Becoming a Sky Diving Instructor
You’ve seen them in those cool suits attempting the impossible, jump right out of a plane without wings. All of a sudden you want to become a sky diving instructor. Okay so maybe the thousands of dollars you’ll earn in this risky career and the multitude of adoring fans in your hometown may also convince you to pursue your dreams of becoming a sky diving instructor. It is not however, as easy as the movies make it seem. More than the cool attire and the apparently cool experience, sky diving is not for the faint-hearted.
Listen to your Sky Diving Instructor
If you want to be a certified sky diving instructor then the first thing you have to do is to learn the sport and listen carefully to your sky diving instructor. First you have to make sure that the center you are with is certified. Certified centers that are not concerned over profit will require you to be 18 years old or more, not more than 250 lbs. and not suffering from a heart condition or some other medical condition that may be critical. Depending on the type of jump you will make, your skydiving instructor will give you instructions anywhere from one hour to one whole day. This is the point where you have to listen intently to your sky diving instructor. Most deaths and accidents occurred not because of bad equipment but because daredevil novices did not listen to their sky diving instructor.
Go for the Gradual Experience
If you want to get serious about skydiving and you are considering a career in it, make sure you take your time. Yeah, you might say taking your time may be more expensive but this is your life we’re talking about here. Make the first jump while you’re strapped to your sky diving instructor. This is called a tandem jump before you progress on to the solo static fall and then the more daring accelerated freefall. If you were a kicking, screaming, sobbing first time tandem jumper then you would want to imagine having to carry a similarly bewildered and anxious individual when you become an instructor yourself. You need 20 freefalls before graduating as a student. You may have to make more and more jumps before you are actually certified as an instructor.
Make Sure You’re Insured and at Peace with Your Maker
Okay so this is partly a joke. But if you want to be a sky diver or a sky diving instructor, then you need to be sure that you understand the risk on your life. It’s true that sky diving is not anymore risky than other extreme sports, but just be extra careful so that you avoid meeting an accident at this sport.