How old do you have to be to skydive? That’s easy–18. Eighteen years of age is the absolute minimum age to be able to make a skydive (which explains all the 18th birthday parties we see around the The Skydiving Company dropzone). How old can you be to skydive? Now that’s another story–and we, personally, think it’s a lot more interesting.
No upper age limit?
As it turns out, there’s no upper age limit for skydiving. In fact, centenarians semi-regularly make airborne appearances! That might sound wacky, but it’s absolutely true. If you want to be the coolest grandparent on the block–by far–here’s your inspiration.
We think it’s pretty awesome that George Bush Sr. likes to celebrate milestone birthdays with a skydive. He’s got some solid miles on him, at this point, and the engine is clearly still purring. Check him out in this video, making a jump for his 90th cakeday:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/jun/13/george-bush-sr-celebrates-90th-with-skydive-video
Who’s the oldest of them all?
Tandems are one thing, but sport jumpers are another–right? If you think you can’t skydive alone just because you remember when sock hops were raves, think again, and take eighty-two-year-old Dilys Price as your heroine. She holds the Guinness World Record for the Oldest Woman Skydiver in the world. She made her first parachute jump at the age of 54 and has completed more than 1,000 since then. Check out this video to fly with Price as she goes on her latest jump:
Join the club!
There are even records regularly set by skydivers of a certain age. Check out the hijinks of the POPS (People Over ‘Phorty’ Society); the SOS (Skydivers Over Sixty) and the JOS, for instance. Lots of folks skydive actively into advanced old age–and they report that those years tend to dissolve in the face of freefall.
If you’re interested in making a skydive, you don’t need to worry about your age (as long as you’ve crossed that ’18’ benchmark). The only things to you’ll need to consider are logistical. Can you lift your legs? Are you not reliant on an oxygen tank? Are you in generally good health? Would your doctor approve? If you can confidently answer ‘yes’ to those questions, congratulations: you can join the ranks of the more distinguished class of skydiver.
We’re looking forward to seeing your grandkids freak out over your new Facebook profile photo!
