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We have endeavoured to
collate as big a list of Frequently Asked Questions as
possible below and honestly answer them to the best of
our ability. If you cannot find an answer to a question,
please call the parachute centre and we will be happy to
help.
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What does skydiving feel like? |
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When you take your
first sky diving course you can expect the feeling to be
completely different to what you were expecting. In
freefall, the feeling is similar to the floating
sensation you have in a swimming pool. Some customers are
scared that there are similarities with sensation of
going over the edge on a roller-coaster. This is not the
case. Skydiving is relaxing, easy to breathe in freefall
and the biggest exhilaration you can imagine.
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We could not
successfully operate our business if we did not adhere
to a strict set of safety practices. Skydiving has far less injuries
proportionally compared to other adventure sports such
as skiing, snow boarding, white water rafting, rock
climbing, etc. To
give you an idea of how safe parachuting actually is,
here is a list of safe activities built into your
course:
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We are affiliated
to the British Parachute Association (BPA), the
most safety conscious skydiving association in
the world. |
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Our Chief Centre
Instructor (CCI) is also an Examiner and helps
to develop new standards in safety and the
progression of the sport. |
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Every person who
jumps on one of our skydiving courses is
equipped with a main and reserve parachute,
helmet, altimeter (all
AFF &
Static Line students) and fully automatic opening
device should the student not open their
parachute. |
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Regular checks and
maintenance servicing of our parachuting
equipment by a qualified BPA rigger. |
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4 Levels of checks
before you make each parachute jump - when the
parachute is packed, when the student puts it
on, a check from the instructor on the ground
and another check before they leave the
aircraft. |
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Which course should I choose? |
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We offer 3 different
courses all suited to different needs.
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We have a range of
prices to suit your budget. In addition, we also offer
discounts based on group size:
TARGET SKYSPORTS
(Lincolnshire) |
Tandem Skydiving |
Static Line
Parachuting |
Accelerated
Freefall (AFF)
Level 1 |
Accelerated
Freefall (AFF)
Full 8 Level Course |
1
to 2 people
3 to 4 people
5 to 9 people
10 people or more
DVD Video & Still photographs |
£225
£210
£195
£185
£90
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£195
£185
£175
£165
n/a
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£350
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
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£1350
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
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OXFORDSHIRE
(near Bicester) |
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Per
person
DVD Video & Still photographs |
£225
£90
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£195
n/a
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£390
n/a
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n/a
n/a
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NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
(near Brackley) |
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Per
person
DVD Video & Still photographs |
£260
£95
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£230
n/a
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£390
n/a
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n/a
n/a
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DEPOSIT
At Target
Skysports we require a non-refundable deposit of
£75 per person for all courses except the AFF
full course where a £300 deposit is required.
At the other 2
locations, a deposit of £65 is needed for all
courses except AFF full where a £250 deposit is
asked for.
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What happens if my parachute
does not open? |
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This is a very commonly
asked
question. Answering this is simple, if the
main parachute does not open correctly, there is a
secondary reserve parachute which acts as a backup. On
the Static-Line (SL) and Accelerated Freefall (AFF) courses, you will be taught how
to operate these. On the Tandem course, your instructor
would carry out these emergency procedures.
The reserve parachute is
packed by our rigger who is a specialist and is
certified to do so. In addition, there is also an
Automatic Activation Device (AAD) which will open your
reserve parachute at a lower altitude. AAD's are there
to act as a backup to the Tandem instructor and AFF / SL
student.
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Can you send me a brochure? |
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Yes we can send you a
brochure. This includes details of all the courses we
offer, our prices, an application form and a DVD promo.
We will post the brochure to you in a plane envelope so
that you can avoid suspicion if you are intending to buy
one of our sky diving courses for a family member.
Click here to request a
brochure or telephone 0113 250 5600.
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How do I book my skydive? |
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There are 2 ways to
book your UK skydiving course - by telephone or online.
Please have the names, ages, weights and heights of all
the jumpers in your group ready. To secure your place on a
course, a deposit of £75 per person will be needed. We accept most
forms of debit and credit card, cheques, bank transfers,
postal orders and cash.
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If you book by
telephone one of our team will carefully take
all the details of you and your group and
confirm dates available. The booking is finished
off with a deposit or full payment taken over
the phone. |
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Our online booking
form will process the same information above
except, no financial information will be passed.
For security reasons, we will telephone you to
confirm your booking and take deposit / payment.
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You can also choose to
communicate with Target Skysports by
email or by
Skype. Our Skype user name is Target Skysports
Office.
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Do you offer gift vouchers? |
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Yes we offer gift
vouchers which are payable in full. Many people ask for
skydiving vouchers to celebrate a birthday or Christmas.
