Does anyone know of a skydiving school that would allow a 350 lb. guy like me to jump?

[BigEZY 0]

Are there any schools in California that allow a 350 lb man to jump?

[skybytch 259]

The big issue for you will be gear - it will be difficult to find a dz that is willing to take/handle the added risk for the dz/instructors and you. It will likely be impossible to find one that has regular student gear with a canopy big enough to safely carry your weight and a big enough harness to fit your body, and to find instructors who can fall with you.

How do you want to do your first jump? Tandem?  Chances are very slim. Even though the rig will handle your weight alone, the combination of you and the tandem instructor may be too much.  Plus it would be a lot of work for the instructor to handle the freefall; it would take a very experienced tandem instructor to do it safely, and it will likely cost you more than the standard rate.

AFF? Possibly, again depending on gear, instructors and the dz's general attitude toward doing out of the ordinary student jumps. I have seen and heard of larger students using converted tandem gear on a non-tandem student jump.  Again, this will cost you more than the average jumper since a rigger will have to do the conversion to make the rig suitable for a solo student jumper of your size, and your instructors will need to be experienced and big enough/skilled enough to fall fast enough to stay with you - at your weight you will fall MUCH faster than the average student and this takes much more skill on the part of the instructors.

There is a possibility of doing a static line jump, again using a converted tandem rig, but very few dz's in California do static line anymore.

Best advice I can give is to contact dz's close to you.  Call around, or better yet go visit.  Ask to speak with their chief instructor.  Be prepared for a "no" but there IS a possibility. 

If the answers are no and you really want to do it, the folks at the dz's you check out can tell you what their weight limit is.  

I know it will take a while and a lot of work to get down to whatever maximum weight the dz has as far as the gear and instructors that can handle the weight.  The goal is not to limit your ability to do things based on your weight - I'm sure you are pretty tired of that! The goal is for you and everyone involved to do it safely.  

Good luck!  I hope you get to fly soon.  

[BIGUN 1,051]

On 3/23/2019 at 11:37 PM, BigEZY said:

Are there any schools in California that allow a 350 lb man to jump?

Not any responsible dropzones. I'm going to be a bit more blunt.

You appear to have a BMI of >40% and look to be middle-aged. Of concern is not only that you are over most of the maximum weight allowance for the gear (assuming the gear was rated for 300# - you would still be 70-80#s over counting gear weight); but that you would be extremely susceptible to injury on landing. Ankles, Knees, Back, etc are all the hydraulic mechanisms you're going to need to land. What are your thoughts about jumping off a 12' ladder? Several times? Because many students don't land well for awhile. 

Now, let's factor in heart. There is an enormous amount of adrenaline released before, during and after a jump. How's your cholesterol? Any heart issues? Don't think so? Maybe it's time to get a blood test for cholesterol and an echo. In some countries; you can't skydive without a medical certificate.

I would encourage you to get a physical and talk to your Doctor about a life meal plan and cardiovascular exercise (40 minutes a day on some type of cardio machine along with the meal plan should help you to lose 100 lbs in about 10 months). Not only will you feel better and be healthier, but your confidence in your ability to jump will go up; while your propensity for injury will go down. .  

BIGUN - Anvil Brother Skydiving Team AB#2 

 

    

Edited March 27, 2019 by BIGUN

[shorehambeach 9]

Great question and the answer above from Skybytch is perfect. 

One additional thing would be to find out what weight would be the maximum and then see how motivated you are to skydive by getting down to that weight. 

Although this seems obvious there are 2 benefits:

1. You get to join this mad world of skydiving 

2. You will find it far less physically demanding and therefore enjoy / progress better  

Good luck and let us know how you get on