is a great place to go skydiving, with the flat country below laid out exactly like an enormous map. But where do you start if this is something you want to do? Here's all you need to know about skydiving in the Netherlands! Broadly, skydiving is simply jumping out of a plane with a parachute. The first parachute jump happened much earlier than you might think - even before the invention of the aeroplane! In 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin jumped out of a hot air balloon from almost a kilometre above Paris, and floated gently to the ground in a basket attached to a silk parachute.
These days, parachute jumps tend to start from 2.100 metres (or 7.000 feet, as most aviation-related things globally are still measured in feet) above the ground, which gives you roughly 10 seconds of free-fall before the parachute needs to be deployed.
This is usually the beginners’ height, with more experienced skydivers jumping from 2.700m (9.000ft) or even 3.
960m (13.000ft). This almost four-kilometre jump gives you a whole 60 seconds of free-fall and is not for the faint-hearted! Once your parachute has opened, you get to enjoy four to five minutes of weightless gliding through the air, admiring the view and the whole other world you have found yourself in.
When you start out skydiving, you will be jumping tandem. This means you are strapped to an experienced skydiver who can take control of releasing the parachute and guiding you to the landing pad. All you have to do is remember to enjoy you.