Vouchers can be issued for all the courses we offer.
Once you have purchased
your voucher, it can be redeemed by telephoning our main
office and requesting a date. Gift vouchers are valid
for 1 year and the date that you choose to jump can be
altered as many times as you want.
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Can I breathe in freefall? |
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Contrary to some
opinions, you can breathe during your skydiving
experience. Even though you will be falling at up to 120
mph, it is easy to breathe. The wind which enters your lungs
does not enter at full speed! It is slowed as it passes
through your nose and mouth. Lastly, we skydive up to a
maximum height of 15,000ft where there is plenty of oxygen
available.
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Can I get video DVD and
photographs taken? |
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Yes you can. We offer
video DVD and still photographs for our Tandem Skydiving
package. This service can be purchased at the time of
booking or within a few days of your jump. The cost can
be found
here.
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I am scared of heights, will I
still be able to skydive? |
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In our experience, many
of our customers have been frightened of heights. This
has not stopped them from enjoying our sky diving
courses. Target Skysports instructors are trained to make you feel at
ease. They will tell you what is expected of you during
your skydives and help you to enjoy the experience.
Some parachutists have even
begun the sport to overcome their fear of heights. To
help you understand that there is nothing to be scared
of, please refer to our what it feels like guide.
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I have asthma, can I still
parachute jump? |
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If your asthma is under
control you will be able to do a parachute jump with a
doctors medical (we will provide you with the form). You can
take your normal medication before and after the jump.
It is even possible to take your inhaler on to the
aircraft within a pocket on your clothing. Please let
the person you are booking with know if you have asthma.
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I have a physical
disability, can I skydive? |
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We specialise at Target
Skysports in allowing people with health problems the
chance to skydive. In the past we have offered our
Tandem Courses to people who are:
- Blind
- Deaf
- Quadriplegic
- Paraplegic
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Loss of a
limb or deformity
If you have a
disability, please call the dropzone and have a chat
with us. We may ask to see you in person before the jump
to see if it is possible or if you have specific
requirements. A medical will need to be signed by your
doctor and we can provide you with this document before
you jump. We also ask that you are of sound mental
fitness.
 TESTIMONY
Phil Smart started
jumping in 1998 and has done 20 tandems to date. He is
paraplegic but this has not stopped him getting the bug
for jumping. He has learned how to do 360 degree turns
and even do some tracking (forward movement) with his
instructor.
”I
would describe skydiving as a ride of a lifetime, a real
rollercoaster ride. I have done 20 jumps now and it is
my ambition to build a large formation of people around
me on my next jump.“
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Is my license valid in other
countries? |
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Once you have qualified
as a skydiver under the Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale (FAI) scheme you will receive your
License A. This shows that you have passed all the basic
requirements to allow you to do freefall skydiving.
Providing you are a current skydiver and can show your
documentation, there should be no reason why you cannot
skydive in other countries.
If you have qualified at
our centre, we will be happy to give references over the
telephone to other centres should you encounter any
problems.
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Are there any health or
age restrictions to parachuting? |
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Whilst it is our wish
to be as permissive as possible to all our customers, we
do unfortunately have some restrictions to parachuting.
Once you reach the age of
40, you will need to get a medical document signed off
by your doctor. We also have weight restrictions in that
we can take no person over the weight of 15.5 stones
(97Kg). For AFF and Static Line courses, your weight
will need to be proportional to your height.
Please read this
document for more detailed information related to
specific
Age and Weight restrictions.
Lastly, if you have one
of the following ailments you should contact the centre
to see if you can still jump:
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Epilepsy, fits,
severe head injury, recurrent blackouts or
giddiness, disease of the brain or nervous
system, high blood pressure, heart or lung
disease, recurrent weakness or dislocation of
any limb, diabetes, mental illness, drug or
alcohol addiction, confirmation of pregnancy,
had more than twenty consecutive days of
sickness absence or had an incapacitating
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Are you a member of the British
Parachute Association? |
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 The
BPA was founded in the early 1960's as a result of the
growth of civilian parachuting from military circles
after the World War II. As our national governing body
they strive to reduce injuries & fatalities, progress &
promote the sport and set standards for safety at their
affiliation centres.
Target Skysports is an
affiliated member of the BPA and works closely with them
to ensure our customers enjoy their high standards.
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Can I get 3rd party & personal
accident insurance? |
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By jumping under the
guises of the BPA, you are automatically covered for 3rd
party insurance. If you land on someone's car during you
parachute jump, your insurance policy under the BPA will
protect you. To understand what this covers we strongly
recommend that you visit their
website. It is
not compulsory to have personal accident / personal
liability insurance. However, we can recommend a few
companies who offer insurance.
