Why Do You Feel Weightlessness in Freefall?

It’s hard to believe you can feel weightless while falling through the sky at 120mph! But the reality is that skydiving does feel weightless. It’s like being cushioned by the air – in fact, it doesn’t feel like falling at all. Allow us to explain…

The challenge of describing freefall to a non-skydiver

It’s really difficult to describe freefall to a non-skydiver. That’s because it’s nothing like anything we experience in our everyday lives. There’s just no way to relate.

The closest we can get is to say it’s kind of like a rollercoaster, those ones where you go straight down and the wind rushes in your face. But even then, you’re imagining being strapped into a seat with that feeling of confinement. Freefall’s just not like that!

From the moment you jump from the airplane, you’ll feel like your body’s weightless, cushioned by the air and completely free of any stresses. There’s nothing like it… and the only way to truly know how it feels is to try it for yourself!

What is weightlessness?

Everyone loves a vacation, right? You pack up your bags and head off to a sunny paradise where you can relax and unwind.

Often times, that vacation includes a swimming pool where you can spend hours floating around as you gaze up into the cloudless blue sky.

That feeling of floating… that’s weightlessness! When we’re swimming, we’re weightless because there are no forces acting on us. And that’s what happens when we skydive, too!

Are we really weightless in freefall?

Technically, no. We weigh what we weigh and that doesn’t change when we jump out of an airplane.

The reason we feel weightless is that we’re completely free of anything pushing or pulling on us. When we’re stood on the ground, the force of our feet on the ground and the ground against our feet is what makes us feel ‘weighted’. When we’re in freefall, there’s nothing acting on us – we’re completely free, hence FREE-fall!

Other examples of weightlessness in practice

We’ve already mentioned swimming. This is one common example where, if you’re floating (and not touching the floor) you will feel weightless.

Another example is when you’re on a roller coaster ride. You know that moment where you go quickly over a peak in the ride, and you feel that weird sensation in your stomach? In that moment, you’re weightless!

The biggest example is astronauts as they orbit in space. Want to know what it feels like at zero G? Skydiving’s probably the closest you’re gonna get without leaving the planet!

Come and find out for yourself what it feels like to be weightless! Book your skydive with us today.