Skydiving or parachuting is an aerial competitive sport as well as a recreational activity that involves the deployment of a parachute to break a freefall after jumping out of an aircraft (usually an airplane, the gondola of a balloon or a skyscraper.) Jumps from an aircraft usually take place at approximately 12,000 feet altitude, freefalling for a brief period of time before deploying a parachute to slow the landing. Modern recreational skydiving involves a trained skydiver or jumper and a group of associates assisting first-time or amateur jumpers and a fixed base operator at an airport who operates one or more light cargo aircraft which take groups of skydivers up for a fee.
Skydivers generally do not experience a “stomach in your throat” sensation because when they fall, they reach terminal velocity and are no longer speeding up towards the ground. First time skydivers usually take their initial jump with the aid of a professional and trained instructor (jumpmaster) who is responsible for assisting the student from exit to proper safe landing. This type of skydiving is usually known as tandem skydive. Other forms of training methods include static line skydiving, instructor-assisted deployment, and accelerated freefall or AFF.