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Week 8 [28.11-04.12] Skydiving - are you up for it ?

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to fly?

Well - to go jumping ad hoc, you can use one of many offers of a tandem jump. Usually it costs about 400 - 500 zł. - you have to sign a few documents (insurance and legal stuff) and go to the nearest Skydive airport on a specified date. Small airports near big cities have Skydiving in their offer (Chrycynno is near Warsaw).

What to expect ?


When you're airborne it will take about 15 minutes to get above 4000m, then you will see red light on in the cabin - that means "open the hatch and get ready" - you will be jumping soon. When green light will show up and the acoustic siren is on, you're ready to go for your first skydive. By now, there is no time to turn back - you can count to three, say who you love the most and go...

The first phase of flight is position correction and 3-4 seconds after that you will see the beauty of the mother nature from the top plus the noise of air going through your helmet at 200km/h. This great euphoric moment lasts for about 50 seconds.

After that you will be at 1500m and the parachute will open. Many people ask - what if my instructor passed out or I could not open my parachute manually. Jumpers are equipped with Automatic Activation Device, commonly known as AAD that usually counts the presser/time difference to know exactly when to open a parachute when something is fails. It takes place at 1250 - 1300m, which is a good barrier for a safe landing. When the parachute opens, you will slow down a lot and have another 7-10 minutes of free falling.

Is it worth it ?

In my whole life I've never seen faces of many people happier and more relaxed then after a good jump (after, usually not during :). If you are stressed or have many problems, believe me - after a while of flying most of them will disappear or be solved.



While watching and reading this, many of you will think right now - "Sorry this is too dangerous, it's completely not for me". I understand you - the more mature we get, the bigger need for comfort and safety we have (or maybe we are just more aware of danger).

If you want to feel like a flying bird, be above the ground for a while without touching it, you have to try Indoor Skydiving. There are many aerodynamic tunnels available - usually 2-3min of constant flight cost about 200 zł. (and 2-3 minutes are sufficient at the beginning).
Flying and wind experience are as great as real Skydive, maybe the view is not so good but everything has a price.

To show you what you can learn after many hours of training and how to break all the rules of flying, there is a video of Maja Kuczyńska who trains a lot at FlySpot (Indoor Aerodynamic tunnel in Warsaw).






1) Have you ever jumped before in the past ?
2) After watching both movies - which one would you dare to try – Indoor, Classic or maybe both ?



Comments

Unknown said…
When I was younger I was always the bravest kid, climbing the highest trees, doing the most dangerous things, even jumbing on head to the pool despite I couldn't jump like this. When I was at the age of 7 and my swimming teacher told me to jump into deep water, although I had have no ability to swim yet, I did it. When my grandfather put me skis and asked me to wait for him so he could learn me how to ski, I decided not to wait and started skiing myself. I was totally not afraid of any activity.
Recently, I've been at Hangar and it's a shame to admit, however I was afraid to jump from the highest ramp. That fact made me a little sad and confused, because this is not the person who I used to be. So now for the first time I learned the hard way how it is to be scared of sth.
I regret not having tried skydiving when I was younger, although I still feel like trying Indoor Aerodynamic tunnel.
Sylwia Pechcin said…
Unfourtunately I have naver tryied sky diving, but with my friends bought a one sky jump coupon to our friend for her birthday. Then I didn't think it was a good idea, bacause she was afraid of almost everything and for sure she won;t try sky jumping and it will be just waste of money. But actually she tryied and was very content of this decision.
Personally I would like to try indoor sky diving. It seems more interesting for me especially that we can do some acrobatics and figures while flying.
Unknown said…
I jumped with a parachute in a tandem jump a few years ago. It was truly amazing. The feeling of acceleration was even stronger than I expected. Exactly, I agree with your statement that after such a jump stop to worry about problems. Adrenaline and various hormones "charge your batteries". I like to try something completely new, once in a while, but for now I do not plan next jump. Once is enough for me. I have great video of my jump. It brings great memories. And it's funny to think that I got off a flying airplane and that when I'm on the ground I have higher count of airplane take offs than landings in my life.
I read your post with a smile on my face because I understand you completely. I made about 150 jumps in my life but when I reached 25 years old I said enough and stopped. I stopped jumping, stopped riding motorcycle after my friend died on it and switched to car few weeks later. As I wrote in the presentation "the more mature we get, the bigger need for comfort and safety we have" and that's completely true. I think you are not afraid but you have less motivation to do crazy stuff and you are just more aware of the risks. Adrenaline rush is a great thing, that personally I love, but sometimes it has really big price which these days I'm not willing to pay.

