History and development in skydiving

The first tandem parachute jump was made 1977 in the United States. This jump was written in parachuting history and soon further test jumps were made. 1983 became the first tandem parachute development and 4 years later the first patent was filed by Ted Strong.

Due to the safety operations of these systems, tandem skydiving developed in the 90´s into an attraction suitable for mass production.

Safety:

The German manufacturer and parachute equipment suppliers Cypres then brought a device to the market, that revolutionized the safety of skydiving. This machine operates automatically, opening the reserve parachute in case the tandem instructor does not activate the main canopy.

Furthermore, the tandem instructor candidate must go through an intensive training program for parachute jumps. In Austria, parachute jumps are usually made from an altitude of 4000 metres. Instructor candidates need to have a minimum of 500 jumps and need to be in Sport for 3 years.

The Austrian parachute instructor test must be completed in advance before the first test jumps will be performed with an experienced tandem instructor.
To qualify for this tandem parachute license, one must demonstrate a minimum number of jumps over a certain period of time.

The reserve parachute must be packed by a licensed rigger. The reserve parachute has an expire date.

Where the sport is practiced?

There are around 800 dropzones worldwide, that offers the tandem experience. Jumps are mainly made out of perfectly planes, but it also from hot-air balloon and helicopters.

Depending on the capacity and performance the climb to 4000 metres can be faster or slower with various types of aircrafts. Usually flight up takes about 20 minutes.