SKYDIVING - March 31, 2007
Skydiving is one of those things lots of people say they want to try in their lifetime, yet I wonder how many actually do it. Had it not been for McLean, I think I'd have been one of those who said I wanted to try but never made myself do it. Nonetheless, I'm happy to say we both made the jump and am still here to write about it!
McLean's uncle has been skydiving for years and has hundreds of jumps under his belt. At his urging, we accompanied him in March to the Skydive Carolina Parachute Center in Chester, SC. Because we're both first-time jumpers, this was a tandem jump, meaning we're physically tied to an experienced jumper who is responsible for safely getting us to the ground. We pretty much just hang on for the ride and enjoy the view.
Upon arrival, we sat through about 15 minutes of instruction, after which we suited up and boarded the jump plane. The ascent to 13,000 feet was a bit tense, but the tandem instructors do a great job of keeping you distracted so that you don't sit in silence and freak yourself out. After the 10 minute plane ride, the door flies open and the tandems slide down and out the door.
The descent consists of a 60 second free fall that drops us from 13,000 to 6,000 feet. At this point the chute is deployed and the remaining 5 minute ride is under canopy. The instructor allowed us to maneuver the chute by pulling the appropriate cords. Both of us had great landings.
The below videos were shot by accompanying jump videographers. Don't laugh too hard.
Kevin's skydive video (7:14 min, 36MB)
McLean's skydive video (7:43 min, 39MB)
