SKYDIVING!!!

[Islander]

Because your mother told you not to.

[Zeener Diode]

I saw your post on FB.

Super awesome!

[3acres]

Jeez, you jumped out of a plane? And it wasn't about to crash into a mountain or anything? Ha, I don't even like regular plane rides!

[Islander]

There are not enough words in my keyboard to describe how full of awesomeness this was. Everyone needs to do it before they die!

[Dirx]

Originally Posted by Islander

There are not enough words in my keyboard to describe how full of awesomeness this was. Everyone needs to do it before they die!

I'm terrified of heights. I don't even like standing right next to the glass windows in a tall highrise. You won't catch me going within a hundred feet of a bungee rope.

I still totally want to skydive.

[Taur]

Madam, you are a wonderment. Good on ya, Islander!

[Zeener Diode]

Are there pics?

I'm only in this thread because I'm hoping for pics.

[mlerose]

There's still a groupon going on for skydiving at our wee local airport. A friend of mine bought one ~6 months ago and went with her husband a couple of weeks ago. I see people falling from the sky all the time when we go by and I always wave. Good on you, Islander!

[Taur]

Originally Posted by Zeener Diode

Are there pics?

I heard there's video.

[Zeener Diode]

Originally Posted by Board Taurus

I heard there's video.

Shot, no doubt, by the cruel joker who pushed her out of the plane.

[Islander]

Actually, there was quite a crowd to cheer me on, lots of camera action and two video cameras, so those with patience need to hang in there until I have something to post. As I stepped up to the plane, all harnessed up, they wanted me to wave. I felt like Tricky Dick Nixon but I looked more like Dubya in his "Mission Accomplished" photo op.

Here's how it goes: I get harnessed up, with goggles too, and we climb to 10,000 feet... the pilot, natch, and four of us crammed in the empty rest of the tiny plane, no seats. Very intimate but too loud for sweet nothings. Not scary in the least...but I'm FIRST! A challenging moment when my coach opens the door and I have to swing around in 80 mph winds and put my feet EXACTLY flat on a tiny little steel step... and then I push off, arch my back, kick up my legs and I am flying! Free fall for 40 seconds, really feels like a bird...way more exhilarating than whitewater rafting! Just breathtaking! Then the chute opens and we float for 15 minutes. Divine. Lots of supportive friends on hand, loads of hugs and high fives, 3 bottles of champagne.

I think the most nerve-wracking moment is that adrenaline rush when you jump out of a nice safe airplane into high winds and 28º temps...without anyone to watch who went ahead of you. But free fall really desn't feel like falling, it feels like soaring! You are parallel with the earth. And the silence...the silence is deep. Yup, if a Groupon comes to an airport near you, JUST DO IT. Tell 'em Islander sent you.

[Zeener Diode]

Do you think you'll try it again?

[Islander]

Are you buying? I would do it again in a New York minute if I could afford it. But there are other things on my bucket list, e.g. I want to get to Egypt before they burn it down. And Yucatan. So short answer? Definite yes, if I had a money tree instead of apple trees.

[meek]

Congrats. I jumped years ago and the adrenaline is STILL flowing.

I went solo with no free fall but it still was the most exciting thing I have ever done in my life. It's the closest I'll ever get to being a pilot. I was amazed on how easy it was to control. The landing was softer than jumping off a coffee table. Now I want to go again.
.

[Jaglavak]

Originally Posted by Islander

Everyone needs to do it before they die!

But hopefully not immediately before.

[LorieSmurf]

Y'all are crazy. I would vomit and shit my pants.

[Islander]

@LorieSmurf: I was given a pair of Depends. I did not use them, nor did I expect to need them. You might be surprised at what a pure thrill it is.

@Jaglavak: Point to you. :-)
But why does everyone see this as scary or dangerous? It's thrilling but it's routine, people do it all the time, the chute always opens, no one becomes a wet spot on the asphalt. Rock-climbing or ice-climbing, now that's dangerous!

[Jaglavak]

Don't fool yourself, it is dangerous. A guy I knew augered in about 10 years ago. He landed in a freshly plowed field. It took him four months to finish dying. I'll never jump unless the airplane is broken in half and on fire.

[Dragonlady]

Originally Posted by Islander

But why does everyone see this as scary or dangerous? It's thrilling but it's routine, people do it all the time, the chute always opens, no one becomes a wet spot on the asphalt. Rock-climbing or ice-climbing, now that's dangerous!

If that's what you told yourself, ok.
But I know someone who owned a skydiving school and drop zone. It is SO not accurate.

I've heard first hand stories about 2 different people that split open like melons on impact, one that was in a coma for almost a week, and several that rode in on streamers and made supremely lucky landings. I know one of those guys personally.

[Lord Blackmore]

Ain't no good reason to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

[3acres]

Originally Posted by Jaglavak

I'll never jump unless the airplane is broken in half and on fire.

Damn right, pal! Even then, I'd be asking them, "Are you sure you can't land this baby?"

