I'm nervous before my first jump. I hate the drop feeling from rollercoasters.

[Addicks 0]

Hi,

I'm going to try a tandem jump in October, but I'm already getting slightly nervous.
First of all I have to say that I absolutely hate that drop feeling in a rollercoaster, but I've been told that I won't experience that feeling, when skydiving. It's more like floating, I've been told.
Is this true?
I know that the body adapts quickly to the 120mph I'll be falling with.
But how about just when I leave the plane? Won't I experience that dropfeeling for a short time?
I really hope someone can answer my questions as I'm very very excited about my first jump, but also quite nervous and a bit scared.

[i.c 0]

I've never felt the 'drop feeling'....and as far as I know, you only get it if you jump from a stationary object (balloon, helicopter, etc...). Someone tried explaining it to me once, but it kinda went over my head...something to do with the fact that you don't suddenly change speed when you leave the plane, you only change direction (so it's like turning a corner from going forwards through the air, to going downwards).

Maybe.

[darkwing 5]

I think that the large majority of people do not experience the "drop" feeling you are worried about. Worrying a lot about it would pretty much guarantee that you will experience it though. Make the jump, be happy.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[ccowden 0]

You won't experience much, if any, of that feeling. The feeling comes from acceleration from a stopped or slow speed combined with negative G's (falling). When you leave an airplane, your body is already travelling at the speed of the airplane when you leave and only accelerates from there. Say, 90mph to 120mph, and you accelerate over a longer period of time than something like a rollercoaster which is sudden. The direction change is much less also because your body initially travels along the same direction that the plane was going, so there is very little effect of negative G's.

[Addicks 0]

Thanks mate!
That's what I needed to hear!

[lisamariewillbe 1]

why wait till october??? Get in the air...

Sudsy Fist: i don't think i'd ever say this
Sudsy Fist: but you're looking damn sudsydoable in this

[Addicks 0]

Because I turn 30 on Saturday the 8th of October.
I hate the idea of leaving the 20s, but if I absolutely have to, then it has to be done with style
I'm also doing it for charity.

[upndownshop 0]

Quote

Because I turn 30 on Saturday the 8th of October.
I hate the idea of leaving the 20s, but if I absolutely have to, then it has to be done with style
I'm also doing it for charity.

On my bday 10-01 i was 29 for 6 years...

[goose491 0]

The force of gravity on your body acts the same way coming out an airplane as it would jumping off a cliff. That is to say it wants to accelerate you at 9.81m/s/s or 32.2 ft/s/s. As mentioned, the difference is in the horizontal speed already achieved by the plane you are traveling in before exit. In the absence of air... or the friction created by it, you would absolutely still have that "heart skips a beat" feeling but because of your forward exit speed, the air rushing below you at the same speed but opposite direction is already in it's relative sense "supporting" you against gravity's relative desire to "drop" you.

Upon leaving the aircraft, skydivers call the arched trajectory their bodies follow "The Hill".

...pretty cool stuff huh? Now get out there and JUMP!

Nick

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[HydroGuy 0]

Jumping from a plane is like stepping off a chair, gravity is acting on your body equally and as a whole.
From a purely physical standpoint, the plane ride up is way more likely to jar your stomach than the jump itself.

Get in - Get off - Get away....repeat as neccessary

[lisamariewillbe 1]

And dont ride the plane down, it is much more scarey then the skydive itself, I learned first hand

Sudsy Fist: i don't think i'd ever say this
Sudsy Fist: but you're looking damn sudsydoable in this

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

Because I turn 30 on Saturday the 8th of October.
I hate the idea of leaving the 20s, but if I absolutely have to, then it has to be done with style
I'm also doing it for charity.

Go do an AFF style jump for your birthday. Go tandem this weekend. Why be nervous about it for the next 4 months?

[Addicks 0]

Yep, that could be fun to do an AFF jump, but I haven't got the money/time to do it

[Jeth 0]

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Yep, that could be fun to do an AFF jump, but I haven't got the money/time to do it

Thats what I said a year ago -- then I spent 6 months and $5000+ on AFP and gear.

Wait till you get into the sky -- you might not have a choice. After my tandem I was completely hooked and I found a way to make time and pay for it.

Go do the tandem! It'll be a blast!! And then you can decide what to do for your birthday.

"At 13,000 feet nothing else matters."
PFRX!!!!!
Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109
My Jump Site

[Addicks 0]

Trust me, mate!
I would love to do the tandem now and then the AFP jump for my birthday, but I don't think my girlfriend would be too impressed if I spend so much money on it, as we're saving up to buy a house.
And house prices are VERY high in London.

[IanHarrop 41]

So you really don't have a problem - once you start skydiving you won't be able to afford maintenance on the house so no point in buying one.
The g/f won't like skydiving because it means time way from her and who wants to date a whuffo anyways.... Your only hope to keep the g/f is to get her into skydiving and then both of you will be happy - but broke!

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[riggerrob 643]

On my bday 10-01 i was 29 for 6 years...

[riggerrob 643]

What's even more fun is exiting a fast airplane (i.e. C-130 doing 130 knots on jumprun). When you exit the airplane and the high speed air (faster than normal freefall) hits you, you decelerate!
Note: C-130s are far too big and far to expensive to be used on a regular basis at civilian dropzones.

Most civilian jump planes fly 80 or 90 knots on jump run, a bit slower than regular freefall.

[kimemerson 7]

the 'drop' feeling you get on rollercoasters is the drop feeling you get on rollercoasters. We don't really get it in skydiving. With skydiving what you're feeling is actually the cash leaving your account in a sudden vacuum. Not the same, I know, but it is a drop neverthless.

[hexadecimal 0]

I used to hate that feeling too....

Until I started skydiving

[RippedCord 0]

Quote

So you really don't have a problem - once you start skydiving you won't be able to afford maintenance on the house so no point in buying one.
The g/f won't like skydiving because it means time way from her and who wants to date a whuffo anyways.... Your only hope is to marry the girlfriend, make sure the life insurance is paid up, have someone bump her off, collect the money and then go skydiving.

Now, why didn't I think of that?!?

AMDG

[FrEaK_aCcIdEnT 0]

we were dropping??? hmmm i really though i was floating and it was windy out that day. I didnt have that feeling. have fun! remember to breath. that was my main problem! u lnow how a baby is when u blow in its face? they loose the ability to take a breath. thats all i had a problem with. i think i took about 3 breaths during free fall. but i know ill get used to that! nothing to worry about though!

ExPeCt ThE uNeXpEcTeD!
DoNt MiNd ThE tYpOs, Im LaZy On CoRrEcTiOnS!

[tbrown 26]

To tell you the truth, you'll feel more like you're being blown away on the wind. Most first jumpers are surprised at how windy it is in the door, from the forward speed of the plane. When you go, instead of feeling like you're falling, you'll feel like the wind just blew you off the doorstep. It's pretty cool. And if you stick around and decide to become a skydiver, you'll even learn how to fly on that wind when you leave. Which is even cooler.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !