It’s normal to jump out of a perfectly good airplane at 10,000 feet, right?
Well regardless, I did something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time and went skydiving. And I survived!
For this #25before25 activity, Janna and I met my good friend Britta, who I went to Ouachita with, at Skydive Skyranch in Siloam Springs.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous all week leading up to the skydive, and especially on the three hour drive to northwest Arkansas. When we got there, we signed a really long waiver and watched a video that basically said if we die, that they aren’t responsible. Okay, this is going great so far.
Only two skydivers can fit in the plane at a time, so Janna volunteered to go first, and Britta and I waited for our flight. We practiced how we would “jump” (fall) out of the plane, how to pull the parachute and how to steer, and then we put our harnesses on. We sent Janna on her way and watched her float back to the tarmac about 20 minutes later. She made it, so that helped my nerves quite a bit, but I have to admit I was still a little anxious.
When our time finally came, we climbed onboard the airplane. I got the lucky seat right next to the door, which meant I jumped first. After about 20 minutes, we had finally reached our altitude and I got strapped onto my tandem instructor. He opened the door and I looked down… The ground was so far away.
I put my right foot out on the wing, he put his foot out, and then he counted out 3… 2… 1… And then Britta said we just disappeared.
The first ten seconds consisted of a lot of wind and a lot of tumbling. He opened a tiny parachute meant to stabilize us and keep us from continuing to roll, and we continued free-falling for another probably 30 seconds before we opened up the parachute at 5,000 feet.
From there, it was a pretty relaxing ride, except for the fact you were a mile above the ground. We did a few turns, a few nose dives and some corkscrews (I don’t know the official parachuting terms for all of these things). We came in a little hot on the landing, but all is well and everybody survived. A few seconds later Britta touched down safe and sound.
I’ve never experienced anything even close to skydiving in my life, and I definitely want to do it again! I think the second time would be even more fun, because a lot of the nerves would be gone and you would have an idea of what to expect. But until then, I’ll keep my seatbelt securely fastened, the door closed and my seatback in the upright and locked position while I’m soaring through the sky.
Tanner Ward 