[Euryphaessa]

My dad has been a skydiver for over 20 years, probably close to 30. He's never had a serious accident (although he's broken most of the bones in his feet at one time or another), but his best friend was killed in a skydiving accident around 10 years ago.

The thing about skydiving is that there isn't a whole lot of room for error. I mean, if you're driving a car and you blow a tire, you could really hurt yourself, or you could swerve into a ditch and walk away with some bruises. There is a lot of middle ground. With skydiving, if something goes wrong, you're 3000 feet in the air and falling very fast. Your life is in the hands of the guy who packed your reserve (if you get the chance to use it) and you have to remain calm and capable. Sometimes you don't get a chance for calm and capable, my dad's friend was killed instantly in a midair collision with another skydiver, who died in the hospital a few days later.

All this to say that skydiving is as safe as you make it. You know what you're doing, you've rehearsed worst case scenarios, and your equipment is up to spec. Yes, I can't help but think of things going wrong when I see my dad jump, but he's not stupid and he wouldn't ever jump if he wasn't absolutely sure he was prepared. I think it's an incredibly cool vocation and I'd love to try it someday, but yeah, it can be dangerous. I admire anyone who has the guts to go for it.

[Dragonlady]

Eury, The guys used to say "If at first you don't succeed, skydiving probably ain't your sport."

[Euryphaessa]

Very true.

[tunaman]

Glad you had fun, Islander! I did it, but probably won't do it again. Skydiving was one of those things that was always on my bucket list. But when I actually did it, it was... just OK. I guess I'd hyped myself up all those years into thinking it would be some kind of life-changing experience, when all it ended up being was like an elaborate roller coaster ride, something to pass the time on a Saturday afternoon. I also hated that the guy I was hooked to kept trying to pull my head up, so that I would look around the sky; I actually preferred the feeling of looking down, of all that wind rushing in my face.

Having said all that, I'll never forget the look on my friend's face. He was TERRIFIED of flying (although we flew to Germany together), and so he jumped with me to try to "fix" his fear. I jumped first, and we did a couple of somersaults after jumping out of the plane. I'll never forget being upside down ("on my back" as it were), looking back at the plane flying away from me, and seeing his horrified face in the door of the plane. If I could somehow hook a digital camera up to my memory, THAT would be the first picture I'd take!

[Islander]

Tunaman, I wonder whether he was trying to get your head into the right position? Because the way it was explained to me, during free fall — immediately you exit the plane — you must keep your head back, arch your back and kick your legs up in order to avoid tumbling out of control. For the first 40 seconds we were parallel to the ground, soaring like birds, and that was by far the best part because it was exactly like flying! Once the chute opened, well, yeah, that was nice, a slow leisurely descent, but the real rush was the free fall. And no, I am NOT an adrenaline junkie! Ask anyone!

[Jaglavak]

I'm down with slow and leisurely. If I was filthy rich I'd have a (fireproof) zepplin built so's I could drift 100 ft above the forest all slow and leisurely-like. Of course it would feature a bar & grill with tons of view windows and y'all are invited for the Superbowl party.

[Scuba Ben]

At least in scuba diving the margins for error are a bit wider. Yes there's many ways to kill or injure yourself on the simplest of dives. That's why there's so much training in shallow water such as a swimming pool.

I don't see how skydiving can be practiced in 5 feet of air.

[Clothahump]

If at first you don't succeed - try, try again. Unless you're skydiving.

[Euryphaessa]

Originally Posted by Scuba Ben

At least in scuba diving the margins for error are a bit wider. Yes there's many ways to kill or injure yourself on the simplest of dives. That's why there's so much training in shallow water such as a swimming pool.

I don't see how skydiving can be practiced in 5 feet of air.

My brother scuba dives for a living and skydives as a hobby. My dad scuba dives semi-professionally. At this point I just have to accept they're trying to kill themselves or me first.

[tunaman]

Originally Posted by Islander

Tunaman, I wonder whether he was trying to get your head into the right position? Because the way it was explained to me, during free fall — immediately you exit the plane — you must keep your head back, arch your back and kick your legs up in order to avoid tumbling out of control.

Nah, this was after we'd stabilized. I kept looking down, and he kept pulling my forehead back. At one point he asked "don't you wanna look around?" and I shook my head and pointed at the ground. I guess he "got" me after that.

[Jaglavak]

Originally Posted by Scuba Ben

I don't see how skydiving can be practiced in 5 feet of air.

It can, you just need one of these gizmos.

[Islander]

Found in my e-mail:
"You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice."

[Glazer]

Next jump. HALO.

[Jaglavak]

Isn't that part of a package deal with the wings and a harp?

[Islander]

Just for that, Jaglavak, I'm going to give you the secret Facebook code to see the pix. Hope this works!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=e5c95dea8f

[Jaglavak]

OK, I gotta admit that looks like a kick in the ass.

[Islander]

A kick-ass experience indeed. Snowmobiling to the top of the second-biggest glacier in Iceland is now in second place!