Tandem skydiving

As a tandem jump or a tandem jump is called a common jump to second in the field of skydiving or bungee jumping also the.

When skydiving is one who has no parachute jump training or do not want to jump alone, given a simple and less costly way to experience a parachute jump by jumping together with a trained Springer. When bungee jumping, there are, however, no training technical restrictions on who can jump each other.

In the military, the tandem jump method is used for particularly heavy loads, equipment or service dogs settle with the jumpers or can not in jumping trained specialists spend in use. This can, inter alia, His army mountain guide, doctors, interpreters or EOD specialists. Then, however, the carrying of additional equipment for both omitted.

Tandem parachute

In tandem jump with a parachute the passenger is of a specially licensed Springer, a so-called " tandem master" taken away. It hangs in a passenger's front of the tandem master, facing forward and slightly deeper than this. Connection is via two load-bearing, secured hook in the shoulder area and two stabilizing straps at the hips. The passenger's basically corresponds to a normal parachute harness, only without the container for main and reserve parachute, which are located on the harness of the tandem master. There are also all of its controls are housed. Additionally, the system is always equipped with an automatic opening, which opens automatically in case of omission of the opening or serious incident of head cap the reserve parachute at a predetermined height. Shortly after take-off from the Absetzflugzeug a small drogue parachute ( Drogue ) is opened, which slows the speed to 200 km / hr. At the same time it acts as a stabilizer, since he had seen physically brings the point of the drag further behind the center of gravity of the two jumpers.

Requirements

Before jumping only a relatively brief introduction of the passenger is required. Special physical requirements do not exist, an average fitness is sufficient. In principle, also disabled, such as paraplegics, be taken. Due to the resilience of the systems a pronounced obesity is a hindrance. Often a weight limit of 90 or 100 kg is given by the providers.

History

Tandem systems were developed in the early 1980s in the United States by Ted Strong ( 1983) and a year later by Bill Booth ( 1984). At the beginning they were not equipped with a drogue chute, which is only a short free-fall times allowed. Only with the development of drogue systems, the usual today freefall times in tandem jumps were possible.

Marketing

Tandem jumps are basically available directly from the jump centers and clubs booked or as gift certificates and are then carried out there site. Extreme Sports is a lucrative market today. The many commercial enterprises understand and market the lucrative business of skydiving, such as the tandem jumping, as a mediator through tour operators, event agencies and to supermarket chains. The problem in these cases is that you can not at the outset a tandem master or a parachuting club as a contact person has, but only the respective selling agent. At the same time these funds and profits derive from, which can no longer benefit the individual club. By advertising these agencies, however, the tandem jump was present and known in the target group.

Related sports

When paragliding joint flights with experienced pilots are also possible. In contrast to the tandem jump but this is referred to as tandem flight, see main article → Biplace.