Please note the
information given above is subject to change.
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What happens if the weather is
bad? |
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We cannot guarantee
that the weather will be suitable for skydiving every
day. On some occasions rain, heavy low cloud or
strong winds can prohibit jumping. If this should occur,
we are happy to re-arrange your course at a date
convenient to both of us. There is no extra cost for
this.
Please remember though that
your jump course is valid for 1 year from the date of
purchase. Extensions to this period can be given, but
this will be subject to a fee which is dependant on how
long ago the course was purchased and how much our costs
have gone up.
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Where is the dropzone and how do I get there? |
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TARGET SKYSPORTS
Our main centre is located just outside the village of
Hibaldstow half way between Scunthorpe and Lincoln.
Click here for maps and
written directions.
OXFORDSHIRE
Some of our customers who live further south do not want
to make the journey to our main centre in Lincolnshire.
We offer Tandem, AFF and Static-Line courses from
another dropzone near Bicester. Jumps are available at
weekends only here.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
Our third location is near Brackley in Northamptonshire.
This centre is open in the week.
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Is there anywhere local I can
stay? |
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There are a variety of
options available to you for accommodation which will
suit your budget, location and comfort.
CAMPING
On our dropzone, we have a
large grass field where you can camp for free.
BUNKHOUSE
We also have a 15 room bunkhouse. Each rooms costs £20
per night and has 4 beds with the exception of one room
which has 6 beds and is available for £4 per person per
night. Again, hot showers and toilets are available.
BED &
BREAKFASTS / HOTELS
A range of good
B&B's are available which are located near the dropzone.
If you are looking for something even more comfortable,
hotels are also listed.
Please view our
BB-Hotels document here.
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What
should I wear on the day of my jump? |
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When you arrive at the
dropzone to do your first skydive, you will be given a
jumpsuit which goes over the clothes you are wearing.
Depending on what time of the year it is, you can take
warmer layers with you. In the Winter time,
lots of thin warm layers are good idea. In the summer,
you can jump in just t-shirt and shorts on a warm day.
Generally speaking, you
should wear loose fitting, warm comfortable clothing.
Flat soled shoes or trainers should also be worn.
Goggles, helmets and gloves are all provided.
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What time should I arrive at? |
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During the weekend, you
should arrive at 08:00 am for check-in, registration and
training. If your skydive is in week, you can turn up a
little later at 09:00 am.
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At the weekend, we open
at
08:00. During the week, we open at 09:00. We jump
until sunset except Sundays when we stop at 20:00.
We are open every day of
the week except Tuesday's (We can open by special
arrangement if needed).
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Can
I bring my family or pets along to watch? |
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Many of our skydiving
customers bring their families to watch and you are more
than welcome to bring them. If you have young children,
they must be supervised at all times. We have a games
room which has table football and pool for them to play,
a relaxing bar area and a cafe serving hot drinks and
food from 08:00 am. (Please note the cafe is only open
at weekends, although hot drinks can be purchased from a
machine in the bar area).
Target Skysports operates
from an airfield which is on an active farm land.
Therefore no animals are allowed at the dropzone or
on the farmers approach track.
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I
have qualified as a skydiver, what can I do now? |
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By now you have
completed your basic training and are wondering what to
do next. There are many many options open to you.
Firstly we recommend a little top up training with one
of our B-License Progression Days. Our Chief Centre
Instructor runs these courses on a regular basis and the
cost is £10 for a full day of training. The content of
this course is to help you learn more about controlling
you parachute safely and jump master responsibilities.
Target Skysports is more
than just a centre for skydiving. We are a community,
where skydivers come to relax and make fun jumps with
each other. At a weekend, there is 1 on 1 coaching
available alongside larger organised jumps. We have
formation skydiving, freefly and wingsuit coaches on
hand to help you. In addition, if you want to try
something different, we can organise tracking jumps and
hybrids.
The dropzone is also
recognised nationally as a training centre for teams
competing at National and even International level. Many
of our regular jumpers are involved in 4-way teams and
you can easily find yourself becoming involved in these.
Whatever your sky diving
desires, we can help you find something to interest you.
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What is your refund and transfer policy? |
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On most courses, the
refund policy is that the first £75 is non-refundable.
The only exception is our full Accelerated Freefall
program where the first £300 is non-refundable.
Please note that you also
have the option to transfer the course to another person
providing you let us know before the start date and
providing that person is within the
health and age requirements.
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Still not found what you are
looking? |
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Send an email to us at
info@skydiving.co.uk or telephone the centre on
0113 250 5600.
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