But hmmm, air tunnel is a must for you - you will fell the rush again :) And maybe you will try tandem jump later - who knows ?

I know few people that started their skydiving journey with tandem jump voucher. It's quite common thing - once you start, you can't stop. If you wish to try indoor sky diving in Warsaw - just go directly to Flyspot. You could also check out Groupon, they're are often there with many promotions.
Good to hear that you've experienced it and have good memories from the jump. If you need something completely new and crazy, maybe this will go to your bucket list (it's on mine already) - have you heard about something called "Zero G flight" ?

As for a take off/landing ratio number - the saying goes - every safe land counts - so it's even :)
Unknown said…
I have never done it before. After watching both video I prefer indoor skydiving. The reason is simple - perceived safety factor. Getting inside of a vertical wind tunnel, which will only propel the person 10-15 feet above the ground, on the other hand, seems much safer by comparison to classic one. From the other hand, I can't compare the view in the tunnel to those let say natural one.
Unknown said…
It looks really amazing. I'm a little bit afraid of heights, but still - sky diving seems really amazing and I want to try it someday. But "real" one, when you have to jump from plane or how those little planes are called. I'm sure it will be breath taking experience :D
Unknown said…
This is one of my dreams, to try once skydiving. Not indoors, classic one! It has to give you a lot of adrenaline and probably it feels amazing...I will try one day I promised myself. :) It is like flying...who wouldn't like to fly? :)
Unknown said…
I have never tried sky diving, but it's definetly one of thing i have to do in my life. The indoor option, doesn't look so exciting, I think it's all about adrenaline, you must feel the height and all that minds like "Will the parachute open?". I hope I'll try it one day.
I was also afraid of heights until I was 15 - friends took me bungee jumping... and I did it - shock therapy worked but as I remember it was very hard to force myself to it. Maybe try indoor first - you will fly up to 6 m, you will see how you will react to that.
You will try one day.. - let's check it out. We will tell your friends what to get you for your next birthday - voucher will be waiting for you :) And yes flying is awesome, especially when you can dive while doing it and go much faster.
Can't compare the view because in the indoor version there's nothing special to see really. The outdoor version is just pure visual ecstasy, indoor version feels great when you see yourself moving up in the tunnel.
I've tried both... and all I can say is that indoor is also very exiting. The adrenaline rush is very high as in outdoor version, especially when you are going up very fast.
Unknown said…
I have never tried outdoor skydiving, nor indoor option. It seems quite nice, but I think for this cost you would find other, adrenaline rushing activities. I always liked martial arts or paintball. On the other hand, I i would be given coupon or something like that on my birthday, I surely would go for it.
Unknown said…
I'm not afraid of heights but I don't dream about jumping with a parachute, unless it would be in the place where they are really amazing views, not farmlands :P I had the opportunity to bungee jumping but it wasn't for me so cool I wanted to do it again. For sure I would like to try levitating in FlySpot, it looks great! Maybe there is no views to watch as in the case of jumping with the parachute but thanks to that we could focus more on the experience of flying. Both are a expensive pleasure, but I hope that I will have an opportunity to try it sometime :)
Unknown said…
To be honest, I'm crazy about it!!!
About 10 years ago, I jumped. Of course, I did it only once and what's more - in tandem, but it was amazing experience.

