STATIC LINE JUMPS
The lowest altitude at which you can jump out of a plane is, surprisingly, the only option listed here that isn’t a tandem jump. A static line is a cord that connects your parachute to a static point on the plane you’re jumping out of and releases the parachute automatically when fully extended, which is pretty soon after you leave the plane. These jumps typically take place from a height of around 3,500 feet.
The point of a static line jump is that it gives you the chance to practise using a parachute to descend safely to the earth from an aircraft, without taking on the responsibility for opening it at the right time. If you take part in a static line experience, you’ll have about 6 hours of ground training before completing your jump.
THE LOWEST HEIGHT FOR SKYDIVING
A skydive proper involves freefall, that state in which the only forces working on your body are the downward pull of gravity and the (weaker) braking force of air resistance. It’s an amazing feeling, a strange mix of weightlessness and velocity - in fact, you can reach speeds of about 120 miles per hour in freefall.
Handling these extreme forces and maintaining the presence of mind to operate a parachute requires training and certification, so you’ll be taking part in a freefall jump in the company of a skydiving instructor. These tandem jumps can take place from a minimum height of 7,000 feet, as it’s necessary to open the parachute at 5,000 feet. That gives you about 15 seconds of freefall. Feel it for yourself by skydiving in Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
AVERAGE JUMP HEIGHT
The most common choice for tandem skydiving is an altitude of 10,000 or 11,000 feet. Compared to the lower options, this gives you twice as much time in freefall, 30 seconds or more before the parachute opens. Of course, you’ll also get more expansive views over the country - if you can keep your eyes open!
One thing to bear in mind is that an increase of 15 seconds in freefall is reflected by a much longer increase in flight time. This is because the aircraft that you’ll take to reach the jump height gains altitude at a much slower rate that you lose it in freefall. While a 7,000-foot jump might be the better option if you’re trying to get it over and done with as soon as possible, if you’ve got your heart set on a 10,000-foot jump, we recommend going skydiving in Cambridgeshire.
THE HIGHEST JUMPS IN THE COUNTRY
While professional skydivers complete jumps at heights of 20,000 to 30,000 feet and more - who remembers Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking jump from the stratosphere? - commercial skydive operators are limited to slightly lower altitudes. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t take part in a truly legendary feat of bravery just because you’re not a daredevil by trade.
You can experience the thrills of leaving the plane at an altitude 13,500 feet, enjoying around 45 seconds of freefall with skydiving centres in Wiltshire. And, if that’s not enough for you, book a skydive in Lancashire or a skydive in Lincolnshire and do the big one - a jump from a height of 15,000 feet. It’ll be you and the elements for a minute or more!
ZERO METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL?
You’ve got to go up in a plane in order to experience the sensation of freefall, right? Wrong! You can do it at ground level. Remember - freefall requires just two things: gravity and air resistance. There’s plenty of gravity down here, and the upward force can be simulated in a wind tunnel.
Indoor skydiving is an incredibly convenient option for thrill seekers who are short on time or funds. There’s far less hanging around waiting for a plane and far lower costs - also due to the lack of a plane. Even two minutes in the wind tunnel is going to give you twice the freefall time you can expect from the highest skydives in the country and so, if you can live with missing out on the views you get when you’re suspended above the Earth, this may well be the option for you.
