For some Ohio State students, traveling outside city limits for some fresh air just isn’t enough; they must fly 1,300 feet in the air to get a break in the action.

The skydiving club at OSU offers students the opportunity to soar to new heights.

“Skydiving is a life changing experience,” said Uma Challa, a graduate student. “It’s the closest a human can get to flying like a bird.”

Membership is open to all students, faculty and staff of OSU who are at least 18 years old. Since skydiving can become an expensive hobby with jumps averaging around $160 depending on skill level, the cost of club membership is only $5 per year.

There are many different programs available to students wishing to take their first jump, including three types of jumps offered through the OSU skydiving club.

A tandem skydive pairs a student with an instructor attached to the same skydiving gear under a single parachute. This method requires the least amount of training for the student.

The second type of jump is an accelerated freefall, requiring two instructors to exit the aircraft on each side of the student and freefall for 45 seconds. After the parachute is open, the student descends to the ground without the instructors. Preparation for this type of jump involves detailed classroom instruction prior to the first jump.

“Safety is never taken for granted in this sport,” said Brian Smith, a skydiving instructor and faculty adviser to the club. “We are always practicing emergency procedures to help students respond properly in a dangerous situation.”

The third type of jump is a static line, exiting the student solo from the aircraft with the parachute deploying automatically as the student jumps at 3,000 feet. This jump requires classroom instruction and the student can progress to longer freefall times from higher altitudes as their experience increases.

“When you have the slightest inclination to do something like skydiving, you should just do it,” Challa said. “There is nothing to be scared of; everyone should have the experience at least once in their lives.”

There are several different dropzones close to Columbus frequented by the OSU skydiving club; Taylor Air Sports in Fairfield County, Skydive Greene County in Greene County and AerOhio Skydiving Center in Wayne County.

“When you’re at the dropzone a lot is going through your mind,” said Wade Born, a junior in aviation and president of the club. “We are always prepared in case something goes wrong in the air. It’s a safe sport as long as you know what you’re doing.”

Although the skydiving club includes about 150 members, there is only a team of 12 to 18 active members in the club.

“Some people only want to jump once for the experience and not make it a hobby,” Challa said. “That’s the reason why we have so many members on paper but only a few who actually return for their second jump.”

A new skydiving class is offered through the school of physical activity and educational services in which students can learn the history and logistics of skydiving before taking their first jump. The PAES 139.07 is a four credit class that includes classroom instruction and skydiving appreciation. Not everyone who takes the class will choose to go skydiving but it helps those who are unsure make a more informed decision about how far they want to go with the sport.

“The class is in place to enrich a student’s knowledge about skydiving,” Smith said. “The camaraderie of the class is wonderful when we finally go to the dropzone. Students have a much richer experience when they take the class.”

The skydiving class will be offered in spring of this year and the club will meet every other Tuesday in the winter and every Tuesday in the spring.

“We go where the wind takes us,” Born said. “The air is our three-dimensional playground; the only limitation is the ground.”