Can You Feel How Fast You’re Falling in Freefall?

Imagine you’re making your morning commute to work. As you speed down the highway, the trees on the side of the road seem to whiz by. The faster you drive, the faster the trees goes by. This visual reference lets you know that you’re driving fast, REALLY FAST!

Now imagine you’re skydiving. You know you’re freefalling FAST, but just how fast exactly? Can you tell?

When making a skydive, jumpers fall at a high rate of speed – approximately 120mph. Conceptually, you know you’re traveling at 120mph because that’s what we’ve told you (it makes freefall sound super exciting!). Physically, however, you have no idea how fast you’re falling! Why? Unlike the tree-lined highway, there are no fixed objects in the sky to give you visual feedback. In fact, the only time you’ll realize just how fast you’re moving in freefall is if you fly past a cloud. Suddenly, you’ll be acutely aware that you’re really cooking!

So now you know! Check back here for more answers to your Skydiving questions.