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- ⦥ What are your first time jumps called?
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AThey’re known as Tandem Skydives or Tandem Parachute Jumps – because you jump with an instructor who looks after you from start to finish.
See our first time skydiving video here!
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- ⦥ Is there any training involved?
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AYes - but it’s purposefully designed to be short, simple and easy to remember. There's nothing complicated about it – the main safety points being the body positions you’ll need to adopt when leaving the aircraft, whilst in freefall, and the landing. The instructor does everything else for you. A further description of the whole experience can be found here.
Click here to read more about "Is there any training involved?"...
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- ⦥ How safe is skydiving?
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ATandem Skydiving can be done very safely. Our governing body (The British Parachute Association - otherwise known as British Skydiving) collects data from all the centres within the UK and quotes the Tandem Skydive risk of receiving a sprained ankle for example as being less than 1 in 2700. We’ve been operating for over 21 years and pride ourselves on having one of the best safety records in the industry. Safety is always at the top of our agenda. You can also be sure our highly experienced instructors (who each complete around 800 jumps per year) wouldn’t even consider jumping out of the aircraft if they thought there was a high risk they were going to hurt themselves – so rest assured you’re in good hands!
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- ⦥ Is it scary to skydive?
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AYou wouldn’t be human if you weren’t a little bit scared. Tandem skydiving will definitely get the adrenalin flowing. Our advice though is to embrace the fear and enjoy the experience – this after all is why you’re doing it!
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- ⦥ What’s freefall like?
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AUnbelievable and impossible to describe – you just have to do it!
See our our video here!- ⦥ How long is the plane ride up to jump altitude?
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AAbout 15 minutes.
- ⦥ What sort of aircraft is normally used?
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AA “De Havilland Twin Otter” – renowned worldwide as being one of best skydiving aircraft available due to its size, its impressive performance and twin-engine safety.
- ⦥ How long do you freefall for?
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AAbout 30 seconds if jumping from 10,000ft, or about 60 seconds from 15,000ft.
- ⦥ Can you breathe in freefall?
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AYes – just breathe normally.
- ⦥ How fast do you freefall?
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AAbout 125 mph.
- ⦥ What height does the parachute open?
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AAbout 5000ft – about a mile up.
Click here to read more about "What height does the parachute open?"...
- ⦥ How long is the parachute ride?
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AAbout 5 minutes – giving you plenty of time to enjoy the amazing all round views.
- ⦥ What’s the best way to land?
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AHeels first with your feet out in front of you and your toes pointing upwards.
- ⦥ What do I need to wear?
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ATracksuit bottoms, long-sleeve sweatshirt, and trainers are ideal.
- ⦥ Can I wear glasses?
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AYes – goggles are provided to keep them in place.
- ⦥ Do you jump with one or two parachutes?
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AWe always jump with two parachutes, a main parachute and a reserve parachute – both of which are exceptionally reliable and extremely well designed.
Click here to read more about "Do you jump with one or two parachutes?"...
- ⦥ Who packs the parachutes?
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AOur team of highly experienced and qualified packers.
- ⦥ How much do the jumps cost?
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AOur competitive prices can be found here. Please also check out our last minute offers and £20 off charity jumps.
- ⦥ Is insurance included?
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AYes – your fee includes provisional membership of the British Parachute Association and third party insurance for £10,000,000.
- ⦥ Can I get a discount if I jump for charity?
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AAbsolutely! If you raise just £130 or more for any good cause we’ll give you £20 off the cost of your jump – reducing the cost of a Wednesday jump for example to only £169! This is a unique offer and the charity isn't asked to pay any extra towards your jump. See our skydiving for charity page for details.
- ⦥ Do you sell Gift Vouchers?
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AYes – which unlike our competitors never expire and are fully refundable if the recipient decides not to take part. You won't find better terms anywhere. You can also qualify for our normal group discounts if two or more vouchers are purchased at the same time. Please see our gift voucher page for further details.
- ⦥ Where do your jumps take place?
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AAt our privately owned airfield near Chatteris in Cambridgeshire – see our find us page for details. We’re very lucky to be able to say this as there are only two privately owned skydiving sites in the whole of the UK, the other being in the North East of England. The long term security this provides has enabled us to go from strength to strength and develop the airfield over the last 23 years into the vibrant skydiving venue it is today. We’re also ideally positioned just outside the controlled airspace zones and approaches for London Stansted, Luton, Gatwick and Heathrow – meaning we can genuinely get the altitudes we advertise (weather permitting) without any air-traffic control restrictions.
- ⦥ What’s the availability?
- ⦥ What time do I need to arrive and how long do I need to stay for?
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AAs a weather dependent activity (see question below) please always allow a full day. Our airfield planning permission allows us to fly from 9am to 8pm (or dark) on a daily basis and it’s always advisable to arrive early as we operate a first come first served system – as explained in our tandem jump times and orders document. Please try not to be late, as this could affect your chances of jumping. The office doors open at 7.30am on Wednesdays, Weekends and bank holidays, or at 8.30am at other times.
- ⦥ Are there any age, weight or health restrictions?
