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SKYDIVING
/ PARACHUTING FAQ's |
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How
Do I Learn To Skydive?
Jump
out of a perfectly flow airplane? It is really
a lot of fun. This page describes how to go
about making your first jump from a perfectly
good airplane. Decide on the training method.
There is more than one way to make your first
jump. You can make a Tandem jump, Solo Static
Line (S/L) or Instructor Assisted Deployment
(IAD) and Accelerated Freefall (AFF) jump. Each
method has its own costs and particulars. Some
involve a First Jump Course (FJC) which is about
4 hours long; others involve only a 30-60 minute
briefing. Some involve freefall on the first
jump, others do not. And some involve a solo
canopy descent where you alone fly the parachute
to the ground with ground-to-air radio assistance.
Find some friends to go with you. It'll be more
fun to go with a group. Set a date. You know
how it goes... If you set a date in advance
you'll be more likely to follow through and
make your first jump. Plan ahead. And let Ballzaction
know you're coming. Go! You will have so much
fun! [top]
About
the course?
The
syllabus is approved by the Department of Civil
Aviation(DCA). The course covers all subjects
necessary to successfully complete your first
jump. Our ultimate aim is to give you a sound
background and knowledge level to allow you
to continue and complete the full training program
and become a thoroughly qualified parachutist.
You will be taught in a very friendly environment
with a little good sense of humor. [top]
Are
the instructor qualified?
The
Instructors and Jumpmasters are all qualified
and certified by the Department of Civil Aviation
Malaysia, who is the governing body for the
sport. Each of them has accumulated more than
thousand of jumps and have been in the sport
for more than 20 years! [top]
What
is skydiving?
Skydiving is a descent made from an aeroplane
from a jumpable altitude. Before boarding the
aircraft, skydivers first have to inspect the
equipment that they are going to use to ensure
safety. They must have 2 parachutes in one container
(bag). The first one is the main parachute and
the other one is used for emergency purposes
called the rescue parachute. The jump master
will plan the load of the jump (sortie planning)
where the skydivers are suppose to follow. While
on the ground, they then practice the exit they're
going to do while on the air.
The jumpers will board the aircraft until jump
height in between 4,000 to 10,000 (depending
on the discipline of courses you undergo). The
jumpmaster will spot the DZ during a jump run.
Once given the command, they then step out of
the aircraft and execute the exit using their
planned maneuvers. They then fall at approximately
120 to 150 mph (for a freefall). Once they're
flying at about 4,900 ft., the group then separate
from one another and deploy their canopy. As
for SL or IAD, the moment you left the aircraft,
the parachute will open immediately/automatically.
As it opens, air enters inside it and it takes
the shape of a canopy. All it takes is about
3 to 5 seconds. The jumpers then controls the
parachute's by using the toggles to the landing
area.
Pulling one toggle will fly you to the left
or right. Upon reaching the ground pilled both
toggles to slow the rate of descent and forwards
speed of the jumper simultaneously. When the
skydiver is about to land, he flares the parachute
to achieve good forward speed and pull both
toggles upon landing or roll themselves in a
forward manner to avoid further injury. You
will be surprise that you can perform stand
up landing even on your first jump!
[top]
Is
It Safe?
Ahhh...
a much better question.
All of the equipment used at Sky Diving Centre
is serviced and maintained by certified riggers
of the highest ratings. The parachutes are packed
by professionals, the reserves packed and repacked
even if unused (it's not only a good idea, it's
the law). Although an inherently dangerous sport,
just as driving a car is an inherently dangerous
activity (you did know that, right?), we take
every precaution to assure your safety while
on our drop zone. Do you drive with bad brakes
and bald tires? So, the short answer is that
the sport of skydiving has been made as safe
as possible. And at Sky Diving Centre, there
take every precaution possible before, during,
and after your skydive. [top]
What
does the training consist of?
Ballzaction
provides the student with local Sky Diving School
for every thing you need to know to safely make
their first jump. There are several different
programs available for first jumpers; the one
you choose will depend on your personal preferences
and circumstances. The differences of each are
summarized as below
Static Line (SL) or Instructor Assisted Deployment
(IAD)
This
method has evolved over the last ~30 years from
its military origins into a successful method
for training sport parachutists. The student
gets 4-5 hours of ground training and is then
taken to an altitude of about 3,000 feet for
the jump. The jump itself consists of a simple
"poised" exit from the strut of a
small single engine Cessna aircraft. As the
student falls away from the plane, the main
canopy is deployed by a "static line"
attached to the aircraft. The student will experience
about two to three seconds of falling as the
parachute opens.