Since then, I think about it very often. Even I would like to do a course to jump by myself, but there's always "something to do". Sometimes I wonder if I really want it, because of hmm... fear? I have thoughts like "what if I'll die", "what if parachute won't open and even if I survive, I will be cripple" or "maybe it is some kind of playing with fire".

I'm the person who need such feeling. It's my nature. I need to feel adrenaline, speed and wind. That's why I love horse riding. For me, it is a sport that gives me these 3 "things" at the same time.
It sounds as some kind of paradox, because a horse runs with a speed about 30 km/h. It's possible to cycle faster, but there is definietly another feeling.
During gallop you feel speed much more than it is in fact. What's important - it's safer than skydiving, cheaper and you can prolong it for a long time. In case of skydiving it's about 10 minutes.

To sum up, I'm up for skydiving, because it can give me different kind of feelings that I need. I completly understand people who do it and I'm sure one day I do something connected with flying again.

Dajana Kubica said…
I had never occasion to jump, but I think I would have dared. As a child I was very brave, and now, as you mention in your article, I see that I am more aware of the consequences of my actions. My friend was in a FlySpot and says she experienced unforgettable feelings. I would happily try Indoor and Classic jump, because I live by the rule, it's better try and regret than regret not trying :)
kondrat said…
Wow, the videos were awesome! I would like try skydiving- both indoor and outdoor. I hope there will be a chance to jump this summer :)
Michał Pycek said…
I like adrenaline so I have already tried bungee jumping, but I haven't really thought about skydiving, because it is a bit too much out of control. I have heard of indoor skydiving and in my opinion it sounds a lot more fun and safe than the real skydiving. After wathing the video of it, I must say it looks like something you need to try at least once in your life :-)
Piotr Basiński said…
Great I will try it in near future. It's even affortable, I was scared that it's much more expensive like 1000 for a try, but 200 to do it once to try it's not cool but acceptable.
Kacper Zaremba said…
Thank you for sharing those videos. I haven't heard of FlySpot before and now I am really curious to try it. I also would like to try real skydiving, but as some people before said - it would be better to try it in more beautiful scenery than sam farmlands near Warsaw ;)
Unknown said…
Skydiving looks and sounds just amazing. I always wanted to try something like this. After watching such videos, the desire to make some extreme sports is higher and higher.
Thank you for sharing a place like FlySpot, I would like to trying it.
The real skydiving would be perfect in some incredible places like canyons or something like that. Definitely gonna try both of them!
Flyspot is great if you want to start right now - especially there are no outdoor jumps during winter season (wind speed has to be less that 5m/s to do it - and it's better when it's not that cold outside).

And to sum up canyons, the view is OK but there are not so good to land on. You need steady and even ground and it's better when ground is not that hard and rocky - it's very easy to get an ankle injury while landing on hard and tricky surface.
But I can give you one good place with great views from the top - Giżycko - lakes look amazing from the top. SKydiving Formation Championship are there every year.
Paintball ? For 2-3 hours of fun it cost about 150-200zł. So the cost is similar to indoor skydiving. I love every activity that creates adrenaline rush and really tried lot of them but sorry I won't agree. You cannot compare the feeling of flying to anything else. It's as going 250km/h on motorbike + that feeling of beating heart when you're fighting and you are on the edge of being knocked out but somehow you win it and standing at your opponent. That's the connection that cannot be compared and achieved anywhere else + total freedom :)
Course doesn't cost that much and can be made in about half year now. After that just buy insurance and you ready to jump more often (cost per jump are about 50-100zł for the place on a plane on smaller airports). Try indoor before the course it will be easier to set up the correct position while flying on further jumps.
And about horse riding - tried it and it's not for me :) I couldn't walk correctly for few days after my friend learned me how to gallop (she's doing it perfectly - me not so good). It's good that you like it and that you have found your passion.
If you live by that rule, then someone has to dare you to do it :)
Summer is a great season to do it - the 10 minutes of flight when the weather is windy and the sun is hidden above clouds is not that pleasant.
Looks like another "bucket list" add :)
It's really worth the amount of money spent on it.
You're welcome. To be honest scenery is not that important. Everything looks amazing from the top - try scrolling out Google Earth and see for yourself.
It looks really amazing. Skydiving is on the top of my bucket list, and I really hope I’ll do it one day. The indoors version also looks very interesting but I think the outdoor one is more fun. I think that the classic one has to give adrenaline rush not comparable to one when you skydive indoors.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Whatever you will choose you will be satisfied. Indoor skydiving is also giving a lot of adrenaline. Not every day you're moving above the ground :)
I am sure skydiving would be a very exciting experience. I am not afraid of heights but there is always this thought in my mind that something could go wrong like both parachutes - the main one and backup won't work. However I realize that the probability of that happening is very low. I would definitely try indoor skydiving though.
Unknown said…
The same situation with me. I was the bravest kid, loved extreme games and snowboarding. And surprisingly have never got hurt. Until one day I was walking on the high heels in winter and got the triple leg fracture - yes, it sounds funny;) That gave me two surgeries and the great instinct of self-preservation:) So, unfortunately, skydiving is the dream, that will never come true.