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AYes, the minimum age for Tandem Skydiving is 16 with parental consent required for those under 18 (see below). There is no upper age limit. For safety reasons, the maximum weight limit for Tandem skydiving is strictly 16 stone (102kg) clothed with shoes. However, it should be noted anyone over 15 stone (95kg) clothed with shoes, will be asked to pay an extra £10 to cover the additional work load for the instructor. Reasonable height to weight ratios and levels of fitness also apply – which please note, again for safety reasons, are a little more stringent for women weighing over 13 stone (83kg). All participants are required to sign BPA Medical Form 115A on arrival. Anyone with a listed medical condition should seek qualified medical advice and certification using BPA form 115B. Anyone under the age of 18 will require BPA Medical Form 115A to be witnessed by a parent or guardian in addition to providing parental consent on a BPA Form 106. Similar rules apply to all centres within the UK.
- ⦥ Are the jumps weather dependent?
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AYes, strict Civil Aviation Authority Safety Regulations only allow us to jump in clear conditions with winds of 20 knots (23mph) or less. The same rules apply to all centres within the UK. You can view a 5 day colour coded weather forecast for our airfield by clicking here – the calmest winds usually occurring at the start and end of each day. Cloud bases can also sometimes affect the altitudes we’re able to jump from – which please note is why our jump prices are for altitudes “up to” the heights quoted. We won’t go however unless we’re as sure as we can be of getting the required altitudes, or close to them.
- ⦥ What happens if the weather prevents my jump from taking place?
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AYou’ll be able to re-book at no extra cost, whenever we have spaces, within a twelve-month period. We’re also unique in offering full refunds to those that try at least eight times over this period but are constantly held back by the weather - which includes occasions where we may advise you not to attend. Further details about this can be found in our tandem jump times and orders document as well as our tandem skydiving terms and contract timeline page. As a rough guide, throughout the year, we jump on average 60% of the 220 days we open and complete about 5000 tandem jumps. On perfect weather days, we jump around 10 tandems per hour and can sometimes have up to 85 tandems booked in per day. Alternatively at any time (including if you still haven't managed to complete your jump once your original contract term has finished), you can transfer to our Residential Course under different terms which, for an additional fixed fee, will allow you to stay with us on-site at the airfield on a continuous basis for as long as it takes to get your jump completed – with the added bonus of a full refund if your jump hasn’t been completed within 3 operational days. It should be noted however that by planning the start of this course around the weather forecast and having you stay on-site the night before ready for an early start, we can more often than not get the jump completed on day one. This is particularly useful for people that are either limited for time or who don’t want to keep travelling to and from the airfield without a guarantee of jumping. The total fixed price is £295 per person – which includes any money already paid to us at the time, and a skydive from up to 10,000ft.
- ⦥ Can I have my jump filmed?
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AYes – you can have a qualified camera person jump with you to photograph or video your jump. Prices range from £99 to £169 depending on your requirements and you’ll be shown examples of what they produce as part of your training. There’s no need to pre-book. For further details please see our Filming page. Alternatively you’re welcome to bring your own cameras and film free of charge from the spectator’s viewing area – which is right next to where the parachutes normally land. We’re not like some other centres who charge their customers for taking additional ground shots.
- ⦥ Can I jump with my own camera?
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AUnfortunately not – for the reasons explained in the final paragraphs of our tandem jump times are orders document. The same rules apply to all centres within the UK.
- ⦥ Will my first jump count towards any formal qualification?
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AYes – it’s the first jump of a training program that can lead to a skydiving licence. As a skydiving centre that believes and encourages progression (rather than just one off jumps) we have a vibrant club membership that you’re welcome to become part of. The age, weight and health requirements for this course are slightly different to tandem skydiving in that the maximum age is 50 and the maximum weight is 14.5 stone (92kg). For over 21 years we have also run an apprenticeship scheme whereby newly qualified skydivers who want to immerse themselves in the sport can live on site free of charge, get paid for the work they do, and increase their jump numbers through a staged training programme that can eventually lead to an instructor rating and a thoroughly rewarding career in the industry. It takes roughly 4 or 5 years of dedication and hard work to obtain an instructor rating and if you’re interested in finding out more please ask to speak to the chief instructor when you attend.
See beyond your tandem skydive video here!
- ⦥ Are spectators allowed?
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AYes – but please do warn them that skydiving can sometimes be an “all day” activity without much for them to do.
- ⦥ Are dogs allowed?
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AYes – but please keep them on a lead and clean up after them.
- ⦥ Is there a cafe on site?
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AYes – which serves food and drink throughout the day.
- ⦥ Is alcohol allowed?
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ANo – so please leave any celebrations to the end of the day or until you’ve left the site.
- ⦥ Is on-site accommodation available?
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AYes – If you’d like to stay on-site the night before your jump, or extend your visit by a day or two to explore the local area (such as the historic cities of Cambridge and Ely or the Imperial War Museum at Duxford) as a participant you’re welcome to bring a tent and camp on the airfield free of charge – most airfields won’t allow you to do this. Toilets, showers and a cafeteria are all available on-site for your convenience. Further details will be sent with your booking confirmation.
15000ft
SKYDIVING FAQ’s