Accelerated
Free Fall (AFF)
The
AFF program was instituted in 1982 as an "accelerated"
learning process as compared to the traditional
static line progression. The AFF program will
give you a true taste of modern sport skydiving
from level 1 to level 9 over a period of 3 days
(minimum).
The ground training is a bit more extensive
than S/L (~5 hours) because the student will
be doing a 45 second freefall (that's right!)
on his/her very first jump. The student will
exit the aircraft at 8,000-10,000 feet along
with two AFF Jumpmasters (JM) who will assist
the student during freefall. The jumpmasters
maintain grips on the student from the moment
they leave the aircraft until opening, assisting
the student as necessary to fall stable, perform
practice ripcord pulls, monitor altitude, etc.
The student then pulls his/her own ripcord at
about 4000 ft.
Tandem
Jumps
Tandem
jumps are meant to offer an introduction to
the sport. They allow the neophyte to "take
a ride" with an experienced jumper. A tandem
jump requires from 15 to 45 minutes of ground
preparation and you will take to an altitude
of 10,000 feet AGL for the thrill of your life
(it is not a First Jump Course). It consists
of an experienced jumper called a "tandem
master" and the passenger.
The passenger wears a harness and the Tandem
Master wears the parachutes. The passenger's
harness is attaches to the front of the master's
harness and the two of them freefall together
for 30 seconds, open together, and land together
under one Really_BIG_Parachute. Tandem jumping
provides an obvious advantage for the adventurous
spirit who cannot adequately meet the physical
or proficiency requirements for the S/L or AFF
jumps. By relying on Tandem Master's skills,
they will still be able to experience the thrill
of skydiving.
Because the tandem training is not a First Jump
Course, if you decide to pursue the sport, you
will still have to attend minimum of 5 Tandem
Jumps before you qualify for a Solo Free Fall
jump.Tandem Jump needs to be booked in advance
of 2 weeks and minimum of 5 Tandem students
required to commence the jump.
If you and your group of friend are interested
in Tandem Jump. Please call and book your jump
and pay deposit in advance with us.
[top]
Trainning
Methods
In
all of these training methods, students are
taught normal and emergency procedures for all
aspects of the jump like:
> Introduction to Parachute
> Flight drills
> Emergency drills
> Exit, canopy control, soft landing and
etc.
They are also shown video and equipment and
go over it so that they understand how it works.
Nearly all student training centers now utilize
sport skydiving gear. No more military surplus
stuff. Students have lightweight harness/container
systems in aesthetic colors, high performance
canopies designed for students. No more paraboots
-- students use their own sport shoes. No more
heavy motorcycle helmets -- students use lightweight
sport helmets.. Ground-to-air radio for canopy
control assistance, on and on... [top]
What
are the physical requirements?
In
general, the prospective student should be in
reasonably good physical shape, this is a sport
after all. You are required to wear a 35 lbs/290
sq.ft. parachute in size and is made specifically
for students. The rate of descent is very slow
and it is suitable for jumpers below 190 lbs.
But seriously, problems may arise where a prospect
is too heavy (over ~250lbs/ 110kg, see below)
or if they have medical conditions, which may
impair them during the activity. Someone who
experiences fainting spells, blackouts, or has
a weak heart should not be jumping. Someone
with respiratory illness may have a problem
due to atmospheric changes at altitude. The
better your physical condition, the more you
will enjoy the experience. This being said,
very few people have medical or physical conditions,
which actually preclude jumping. You will however,
be required to sign a declaration of good health.
Most Drop Zones will try to work with you. If
you have a question, ask them, and as always,
ask your doctor. You may be surprised at the
relatively few physical constraints involved.
Concerning weight restrictions, there are two
primary concerns. First, does the drop zone
have a parachute system, which you can both
legally use and safely land? Second, if you
are going to be at the top-end of the safe weight
range for a particular parachute, are you in
relatively good shape? An imperfect landing
will be much less likely to injure an athletic
person. If this is unclear, consider the difference
between a 5'10" linebacker who weighs 240lbs,
and a 5'10" channel surfer of the same
weight. If the former has a bad landing, he'll
probably brush himself off and get up. The latter
may very well injure himself substantially,
lacking both the strength to withstand landing
and coordination to do a good Parachute Landing
Fall(PLF). [top]
What
are the age requirements?
