Sunday, August 9, 2009

SKYDIVING



Outside the Skydiving hanger
Signing all the waivers....

Hoping this was NOT the plane he was going to jump out of
Learning what to do while jumping
finding a harness that fits..
LOVE him.

The plane!!









Kyle's commentary:

So, I went skydiving. I recommend it to anyone who thinks they are ballsy enough to jump out of an airplane from 10,000 feet. The adventure started with 6 grown men climbing into a 4 person single prop plane. The seats had been removed so we shared a lovely 20 minute journey up to 10,000 feet crammed together like sardines on the floor of the plane. This part of the trip would be a nightmare for anyone who is even slightly claustrophobic. At 10,000 feet, my instructor strapped his harness to mine and instructed me to open the door of the plane. We each placed one foot out the door on a step near the wing and slowly leaned ourselves out of the plane. This seems like a simple process, but I can assure you that leaning out of a plane when you are looking down at the very distant but real earth awaiting you is not an easy task. Once we leaned far enough, the wind caught us and pulled us out of the plane. We barrel-rolled 3-4 times, which was cool and terrifying at the same time. After the third or so barrel-roll I began to worry that something was wrong, but about that time we flattened out and began our free-fall. I can't put into words the adrenaline rush you experience falling like that, but it is amazing. We fell for about a minute and I was thoroughly enjoying myself when my instructor suddenly pulled the parachute with no warning. The harness around my legs was now squeezing dangerously high on my upper thighs and I think I experienced a little whiplash, but it could have been worse I suppose. We laughed and talked the rest of the way down and I even controlled the parachute about half the time. It is very peaceful and scenic once the parachute is pulled. We turned some sharp little circles and after 3 minutes or so landed as softly as a person could hope. My back was a little sore and my inner thighs a little chaffed, but overall I was no worse for the wear. As I stated in the beginning, I believe everyone should go skydiving at least once. My wife could not have gotten me a better birthday present!

Bucket list: Skydiving... Check.

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