as you get used to jumping regularly, but she says that connecting with people and seeing the excitement they get from the sport makes regular jumping worthwhile.
All first-time jumpers are required to jump tandem, which means you are strapped to a coach for your jump, and the coach is strapped to the parachute. You don't actually get attached to your tandem instructor until the plane is in the air, which can be nerve-wracking when everyone else has their chute checked and equipped before boarding. Reimer says.
The plane ride lasts about 25 minutes. The atmosphere inside the plane can change from day to day, Sharp says. Occasionally, everyone is quiet and meditative, while other times they are bursting with excitement. Sharp says the plane ride can have a meditative feel to it, helping her focus."You don't have a phone call, you don't have this and that," she says."You're just there."
Reimer says the interior of the plane is always loud with the sound of the engine and the rush of the wind, as well as being about 30
or 40 degrees colder than it is on the ground. Plane rides in cold weather can be quite miserable, she says.
At 10,000 feet, the real excitement begins. The door of the plane opens up and suddenly it's time to leave this perfectly
good airplane behind."That realization when the door opens is pretty huge for those on their first jump." Sharp says.
"Caution isn't cowardly.And not having fear doesn't make you courageous."
The actual experience of jumping out of an airplane can vary. "It's a really indescribable feeling," says David Wilson, Lawrence sophomore and vice president of the KU Skydiving Club. "People feel like they should feel like they're falling. You don't really feel that."
Sharp says the reason you don't feel like you're falling is because you're going from 90 mph horizontally in the airplane to 120 mph vertically, only a 30 mph difference. Sharp adds that the lack of apparent motion towards the ground also influences that feeling. When jumping from 10,000 feet, the ground doesn't seem to be approaching as fast as it really is.
— Jen Sharp, skydive instructor
Sharp says students are allowed to take as much or as little control as they want at Skydive Kansas, so if you're not comfortable with pulling your own chute or orchestrating the landing, your tandem coach will take care of all that for you. Students are encouraged to take more responsibility in the jump to get
the most out of the experience. Sharp says students who try to stay aware of what's going on around them and want to do more than hold the basic form are the most fun people to jump with.
Free fall in tandem skydives only lasts about 30 seconds. Sharp says. It seems to last longer, however, because of the amount of information your brain is trying to process in that short amount of time. "It's like a sensory overload," Reimer says.
After 30 seconds, it's time to pull the chute and prepare for landing. Contrary to popular belief, Sharp says you don't jerk upward when the chute is pulled. Instead, you feel a strong but steady deceleration. The approach takes five to seven minutes, which you can spend either maneuvering the chute for a roller coaster-like experience or just taking it easy, Sharp says. Once the parachute is deployed, the rate of descent drops to a little over 10 mph, though high winds and downdrafts can increase the speed. By the end of the descent, Sharp says the goal is to have mostly horizontal speed to
lessen the force of the landing.
Once on the ground,
it's time to celebrate
your victory over gravity.
Reactions to a jump can be
mixed."Some people
just never want to do it again," Reimer says.
"And some people, like me, are like.'When do I get to go again?'"
Now all that's left is to head home, grab some friends, and plan your next jump.
Students who decide to jump multiple times can work toward a license. The first license skydive students can obtain allows them to jump on their own. Skydive Kansas' training program requires at least 25 jumps, starting with tandem jumps and culminating in solo jumps with a coach in the air with you, but not attached to you. Students are also required to attend classes on the ground to master all the skills they need to obtain a license.
Is it safe?
Safety is a primary concern in skydiving, so it's surprising that some people don't even ask about it when they jump. Sharp says."People trust you with their lives,and they don't usually ask a lot of questions," she says.
Part of safety comes with being well-equipped for the jump. All skydivers must undergo extensive training when they jump, and equipment must be kept up-to-date and properly tested. Sharp says all the equipment
Contributed photos
A skydiver flashes the peace sign during her free fall, while being guided by her instructor. (Top) Two skydivers prepare for a snowy landing. In a descent, the goal is to have more horizontal speed than vertical speed.
used by Skydive Kansas is no more than three years old.
Sharp says she strives for safety when giving skydiving lessons instead of pushing for "no fear," and one of the most important factors in being safe is understanding how to use your equipment.
Weather is another factor that can turn an exciting skydive into a dangerous, 10,000-foot drop to the ground. Even mild weather conditions can delay or stop a jump. Reimer says that 15 mph winds are the most that students are allowed to jump through, though
August 28,2008
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