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FAQ

Most, if not all these questions are answered in the JumpMAD summary, but to save you some time for a quick question, they are laid out below.

If your question isn’t answered here and you think if should be, please contact us.

How does it all work?
How is a project different from a charity?
Can anyone jump?
How much do I pay?
What do I need to bring?
Where can I jump?
How will I get to the dropzone?
When can I jump?
I wear glasses or contact lenses, can I jump in them?
My friends are worried about the safety, what can I say?
What if the weather stops me from jumping?
Can I bring spectators?
Can I do a solo jump?
I want to jump for a Charity not on your list, what do I do?
Is there any insurance for skydiving?
Who/When do I pay?
How long does the dive last?
I heard it’s hard to breathe when you’re falling?
I had a great time, how and who do I thank?

How does it all work?

In simplest terms, you get sponsored to skydive, and you use part of that sponsorship to pay for your dive, so it’s free for you personally. You can book online here. All the information you need is provided, and you can always contact us if you get stuck.

How is a ‘project’ different from a ‘charity’?

A project is simply a group of people maybe from a university, or just some dedicated people who aren’t a charity in themselves. They want to raise money for a charity or group of charities and are happy to try and recruit people to jump. Click here for more info on what is a project.

Can anyone jump?

Yes, so long as you are over 16 years old and under 15 stone. We can even cater for disabilities, just contact us! We want this opportunity to be open to everyone who wants it. Feel free to ask around friends and family to see if they want to jump at the same time as you, it makes for a really fun day out!

How much do I pay?

The charity that you are supporting decides the minimum level of sponsorship it wants (this will be in the personalized information pack you downloaded when signing up). You need to have been pledged at least this amount to be able to jump. Some of this money is used to pay for your dive so as long as you raise more than the minimum your jump costs you nothing. That doesn’t mean to say you can’t pay for the jump yourself if you want to!

What do I need to bring?

Different dropzone locations have different facilities but ultimately you cant go wrong with bringing: trainers of fairly solid lace up shoes to jump in, comfortable clothing, all your paperwork, packed lunch if you want it. We would also obviously suggest you bring any friends and family, and of course, a camera to remember your day of glory!

Where can I jump?

There are dropzones all over the country; we’ll find one that suits you. For a breakdown you can go to our skydive locations page. Sometimes the charities prefer that everyone try and jump at one place on a particular date, if this is the case it will be in your personalized information pack. Obviously if you can’t get to that location we’ll find one that better suits you.

How will I get to the dropzone?

Unfortunately we are unable to provide transport to and from the sites so you will have to make your own way although sometimes a charity has its own transport. If this is the case you will find out in your personalized information pack. If you get stuck we will do our best to link you up with another jumper or help you in any way we can. Just contact us if you have any problems.

When can I jump?

Anytime that suits you best! We provide you with some options when we have people jumping already but if none of these days work then pick your own! Sometimes a charity requests everyone dives at the same time so they can get more of a group (you’ll have been told in your personalised information pack). If not, simply choose a date and we’ll try and book it up. Remember that you want the maximum amount of sponsor money you can get so book accordingly! The dropzones close over the winter due to the weather.

I wear glasses or contact lenses, can I jump in them?

Of course you can, the dropzone will provide goggles so you can see while you’re jumping. We’ve never had a problem before with glasses or contact lenses.

My friends are worried about the safety, what can I say?

All the dropzones we book with are covered, inspected and supported by the British Parachute Association (BPA). They guarantee that safeguards are maintained and in place. When you actually jump, not only will you have an experienced instructor in control but also a reserve parachute, and a CYPRES machine which will automatically open your reserve if it hasn’t been by a certain altitude. This means there are three separate and just about infallible safeguards in place. As for the landing, you’ll be taught what to do on the day, just keep those legs up! There have been no serious injuries with any Tandem Skydives on any of the dropzones we use.

What if the weather stops me from jumping?

Unfortunately we can’t control the weather, but we can easily re-arrange your jump to a date of your choice at no further cost. If there is complete cloud cover or if the winds are too high you can’t jump; any other weather is good jumping weather!

Can I bring spectators?

Most definitely, we welcome as many spectators as you can find! Generally it makes for a better day all round. Let your family and friends enjoy your day of glory!

Can I do a solo jump?

Yes, if you want to spread your wings just that little bit further then we can arrange for you to train and then do a solo ‘static line’ jump. That means that your parachute opens automatically when you jump out from about 4,000-6,000 feet. You then control the chute and land yourself. You will be in radio contact at all points. Training generally takes the whole weekend rather than just a day but we can make some arrangements if you want to try it. Just get in contact.

I want to jump for a Charity not on your list, what do I do?

Click here to suggest a charity. We can then check if the charity is happy for you to dive with them. Unfortunately not all charities are necessarily happy to have support raised for them through skydiving. This is usually due to the inherent risks that, despite every possible precaution being taken, are still a part of the experience. However, if they are happy then we’ll help you through the full sign up process and get you jumping!

Is there any insurance for skydiving?

Of course, you can buy insurance for the day from any good insurer, you will automatically get third party insurance as soon as you reach the dropzone but obviously if you want more then it’s completely up to you! We would like to stress the safety precautions which are in place but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. If you are looking for insurance we’d like to recommend Extreme+. You can contact them on 08456 760700 or via www.extremeplus.co.uk, simply state JumpMAD as where you heard about them.

Who/When do I pay?

This depends on the particular charity which you are jumping for. We leave it to the charities we support what methods they want to use to make the service we offer more personalised and helpful. The normal situation (unless you’ve been told otherwise in your personalised information pack) is to pay a deposit of £60 (part of the sign-up process) this means we can book you on the day you want. A further £180 needs to be paid to the dropzone on the day of your dive. The sponsor money must be collected in within 4 weeks and paid to JumpMAD.

How long does the dive last?

Well, depending on the height you jump from you’ll get between 45 and 60 seconds of freefall, you’ll reach about 120 mph until the main parachute is opened. You’ll then float under canopy for 5-7 minutes depending on your weight. The instructor will guide and land you both so don’t worry about that. It will be the best few minutes of your life and well worth doing!

I heard it’s hard to breathe when you’re falling?

Not at all, it’s actually surprisingly easy to just breathe normally. You’ll be having so much fun you won’t even think about it, if you’re getting a video of the day then watch your mouth make funny shapes!

I had a great time, how and who do I thank?

Well, we think you should thank yourself for being brave and going for it, if you loved it so much, get friends and family to do it too! If you want to pass on thanks to anyone at all then just contact us and we’ll be more than happy to pass them on! We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for jumping with JumpMAD!