What a feeling!
Crouching in the tail of a little plane, three newbies on our first skydiving adventure. Jami and I wedged into the back while Erik crouches by the door. Ron, our instructor is facing backwards looking directly into Erik's face. Captain Roy will pilot this bird C-FJHW into the skies over Campbell River as soon as he reaches across the plane to close the door. Roy tells us all to lean forward to attain sufficient lift for take off.
Airborne. The plane slowly ascends into the mostly clear skies slowly creeping upwards as it circles the airstrip. Ron points out a tiny arrow on the ground on what should be our landing area with the arrow pointing in the direction of our final descent. Fifteen minutes goes by as we continue hunched over sitting on our feet as we experience the dips and turns as the plane climbs higher into the sky.
The view gets ever so spectacular as we circle the airport one more time to reach our altitude of 3500 feet. From this point, an object would still hit the ground in 16 seconds if it fell on its own. That thought is not lost on us as we prepare for the next few moments.
The engine slows to approximately 120 kmh and Roy reaches for the door. The door is open and it is Erik's self appointed task to be the first one out of the plane.
Repeatedly we are all going over the 6 hours of training on the steps we must go through to do the unnatural and fly.
Ron braces himself to assist in the process, Erik reaches his left hand to the back of the pilot's seat, his right hand grabs the back side of the door opening just as we have been instructed to do. "READY" shouts Ron. "STEP OUT" Erik reaches his right leg out the door searching for the tiny 30 cm square platform which covers the wheel of the plane. His leg shifts backwards with the force of the wind. Erik adjusts and plants his foot on the platform. Now his left hand reaches for the strut some 6 feet away. As he leans forward into the wind, the force pushes hard against him. Whew, he has reached the strut. Now his body is parallel with the opening in the side of the plane. My heart skips a beat as I take a deep breath. I have only met Erik some 6 hours ago but have really enjoyed our time together as though we have been friends for life.
Fully committed, Erik reaches out his right hand for the strut. The strain shows on his face as he battles the force of the wind. This process which takes only seconds seems to be frozen in time as he reaches for, and grasps the strut with his hand. All the safety of the airplane behind him he gets his left foot on the platform crossing over in front of his right just as planned. Now to shuffle his hands further out on the strut of the right wing the additional 50cm to ensure that he will be clear of the tail of the plane. Adjusting his feet and his grip it is time to let the wind take his feet away from the platform leaving his hands on the strut the only thing connecting him to the plane. He looks back to the plane making eye contact with Ron. "LOOK UP." Erik's eyes leave the plane and look up to the wing as his feet dangle perilously behind him. "GO" Erik releases his hands immediately and is gone in an instant.
Roy Closes the door and makes a loop of the airport as I shuffle into position. My palms are moist as I go over the procedure in my head... Plan "A" left hand, right hand, right foot, left foot cross over, shuffle... Plan "B" even the sound of it increases the heart rate as I contemplate what to do. Oddly enough, I am not as nervous now as I was watching Erik complete the process. I wipe my palms on my jumpsuit hoping that I will have a sufficient grip to hang on.
Roy reaches for the door which opens with a thud. The cars on the highway below seem like ants walking on a ribbon as the sun glistens off the ocean waters below. The drone of the engine seems to disappear as the only sound I hear is that of Ron's voice. "GET READY." One final glance to Jami I say a few words then I reach for the seat and the side of the plane. "STEP OUT."
Even having watched Erik, and having stuck my arms out of the window of a moving car, I am surprised by the force of the wind. My leg bends sideways as I push my foot down towards the platform. Whew, this is really happening. I try to focus my attention on the strut as my target just as we did when the plane was on the ground. Straining forward I grip it with my left hand. I now have two of my limbs outside as the wind howls against my body. There is nothing but sky and the ground some 3500 feet below. My heart rate would by now have now intensified but I don't recall that sensation. My right hand now reaches out into the sky searching for the strut. My fingers barely grasp it as I struggle to increase my grip. Now my left foot leaves the cockpit as it crosses over my right in search of the platform. OH MY GOSH. I am really doing this. The wind is intense. I am completely outside the plane. Shuffle, Shuffle, Shuffle. I am relieved that I still have a grip of the strut. Much like a leap of faith, I release my feet from the platform, they fly behind me as I grip the strut with my hands. The only part of me connected to the aircraft are my hands and I don't feel much like Superman despite the pose. I look into Ron's eyes for what seems like an eternity. At this point I am surprised but all I want to do is let go...