Most Drop Zones will require you to be 18 years
of age to do skydive. Some Drop Zones in some
states will allow 16 year olds to jump with
parental consent. So, if you are under 16, you
will just have to wait; take up some odd jobs,
and start saving your money. Start early, so
that we can groom you to become Champion.
On the other side, there is no maximum age.
Our eldest jumper is a 59 year old man.
Solo Jump - 18 years minimum.
Tandem Jump - 12 years minimum. (depending on
body posture)
Less than 18 years - Written parent's or guardian's
consent required.
Maximum Weight - 210 lbs and proportional to
height, age and sex.
Over 50 years - Previous injuries, current or
previous medical conditions must be notified
to the Course/Chief Instructor or Tandem Master
prior to commencing a training course.
Previous injuries and previous or current medical
conditions must be notified to the Course Instructor
or JumpMaster prior to commencing a training
course. [top]
What
if my parachute doesn't open?
Clearly,
this is the most Frequently-Asked-Question posed
by all prospective jumpers.
By law (FAA regulations), all intentional parachute
jumps must be made with a single harness, dual
parachute system with both a main canopy AND
a reserve canopy. In other words, you have a
second (or spare) canopy in case the first one
fails to open properly. Instructor will teach
you the drills over and over again even on your
10 jumps with us. [top]
However, it must be noted that the technology
utilized in today's sport parachuting equipment
is light years ahead of the old military surplus
gear used in the '60s and '70s. The canopies
are drastically different from the classic G.I.
Joe round parachutes. The materials are stronger,
lighter and last longer, the packing procedures
are simpler, the deployment sequence is much
more refined, soft opening and on heading. [top]
The reserve canopies are even more carefully
designed and packed. The reserve parachute must
be inspected and repacked every 120 days by
an DCA rated parachute Rigger - even if it has
not been used during that time. [top]
Are
the equipment reliable?
The whole parachute system
that you will be using are specially made for
students and is maneuverable and very reliable.
Parachutes are packed by qualified jumpers and
the reserve by qualified riggers. When they
jump, each student will have a walkie-talkie
on them and an experience parachutist will act
as the Target Control Officer who will assist
and direct you down for a landing on the prepared
landing area. [top]
There are also additional safety features employed
to ensure canopy deployment such as Automatic
Activation Devices (AAD) and Reserve Static
Lines (RSL) which add still more layers of safety.
[top]
How
fast do I fall?
When
you leave the aircraft, you are moving horizontally
at the same speed as the aircraft, typically
90-110MPH. During the first 10 seconds, a skydiver
accelerates up to about 115-130MPH straight
down. (A tandem pair uses a drouge chute to
keep them from falling much faster than this).
It is possible to change your body position
to vary your rate of fall. In a standard face-to-earth
position, you can change your fall rate up or
down a few (10-20) miles per hour. However,
by diving or "standing up" in freefall,
any experienced skydiver can learn to reach
speeds of over 160-180MPH. Speeds of over 200MPH
require significant practice to achieve. The
record freefall speed, done without any special
equipment, is 321MPH. Obviously, it is desirable
to slow back down to 110MPH before parachute
opening. [top]
Once under parachute, decent rates of 1000ft./min.
are typical. A lighter student with a bigger
canopy may come down much more slowly, and,
obviously, a heavier person may have a somewhat
faster decent. Experienced jumper's can descend
(in normal glide) at up to 1500ft./min. During
radical turns, the decent rate can go well over
2000ft./min. [top]
How
hard is the landing?
The
canopies used today bear little resemblance
to the classic round canopies of years gone
by. Today, nearly all jumpers and jump schools
use "square" canopies for parachuting.
These canopies are actually rectangular in shape,
and when open, act like an airplane wing (or
an airfoil). They are more like gliders than
umbrellas.
The aerodynamics of the square canopy provides
it with exceptional maneuverability, allowing
the jumpers to land almost anywhere they wish.
This wing shape also provides tippy-toe soft
landings for even the novice jumper. The days
of landing like a sack of flour are history.
Most students land standing up on their first
jump. As a precaution, instructor will show
you Parachute Landing Fall (PLF) and drills
on landing on tree and water. [top]
I
wear spectacles / contact lenses. Will this
be a problem?
No problem. Goggles to
fit over spectacles will be provided, and these
will securely retain your spectacles in place.
