Went Sky Diving

[disco]

Did it today.  Woo-Hoo!  Tandem jump and didn't pee on myself!        Didn't buy the video so I'll see if anybody has some random pics of me.

Short version:  It was fun.  "Flippin' sweet, I wanna go again."

Long version:  Seven of us went.  Check in, sign waivers.  Buddy says, "dude, don't even read it.  You don't want to know what it says.  It's all about dying and you can't sue them and stuff.  Just sign it, if you read it you'll get scared.  It's some pretty serious s--t."  Sign my life away, step on the scale.  Doh!  I'm a lardo, pay extra $20.    We all laugh and joke who's getting who's car if they die.  JB isn't amused.  His gf is into this kind of thing big time.  JB just wants to party and chill, jumping out of a plane is NOT his idea of a good time.  Of course we cannot let that slide.  muhahaha....

We all meet our tandem instructors, I'm with Hank, and we get suited up.

A couple of hours later and 14,000' higher, I'm crouched in the doorway with toes over the edge.  I look down and the ground is a patchwork.  Rock forward, back and then forward out into space.    The actual free fall weightless part doesn't last long because the airspeed is climbing and all the wind pushing you back.  Takes my brain a while to sort everything out.  It sounds and feels like standing in giant air nozzle.  Wind and noise!  "Oh yeah, arch!"  Backwards arch, feet together and head back.  Shoulder taps - signal to let go of harness and extend my arms.  We plummet!  hahhahaa.  Get signal to check altimeter, 8500'.  Whoa!  We just jumped it seemed like.  We do a few turns left and right then at 7000 lock on to altimeter and watch it wind down to 6000.  Wave arms to signal I'm pulling the cord.  Reach back and feel the golf ball.  Grab, head back and extend arm.  Chute deploys.  Holy CRAP!  The brakes are on now. We slow down right NOW.  I was worried I was going to rip the stitches out of the chute.  LOL.  It honestly felt and looked like we were going backwards.  I guess you adapt to the free fall really quick, you feel almost motionless during the fall.  Then that chute opens and here comes some massive deceleration.  It felt like I was going backwards.

We float around for a few minutes, I get to steer us around.  We flare at altitude, do some practice stuff and go over the landing.  We circle the field and come in slow, circle, flare and slide in for a good landing.

Freaking awesome.  Hank goes over the jump with a log book.  We jumped out of a Twin Otter at 14,000', he points to the printed 65 second free fall.  "No dude, we were falling fast!  We were doing a good buck-40 coming down, it was lot less than 65 seconds."  Combined we were within ten pounds of the max weight.  He pointed at some girls, "they were doing about 120, (at Mike) he was going about 130 and we were doing every bit of 140."

One more tandem and I can solo.  That will be scary!  LOL.  I won't lie.  I told Hank, "uh... I can't see myself doing a solo right now.  There's a lot going on.  hahaha!"  He says you would be amazed at the difference from your first jump to your second jump.  He said the first jump, your brain is reeling and you have sensory overload.  By the second jump your brain has a handle on it and it will seem a lot longer.  And we train the CRAP out of you.  First solo jump, you get a radio and they will coach you and help you through it.

Nothing like standing in the door looking down at the world, then leaning out.

Nothing like the fall before the chute opens.

Nothing like chute deployment.

Nothing like impact in a failed deployment.  



Maaan... if you have never jumped, you GOTTA do it.  Get group together, suck it up and go do it.


Captain America!



Some skydive teams practicing.



The whiteboard in the video room.





edit:  Had to change the Subject line, it was annoying me.

[Krandall]

freaking sweet. I was just talking to a friedn this weekend about going and doing that!!!

[Gunz]

I'm in!!! Great description bro. Damn now that's all I'm going to think about the rest of the weekend.

[disco]

We had talked about it before, then it got put on back burner.  Then one guys daughter turned 18 and she wanted to skydive so we got all fired up again.  We got rained out last Saturday, Saturday before that was another guys anniversary.  Finally everything lined up and we were able to do it.

I could have written a lot more than that about the skydive.  I had to trim it down actually.  It was a blast.  We'll all probably go again after the first of the year.  Except JB, I think he had enough.  hahaha.