"LOOK UP" Ah, finally, these past few seconds will be etched in my mind for eternity, as will the next! "GO." Immediately I let go and begin the procedure.... only this time instead of shouting it out like we were instructed I go through the process in silence. "ARCH" arching my back and spreading my arms and legs wide apart "One Thousand, Two Thousand, Three Thousand, Four Thousand, Five Thousand, Check Chute, Is it holding me up? (The answer is hopefully yes) but it doesn't look like it is supposed to. This is much tougher than it was on the ground. I am bouncing around and something is blocking my view. The slider has not fully come down the line. My mind is somewhere between racing and going blank in what seems like an eternity but in reality was probably two seconds at the most. I should be saying "Are there any twists" but I am frozen in time... Do I need to go to plan "B?" I look for the red handle to cut away my chute as I feel a jerk. My decent seemed to slow and I look upward and the slider has deployed. I pause and take a deep breath for a few seconds before I do as I was supposed to, reaching for the handles to guide the chute, I pull them both down once, twice, and then continue on with the process. Look right, turn right, pause, look left, turn left pause... Find the drop zone... right below me, where it should be. Whew.... I am surprised that the stress of the situation caused me to hesitate. I take a deep breath and begin to enjoy the view.... I can hear the commands for Erik on the radio to prepare for landing. I turn and begin to look for him. Ah, there is a bright green chute approaching the DZ just perfectly I hear, wait, wait, wait.... FLARE, FLARE, FLARE as his chute flares behind him signalling that he responded to the command. The chute collapses behind him. I once again gaze over the Straight and can see for miles when I hear "BILL, if you can hear me, turn left." I turn left, "okay, turn right," I turn right. "Okay have some fun but stay in the drop zone.
My landing was not so graceful as I chose to sit rather than run when my balance was not there upon touching the ground... I begin to gather up the cords as assistance comes to show me how to gather the cords. I hear on the radio "JAMI if you can hear me....." followed by "good...." peace, excitement, amazement, so many thoughts as Sally runs towards me with a grin on her face that makes me glad to be on the ground. With my equipment gathered I search for Jami in the sky and watch her approach... perfect landing with that ear to ear smile still in tact. As advertised, this has been a "Perfect Day."
Crouching in the tail of a little plane, three newbies on our first skydiving adventure. Jami and I wedged into the back while Erik crouches by the door. Ron, our instructor is facing backwards looking directly into Erik's face. Captain Roy will pilot this bird C-FJHW into the skies over Campbell River as soon as he reaches across the plane to close the door. Roy tells us all to lean forward to attain sufficient lift for take off.
Airborne. The plane slowly ascends into the mostly clear skies slowly creeping upwards as it circles the airstrip. Ron points out a tiny arrow on the ground on what should be our landing area with the arrow pointing in the direction of our final descent. Fifteen minutes goes by as we continue hunched over sitting on our feet as we experience the dips and turns as the plane climbs higher into the sky.
The view gets ever so spectacular as we circle the airport one more time to reach our altitude of 3500 feet. From this point, an object would still hit the ground in 16 seconds if it fell on its own. That thought is not lost on us as we prepare for the next few moments.
The engine slows to approximately 120 kmh and Roy reaches for the door. The door is open and it is Erik's self appointed task to be the first one out of the plane.
Repeatedly we are all going over the 6 hours of training on the steps we must go through to do the unnatural and fly.
Ron braces himself to assist in the process, Erik reaches his left hand to the back of the pilot's seat, his right hand grabs the back side of the door opening just as we have been instructed to do. "READY" shouts Ron. "STEP OUT" Erik reaches his right leg out the door searching for the tiny 30 cm square platform which covers the wheel of the plane. His leg shifts backwards with the force of the wind. Erik adjusts and plants his foot on the platform. Now his left hand reaches for the strut some 6 feet away. As he leans forward into the wind, the force pushes hard against him. Whew, he has reached the strut. Now his body is parallel with the opening in the side of the plane. My heart skips a beat as I take a deep breath. I have only met Erik some 6 hours ago but have really enjoyed our time together as though we have been friends for life.
