Skydiving students ride the wind
William Alix / KANSAN
Garnett is located 50 miles south of Lawrence. The Garnett Skydiving club is the closest skydiving club to Lawrence.
Skydiving can offer a fun Spring Break option without the Spring Break price
William Alix / KAN$AN
Bv Joe O'Brien
Special to the Kansan
Above: Every weekend the Garnett Skydiving club flies three planes all day for jumpers if the weather permits. Left: Steve Osner of Kansas City, Kan., gives Kelly McGrew of Gardner, right, a last briefing on jumping out of the plane before her eighth jump at the Garnett Skydiving club.
William Alix / KANSAN
Chris Jameson has a simple explanation for what many people would consider madness: jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.
"I wanted to experience the rush," Jameson said.
Jameson, Olathe junior, is one of many KU students whose craving for adrenaline has led them to the sport of skydiving. With Spring Break coming up, skydiving offers those on a limited budget the opportunity for fun and excitement at a fraction of the cost of a ski or beach trip.
For under $150, students can visit Mid American Sky Sports, located at the Municipal Airport in Garnett. The business offers skydiving every Saturday and Sunday, barring foul weather. Pat Lairson of Mid American said students must complete an instructional session before they jumped. The one required session begins at 9 a.m. Saturday or Sunday and lasts from three to four hours.
Kyle Hartman, a Prairie Village junior who has skydived with Mid American, said the logic behind these lessons was clear.
At Mid American, there are two types of jumps that a prospective skydiver can make. In the first, called a tandem jump, the student is strapped to an instructor and the two share a parachute. They experience a free fall, and then the instructor pulls the ripcord to release the chute.
"They just want to make sure you understand what you're doing before you jump out of their plane," Hartman said.
"The free fall was wild, but I liked it best when the chute opened and we started floating," Hartman said. "There's this mixture of excitement and relief that's just incredible."
Students also can opt for a static-line jump. The student jumps alone and is attached to the plane by a cord that automatically releases the chute when the skydiver is a certain distance away. This type
of jump is more popular among college students, Lairson said.
"They usually like to go on their own," she said.
At Mid American, tandem jumps cost $100 and static-line jumps cost $120, but there is an advantage to choosing the static-line. The cost is $28 for every jump after the first.
In a static-line jump, Jameson said, the pilot slows the plane to about 80 mph, the jumper climbs out of the plane and grabs hold of a bar underneath the wing. The instructor yells "go" and the jumper lets go of the bar, leans back and hurtles away from the plane.
Students who complete five static-line jumps and can successfully pull a practice ripcord are allowed to experience a longer free fall and pull their own ripcord.
"I was flipping over and over," Jameson said. "I was kicking for the ground, but there obviously wasn't any there."
Like Hartman, Jameson felt a deep feeling of appreciation when his chute opened.
"It was the best feeling when I realized the chute was open and I was controlling it," he said. "It's great sitting up there, because
you can make a seat out of the harness and just see forever."
Both Jameson and Hartman said they were not worried before going up in the plane. Once at jumping altitude, however, they weren't quite as calm.
"I was trying to act cool on the way up, dozing off in the plane," Hartman said. "But when it came time to step out, my stomach was in my shoes."
Jameson had an extra reason for second thoughts before his jump. The person who went before him had problems with his chute. He was an experienced jumper, however, and pulled the backup cord before things got serious.
Being nervous before the jump was normal, Lairson said, but those who are genuinely scared should not try skydiving.
"You have to want to do it," she said.
According to Hartman, the reward is definitely worth the anxiety.
"There's no way to describe the feeling unless you do it," he said.
No reservations are required at Mid American Sky Sports. Those interested should show up at 9 a.m. and bring their money or call (913) 448-2280. Garnett is 18 miles south of Ottawa on Kansas Highway 59, about a 45-minute drive from Lawrence.
William Alix/KANSAN
Robert Blanken of Topeka, watches a student's jump. With more than 1,150 jumps, Blanken is qualified as a jump master, an instructor, and a tandem instructor.
March 16, 1994 THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN • SPRING BREAK
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