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Skydiving
by volleyballguy73 at 3/1/2009 2:44:03 PM
"You know, it's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end. And at that height, we are all afraid of heights." My first jumpmaster told me this on my first jump. Once you are at altitude in the plane, until it is your turn, you can look out the window at the beautiful sight below you. Then the door of the plane opens and the c*ckpit is filled with the sound of air rushing into the cabin. You watch as the first jumper climbs out and hangs from the strut of the plane. Then, as quick as a wink, they are gone! My stomach did a back flip. All I could think was "What the hell am I doing?!?". Then it's your turn. You scoot up next to the pilot. The door opens and all you see is empty space. Swing your legs into the void, take a quick peek below you at all the tiny little buildings, hard to recognize at that altitude. Then grab the strut, stand on the step and shimmy out to the handles on the strut. Then step off the step and hang from the handles. Look back at the jumpmaster and wait for him to tell you to go. I was so scared that the jumpmaster had to tell me three times to let go of the plane. It wasn't the height that scared me, it was the unknown. It's not a matter of thinking about the altitude while you are up there. You don't have time to when you are hanging in the door, anyway. You're concentrating too hard on what the jumpmaster is telling you and making sure your arch is correct to even think about being 10,000 feet in the air. Then once you are flying your body, all you hear is the wind rushing by at 120 mph. Again, you are concentrating on your arch. At about 4000 feet, the chute opens (either you, your jumpmaster or your tandem instructor, depending on what type of jump it is, does this). Once it is fully open, all you hear is silence. Then a little bit of the chute flapping in the breeze. I have never experienced anything so peaceful. Once you've released the "brakes", you can play with the canopy. Pull one toggle all the way down and you'll make a slow turn (360 degrees) in that direction (left toggle = left turn). Continue the turn after one complete rotation and the speed picks up. You actually think you're going to come out of the harness, but you won't. Let go of the toggle, now you have a few minutes to look around and enjoy the view. In Kalamazoo (where I used to jump; actually Gobles at Great Lakes Skydivers), at 10,000 feet, you can see Chicago (about 90 miles "as the crow flies"). Down lower, after the chute is open, you can't see as far, but it is still one of the most awesome views you will ever see. You can see for miles in all directions. The only hindrance to how far you can see is the clouds and the curve of the earth. And actually falling through a cloud. That was awesome. If the sun is shinning behind you, as you approach the cloud, you can see your shadow, ringed in a rainbow. Mountaineers have a term for this (I can't remember what they call it, though). That is an awesome sight. Now it's time to set up for the landing. This is actually a very dangerous part of the jump. Many people have broken legs because they weren't paying attention to what they were told or what they are doing. As a student, you have a radio receiver in your helmet (both are requirements for students). There is an experienced jumper, usually a jumpmaster or certified instructor, on the ground giving instructions. The object is to land in the "target". At my regular drop zone (DZ) this was a 40 foot circle (approximately) filled with pea gravel. The target will vary at different DZ's. If you are lucky, on your first jump you'll land on your feet. Most people don't. Most people end up on their asses. Not because it's their fault. It just takes practice to be able to land on your feet. Only a few remember to do a Parachute Landing Fall (PLF). This is a special type of landing developed when all parachutes were still round. It helps your body absorb the shock of hitting the ground. It is still taught because it is a very good way to land. It minimizes any possibility of injury during the landing. After your first jump, you can't believe that you just "jumped out of a perfectly GOOD airplane" on purpose. The adrenaline is flowing. I was so excited that I was shaking. And before you know what you are saying, you've signed up for another jump! Then you are at the DZ every weekend, even if you can't jump, because the adrenaline starts flowing just being there. It was all I could talk about for three days afterward, and every time I did talk about it the adrenaline started flowing and I started shaking. Once you've gotten out of your rig, the jumpmaster and ground school instructor will debrief you, give you some tips for next time, and tell you what you did well. You also, typically, will get some sort of certificate stating that you had successfully completed your "First Jump Course". You can at this point hang out with the other skydivers, ask questions, get tips, or just watch. It is a friendly community, more like a family than anything. If you hang out enough, you might even get invited to the Saturday night bonfire and camp out, which typically includes alcohol. (Just watch saying that this was your "first" anything. If you do you usually end up owing a case of beer. LOL. Just part of the fun.). This is a chance to get to know the other "regulars" at your chosen DZ. This will help when you ask questions, you'll know the right people to ask. It also helps when you start looking to buy a rig. People will know people, and because they know the one selling the rig, they typically know what kind of condition the equipment is in. Just make sure you check with the instructor or your jumpmaster to see if the equipment is appropriate for you, your skill level, and what you want to accomplish (canopy work, sit flying, relative work, swooping, heads down, etc.), before you buy it. A lot of people will let you get it checked out, maybe even jump it once or twice before you buy it. Once you've graduated and gotten your "A" license, you can go to any DZ in the world and repeat the process, making new friends along the way. Plus it gets cheaper (it can be quite costly to begin) once you are off student status and again once you've purchased your own rig. I will never be able to ride a roller coaster, and enjoy it the same way again. Nothing can compare to flying your body through the air, and being able to control where you are going. Flips, rolls, falling in groups of people, tracking (moving in a direction across the ground while in the air; would be akin to swimming in water). Absolutely nothing like it in the world. Can you tell I LOVE it. LOL.
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