But I have tried paragliding - it is so cool. You have enough time to enjoy the beautiful mountain view and feel like a flying bird.

Thank you so much for sharing the video with that amazing girl an for the information about the FlySpot - I need to try it.
Bartosz Łyżwa said…
This sport is amazing. Firstly I thought that I want to try skydiving in normal form because it's real, better feeling but when I've seen video with Maja... I was speechless. She was great and now I just want to try both :)
It would be great experience to try but I don't feel like it is for me, as I need to try it. From extreme sports (or whatever they call them) I do mountain climbing on climbing wall and I recommend it for everybody ;)
KamilG said…
Wow, I have never tried skydiving. 4000 meters is really big height and I suppose that it gives much adrenaline. I would love it! :) Someday I would like to try this sport, especially skydiving outdoor. I have only one question. If it requires any medical examination before jump?
Unknown said…
Skydiving is certainly not for me. I have never tried but I don't think that I ever will. I am a coward and though it would be awesome to admire nature from that point of view, I don't think that I would be able to focus on it and just relax. I don't feel comfortable flying on a plane, so I don't think I would be able to jump out of it ;)
Adam Nowak said…
I've never jumped, but i'm pretty interested to do it. It looks like a fun but terrifying experience. It costs much though, i would do it only when i wouldn't know what to do with my money.
Unknown said…
I'm one of those people that get really scared at the idea of jumping with a parachute, even the prospect of jumping in a tunnel is not great to me.
I believe that parachute jumping can be a great experience and that it's organized in a way that poses as little danger as possible. I heard those jumps can even get you addicted with the endorphin rush you get out of them but I think I'd pass.
Watching both those videos I think the "tunnel dancing" looks incredible, but from what I gather it can be really hard to actually fly in those tunnels, especially at first.

If I was to choose I think I'd pick an actual jump with an instructor. Not being alone would give me the confidence and then I could just concentrate on admiring the view. Aerodynamic tunnels don't seem interesting to me in any way, it doesn't look like sitting there with an instructor is fun, and I would probably just end up bumping into walls if I was left alone.
I actually don't know if I'll ever do it. Sometimes I kind of feel like I want to try it, but then again I'm a bit scared. I'm all for new and exciting experiences though, so I imagine one day, I'll finally get to do it.
I have never jumped before. I have always found that really exciting but till now I didn't give it much of my thoughts. After watching those movies I'm really willing to try. Like they say "You only live once" and you should live your full life. I have to wait until it gets warmer because I don't think that there is even a possibility to jump during winter. I think that would be too dangerous. I can't decide which style I would prefer but I'm interested in both of them. I like adrenaline jumps because they make me feel alive. Thank you for this article. It made me to think about something I would have never thought to do before.

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