Atlanta Georgia
History of Skydiving
Antique Skydiving History
Since the beginning, mankind has always wanted to fly. Unfortunately, gravity is like the unrelenting ball-and-chain that's always holding you down...and consequently, mankind has been forced to fall rather than fly. As it turns out though, falling isn't so bad if you can land safely. The concept of falling from the sky began in China as far back as the 1100's when the Chinese would do what today is called "base jumping"; jumping from cliffs or outcroppings floating to the ground in makeshift parachutes. Later, famed renaissance artist, inventor and engineer, Leonardo DaVinci, penciled a drawing of a pyramid shaped parachute that used a wooden frame which was later tested successfully in the early 20th century by Adrian Nicholas.
Skydiving began in the late 1700's (1797 exactly) by a Frenchman named André-Jacques Garnerin. Jacques flew hot air balloons before he successfully made the first jump with a silk parachute attached to a basket. He would travel across Europe for show floating 3,000 feet in the sky above the crowds, cutting the balloon free and falling in the make shift basket-parachute doing stunts and antics to scare and amaze the crowd all at the same time, giving birth to modern day skydiving.
"Unfortunately, gravity is like the unrelenting ball-and-chain that's always holding you down...and consequently, mankind has been forced to fall rather than fly."
Modern Skydiving History
During World War I, observation balloon pilots were issued parachutes as rescue devices in case they had to bail out. It was only after World War II that skydiving became a hobby when excess parachutes were used by former soldiers who loved what they did in the military so much they began freefalling for sport. Skydiving has since changed and evolved into more than just safety and show, and is now a legitimate recreational sport that encapsulates would-be thrill-seeking adrenaline junkies worldwide.
Today, skydiving enthusiasm has taken off in multiple forms ranging from competitive skydives, formation skydiving, sky surfing, and skydiving schools located across the globe. Hundreds of thousands of people take the plunge every year experiencing extreme skydiving at speeds over 120 miles an hour. This isn't flying, it's falling with style, and that smile isn't on your face afterwards because you're glad its over, it's there because you have just landed from jumping out of a plane over the skies of Atlanta at 14,000 feet. You did the most extreme sport out there and lived to tell the tale!
"Unfortunately, gravity is like the unrelenting ball-and-chain that's always holding you down...and consequently, mankind has been forced to fall rather than fly."
Cpt. Joseph Kittinger set the world record for longest freefall delay on August 16th, 1960 by jumping from an altitude of 102,800 feet (31,330 m) from a balloon. The freefall lasted for 4 minutes and 37 seconds. His skydive achieved freefall speeds topping 614 miles per hour (988 km/h).
Ohio-born, Herb Tanner, is the Guinness book of World Record's holder for oldest person to solo a jump from a plane in history. On June 18th, 1998 he made the jump, freefalling at the age of 92. He later tried to set the record for a tandem jump but that was already held by a woman. She was 99.
On March 12,1999, Adrian Nicholas set the world record for longest freefall. Plummeting to the earth in a wing suit; he fell for 4 minutes 55 seconds. He also tested Leonardo DaVinci's parachute design - proving it to be a working prototype.
Feburary 8th, 2006: The World Team: A group comprised of 400 skydivers, ranging in over 40 nationalities, all linked hands freefalling over the skies of Udon Thani, Thailand. The group set the world record for the most people linking hands in a mid-air free-for all formation.
"This isn't flying, it's falling with style...."- Anonymous
Regulations may prohibit skydiving within city limits and suburbs. Local skydiving affiliates are conveniently located near Atlanta, Georgia but not within city limits. "Skydiving Atlanta Georgia" and others are popular search terms for skydiving in the greater Atlanta area and are not intended as a guarantee of location.
