute system.
You may make a Tandem Jump by calling West Tennessee Skydiving at 901-SKY-DIVE (759-3483) and scheduling an appointment, which are available every weekend and on some weekdays. The training and jump can be completed in as little as 2 hours but you should budget about 4 hours at the airport to allow for inclement weather and other delays. When you arrive at our airport you will watch a 20 minute videotape briefing and then your instructor will spend 20 minutes teaching you about main and reserve high performance "square" gliding parachutes, brief you on free-fall procedures, and practice exits from the aircraft. You and your instructor will then board the aircraft for the ride to the jump altitude. Just prior to exit, you will move in front of the instructor and your harness will be attached to his at four points (two at the shoulder and two at the waist).
 You will exit and freefall face to earth with your instructor behind you (in tandem). After a freefall of approximately one minute, in which you will reach a speed of 120 mph, the instructor will open the main parachute at 4000 ft. With our Super King Air the jump altitude is 14,500' with a 60 second freefall and with our Super Cessna 195 the jump altitude is 13,000' for a 50 second freefall.
After opening, you will have a 5 minute canopy ride to the ground during which your instructor will be giving you hands-on experience in steering with the dual on the parachute. The "square" canopy lands much like an aircraft in that it is flared for a soft landing. We teach you to do a stand-up landing, you jump in your street clothes, tennis shoes, and we supply a jumpsuit and goggles. After landing, your instructor will debrief you on the jump, answer any questions, present you with a certificate as proof of your accomplishment.
For an additional fee our freefall cameraman will video and take still pictures of the entire experience. He will film you on the ground, in the aircraft, film you in freefall, and film your landing and comments about the jump. The video will be edited with the music of your choice and given to you before you leave.
To make a Tandem Jump you must be a least 18 years old ( 16 with at least one parent present and permission from the other) and weigh no more than 220 lbs.
After the completion of the tandem jump you will have been exposed to all aspects of skydiving and you can make an intelligent decision whether to take the next step in the training process, the Accelerated Freefall Program.
What To Wear, What to Bring
To make Your Tandem Jump, wear casual clothes suitable for outdoor activity at the temperatures forecast for the day. For the warm months, shorts or jeans, lightweight shirt, and tennis shoes are fine. In the winter we jump in temperatures as low as the mid 30's on the ground. As you are inside for your training and the airplanes are heated, a sweatshirt or long sleeve shirt, jeans, a non-bulky jacket, lightweight gloves without hooks, and tennis shoes are usually sufficient. On all your student training jumps we provide a jumpsuit and goggles.
We encourage you to bring your friends, cameras, picnic lunches, and swim suits. Children are welcome if they are supervised while you are making your jumps. The swimming pool is available for all our customers and their families.
Accelerated Freefall (AFF)
 Upon completion of the Tandem , you are eligible to enter the Accelerated Freefall program. The Accelerated Freefall program, or "AFF", is an accelerated method of learning freefall skydiving skills. All jumps are made from 14,500 ft with freefalls of 60 seconds. The student is equipped with main and reserve parachutes (both are square type high performance gliding canopies as used on the Tandem Jump), radio receivers for ground assistance after the student opens the main canopy, an altimeter, automatic activation device (AAD) for the reserve, and other safety equipment.The AFF program can be completed in seven jumps provided the student has mastered the required skills.On the first three AFF jumps the student is accompanied by two jumpmasters who initially act as "training wheels", stabilize the student in freefall, observe his progress, and correct errors in body position or technique. On the last four AFF jumps, one instructor accompanies the . Prior to the first AFF jump the student will receive 6 hours of ground school instruction and prior to each subsequent jump about a 1 hour briefing.Upon graduation from AFF the skydiver has all the basic skydiving skills, can make turns in freefall, do back and front flips, move horizontally and hook up with other jumpers, and steer the parachute to a stand-up landing in the target area.AFF Graduates are eligible to continue working on the first skydiving license, the United States Parachute Association "A" License, which takes about 25 jumps to acquire.West Tennessee Skydiving will help you acquire all your skydiving gear at discounted prices.
For pricing please click here
|
|
|
