Here at Skydive Arizona, we like to say that once you’ve experienced the thrill of freefall, you’ll never forget it. And there is no better way to take in Arizona’s sweeping mesas and city skylines than a tandem skydive.
If you’re a little nervous about jumping on your own (we get it!), tandem skydiving is for you. But what is tandem skydiving? Below, you’ll discover what to expect during a tandem skydiving session, as well as the history of this thrilling sport.
Tandem Skydiving: It Takes Two
Whereas solo skydiving involves just one jumper, tandem skydiving requires two jumpers to start the party. During a tandem skydive, two jumpers are connected to the same harness and parachute and freefall to earth together. It’s an awesome way to share the excitement of soaring through the sky with someone you love.
Tandem skydiving is a great pick if you’re new to the sport. It’s the only option for beginners at many skydiving centers. You won’t be able to freefall solo until you’ve taken formal classes, passed an exam, and earned your license from the United States Parachute Association (USPA).
Prefer not to stress about a license and just want to get off the ground right now? Give tandem skydiving a shot.
The Exciting History of Tandem Skydiving
It may surprise you to know that tandem skydiving isn’t a recent invention. Its roots can be traced way back to 1908 when British daredevil Dolly Shepherd and her fellow parachutist Louie May had a high-flying stunt go wrong. Louie’s chute didn’t separate from her balloon as planned, so she clung to Dolly’s parachute, and the two safely floated to the ground together.
Long before tandem skydiving became an official sport, there were stories of jumpers attaching two people to a single parachute harness. In the 1970s, for example, renowned parachuters Mike Barber and Bob Favreau used the tandem system to take up their young sons, one of whom was severely disabled.
Tandem skydiving didn’t truly come into its own as a sport until the 1980s. In 1975, one novice skydiver, Gloria Mabry, was enthralled with the new canopy Ram-air parachutes and was eager to give one a try. These rectangular parachutes allowed for more maneuverability than the standard round variety, which took riders wherever the wind happened to be blowing at the time.
Gloria lacked the training to use this new style of parachute, but her husband, Peter Chase, was another story. She begged Peter to take her up in the new parachute, and at long last, he relented.
Peter found someone with an airplane who flew them to 15,000 feet. Before jumping, Peter realized that the standard harness would not accommodate him and his wife, so he cut out the plane’s seatbelts and used them to lengthen the harness. The quick-thinking solution worked, and the couple floated off together, enjoying a ride to earth they’d never forget.
A few days later, Peter called his friend, Bill Morrissey, now known as the renowned inventor of the tandem skydive, to recount his adventure. Seven years later, Morrissey decided it was time to bring tandem skydiving to the masses.
Morrissey approached his friend, an Army paratrooper named Ted Strong, who had used his expertise to start a parachute business. Strong liked the idea and got to work building a harness that could accommodate two riders. On January 15, 1983, Strong completed the first official tandem dive in Umatilla, FL. One year later, Strong Enterprises introduced the revolutionary Dual Hawk Tandem System and received the first exemption from the FAA that would allow tandem jumps.
For years after, tandem jumping was only allowed under FAA exceptions for “volunteer experimental test jumpers,” leaving plenty of folks asking, “What is tandem skydiving?” That changed in 2001 when the USPA received FAA approval to launch a tandem jumping instructor certification program. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
The Enthralling Rescue of Captain Phillips
Tandem skydiving has been a popular civilian pastime for decades, but it’s also enjoyed plenty of use in the military. One of the most exciting uses of tandem skydiving occurred during the 2009 rescue of Captain Richard Phillips when Somali pirates took him and his crew captive.
On April 8, 2009, four Somali pirates boarded the Maersk Alabama and took the 14-man crew hostage, demanding a ransom of tens of millions of dollars for their safe release.
Thus began a high-stakes series of negotiations, all of which failed, followed by at least one escape attempt. Negotiations broke down completely when the pirates fired on a rescue ship.
On April 12, US Navy SEAL Team Six planned a daring rescue. Phillips was rescued by two brave tandem parachuters, one of whom was a CIA communicator who hadn’t been slated to jump that day. The rescue was successful, and all the crew made it out alive and well.
How Safe Is Tandem Skydiving?
There’s nothing about throwing yourself out of an airplane that’s safe. However, tandem skydiving has proven to be one of the lowest risk activities in the sport of skydiving, with a 0.002% chance of death! It’s also an excellent introduction to the sport of skydiving if you’d eventually like to skydive solo. When you sign up for your first jump, you’ll be paired with an instructor who has extensive experience in tandem jumping.
Before jumping, the instructor will ensure you’re strapped into the dual harness system. They’re responsible for parachute deployment and operating the equipment, so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the flight.
What Can You Expect During Your Tandem Skydiving Session?
First time experiencing tandem skydiving? Maybe you’re a little nervous and wondering what to expect. Our Skydive Arizona pros ensure the process goes smoothly from beginning to end. Here’s how it works.
When you arrive, we’ll get you registered, check your ID, and have you fill out the waiver paperwork. After that, it’s time for training, which lasts about 40 minutes. During training, we’ll go over things like how to enter and exit the plane and the role of your instructor.
Next, you’ll put on your harness and jumpsuit, then hop into the plane and get ready to fly. We’ll cruise to an altitude of 13,000 feet. If you’ve paid to capture video footage of your jump, the videographer will hang outside the plane to shoot some awesome clips of you right as you leap.
Now comes the most exciting part: freefall time! When you jump, you’ll freefall at about 120 miles per hour for around a minute. Once you fall to 6,000 feet, the instructor will deploy your parachute. You’ll then fly for about three to five minutes before touching down in the landing zone.
Who Should Give Tandem Skydiving a Shot?
Whether you’re a regular thrill seeker or just want to check another adventure off your bucket list, you’re guaranteed to have a great time.
Getting ready to propose to that special someone? Try proposing while freefalling at 120mph! It’s sure to be an experience your loved one will cherish. Tandem skydiving is also a great way to celebrate milestones like birthdays or to raise money for your favorite charity.
What Is Tandem Skydiving? A Ton of Fun!
Whether you’re a first-timer or have plenty of tandem skydives under your belt, Skydive Arizona promises to make your flight an unforgettable one.