Fully committed, Erik reaches out his right hand for the strut. The strain shows on his face as he battles the force of the wind. This process which takes only seconds seems to be frozen in time as he reaches for, and grasps the strut with his hand. All the safety of the airplane behind him he gets his left foot on the platform crossing over in front of his right just as planned. Now to shuffle his hands further out on the strut of the right wing the additional 50cm to ensure that he will be clear of the tail of the plane. Adjusting his feet and his grip it is time to let the wind take his feet away from the platform leaving his hands on the strut the only thing connecting him to the plane. He looks back to the plane making eye contact with Ron. "LOOK UP." Erik's eyes leave the plane and look up to the wing as his feet dangle perilously behind him. "GO" Erik releases his hands immediately and is gone in an instant.
Roy Closes the door and makes a loop of the airport as I shuffle into position. My palms are moist as I go over the procedure in my head... Plan "A" left hand, right hand, right foot, left foot cross over, shuffle... Plan "B" even the sound of it increases the heart rate as I contemplate what to do. Oddly enough, I am not as nervous now as I was watching Erik complete the process. I wipe my palms on my jumpsuit hoping that I will have a sufficient grip to hang on.
Roy reaches for the door which opens with a thud. The cars on the highway below seem like ants walking on a ribbon as the sun glistens off the ocean waters below. The drone of the engine seems to disappear as the only sound I hear is that of Ron's voice. "GET READY." One final glance to Jami I say a few words then I reach for the seat and the side of the plane. "STEP OUT."
Even having watched Erik, and having stuck my arms out of the window of a moving car, I am surprised by the force of the wind. My leg bends sideways as I push my foot down towards the platform. Whew, this is really happening. I try to focus my attention on the strut as my target just as we did when the plane was on the ground. Straining forward I grip it with my left hand. I now have two of my limbs outside as the wind howls against my body. There is nothing but sky and the ground some 3500 feet below. My heart rate would by now have now intensified but I don't recall that sensation. My right hand now reaches out into the sky searching for the strut. My fingers barely grasp it as I struggle to increase my grip. Now my left foot leaves the cockpit as it crosses over my right in search of the platform. OH MY GOSH. I am really doing this. The wind is intense. I am completely outside the plane. Shuffle, Shuffle, Shuffle. I am relieved that I still have a grip of the strut. Much like a leap of faith, I release my feet from the platform, they fly behind me as I grip the strut with my hands. The only part of me connected to the aircraft are my hands and I don't feel much like Superman despite the pose. I look into Ron's eyes for what seems like an eternity. At this point I am surprised but all I want to do is let go...
"LOOK UP" Ah, finally, these past few seconds will be etched in my mind for eternity, as will the next! "GO." Immediately I let go and begin the procedure.... only this time instead of shouting it out like we were instructed I go through the process in silence. "ARCH" arching my back and spreading my arms and legs wide apart "One Thousand, Two Thousand, Three Thousand, Four Thousand, Five Thousand, Check Chute, Is it holding me up? (The answer is hopefully yes) but it doesn't look like it is supposed to. This is much tougher than it was on the ground. I am bouncing around and something is blocking my view. The slider has not fully come down the line. My mind is somewhere between racing and going blank in what seems like an eternity but in reality was probably two seconds at the most. I should be saying "Are there any twists" but I am frozen in time... Do I need to go to plan "B?" I look for the red handle to cut away my chute as I feel a jerk. My decent seemed to slow and I look upward and the slider has deployed. I pause and take a deep breath for a few seconds before I do as I was supposed to, reaching for the handles to guide the chute, I pull them both down once, twice, and then continue on with the process. Look right, turn right, pause, look left, turn left pause... Find the drop zone... right below me, where it should be. Whew.... I am surprised that the stress of the situation caused me to hesitate. I take a deep breath and begin to enjoy the view.... I can hear the commands for Erik on the radio to prepare for landing. I turn and begin to look for him. Ah, there is a bright green chute approaching the DZ just perfectly I hear, wait, wait, wait.... FLARE, FLARE, FLARE as his chute flares behind him signalling that he responded to the command. The chute collapses behind him. I once again gaze over the Straight and can see for miles when I hear "BILL, if you can hear me, turn left." I turn left, "okay, turn right," I turn right. "Okay have some fun but stay in the drop zone.
My landing was not so graceful as I chose to sit rather than run when my balance was not there upon touching the ground... I begin to gather up the cords as assistance comes to show me how to gather the cords. I hear on the radio "JAMI if you can hear me....." followed by "good...." peace, excitement, amazement, so many thoughts as Sally runs towards me with a grin on her face that makes me glad to be on the ground. With my equipment gathered I search for Jami in the sky and watch her approach... perfect landing with that ear to ear smile still in tact. As advertised, this has been a "Perfect Day."
