Skydiving in and near Salisbury

Skyline Parachuting Salisbury

Technically the jump is called a "Tandem Skydive". This is the only way you can jump from such an altitude without spending thousands of pounds becoming a freefall parachutist. This is literally the chance of a lifetime! ... more

If you're a dedicated adrenaline junkie, you won't want to miss out on skydiving during your trip to England. There's nothing quite as extreme as plunging thousands of feet from a plane and falling at a speed of almost 200km per hour for up to a minute. Soaring through blue skies and fluffy clouds, with the spectacular English countryside laid out at your feet will be an unforgettable experience on your holiday.

Perhaps you're already a qualified skydiver, adept in daring freefall manoeuvres and landings. In that case, England offers many well-managed and perfectly situated drop zones throughout the country. All the drop zones are affiliated with the British Parachuting Association (BPA), which means that safety is of the highest standard: it's well known that the BPA has the best safety record of any national skydiving association worldwide.

If you haven't jumped yet, then England provides the ideal chance to do a course in skydiving: it's definitely an activity that everyone should experience once in a lifetime, and the excellent skydiving schools of England are perfect places to attempt this exhilarating sport.

If you've never skydived before, or don't have a lot of time on your trip to learn the ins and outs of making a successful jump and releasing your own parachute, it's probably best that you try a tandem parachute jump, in which you are securely strapped to an instructor, who will have a parachute designed for two people. Tandem jumps can be done from an aircraft as high up as three kilometres, and you'll freefall for about a kilometre in just 40 seconds, before your partner releases the parachute and you gently descend to earth, with ample time to gaze below you at the breathtaking aerial views of the English landscape.

Tandem Skydives are the best way to experience the freedom and speed of free falling, with the extra safety of an experienced partner. Most schools across England offer a short course on the skydiving basics, and then you're ready to plunge into the blue sky with your instructor.

If you'd like to try skydiving independently, but you don't yet have the necessary experience or time to learn how to freefall, then many skydiving centres in England offer static line jumps, in which the parachute is automatically opened as you jump out the plane. The one end of the static line is attached to the aircraft, and the other to the opening system on the parachute. Schools in England offer a day of ground training, before you head to the skies to do your jump.

If you're really keen to freefall into the sky as soon as possible, then you can complete the popular Accelerated Freefall course available at most skydiving schools across the country. The term 'accelerated' doesn't refer to the speed at which you fall - although you'll be descending at a fairly fast pace! It refers to the fact that the course is intensive, so you can start skydiving in no time. You'll jump with two instructors holding onto you, so that they can instruct you about how to position your body, when to open your parachute and how to land safely. With both static line parachuting and accelerated free fall, you can progress onto the next level and eventually jump solo after you've passed the training levels. You might not have time to pursue such a lengthy course when you're on holiday in England, but you can easily try jumping in several ways, and who knows, you may discover a new extreme sport addiction.

Lincolnshire is one of the best areas in England to go skydiving. Not only has the county got some of the top skydiving schools, it is also a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the view from above will be spectacular. One of the best skydiving centres, near Lincoln with its magnificent cathedral, is Air Supply, which is run by two award-winning and record-holding English skydivers, who have been training aspirant skydivers for over 20 years. One of the owners has been part of every British large formation skydiving record since 1987, so you'll definitely be in capable hands. The centre is also great for experienced skydivers, as it has a skydiving club, advanced coaching, and a skydiving gear shop.

If you're sightseeing in London, and you'd like to try out skydiving, then head to Skydive London, a school less than an hour from the capital, and close to the historic university town of Oxford. They also cater for experienced skydivers. The centre's setting in the Southern Cotswolds is stunning, so you're guaranteed an amazing jump, whether it's your first, or fifty-first.

There are also great skydiving dropzones in Lancaster, Hull, Norwich and Nottingham.

Remember to get a DVD and photographs taken of your unforgettable skydiving experience - these are normally included in the price, so you can relive those exhilarating moments when you get home. Not that freefalling and parachuting through the blue sky above beautiful England will ever be an experience you could forget!