Skydiving Process

HOW LONG DOES SKYDIVING TAKE?

How long does the whole skydiving process take? Well, the easy answer is that we advise first-time skydivers to plan to spend the full day with us. Skydiving takes time to do right, after all, and you’re the kind of person who likes to do things right. (We can already tell.) Here’s what to expect from the skydiving experience, time-wise, here at Ozarks Skydive Center!

FIRST STAGE: ARRIVAL, PAPERWORK AND WAIT TIMES

From the moment you finish the pretty lakeland drive out to our beautiful dropzone, you’ll already be feeling the good vibes. For extra points, make sure you have plenty of time to arrive for your reservation — rushing is no fun, after all! After meeting us and filling out your paperwork, you’ll sit down for a 10-15 minute classroom session to introduce you to the gear and the procedures. (You’re a student, after all, not a roller-coaster passenger!)

From that point, you’ll snuggle in for the wait. The time it takes for you to jump hinges on a few things: the quality of the weather (for reasons of safety, skydiving is a decidedly weather-dependent sport), the number of students in the queue before you and the time you signed in. If you’ve brought snacks, hydrating soft drinks, and some entertainment to keep you occupied, you’ll be happy as a clam. This preliminary part of the process takes at least a couple of hours.

SECOND STAGE: BOARDING THE SKYDIVING AIRCRAFT AND FLYING UP TO ALTITUDE

Once the wait time is over, your instructor will gear you up and accompany you to the aircraft waiting area. It’s gonna start to feel pretty real right about now…

Once you’re on the plane and heading upwards, the anticipation is going to feel like a particularly sweet tidal wave. How long does it take to ride to altitude? Well: with our Cessna 182, it takes about 20 minutes to get up there, depending on the conditions — but our views of the Ozarks, the Branson area and the scenic lakes and riverways are so spectacular, you’ll wish it lasted longer.

Third Stage: Freefall!

Check it out: Our favorite part! This’ll probably be yours, too. After all, it’s the business end of a skydive. It doesn’t last long — but just like a kiss at the end of a first date, it’s the part that’s going to make the biggest impression (and maybe start a lifelong love affair with flying!).

How long do you freefall skydiving? We’ll pop open that door and exit at 10,000 feet. That will put you in the loving arms of freefall for about 30 seconds. Most tandem instructor-and-student pairs move at about 120 heart-pounding miles per hour. How long a tandem skydiver spends under a parachute also depends on a few little calculations of size, weight, and parachute design, but the average result is something between solid five to seven glorious minutes from the initial parachute deployment at about 5,500 feet.

Final Stage: To Be Continued…

After you land, the happy tingly euphoria will last for hours, the positive effects of skydiving and warm glow will last for days, while the sense of accomplishment will last a lifetime. Heck — you might even decide to get your license and learn to skydive solo! No matter what, we’ll be here to cheer you on. Make your reservation at Ozarks Skydive Center today!