So you want to go Skydiving:

• Tandem Skydive
  
  This is probably the easiest way to get in the air and indulge in the freefall experience! After around only 30 minutes training, you are strapped to an instructor taken to 12000ft and jump out together. You will get around 40 seconds freefall time before the instructor operates the parachute. Taking in one of the best views you will ever get, you steer the parachute down together.
   
  This is a great way to feel the thrill without much training. If you are sure that you only ever want to do one jump, we advise that you do this. We suggest that you get a video of your jump so you can re-live the moment! The only down side is that, it is only the one jump and if you then wanted to take up the sport you would have to do one of the other courses below. Be careful as Skydiving can be very addictive and you are likely to want more!
  
  Typically for this jump the Skydiving club will arrange your first trip to the Drop Zone. If the weather is good enough you will do the jump and have a fab time! However, if the weather conditions are not right then it will be your responsibility to arrange with the centre your next time to visit and try again. Of course we will share lifts where possible and try to co-ordinate your visit with any mini-bus trips.
   
• Static Line Square Parachute (RAPS)
  
  This course is the most popular. There is one day ground school training, introducing the basics of Skydiving and preparing for your first jump. You will learn how to exit the aircraft safely and fly the modern Square parachute. You then return another day, weather depending, to complete the jump. The first jump is from 3500 feet and a Static line attached to the aircraft releases the parachute for you as you fall away. After the first one the jumpmaster critiques you on how well you did it. You are then on the first step of the ladder to becoming a qualified Skydiver! With good critiques you can progress from Static line on to freefall where you learn new skills until you are qualified "Cat 8".
  
  Our advice; it is good if you can only afford to progress at a gradual rate; or if you would like to do one jump for definite but are unsure if you would like to take up the sport, i.e you have the option to continue after the first one without having to do another course. (this author took this one)
  Typically, if there are enough people, the club will arrange a course exclusively for UKC students. We can then travel to the DZ in a minibus. For jumping, the club generally get together to go to the DZ, sharing lifts where possible.
   
• Accelerated Freefall
  
  This is an intensive course to turn you into a qualified Skydiver quickly. Following ground training, your first jump is from around 12000 feet with two instructors holding on to you. From that height you experience freefall immediately but with the reassurance that the instructors are there with you. Straight away you work on the skills required for safe freefall. Again your jumps are critiqued before progression to the next level. As you progress, the instructor contact reduces and you are free to demonstrate your new skills to gain qualification ("Cat 8").
  
  This an excellent way to get qualified quickly if you decide Skydiving is for you! It will involve a fairly large expense during a short period of time but overall, depending on your abilities, may cost you less to get qualified than RAPS. There are only eight basic jumps, plus consolidations to qualify Cat 8.

WARNING!!!! Skydiving is a weather dependent sport, you can only jump if the conditions are within limits! We can't fix the weather, so particularly in the winter, it is important to be at the DZ when the weather is good to take your opportunity to jump while you can!

• TANDEM - must be blue sky, or well broken cloud, and not strong winds.
   
• RAPS (first jump) - must be a cloud base of at least 3500 feet, i.e. not low oppressive dark cloud, and not strong winds.
   
• AFF - must be blue sky, or well broken cloud, and not strong winds.