9 Fun Facts About Skydiving
If you are an adventure junkie and enjoy the thrill of challenging yourself, skydiving is for you. It involves taking a real leap of faith in a high-altitude airplane. After a certain amount of time, the parachute will open and you will descend below to land. What was once used as a pilot in the military has now become an adventure sport popular with many people in different parts of the world. Safety precautions are always in place to ensure that no one encounters any difficulties.
Here are some of the funniest facts about skydiving:
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Facts about skydiving:
- Captain Kittinger is known for breaking the highest skydive record (from a height of nearly 102,800 feet). After descending 85,000 feet, he opened his parachute to land. It should be noted, however, that this record was broken by Felix Baumgartner, who descended from an altitude of about four miles.
- It is estimated that during a free fall, wind speeds of over 100 mph pass your ears. That means you’re deaf to most of the sounds you might want to hear during a free fall. It also means that you won’t be able to hear other skydivers because the wind can block your hearing. This is one of the main reasons why our ears “pop” when an airplane is descending or driving.
- It is estimated that there are more than 2 million skydives every year. Also, it’s important to note these jumps; the average death toll is around 35, which works out to less than 1% of all jumps that take place in a year. Therefore, it is said that skydiving can be considered safer than driving a normal car at ordinary times.
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- If you like adventure travel with friends, skydiving is for you. In 2006, about 400 divers from as many as 31 countries formed flower arrangements in the sky in only about 80 seconds. This feat was accomplished at an altitude of just over 23,000 feet. This particular skydive is still considered one of the most dangerous in the history of the sport. This is what you call adventure!
- One of the most interesting facts about skydiving is that a man named Jonas has a record of getting tattoos while free-falling from a height of 4,000 meters. He is from Sweden and has the acronym WFFT tattooed on his arm. What does WFFT stand for? Well, it represents the world’s first free fall tattoo. He is still hailed as a local hero for the feat. marvelous!
- If you think skydiving is only for men, then you are dead wrong. In 1913, Georgina Broadwick was the first woman to parachute from an airplane. The feat was accomplished in Los Angeles. It’s only fitting that she staged such audacity in “City of Angels”. Why do men have to have all the fun?
- At 100 years old, Fred Mack is the oldest skydiver. He promised he would do it a century after he was done, and he kept his word. He was indeed a huge inspiration.
- Toni Stadler from South Africa became the youngest skydiver at the age of 4. He accomplished this feat at an altitude of 10,000 feet.
- Michael Zang set a new world record by completing 500 jumps in one day. He did the job in less than 3 minutes.
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About Tejaswi
Tejaswi is an MBA and is our senior content writer specializing in travel and lifestyle products. Her approach is creative. Tejaswi is keen to keep up with the latest news and current market trends, and makes sure her readers are always up to date. In-depth research and follow-up on any topic, along with unique and knowledgeable articles, is what sets her apart. Besides writing, Tejaswi enjoys cooking, listening to music and traveling.