Skydiving Requirements

Skydiving is truly awesome – it can change your life and we want everyone to experience it. People have been leaping out of flying machines for a long time now, and over the years we have gotten very good at making skydiving accessible to the vast majority of people. There are some general skydiving requirements that we need to follow to do a skydive (or even better – do skydiving) that are based pretty much on just good old common sense. Here is what we have…

Age

The United States Parachute Association (USPA) requires that skydivers be a minimum of 18 years old – which is the minimum skydive age limit for everybody whether they are tandem skydiving, or learning to skydive by themselves. While out in some of the less civilized places around the world this qualifying age can be lower, skydiving is a sport for grown-ups – so kids need to wait until they are big enough. There is no upper age limit though – so providing you want to do it there is nothing stopping you – no matter how many years young you are. The record for the oldest person to complete a tandem skydive is an incredible 103!     

Height and Weight

The is a general skydive weight limit for skydivers, which is 230 pounds. This is as much to do with the efficiency of the aircraft (and clambering in and out of it) as it does with the parachute equipment itself. Skydiving gear is amazingly strong and well made, but for dropzones to operate properly the height and weight limit for skydiving needs to be in place. For example, if you were to start putting heavier people in the aircraft, it might struggle to climb to the designated altitude and burn through too much fuel getting there. If you are a bit over the required 230 pounds, why not let it be motivation to shed a bit of that excess weight? Everyone should try skydiving at some point, and getting trim for it would only add to the sense of achievement.  

Health and Fitness

You don’t have to be a fitness guru to do skydiving, as gravity does the heavy lifting. However, a decent level of healthiness is generally a good idea. Some medical conditions that exclude people from jumping – which are often simply included as part of a general ban on sporting activity by your doctor or other medical professional. For specifics, the best thing to do is always ask them. 

You would likely be surprised at the number of people who believe their personal situation excludes them from skydiving, only to find out that this is not the case. The techniques we use, the modern equipment, and the overall experience level we have mean that we will always do our very best to get you up in the air. Again, if you are unsure or have any questions, then don’t hesitate to give us a call – the best approach is to speak directly with our instructors who will be able to give you the answers you need.    

Drugs and Alcohol

Skydiving is simply one of the most thrilling and fun things there is to do. Leaping from an airplane and freefalling at the earth releases all of those good chemicals in your brain, so you don’t need any others along with you. We have a zero-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol.  

Clothing and Footwear 

Wearing sensible things is required – which means garments and shoes that you can do activity or sport in. We can give you a jumpsuit if need be, but still please wear clothes that are neither restrictive nor have dangly or flappy parts. Correct footwear is particularly important. Shoes that lace up tightly are what you need, as losing one in the sky is not allowed. Velcro is iffy – it may seem tight but the wind will loosen it in no time. If your shoes are sporty – good. If they have big straps of buckles or any open areas – please bring something else

If you have any questions about skydiving requirements, there is more detailed information across the various parts of the website. But, if you are at all unsure about anything please contact us directly and we will help you out. Here at WNY Skydiving, we want everyone to experience the truly exceptional sport of skydiving, and we look forward very much to having you jump with us.  Contact us today!