That rollercoaster feeling ...

Does it happen when skydiving?

I'm doing my last AFF jump tomorrow, and I would love my significant other to share in the occasion by doing his first jump. The only thing is that he's terrified. It's not the "oh-my-God-I'll-die" kind of scared. He's just worried he'll get the same stomach-dropping feeling that he gets on roller coasters. And he HATES that feeling.

I've tried telling him that it doesn't happen to me. I asked around with other skydivers, and they say it doesn't happen to them either.

Can someone tell me exactly why it doesn't happen? I think a good explanation would do wonders to boost the Significant Other's bravery.

Or maybe I'm totally off base here. Maybe that feeling happens with some jumpers. Has anyone here ever gotten it?

The difference is in what is accelerating you. In the case of skydiving its simply gravity.

On a rollercoaster you are at times accelerated faster than 32 ft/sec squared by the vehicle and also not in a straight line, but rather in an arch (parabola) when cresting a hill and dropping off the other side.

Its inertia that causes that stomach dropping feeling as the direction of your motion changes.

When you start down the hill on the rollercoaster you are starting your acceleration at zero and speed up rapidly. When you leave an airplane you are already going 90 - 100mph. You have very little acceleration. In fact you actually slow down a little on exit.

Blahr is right -- when you exit the plane, you're already traveling at 80 mph or so (maybe more, depending on the type of plane). So you're changing direction more than accelerating, and teh change in direction is actually pretty gradual. So the dropping stomach sensation is not likely to occur.

I do hear more men than women complain about that though -- don't knowwhy that is, but it would be a great thesis topic!

Actually guys, on my first ever jump I blew chunks the second i landed. The reason is that some people (myself included) just get ill on things that put the body through unnatural movement and motion. The best advice that i can give is for your mate to take some motion sickness pills an hour or so before his jump. The best drug is probably Dramimine, although it does cause drowsiness on an empty stomach. Good luck!

Quote

Actually guys, on my first ever jump I blew chunks the second i landed. ... The best drug is probably Dramimine, although it does cause drowsiness on an empty stomach. Good luck!

Most likely it was adrenyline (perhaps on an empty stomach) that made you sick. Eat a little before the your next jump and let us know how you did.

They make a non-drowsey dramamine

Go do a Helicopter jump. You'll definitely get that feeling. I did my first Helicopter jump (I know--beer) on Friday. Crosskeys was selling heli jump tickets for the price of a normal jump ticket so I just couldn't pass that one up. Anyway, all I have to say is it was the cooling thing I've done so far. I was completely surprised to get that feeling, but it sure was there. That "Oh my god I'm falling feeling"....But was a rush!!!

Once out of the plane I don't get "roller coaster feelings", but in the plane I do, depending on how choppy things are. The plane is actually my least favorite part. (Well, my dislike of the ride up has become less clear today as I had my first ride in a Caravan. Woo!)

Well, it's probably too late now as you will have done your last AFF jump and I wonder if your partner did his first jump or not?
My experience is that i certainly got that falling sensation when i did my first tandem, and actually I still get it 7 jumps later for the first few secs after exiting the plane. It still freaks me out, but it only lasts a few secs then it's gone. So, yes, some people do get it when they start skydiving. Everyone experiences things differently. If your partner doesnt want to get that feeling, just tell him he may experience it but it will only last for a few secs and then it goes away and it is all fantastic after that.
Would love to hear whether he jumps or not and how it felt.

Hi Laura:

Strangely I HOPED I'd get that queasy stomach feeling ... but it has happened only once with any intensity. That was the first time I took a it exit off a Cessna step and I watched the tail of the plane fly over me.

Those who have said stuff about acceleration, etc., are likely right but I also think it has something to do with depth perception and relative landmarks.

"They" say we have no depth perception beyond about 4-500 ft and any skydive exit happens above that. Once under canopy there is little change of speed to deal with - but I bet I could seriously scare myself riding the wall of a hook turn under a high perfromance canopy.

An analogy might be standing by a freeway versus driving in that traffic. In traffic, 90 mph is 'standing still' but if you stood by the side of the road it would be frightening.

Hope that helps - has worked for me as an explanation to a few whuffos.

-Dave

PS: congrats on your impending graduation. ... ... ... beer is brewing?

What about when you cutaway? I bet that gives you the feeling, since you literally drop and accelerate from a slow speed. Like jumping off a (high) diving board. Ugh, hate the feeling.

