Life & Style | Travel
Legends of the fall
Jumping off an aircraft with nothing but a parachute to hang on to is scary and fun... after you've had a safe landing.
- By Binod Shankar, Special to Explore
- Published: 23:30 November 21, 2008
“Relax'', said Mike, my instructor, “It's easy and fast and you'll love it.'' I grinned weakly as I zipped up my purple jumpsuit. Mike slipped on and fastened my harness.
Mike French is a laconic, weather-beaten Orange County native who did a stint with the US Army's famed 82nd Airborne Division.
It was a balmy, clear, blue-skied October day and I was gearing up for my inaugural tandem skydive.
Getting started
How did all this start? Well, I had resolved never to do the typical whistle-stop, guided sightseeing tour that not only left you breathless but at times wondering what you were doing listening to a tepid lecture on 19th-century history.
I am incredibly indifferent to most monuments and museums. So the only fun break would have to be one with a strong flavour of adventure.
I browsed through some websites on skydiving and it looked the perfect extreme sport — not too dangerous (and yet not too safe); the flying element was a strong plus point since I'm an aircraft fanatic; it required minimal training; booking was possible just weeks before; and it sounded totally cool! A few days later I had booked my dive online with Skydiveorange, an outfit based in Orange County, Virginia, about 160 kilometres from Washington DC.
I was scheduled to arrive at 11am at the airfield and I must say the early-morning drive down to the airfield was one of the most picturesque.
Orange County is a tourist destination as well. It has beautiful rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance, not to mention its history.
Skydiving is a popular extreme sport — it is actually one of the many forms of parachuting, an activity that includes base jumping, blade running, freefalling, military parachuting and sky surfing.
Depending on how much time and money you have and how strong your nerves are, you have three types of skydiving for your first jump: tandem, static line and accelerated freefall.
In tandem
Tandem jumps are a good way to make your first jump and consists of an experienced jumper called a “tandem master'' and the passenger.
The master rides on the passenger's back and wears an extra-large parachute system that is able to suspend two people safely.
The passenger wears a harness that's attached to the tandem master. A tandem freefall lasts between 45 and 60 seconds, followed by a four-minute canopy ride to the ground.
In the tandem jump, the master is responsible for the exit and activates and controls the parachute. In the free fall, one can do anything a bird can do, except go back up, experienced skydivers say.
As I registered for tandem jump, I was assigned an instructor and a videographer to cover my flight.
Mike French was the instructor and Kai Sherwood, a tall, young jumper in a red-and-white suit, was the videographer.
Both were reputedly the best in this drop zone and were assigned at my specific request.
The jump aircraft was a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter, a very reliable, light and fast propeller-driven 23-seater that is the aircraft of choice for skydiving worldwide.
There were several jumps that Sunday morning. I met Sharon and Greg, a cheerful couple in their fifties, at the airfield.
Sharon was preparing for her first jump, a birthday gift from her daughter.
We joked and took photographs while we waited and the tension of facing the first jump somehow dissipated.
Last-minute preparation
Mike gave me some last-minute instructions as we slowly walked to the Otter that was revving its engines. There were 21 flyers on board, most of them experienced jumpers.
Mike said the tandem teams jump out last since their parachute is extra-large and long.
We rose steadily as Mike strapped us together with four harnesses, explaining that these were designed to take 15,000 pounds of load, almost the weight of the Otter.
The aircraft finally reached the jump height of 13,000 feet and Mike said: “It's time to go.'' We moved slowly towards the exit, from where divers were already jumping out.
When I finally reached the exit and looked down to the ground about three kilometres below, the cold wind whipping my face, I realised I had a fear of heights! Too late to change plans; five seconds later, Mike gently nudged me out of the Otter and we were flying!
For the next 60 seconds, it was a fear-filled, stomach-churning free fall through US airspace, as three of us (Kai was along to shoot the video and click the still photos) joined hands and floated. Kai kept smiling and showing me the thumbs-up sign and I gamely mimicked him.
When the altimeter strapped to my wrist read 5,000 feet, Mike pulled a cord. There was a huge jerk and we were suddenly pulled upwards as the large parachute deployed.
Kai waved goodbye and fell away till he became a rapidly shrinking dot in red and white.
A sight to behold
The next five minutes were the best part of the jump — a gentle descent to the ground. Mike turned tour guide and pointed out various features — Lake Orange, the Orange airfield — and for the first time, I started breathing easily and even enjoying the jump.
I was allowed to grab the controls (two cords, which, when pulled, take you left, right or down) and steer for a while. All the while Mike was telling me the duration to landing.
Mike's landings are known to be perfect and this was no different — we slid to a smooth stop on the grass-covered patch by the airfield.
I slowly got to my feet, gave high fives to Mike and Kai and walked to the hangar where Greg and Sharon were waving and clicking away.
It was amazing — I had gone from a spectator to a screaming skydiver in 10 minutes flat!
Safety issues
So exactly how safe is skydiving?
Skydiving is not snooker. There are some very real risks involved but as with any other “extreme'' sport, there is a direct relationship between your knowledge, skill, attitude and safety.
The United States Parachute Association reports about 35 skydiving fatalities a year in the US but you have to remember that skydivers make thousands of jumps in a year.
It is a sport with very real risks but these can be taken care of through training and good judgment.
The up side? I still can't believe I voluntarily jumped out of a perfectly good aircraft.
Binod Shankar is a UAE-based freelance writer.
INFROMATION
How to book
- Go to www.skydiveorange.com. You can book online.
- A tandem jump costs $395, or Dh1,451, (including video and stills). For information on jumping, check out www.uspa.org
- For information about Orange County, check out www.visitorangevirginia.com
Go there ... Virginia
From the UAE... from Dubai
Delta flies daily via Atlanta.
Fare from Dh5740
— Information courtesy:
The Holiday
Lounge by Dnata.
Ph: 04 4298576
Information
United flies direct to Washington Dulles from Dubai. I flew from Kuwait-Dulles.
From Dulles I took the route to Culpeper and Charlottesville.
The route to Skydive Orange is very clearly described on the website and also on map quest. Get a GPS if possible.
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