He jumped from 40,000 feet without a parachute... - by David
David on 25/6/2007 at 19:21
Or so the song goes.
I've always had a thing for interesting activities. Abseiling, rock climbing, mountaineering, white-water rafting/kyacking, glider piloting, car racing are right up my street and I've done them all.
I guess you could say I like things that get my adrenaline going. This is why on Wednesday 5th September I shall be hurling myself (attached to someone who knows what they're doing!) out of a plane at 13,500ft (4,100m) and most certainly with a parachute.
Skydiving is something that I've been interested in for a long time and I've finally cranked up the nerve to go for it!
Has anyone else been skydiving before, and if so, was it as scary as it seems? :D
BrokenArts on 25/6/2007 at 19:23
I would guess, you might want to bring an extra pair of briefs? Perhaps?:erm:
Rug Burn Junky on 25/6/2007 at 19:29
I'll beat you by about a month, I've already got reservations for August 4th. I'll tell you all about it afterwards. ;)
My dad is turning 60 this year, and for his birthday, I'm taking him sky diving. He had made dozens of jumps as airborne in the Army Rangers, and hasn't ever done it since.
I've been wanting to since I was a kid, but have had all sorts of road blocks since (money, time, or other), and the closest I've come was bungie jumping a couple of times. The freefall on that was enough that I'm psyched for the full experience. I'll probably get two jumps in that first day, and I'm debating whether I could work up to get certified to jump on my own within a year.
Mr.Duck on 25/6/2007 at 20:13
Brother of mine loves all the high-adrenalin activities.
Me?, total pussy for them.
:(
Still, hope you guys have fun (and live to tell about it :D).
SD on 25/6/2007 at 20:50
My dad did a couple of jumps when he was in his early 20s.
I mean, he's too scared to fly in a commercial airliner, but he'll leap from a turboprop with just a piece of canvas between him and certain death (no, me either).
Best of luck anyway David (and RBJ too, of course). Chance of fatality is only 1 in 100,000 :D
Shoshin on 25/6/2007 at 21:25
I went a few years ago. It was a tandem jump (meaning there was an instructor strapped to my back with the actual parachute) so I didn't have to learn a thing.
As far as the experience goes, it was pretty cool. I didn't find it all that scary or adrenaline-inducing, I think largely because it was so far outside my normal range of experience that it was nearly unreal. Also, at 13,000 feet there really isn't any sense of 3 dimensions to the ground. I was skydiving in Florida on a perfectly cloudless day, so by the time we got close enough to the ground to start feeling like I was falling, the chute was open and we were drifting. The only thing that was a little bit weird was when my brother jumped out of the plane first. That was an odd sight.
What really got the adrenaline going was this ride called the SkyCoaster in Kissimmee, FL. Basically, you're hoisted off the ground 300 feet, and the drop is about 100 feet straight down before the cable tightens up and you start swinging like a pendulum. That was the most adrenaline I've ever had in my system ever.
Raven on 25/6/2007 at 22:03
source - umm, a random google search - sorry I closed the window (and I had only very badly remembered the words myself)
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Johnny was a paratrooper in the RAF,
Johnny was a paratrooper in the RAF,
Johnny was a paratrooper in the RAF,
But he ain't gonna jump no more
*Chorus : Glory, glory what a helluva way to die,
Glory glory, what a helluva way to die
Glory glory, what a helluva way to die
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
He jumped without a parachute from forty thousand feet x3
And he ain't gonna jump no more
*Chorus : Glory, glory what a helluva way to die,
Hanging by your braces with your feet up in the sky
Glory glory, what a helluva way to die
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
He landed on the runway like a blob of strawberry jam x3
And he ain't gonna jump no more....
*Chorus : Glory, glory what a helluva way to die,
Hanging by your knickers from an airplane in the sky
Glory glory, what a helluva way to die
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
They put him in an envelope and sent him home to Mum x3
And he ain't gonna jump no more....
*Chorus : Glory, glory what a helluva way to die,
Dangling by your laces while your boots are way up high
Glory glory, what a helluva way to die
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
She put him on the mantelpiece for all the world to see x3
And he ain't gonna jump no more....
*Chorus : Glory, glory what a helluva way to die,
With your kneecap up your nostril and your finger in your eye
Glory glory, what a helluva way to die
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
She served him up with crumpets when the Vicar came to tea x3
And he ain't gonna jump no more....
*Chorus : Glory, glory what a helluva way to die,
Glory glory, what a helluva way to die
Glory glory, what a helluva way to die
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
*Any of the chorus' can be repeated each time, instead of changing them, these are just a few of many to choose from, and if helluva is too strong for your tastes then it can easily be substituted with terrible, horrible, heck of a etc.
And a couple more for your viewing pleasure!
Chorus : Glory, glory what a helluva way to die,
Swinging like a giant kite across the bright blue sky
Glory glory, what a helluva way to die
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus : Glory, glory what a helluva way to die,
Hanging by his braces and he don't know how to fly
Glory, glory what a helluva way to die
And he ain't gonna jump no more
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wow that is one brutal song! No an advert for the RAF... or the priesthood!
daprdan on 25/6/2007 at 23:13
I did the course and had two static jumps.Great adreniline gusher.
The thing I didn't like was,in order to make it cost effective ,the plane has to be jammed with jumpers.I am a bit claustrophobic and found this took from the experience.
Having said that I recommend it.When that chute pops open is the best part,for me at least.Stepping out on that wing takes a lot of courage (stupidity?)It is also nice floating down while enjoying the view.
37637598 on 25/6/2007 at 23:27
The scary part is jumping out of the plane. after that you're so high up that you don't even realize that it's life threatening. The landing can be a bit harsh on your ass too... Other than that, not scary, but you will get alot of thoughts while your up there like 'what if I hit a gush of wind that folds my parachute and I freefall and die...' not to scare you or anything. You'll enjoy it. If you've ever jumped off of bridges or cliffs into the water then you'll surley be fully able to jump out of a plane. In my opinion water jumping is much more scarieristic.
Scots Taffer on 26/6/2007 at 10:24
My old housemate from Oxford went on an adrenaline junkie holiday last year in NZ and jumped out of a plane twice, bunjie jumped three times and also did one or two other things I can't recall. He was scared shitless as he jumped, but I guess that's really the point... he had fun though, swimming through the air, etc.
All the best for it, Daveh, and I hope you enjoy it. Such things don't really appeal to me, although I did once get the coolest experience in the copilot seat of my Uncle's rally car - that's about as deliberately hair-raising as it gets though.