Oh yeah, instructor said we would most likely slide in and land on our butts since we were heavy.  He said if we land on our feet it will be an absolute last second thing so listen for him.  Lighter people will flare and stall out and the landing is like stepping off a bus.  You literally come to a dead stop a foot or two off the ground.  The student swings their legs up out of the way and the instructor uses his legs.  Once on the ground you put your feet down.  We came in faster and it was too fast to land on our feet so we slid in.

We were laughing and joking on the plane.  The guy that took his daughters skydiving jumped before they did so when he went to the door he started jacking with them.  "OH MY GERD!!!  OH NO!!!  SHIIIIIIiiii....." (whoosh, out the door).  His daughter was all laughing and joking up till then, after that she got scared.  hahaha.  Mission:  Accomplished.

Also (sheesh, I know) I always wondered how a plane full of skydivers crashes and kills everybody.  WTF?  Jump out right?!?  Well in tandem jumps you aren't connected until around 8,000' then it's time to go nuts to butts (calm down dragonz) and the instructor starts clipping his harness to yours.  Then he cinches everything tight, real tight.  He pats every connection and tells you that we are now connected and you will NOT come out of that harness.

Intense.  Recommended.        Two thumbs up.

[Peelz]

nuts to butts? Krandall's in. Like...waaaaay in

For real though, sounds like a blast. Friend and I were talking about talking my old man into it. SOrt of a bucket list thing

[preddy08]

nuts to butts? Krandall's in. Like...waaaaay in

For real though, sounds like a blast. Friend and I were talking about talking my old man into it. SOrt of a bucket list thing

I did that about 8 years ago and it was a freeking blast!!!!

Funny thing is I jumped over the bridges of madison county   

[Krandall]

peelz.

[Danny T]

i've been meaning to do that lately, sounds like a blast!

[Hefe]

we are planning on doing that over Vegas/lake mead/hoover damn area in January (for my B-day)
thanks for the intense description!
would love to see some pics/vids of the jump

[Kamakazi]

8 percent of the worlds population has skydived, 2 percent of that has jumped more than once.  ive only gone once i jumped by myself with a ripcord attatched to the plane, it was cool cuz all of a sudden i was the only thing floating in the air, a very cool feeling, and i highly suggest goin single jump.

[Colorado700R]

sky diving was awesome..............





Till they made me carry everything I owned plus a machine gun and 600 rounds of ammo.

I have a special appreciation for a bug on a windshield now

[disco]

sky diving was awesome..............





Till they made me carry everything I owned plus a machine gun and 600 rounds of ammo.

I have a special appreciation for a bug on a windshield now

We were joking about that. "Dang!  We've been flying a long time.  Ooh... green light. Yay!  Hey wait, why are you giving me a gun and what's with all the desert and stuff down there? Are those fireworks?"

One of the guys already says he's making another jump in a month or so.  The third jump is solo and that's his goal.  Once you begin training for your A-license I believe you get a free video with every jump as a training aid.

[Colorado700R]

sky diving was awesome..............





Till they made me carry everything I owned plus a machine gun and 600 rounds of ammo.

I have a special appreciation for a bug on a windshield now

We were joking about that. "Dang!  We've been flying a long time.  Ooh... green light. Yay!  Hey wait, why are you giving me a gun and what's with all the desert and stuff down there? Are those fireworks?"

One of the guys already says he's making another jump in a month or so.  The third jump is solo and that's his goal.  Once you begin training for your A-license I believe you get a free video with every jump as a training aid.

Yeah, I freely admit to some less than graceful landings  A few times I felt like I got counter sunk into the ground like a frame nail

[dabigbratj]

sky diving was awesome..............





Till they made me carry everything I owned plus a machine gun and 600 rounds of ammo.

I have a special appreciation for a bug on a windshield now

We were joking about that. "Dang!  We've been flying a long time.  Ooh... green light. Yay!  Hey wait, why are you giving me a gun and what's with all the desert and stuff down there? Are those fireworks?"

One of the guys already says he's making another jump in a month or so.  The third jump is solo and that's his goal.  Once you begin training for your A-license I believe you get a free video with every jump as a training aid.

Yeah, I free admit to some less than graceful landings   A few times I felt like I got counter sunk into the ground like a frame nail