Skydiving, or parachuting, involves falling from the Earth’s lower atmosphere under the influence of gravity using canopies, or parachutes, to aid the fall. The fun is often in the free-fall phase, which is the time before you deploy the parachute.

The airplane transporting the skydivers leaves a small airport and ascends to a particular height, from where they jump out. After that, they will need to be more cautious with their descent. With the parachute as an anchor, skydivers angle their bodies to prepare for landing in the drop zone.

Drop zones are areas designated for skydivers to land. The drop zone is often located next to the airport in most skydiving sites.

Skydiving is both a sport and a military exercise. Most national special forces require training in parachuting to prepare their soldiers for a wide range of missions.

Some of the essential items you need for skydiving are listed below.

1. Harness system

The harness in your parachuting gear is the structure that attaches you to your parachute apparatus. The canopies are attached to it so the diver can easily access the release for deploying them.

The harness must satisfy some necessary conditions such as:

• Providing the diver with comfort while in the air and on the ground.
• Providing accessibility to the release catch so that the divers can release the parachute easily and quickly.

Harness systems often cost between $1500 and $3500. If you only want to enjoy the spirit for a few days, it is usually best to rent the harness system.

2. Canopies

The canopies refer to the entire parachute rig packed in a container attached to the harness.

There are two canopies packed into every parachute rig, the main canopy and the reserve canopy. The diver starts deploying the parachute by pulling an eighteen-inch pilochute. The pilochute catches the wind and pulls out a bridle, a seven-foot webbed nylon material. The bridle pulls out the main canopy after catching enough of the wind.

When the main canopy doesn’t deploy or doesn’t catch enough wind, the diver can deploy the reserve canopy and cut off the main.

Like the harnesses, the canopies cost between $3500 and $6000 for both main and reserve canopies. Rental prices vary, but they are often between $2000 and $4000.

3. Automatic Activating devices (AADs)

AADs are added to skydiving gear to help the diver deploy their canopies in cases where they can’t. AADs are effective when:

• The diver is unconscious.
• The diver is stuck and can’t reach the release catch.

AADs automatically deploy the canopies once the diver descends to 750 feet. Typical AADs cost about $1100.

The items listed above are the basic gear required for skydiving. However, some other tools could come in handy, especially for beginners. They provide extra safety and could boost the divers’ confidence before the jump. They include:

• Helmets
• Safety goggles to protect the divers’ eyes from dirt in the air or the speed of the rushing wind.
• Altimeter, to measure their depth so that they know what depth they are at and whether they should start deploying canopies or not.
• Cameras for recording the experience and the views.

Skydiving is a fun sport regulated by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. Several individual organizations oversee competition in their respective countries. World championships are held every two years, with indoor and outdoor event categories.