Goggles will also protect contact lenses and
prevent them from being displaced. [top]
What
if the weather is bad on the day of my jump?
All
aviation activity is dependant on suitable weather
conditions. Parachuting is no exception. Weather
is difficult to predict, especially more than
24 hours in advance. The normal procedure would
be to phone the evening before or on the morning
your booked to jump to check the local weather.
If necessary, we would reschedule your jump.
[top]
What
types of jump mostly recommend for first time
jump?
Mostly
we recommend Static Line(SL) or Instructor Assisted
Deployment (IAD) jump as a first time jump.
In all we believe that static jump lets you
see what parachuting/skydiving is all about
so that you can decide if you would like to
carry on in the sport and if so you can go ahead
with Freefall/Skydiving. [top]
How
long does it take me to progress to freefall?
There
is no definite timeframe as qualification will
depend on the performance of the jumper during
his static jumps. The jump instructor will observe
whether the jumpers are able to execute a good
stable exit during the jump. Obviously we are
targeting a minimum of 5 SL or IAD jumps as
a guideline before you could advance further.
We had experience a parachutist completing his
17 jumps before deciding to advance to progression
freefall/skydiving. Normally a student would
be able to do his first freefall on his sixth
jumps! [top]
What
do I get upon completing the course?
You
will be given a certificate upon graduating.
If you intend to continue jumping, you are required
to obtain a Parachuting License issued by the
Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia. This
license which is one time payment and renewable
every two years with a standard price and is
recognised internationally. The license is catogorised
into five classes - from a student license to
a 'D' license. (To
know more on skydiving licensing)
[top]
Do
I have to buy my own gear?
The
equipment is very expensive, in the range of
about RM7,000 to RM20,000+. Our advice is, for
your first few jumps, it is better for you to
rent it from us. Once you are hooked to the
sport than you can decide to buy one for yourself.
We supply all parachuting equipment. Wear casual
clothes and sport shoe or runner boots. Boots
with lacing hook are NOT suitable. [top]
Where
will the class be held?
The ground training will
be held at Ballzaction, which located at Lot
61-2, Jalan Maarof, Bangsar (opposite Dataran
Maybank building at Jalan Bangsar). [top]
Where
will the jump be held?
The training jump will
be done at 2 location:
(1.) Segamat DZ, Johor and (2.) Bidor DZ, Perak.
It is located about 140km up North and takes
about 1 hour 15 minutes to get there. From KL
use the EXIT 115 BIDOR and head toward Bidor
Town. After the traffic light turn to the right
and proceeds your journey toward Tapah. Immediately
after Bidor Town you will notice a sign posting
that read BIDOR DZ on the left. Turn to the
right and about 50m from the junction you will
find a big huge drop zone await you. Students
will be brief how to get there upon completion
of your theory classes. The class will commence
depend on approval location by authority.
[top]
How
long is the course?
It
is a two(2) days course. Day one (Saturday)
will be the ground training. Classes will either
start at 9:00am till 1:00pm or from 2:00pm and
end at about 6:00pm. Early the next morning
we will drive to the Drop Zone to do your jumps.
Jumping normally takes the whole day. [top]
How
often does the jump?
Basically
we jump at least twice a month, which is 1st
& 3rd weekend of every month and if the
respond is good, every weekend. However, the
jump will be based on weather condition, flight
available and permit approval by authority.
[top]
How
do I enrol?
Simply
walk-in to our office at Ballzaction or contact
us at 03 2284-8928 to enquire for the course.
You may also email us your enrolment confirmation
to enquires when the next courses are held and
the number of students/friends is participating.
If you have a group and the number is sufficient
to run a course, you can fix your convenient
date and we will try to accommodate your request.
The class require minimum of 6 students and
above to start the course. [top] |
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Risk
Awareness and Acceptance |
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Warning!
Sport parachuting is a high risk
adventure sport. There is a risk
of serious injury or death with
each and every parachute jump.
Despite rigorous training and
adherence to safety standards,
no guarantees as to a participant's
safety can be given. Do not take
part in skydiving or sport parachuting
if you do not understand and accept
the risks. All parachuting activities
are at the participant's risk.
There is no insurance cover for
personal injury at this moment.
However, we do our best to make
sure all steps and undertaken
and participant aware of the risk
and avoid it to be happens. Please
follow 100% of all instruction
provides by your jumpmaster or
instructor.
For Extreme
Sports Insurance: You may get
it from World Nomad by click
HERE
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