I’m terrified of heights. As in, I feel a bit wobbly at the top of steps, I had a mini meltdown climbing Snowdon because the ground was a bit slopey, and ladders etc are a nightmare for me.
One of the purposes of my 40 things was to push the boundaries, and get out of my comfort zone. On my USA trip I went on the Skywalk even though I was pretty scared, and I did have a little “moment”. But I wanted to carry on facing my fears so the idea to do a skydive was born.
I asked around and was recommended Hinton Airfield. So I booked it, along with the video package. The day came and I was surprised I wasn’t feeling anxious yet. Over the last few years I have learned the art of living in the moment, trying not to re-hash the past or worry about the future. It’s not always easy, but the principle is, if you can’t do anything about it, there is no point in dwelling on it.
Anyway, I was feeling quite chipper as I headed to Northamptonshire for my day. I couldn’t have asked for better weather – clear skies with just a slight breeze – and I arrived in good time for my 12:30 scheduled jump. After registering and signing the waiver, I waited for the briefing. It took a couple of hours, but eventually one of the instructors gathered the newbies together and gave us a run down.
He talked us through the process and had us practice the freefall position and the landing position. When landing, he emphasised, you need to keep your legs really high off the ground to ensure you don’t break a leg. Lifting your legs requires some sort of core strength, so I was pretty rubbish at it, but I managed to pass scrutiny (just).
You’re not allowed to jump on your own until you’ve done at least 6 in tandem, not that I would have wanted to go on my own anyway. I was introduced to Steve, my instructor, and we went to get suited up. The suit was pretty cool and I felt a bit like I was in Top Gun, although the hat was way too big for my tiny head so we just pulled the strap tight and hoped for the best.
Waiting for the plane, Steve and I had a chat. It was his 5th jump of the day, and he was telling me all about the band he is in, and we even had a little sing-song: “I’ve got you Babe” was our song of choice! The videographer was a chap called Ya (pretty sure that’s a nickname), who had a tiny camera about 2″ which he was recording me with.
I warned Steve that whilst I was feeling quite positive, I would probably freak out when it was time to jump (based on past experience) so we got in the plane first, meaning we were the last to jump so if I did lose it, I wouldn’t spoil it for anyone else. We flew to 13,000 feet then it was time to go. Ya got out first, and hung off the side of the plane whilst we shuffled to the door. All was fine until my feet were dangling out, and it was too late by then, so I “assumed the position” (head and legs back) so I couldn’t see anyway. Steve rocked back and forth a couple of times, then we were off!
Upon exiting the plane, we did a somersault, then went into freefall. It was an exhilarating experience, no more scary than being on a rollercoaster, but lots more fun. The only downside was the air pressure on my ears which absolutely killed!
We deployed a small drag ‘chute, to slow the freefall and prolong the experience. Ya continued to drop full speed as he dropped below for some more shots, which was massively disconcerting! After a long-ish freefall, we pulled the real parachute. It was amazing drifting through the air (ear pain notwithstanding) and we steered the parachute, even spinning ourselves round like a fairground ride, which was fun – although a bit nauseating!
Finally it was time to land. Steve again told me to lift my legs, with many dire warnings of broken limbs, but I was absolutely rubbish! Tight flight suit, restrictive harness and zero core strength all combined to mean I simply could not lift my legs. In the end poor Steve had to put his feet under my legs and help to push them up! I landed in an inelegant plop onto my bum, but at least I didn’t break anything.
All in all, it was an amazing experience and I would strongly recommend that you try it, at least once. I am tempted to do it again, although I’ll need to do something about the ear thing next time!
To book a skydive, click here
To see the video, click here
For the full photo album, click here
40 things... 