A tandem parachuting jump in Lincolnshire is not only a brilliant and surreal experience, but a worthwhile and novel way to raise money for charity.
At first I didn’t know where to go, so I started by searching Google for skydiving. This took me to Skydive Hibaldstow. They suggested a tandem jump; which is essentially where you are strapped to an experienced instructor, who is crucially the one that opens the parachute and the two of you freefall together for a minute from around 15000ft.
Arriving at the drop zone, my sister and I were asked to follow instructor Wez into a classroom for our briefing. During the next 25 minutes he showed us our equipment and put us through our paces of how we were to exit the 15 place Dornier G92 airplane. Even before I put my harness on, I could feel my heart beating twice as fast. I started to panic “But what if the parachute doesn’t open”, Wez’s confident response that the parachutes were carefully packed each time, with the certainty that there would always be a second reserve one, quickly put me at ease. After all, if he can do it hundreds of times a year, then I can manage a single jump!
All kitted up, we boarded the Dornier. Before I knew it, my sister and I were anxiously smiling at each other as the red light to signal the door was open came on. Wez and I were due to jump first. We waddled as gracefully as we could to the rear of the aircraft, and a few seconds later the pure exhilaration began as the green light flashed on.
Suddenly, I found myself in freefall, for that minute we managed to cover over 3 vertical miles and contrary to what I was expecting; it was not stomach in-mouth at all. Yes it was breezy, but it was so beautiful. I could see for miles around as we plummeted to the ground at 120 mph. Time seemed to slow down since I felt the quick deceleration as the parachute shot open and the two of us were pulled upright.
“Well what did you think of that then?” asked Wez excitedly, even though it was most likely his 4th or 5th jump today. I had just leaped from an aircraft and still at 4000ft, what can you say in such a situation? We were descending gently over the Lincolnshire Wolds back to terra firma.
Moments before we landed, I was reminded that my legs needed to be picked up. Bums first we went into the field as if we had just slid down a children’s slide in a playground. I thought it was as simple as that.
For more information you can contact Skydive Hibaldstow on 01132 505600 or visit their website http://www.skydiving.co.uk/.
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