Anyways, I have one SL jump and didn't get the feeling, which made me feel a lot better. Can't say much for looking out that door for my first time though.

HE DID IT!!!!

I was so proud. I honestly didn't think he'd do it, so I didn't push him. I've just been very enthusiastic about how much I love skydiving and how happy it makes me. So he did it.

And he LOVED it! He's so excited to do it again. Most of all, he said he was really happy to share in something that is important to me.

It's just cool, because he's a very laid-back type. He's never been the stereotypical "thrill-seeker," so nobody ever expected him to go skydiving. This has impressed the hell out of everyone who knows him.

As for me, I graduated AFF!!!! Then I did two clear and pulls (my first time out of a C-182), and a few coach dives. I had bad coach dives, though -- I was unstable coming out of the little plane, I didn't feel comfortable with the jumpmaster, I was tense ... it just wasn't good. Great canopy rides and landings, though.

Quote

It's just cool, because he's a very laid-back type. He's never been the stereotypical "thrill-seeker," so nobody ever expected him to go skydiving. This has impressed the hell out of everyone who knows him.

What I've found is that most people with that "Thrill-Seeker" personality shake in their boots when they think about skydiving. Weird ain't it?

Quote

What about when you cutaway? I bet that gives you the feeling, since you literally drop and accelerate from a slow speed.

Assuming you have a low speed mal, that is. Actually even from a high speed mal like a streamer, you still get a dropping feeling from a cutaway because even a miserable high speed mal slows you down somewhat and the cutaway drops you from it. Imagine what some poor slob with a rope around his neck must feel like when the trapdoor opens...

As far as leaving the plane on exit goes, it's more of a windblown feeling, the force of all that air created by the plane's forward motion just sort of blows you away. If you're just a beginner, going head down feels pretty weird too, but you'll quickly get used to that. In no time at all it won't matter whether you're heads up or down or any which way, because flight isn't bound by gravity, just the direction of relative wind.

My gf still gets the "stomach feeling" on every jump. She says it kind of like a roller coaster. She gets a bit tense then it goes away. She hit 400 this weekend and it shows no sign of stopping. It does make for great video when she exits and screams her head off every freakin time!

From the few jumps I have done, it feels somewhat like the best rollercoaster, but I love that feeling of vertigo and acceleration !!

My instructor actually describes the first few seconds as confussing and a bit uncomfortable, but to me the first part is better than afterwards when you reach terminal velocity and don't face anymore the feeling of actually falling.

Although my exits have been relatively stable, I very much enjoy the jolt before stabilizing with an arch.

Quote

My gf still gets the "stomach feeling" on every jump. She says it kind of like a roller coaster. She gets a bit tense then it goes away. She hit 400 this weekend and it shows no sign of stopping. It does make for great video when she exits and screams her head off every freakin time!

Hmmm. Wonder if she's doing it to herself subconsciously.

I have to say, I sorta miss the feeling of my first 2 jumps. I don't really feel anything now when i go. On my first jump, i didn't feel like I lost my stomache, it felt more like GOD himself put his hand on my back and was pushing me toward the earth. Naturally after reaching terminal the sensation goes away.

But now when I jump, i don't even notice anything. It feels like stepping into a pool to me...except a bit windier... Oh yeah and less wet except when it rains.

Chris

I think Blahr was correct about the difference in acceleration. It's a matter of inertia that will make it feel like your stomach is coming up into your throat. When cresting a hill on a rollercoaster, if released, your body (and every organ inside you) would continue upwards for a little. The harness actually pulls you down faster than gravity.

Turbulence (or a daring pilot) can give you the same stomach drop if the plane goes from a climb to a rapid descent or even just from straight and level to a descent. It's the negative G's that really create the weird internal feeling.

I'm glad he jumped and loved it, we've got another one!

Actually for me, the absence of that feeling was one of the biggest surprises on my first jump. I was all prepared for it and it just didn't happen.

Quote

What about when you cutaway? I bet that gives you the feeling, since you literally drop and accelerate from a slow speed.

To be honest, I don't remember it on my cut away either, but I'll never forget the sound the 3-rings made.

I accidentally gave my passengers "that rollercoaster feeling" the other day while showing the aircraft owner in the right seat the use of trim. I didn't think about the fact that we were flying at over 200 mph when I showed him what happens when you "spin this wheel here." His girlfriend in the back didn't appreciate it, but her son sure did!

Sometimes it is more important to protect LIFE than Liberty

---

Give me Liberty, or give me death!

And I mean that.

Zipp0