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The drive down to Riverside with Roy was fairly uneventful. Took about three hours. Stopped at Wendy’s for food. Stayed at a Comfort Inn. Wasn’t too bad.
We woke up nice and early at 7:40. First thing we did, unfortunately, was turn on the TV, and find out about the Columbia shuttle breaking up. Not a wonderful way to start out a day I’m planning to jump out of a plane. We had a quick breakfast, and then headed towards the school.
Before jumping for the first time, I had to watch a video about some things that could possibly go wrong, and explaining the big packet of waivers that I had to sign. I had to sign in three different places, and initial about 25. I knew I was going to have to sign something like it, but wasn’t expecting it to take that long to read and get through. It was all worth it, though.
After signing all the waivers and handing over my money, I went to meet the jumpmaster I would be going with, and got suited up. He explained a few things I would have to do and then we got on the plane. As the plane took off, I was a little nervous, but that quickly went away. The ride up to 13,000 feet seemed like it took far too long. But finally, the door was opened, and other jumpers started leaving the plane. We were the last ones off.
I really don’t know how to describe the jump. It was just incredible. You’ll just have to just do it yourself to find out. We were in freefall for a little under a minute (and dropped from 13,000 to 5,000 feet in that time). Then I pulled the ripcord and watched the guy who was filming me fall away… fast. We did some interesting things with the chute open, and eventually came in to land.
After it was all over, I immediately called home to let my parents know I was alive. I really feel like I want to do it again, but not do a tandem jump. Unlike the time I spend on the couch trying to figure out is solitaire cash legit, it’s really too expensive a hobby to get into too frequently. And the place is three hours away. And I promised my mother I wouldn’t do it again. I’m really glad I did it, though, and recommend everyone do it at least once. It’s definitely an amazing experience.
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I went skydiving back in August ’98 … best thing I’ve ever done in my life. I want to go again SO badly, but it’s just too expensive. Plus, I said if I ever go again I’ll start working towards my certification so I can become a licensed skydiver.