The only way to fly...

WOW!!! What a rush!

I've always wanted to skydive, but never quite made the jump (pun intended). Several friends from work and I decided we'd try it out. So, June 14, 1997 we all loaded up in a van and took off for the jumpzone in Vandalia, Illinois.

First we had to take a 4 hour class. Our instructor was great! He said he has jumped more than 1,600 times and has never even needed to pull his reserve chute! Since this was a static line jump (the chute automatically opens once you exit the airplane), we merely had to be prepared for unusual situations and the operation of the parachute (steering and landing). Amazingly, the only time I had any reservations was during the class!

After the class, we suited up and loaded into the plane. The plane took us to 3,000 feet and our instructor told us everything was ready. During the class, we had gone through the procedures many times. So, we were well prepared for the event. The instructor opened the door of the airplane and prepared the first jumper (my friend Frank). Frank had been enthusiastic about jumping since the year before, so he was ready to go. He followed the instructor's directions, grabbed ahold of the wing strut and climbed out of the plane. It was strange looking at Frank sailing like Superman as he held onto the strut. The instructor gave Frank the "thumbs up". Frank arched his back and let go! I followed his fall as his chute opened. It looked great from above.

Then, the instructor motioned for me to get into position to jump. The plane circled around and readied for me to jump. There's something weird about someone telling you to "put your feet out of the plane" and "get all the way out". But I did as he said and the next thing you know, I'm hanging on like Superman with the wind blowing in my face. I look back at the instructor. He gives me the "thumbs up" signal. I look up at a dot on the wing of the plane (you're supposed to do that). Then, I looked straight ahead and froze! What am I doing here??? Did I leave the iron on? Did I lock the door when I left the house? It was only a split second, but I did pause. Finally, I looked back at the dot and let go!!! I can't even describe what went through my mind for the next few seconds. It was nothing like I imagined... I'm falling backwards from the airplane, the static line is reeling out of my rig (parachute pack) and my mind is floating. Suddenly, there was a tugging (definitely not a jerk) from my pack as the main parachute was being pulled out of my rig. The tugging straightened my fall and the next thing I know, there's a parachute overhead. It was a wonderful sight!

The feeling of jumping was incredible. However, the extreme opposite happens once your parachute is deployed. Nobody told me how quiet and peaceful the ride to the ground would be. As I floated down, I could see Frank below me. But, because of the parachute, I was unable to see my other friend, Kerry (who jumped after me). The jumpmaster on the ground guided us to the ground by radio. I was amazed at the maneuverability of the parachute. It "flew" wonderfully! The landing was very smooth and soft. The parachute has brakes that make the landing a matter of stepping onto the ground.

We all enjoyed skydiving so much that we've already planned another day to do more jumps. One of our goals is to do enough jumps to be able to freefall and deploy our own chute. Then, we'll know why the birds sing...

If you have ever had the desire to skydive, I recommend that you try it. One of my favorite skydiving sayings is:

If riding in an airplane is flying, then riding in a boat is swimming.
If you want to experience the element, then get out of the vehicle - skydive!