At What Height Do Skydivers Jump?

Skydiving is a sport for thrill seekers. The idea of jumping out of an airplane is frightening to many people, but it gives others the thrill of their lives. However, it should not be a reckless thrill. Before anyone goes skydiving, they are given lessons on the ground as to what the procedure is and the parachute is deployed automatically on the first jumps. The height a skydiver can jump at is dependent on his experience.

  1. Static Line Jump

    • The first time a skydiver jumps out of a plane, he has received an on-the-ground education about skydiving and every aspect of the jump. The classroom time before the first jump from accredited schools is a minimum of six hours. When the coursework is completed successfully--students must pass a test before they are allowed to jump--the first jump comes at a height of 3,500 feet. Once you pass the coursework, you are now a Category 1 skydiver. However, the student does not pull his own ripcord. Instead, the activating mechanism for the parachute is attached to a static line at a strong point on the plane. As soon as the skydiver jumps, the parachute is activated immediately.

    Dummy Pull

    • After the completion of the static line jump, the skydiver is now a Category 2 skydiver. As he prepares for the next jump, he must demonstrate that he knows exactly what to do after leaving the plane. The skydiver pulls a handle once he leaves the plane, but the actions are simulated. The parachute will once again be activated by a static line.

    Free Fall Jump

    • Once a jumper has made five static line jumps, he is ready to go to free fall and pull the ripcord himself. He is a Category 3 skydiver. The first jump comes at a height of 4,000 feet and the jumper pulls the cord himself. The first free fall jump takes place the same day or the day after the last static line jump. This assures that the jumper remembers everything he is supposed to upon leaving the plane. The jumper may take two jumps on the first day. On the first jump, he is supposed to pull the cord after three seconds.

    Advancement

    • Once a skydiver has made 10 free fall jumps while pulling his own cord, he advances to Category 4 status. The next jumps take place from heights of 4,500 feet. On these jumps, the skydiver is not required to pull the ripcord until 10 seconds have gone by. They need to check their altimeter as their indicator when to pull the cord.

    Category 5 and Beyond

    • As the jumper gets to Category 5, he continues to leave the plane from greater heights and wait longer periods before pulling the cord. At this level, the jump takes place from at least 5,000 feet and the jumper gets to wait 15 seconds before pulling the cord. At further levels up the scale--Categories 6 through 8--the skydiver learns to do twists, turns and other maneuvers before pulling the cord.