How High Is A Tandem Skydive Jump?

July 27, 2017

How High Will I Skydive From? 

Skydiving altitude is at the core of what makes your first skydive experience awesome. When choosing a location to make your first tandem skydive, one of the most important questions to ask is, "What altitude will I skydive from?" Skydiving businesses take tandem skydivers from different altitudes depending on a few reasons:

Factors That Affect Your Altitude For Skydiving

  • Type of airplane being operated
  • Current cloud conditions

Skydiver flying a parachute tandem skydive

Skydiving businesses might all charge the same price, but if your free fall is 30 seconds at one company and 60 seconds at another location, your best bang for your buck will be at a location that exits from a higher altitude. It's important to ask at what altitude do skydivers jump from. Know how to compare pricing for tandem skydiving in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. 

So, What's The Big Deal About Tandem Skydiving Altitude?

One word: FREEFALL

A skydive consists of 3 parts: airplane ride, freefall and parachute descent. What's the best part? The freefall! After landing from a first time skydive, customers will tell you that the freefall was their favorite part of the whole experience. Skydiving from the highest altitude delivers the longest freefall. Freefall is an intense feeling that can not fully be described to someone who has not done it before. It can be described more like floating than falling, or like standing on a motorcycle going 120 mph down the road! It's loud, it's windy and it's really fun!

Flying a tandem parachute after skydive

In the New England area a typical skydiving altitude is 10,000 ft. This is an average skydiving altitude. If you want to experience the highest skydiving jump height you will need to find a location that exits at 14,000 ft.

14,000 ft tandem skydives:

  • 60 second freefall

10,000 ft tandem skydives:

  • 30 second freefall

Airplane Types:

The type of airplane that is used for skydiving will determine how high skydivers jump from. An airplane with a smaller engine is not going to go as high as an airplane with a large engine. 

Small Cessna Aircraft:

  • Jump from 10,000 ft
  • Hold total of 4 passengers (2 tandem pairs per plane)

Large Turbine Aircraft:

  • Jump from 14,000 ft
  • Hold anywhere from 12-24 passengers (3-6 tandem pairs per plane)

FAA Cloud Clearance Requirements:

If a skydiving center operates a Large Turbine Aircraft then it has the capabilities of going up to 14,000 ft. However, the FAA has safety regulations regarding clouds that can determine the altitude that a tandem skydive is made from.

Above 10,000 ft a skydiver must have:

  • 5 miles of visibility
  • Distance from clouds - 1000 ft above, 1000 ft below and 1 statute mile horizontal

Skydiving exits 

Cloud Clearance Requirements are made to help keep skydivers safe. Clouds are not the puffy, Care Bear like playgrounds we dream of as children. Instead, clouds can limit your vision and you can become blind while flying inside of one. Hidden dangers such as other aircraft and other skydivers can be lurking in the clouds and without proper visibility they may not be detected. 

To increase safety and meet FAA requirements it can sometimes be a better option to exit at an altitude that is below the cloud layers. The normal skydiving altitude can be lowered to increase visibility and reduce collision possibilities. 

How High Do You Skydive From At Skydive Danielson?

Sunset skydives from 14000 ft

Skydive Danielson:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

To learn more what steps it takes to skydive with us at Skydive Danielson read our Step By Step guide. Our skydiving facility caters to residents of Hartford, CT, Boston, MA and Providence, RI.

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