Thrill-seeking University of Wisconsin-Madison students will have an opportunity to test their limits May 3 at a skydiving event organized by Badger Aviators, a student organization aimed at offering its members access to flight training.
Upon completing eight hours of safety and technique training, which will be facilitated by Seven Hills Skydivers, Inc., participants will perform single jumps from 4,000 feet in the air using instructor-assisted deployment.
As opposed to tandem jumps, which are common practice for most skydiving schools in the Madison area, IAD allows first-time skydivers to jump from the airplane by themselves. As they leave the aircraft, an instructor on board deploys a pilot chute that, in turn, deploys the main parachute several seconds later.
Chongjian Wen, a Badger Aviators member, sophomore at UW-Madison and veteran skydiver, said he would recommend the experience to anyone.
“When the chute deploys you are basically gliding down at five feet per second,” Wen said. “It’s peaceful, it’s really quiet and you get to see the landscape at 2,000 feet, it’s really very cool.”
An added benefit of IAD skydiving is the ability to act as the operator of the chute, Wen said.
“The parachute is essentially a wing, you’re basically flying,” he explained. “You can control speed and rate of descent, so it’s a lot of fun.”
Sophomore member Mitch Stingl said he has always wanted to skydive.
“I have flown a plane … I might as well jump out of one now,” Stingl said.
Students interested in participating should contact any member of Badger Aviators. Contact information can be found on the Wisconsin Involvement Network website.
