Skydiving Q&A

Regarding my skydiving adventure, a few questions and a few answers:

Q: What in the world possessed you to do something like this?

I turn 60 in September so our son Nick thought it would be a good idea to give me the gift of jumping out of an airplane. 

Q: Is this something you’ve wanted to do?

Yes, it’s been on my “bucket list” for a long time. Never really thought I’d do it, but when Nick said he and his friend Caleb Fields would jump with me, I decided it was a great idea.

Q: Where did you go to skydive?

We went to Skydive Midwest, in Sturtevant, WI, a few miles west of Racine. 

Q: Why would you jump out of a perfectly good airplane?

Why not?

Q: Were you scared?

No, not really. I think I was a bit nervous the day before the jump. Caleb said it was like getting ready for a big game. I mean, you are jumping out of a plane at 14,000 feet so that would make anyone a little nervous.

Q: Why did you tandem jump?

That’s the only way an inexperienced person like me could jump. They don’t let you just walk off the street, pick out your parachute, strap it on, hop on the plane and jump out on your own. The tandem part meant that each of us had an experienced skydiver strapped on our back. My guy Sacha had made over 1000 jumps so I was in good hands. 

Q: What do you remember about the jump?

They strapped us into the harness, made it tighter than anything I’ve ever worn, then tightened it again and then tightened it again. We couldn’t carry anything with us–no cell phones, no watches, no glasses. I wore tennis shoes, white shorts, a red t-shirt, and a KBM wristband. When we got on board the plane, there were maybe 16 of us sitting on benches facing each other with our knees almost touching. 

Q: What was it like to jump out of the plane?

As we neared 14,000 feet, they made us stand up in the plane so we could get attached to our tandem diver. Sacha was shorter than me so I had to squat down. That actually was the most uncomfortable part for me. Plus you do think to yourself, “I’m about to jump out of an airplane.” But at that point, there’s nothing to do but jump. When the green light went on, we started shuffling toward the back of the airplane. They told me to keep walking, and I literally stepped off the back of the plane and starting falling at 135 mph toward the ground. The video showed that we did a somersault coming out of the plane but I wasn’t aware of it. I don’t really remember thinking or feeling anything. One moment you’re in the plane, the next you’re falling through the air. The free fall lasted about 60 seconds, the time it takes to fall from 14,000 to 5000 feet. 

Q: Who took those pictures?

A photographer jumped with us. I don’t really know how he did it, but he jumped at about the same time and somehow maneuvered in the air until he was right in front of us. There we were, hurtling toward the ground, and he’s falling with us, taking video and still photos from cameras mounted on his helmet. He was so close I could almost reach out and touch him. 

Q: What did you feel when the big chute opened?

A little jolt, but nothing major. 

Q: What if the big chute didn’t open?

They have a back-up chute and also an emergency chute that opens automatically if you get too low without the chute opening. 

Q: Did it feel like flying?

Well, no, not really. Free fall felt like falling with this enormous pressure of wind in your face. When the big chute opened, we floated for about five minutes before we landed. 

Q: Did you have any deeply spiritual insights?

I was glad when we landed safely.

Q: How did the landing go?

A little rough for Nick and me. Caleb said his landing felt like sliding into second base. My problem was that I’m a lot taller than Sacha so even when I bent my legs, they still hung down below his legs. We hit the ground sideways so I got up slowly but none the worse for the experience. Nick took the brunt of the landing on his tailbone, which is no fun, but he was up and walking around in a couple of minutes. 

Q: Did you hear any good jokes?

As we were about to board the plane, Sacha reminded me that you don’t need a parachute to skydive, you just need a parachute to skydive more than once. 

Q: Would you do it again?

Absolutely. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.