Husbands 40th/ rally driving or sky dive

desperate_lou

:eek: Hi all.

Husbands 40th next month, he has always wanted to do an adrenalin sport, this is to be a surprise for him, but i can t decide which one to get for him.

Both ae around the same price, and neither are partically local to Brighton where we live.#

Anyone out there done either of these or got any ideas, i shall run out of time soon

Lou

beaker141

I have done both (ish).

I have done a full day rally driving which is awesome stuff, and a couple of parachute jumps where you do a days training and then jump yourself but a rope pulls your parachute within 3 seconds of jumping.

The parachuting freefall bit, I guess what you are looking at is a tandem jump, would be a huge buzz and scary as hell - but given the choice I would choose the rally driving. It lasts longer and you have a lot more input and control over what is going on.

If your husband is interested in motor sports I would opt for that one.

TokochickUK

if you were going to do rally driving or something along those lines i would be tempted to do banger racing . you can pay about £200 ( could be less) with places called rent a rookie who do arlington meetings. they supply the car your dh would just need to get in and drive!

save-a-lot

Hi

I have done a tandem skydive and I can say without doubt that it is one amazing buzz, definately pay extra a bit extra and get it filmed, this will involve another jumper with head camera. The watching it back just brings it all back and would be a fantastic keepsake.

If a skydive proves to be too intense I can recommend two more options to consider. I have done a microlight flight and that was amazing and it will probably come in at the same price. Also, off the back off doing the skydive, I decided to learn how to paraglide, I live in the Peak District so this sort of thing goes on all around where I live, you can get weekend courses as a taster. Can be frustrating at times though because if the conditions are not perfect you do spend alot of time sitting at the top of hills.

One last consideration, quad biking is brilliant fun too - but it does absolutely knacker you out especially if the terrain is rough.

hth

Gingernutmeg

My mum bought my step-dad a rally driving experience (I think it was from Red Letter days) and it was ok, but not brilliant. There was no real 'rally driving', just circuits of a race-track, and there was a lot of waiting around as there were about six people and only one car.

Also, there are weight and height restrictions for the cars. My step-dad is very tall (over 6'7'') and it was touch and go whether they'd actually let him in the cars as by the time he had his helmet on his head was up against the roof of the car! The seats and belts etc are also quite restrictive, and with his long legs again they were a bit reluctant to take him out on the drive. I *think* it is noted in the brochures now but if your partner is taller than average then it's really worth making sure that he'll be able to take part.

My step-dad loved the experience though!

Becles

I've done a tandem sky dive. That's probably best for a one-off experience. You do about 15 minutes training, get strapped up and away! You're taken up to about 10,000 ft and do some freefall, then the chute opens and the man who was with me pointed out local landmarks as we floated down to earth. It was awesome and I loved every minute of it. I second the video idea - it's a smashing keepsake.

If he wants to jump solo, he will only be able to jump on a static line from around 3000ft. The parachute rip cord is tied to a long string, so once you've jump out, the parachute automatically opens. You only get a couple of seconds freefall then the floaty bit, so it's not as exciting as the tandem one. You also have to do a full day's training course that covers everything you need to do and everything that can go wrong, as once you're out the plane, you're on your own.

desperate_lou

Hi all

Thanks for the advise, he has always said he would love to have a go at rally driving, but recently he was at a mates house who showed him a video of a tandem jump he had done at Runcorn and was then talking about that saying how brilliant that would be.

I ve still not decided as both sound brilliant fun (no way i would do it though) i shall have a look on internet and see what each one offers.

Maybe i ll just get him bottle of aftershave (lol)

anymore information out there would be appreciated

Thanks Lou x

desperate_lou

hi was interested to read about banger racing as an option, not something i had thought of either, any idea what you get for your money ?, i ve got a number which i shall ring tomorrow.

Lou x

ificouldpaint

I recently did aerobatic flying with a company at Thruxton run by ex red arrows pilots. They take you up in open canopy stuny planes and do aerobatics, lasts about 30 mins in the air... it was absolutely incredible. I did it as company bonus but would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. They can even film you from inside the cockpit and put it onto DVD. Its called "The Arrows Experience" google it because they said it was cheaper to book direct than to book via thruxton if me and my friends wanted to go back. I think it would be a brilliant alternative to skydiving and more of a once in a lifetime experience compared to rallying.

desperate_lou

ificouldpaint

Amazing, just been on website, it looks incredible, another option to look at. As we are in Brighton i was hoping there would be something nearer, but something like that would be worth the travel. Theres a weight restriction of 14 stone, so i shall have to discreetly weigh him without him wondering what im up to. ha ha.

Have to give him salad for next two weeks.

thanks again everyone

LOU X

desperate_lou

hi ficouldpaint

Amazing, just been on website, it looks incredible, another option to look at. As we are in Brighton i was hoping there would be something nearer, but something like that would be worth the travel. Theres a weight restriction of 14 stone, so i shall have to discreetly weigh him without him wondering what im up to. ha ha.

Have to give him salad for next two weeks.

thanks again everyone

LOU X