(photo courtesy: Andreas Jankowsky)

The last words you hear the Jumpmaster scream at you are “In the door!” Then you’re suddenly out and away from the aircraft, thousands of feet above the earth, wind rushing past your body as everything seems to slow down to a complete halt. This is parachuting–before you yank the chord. But you don’t know anything at all about how to jump out of an airplane, let alone pack a chute properly and get up to altitude, right? The good news is, you don’t have to. For a fee, you can get the breathtaking thrills of parachuting and let an expert do all the work for you. Intrigued? Read more after the jump to learn how YOU can be the one in that adrenaline-cranked free-fall with under an hour of training and some expert assistance in the air.

It’s called the “tandem jump”. For roughly $200 (more for photos and videos) you can experience a proper skydive complete with free-fall. Tandem skydiving means you are harnessed to an instructor who is responsible for getting you out of the aircraft, timing your free-fall, and pulling your chute cord. Once the chute is deployed, you and the instructor steer to the landing zone, hit the ground, and de-harness.

Typical tandem jump packages include training on what to expect. You’ll learn a lot in a very short time, usually no more than 45 minutes. A typical tandem jump training session includes:

• The basics of a tandem ride
• How your jump will proceed from take off to exiting the aircraft
• What happens once you leave the aircraft–freefall and when the chute chord will be pulled
• How long your free-fall lasts and how long the chute ride will take before you touch ground
• How to land properly

You’ll also be asked to sign liability waivers-par for the course when it comes to skydiving. If you’ve got a bad ticker, nobody can be held responsible for you ignoring the doctor’s advice and taking the leap.

Once your training is over, you get right out to the aircraft. Tandem jumps may not happen if there is bad weather or cloud cover below 9000 feet. Requirements may vary from company to company, but most will offer you a make-up date for your jump if bad weather cancels the trip. Best of all, many companies offer you the chance to get right out to the aircraft on your make-up date since you’ve already taken the training class.

All tandem jump companies have their own flight plans, but expect to go to about 13 thousand feet or so for your jump. At this height, the Jumpmaster will tell you to get in the doorway and get ready for the ride of your life. Remember, you are tethered to your jump instructor, so they will guide the process of getting out of the aircraft. Once you’re out the door;

• Expect a free-fall of between 45 seconds and one full minute before the chute is deployed
• Average speeds in free-fall can go up to 120 MPH
• Your trip back to earth will take about five minutes once the chute is open
• Most tandem jump services offer an optional helmet cam video and photos. You’ll want these mementos later even if you’re against the extra expense in the beginning. Many people regret not getting the video.

Most landings for tandem jumps are fairly soft, but there are conditions where you may experience a hard landing. The jump instructor knows how to handle these situations and will tell you exactly what to do. There are two kinds of soft landings–the stand-up landing and a sit-down landing. Both are guided by the instructor so you won’t have to guess which way to go once the time comes.

If you’re looking for a major adrenaline rush, the tandem jump will lead you to a whole new world. Many people get hooked after their first jump, and there are plenty of companies which offer advanced classes and opportunities to jump side-by-side with an instructor instead of having one tethered to you. Most newcomers opt for the tandem as a first experience–the “gateway drug” to solo skydiving.

Tandem jumps are usually operated by local parachute clubs or by regional facilities. You can find a list of organizations at the United States Parachute Association, an excellent resource when you’re trying to schedule your first jump.