Skydive New Mexico offers two different ways to make your first skydive: Tandem or solo Instructor Assisted Deployment (IAD). On a tandem skydive, the student and instructor are harnessed together, and the instructor controls the skydive. Tandem is ideal if you just want to experience the fun of skydiving or simply don't want to go alone the first time. IAD students wear their own parachute system and make a solo skydive with the assistance of an IAD instructor. If you think you might want to become a skydiver, or if you just want to take a more "do it yourself" approach to your first jump, then IAD might be for you.
Tandem is the easiest way to have the total skydiving experience. For a tandem jump, the student and instructor are harnessed together and share an oversized parachute system built for two. The jump starts with a ground training where you will learn some basic information about skydiving. Next, you and the instructor will gear up and get on the plane for the ride up to about 10,000ft above the ground. After a scenic airplane flight, you and the instructor will exit the plane and free fall together for 30-40 seconds before deploying the parachute. Enjoy the beautiful view with your feet dangling thousands of feet above the ground before flying back down to land at the drop zone's landing area.
IAD stands for "Instructor Assisted Deployment" and is a method of training where the instructor initiates deployment of the student's parachute when the student jumps from the plane. IAD is a good method for those that think they might want to become a licensed skydiver, or for folks that want to take more responsibility on their first jump. The ground course lasts around 4-6 hours and covers all the information you need for your first skydive. After the course is complete, you will gear up and fly to an altitude of 4000 feet. Once you exit the aircraft, your parachute will be deployed after a short 2-3 second fall. You will then fly and land it!