Skydive

Well, today is my birthday, and I didn’t get to skydive because of the weather. It was kind of touch & go for a while, but they said that it just wasn’t safe, not to mention that it wouldn’t be all that fun. I’m still really irritated though. That was my whole plan for the day, and my main goal for the summer. Hopefully i’ll be able to go next week, but it’s not gonna be quite the same. Oh well, as the saying goes… Spilled milk really sucks.

Well, it turns out that the tandem jump is a part of the AFF program, so I don’t have to make that choice right now. Still pretty wild though. I’m actually thinking about doing the helicopter jump though.. People say that it’s so much more thrilling. With a plane jump you’re already moving at at speeds near terminal velocity, so it’s a pretty smooth transition to the falling thing (or so i’m told). With the helicopter jump you feel the instant acceleration from 0 to 130 mph. My stomach turns just thinking about it… Can’t wait!!

Well my savings acount has recovered, so it looks like the skydiving plans are all good. I’m planning for my first jump to be on my birthday at the end of this month. Can’t freakin wait!!! The only thing I haven’t decided is whether I want to do a tandem jump to get a feel for things, or just jump right into the AFF (accelerated freefall) program.

I’m definitely planning for this to be a lasting hobby, so with the AFF program i’ll be able to get my certification sooner. I really don’t know if this is the type of thing where ‘sooner’ is necessarily a good thing though. Any advice is most definitely appreciated.

Honestly, i’m a pretty confident person, but I still can’t believe i’m really gonna do it. This definitely tops the list when it comes to crazy things i’ve done, but there’s no way i’m backin down now.

I’m still resolute about doing this, but unfortunately I bought a new car a couple months ago and haven’t been able to spare the $$$. I’ve started to build up my savings again though, so i’m gonna shoot for the middle of august. I have a couple places in mind, but i’m not sure how to determine how good they are. Not to be anal or anything, but I think I should probably do a little research about the company before I trust them to drop me out of the sky.

I am really dedicated to accomplishing this goal by the end of the summer. I do many extreme sports, but this has always been on a different level. I really don’t fear the idea, but my rationality seems to stand in the way… jumping out of a perfectly good plane & all. The problem is that this goal (for me) seems to be very close to the line between an amazing experience & insanity. I guess that’s what makes it so cool. It’s interesting to note that I’m perfectly willing to drive at 150mph with trees on both sides of the road, but I think its too risky to fall through the sky at 120. Either way, it will be done this summer.