It was a time of life when you make a larger than mouth decision to play with your life... No I am not talking about getting Married... It was on 28 March 10, Me and Reji decided to go skydiving. I was initially thinking about the tandem jump. That is an advantage of being with people younger than you. They help you shed off some age, even though for a few hours.
We decided to do the Accelerated Free Fall. No strapping to an instructor. Two instructors dive with you on each side, after you deploy your canopy (that's a parachute in a divers lingo) you are on your own.
So we started on a Sunday morning... never have i woken up so early... I was sick in my stomach from what i had the previous night... the drive through Ortega Freeway was beautiful... although i woke in between to check out some views...
The destination was Lake Elsinore a scenic location with a huge Lake (probably to ensure that parachute failures cause less fatality, if the person knows swimming that is) mountains near by.
On a hotter than usual day, we were lucky to be succumbed by the classroom sessions until evening, it was good that we reached an hour late, coz we did not get to jump until sunset.
The classroom sessions were killing because we had the same thing over and over again, i dont blame them because "lives" were at stake. After the 7 Hours training, we got suited up for the test of our courage. The more you started to realize that it was for real that we were going to jump out of a plane at 15000 Ft, the more i saw my classroom session knowledge and confidence going down. The video interview before the jump was probably a gimmick to make sure the fear doesnt set in before you board the flight.
Stepping into the plane a twin engine plane that could hold a couple of dozen skydivers if packed in. It wasnt more comfortable than a local bus travel back in India... the more that i saw the altimeter increasing in feet, the more i was thinking of this as unreal. I remembered one of my collegues saying "I usually pay money to get into a plane not jump out of one" Well it was more of adrenaline, fear, uncertainty, rush .... a lot of mixed emotions shut down my highway to the brains... yes i understood i was forgetting most of what they told me in the classroom sessions :)
I saw that the licenced crazy experience skydivers one by one jumping out even when the plane was making a 45 degree ascent to make to 15000 ft as soon as possible... I did not believe that it was me next. I gathered up all the guts that I had got, and walked behing my reserve instructor to the door. we made the 15000 Ft mark now the newbies get to jump when it seems the plane is horizontal... stable...
I wanted to look down first... I know if I do that I may lose my fear early... or my courage...
but yes it did help... i looked down... did the prop check to get the feel of the air... checked in with both my instructors... jumped out of a freaking plane at 15000 Ft.... It is definitely a mark in my life that i achieved...
As soon as I jumped out, it is a rush you are falling at 120 Miles an hour, trying to balance, with no place to hold on to or stand, the two instructors giving instruction signals to correct your posture... the perfect arch... i need to check my altimeter first time... i did check... i don remember the number i saw in the altimeter... because the G forces acting on you and the fact that i am actual flying at 15000 Ft excited me more than the numbers i should be seeing...
The sixty seconds of free fall was over by the time you did your rituals - the practice touches, circle of awarnes... etc it was an experience i tried explaining to so many of my friends but i cudnt really give them the exact picture... at about 5500 Ft I had to pull ... deploy the canopy...
The moment that I pulled the canopy.. the deployment bag inflated my canopy... the free fall is over... the two trainers deploy at a much lower altitude and hence they continued the free fall.. as soon as you have the canopy over your head... at 5000 Ft it is only you, the silence, you have more time to look how far below is the ground... the enormous view of the Lake elsinore and the sun setting over the Mountains... It was like sitting in a chair, with no worries, looking at possibly one of the best views you could ever see...
Then yes i had to check if my canopy is working, the moment you start steering your canopy the feeling of accomplishment surpases all your fear senses you have. Somehow, the excitement of accomplishing one of my dreams surpassed all other fears, including the fact that I still need to make a safe landing.
When i was young at the age of 9 I had a dream to become a pilot in airforce, the feeling of flying over the mountains and the sky has always facinated me. It was that young pragadeesh in me that was so much jumping out of joy at 4000 Ft. His soul fulfilled, his wishes heard to, his courage regained.
This big guy has to ungrow a little bit to enjoy what he wanted so many years ago. Then i did steer around in the air and heard my instructor on the radio trying to help me get to the landing zone. I did what he asked me to do, right 90 degree turn, a 45 degree left turn, right 90, right 90, Flare!(break!) Flare!! Flare!!!.... I did stand on my feet when i landed my first canopy... I was proud. I wish my dad was there to see my reaction, I dont think he has seen me express so much of accomplishment in life.. except for two other times in my life. One my sister's wedding, me selected to become the Technology solutions Manager for a Business Unit and asked to fly to the US.
I wanted to do dance to my favorite songs... and run around in that field... go and hug my friend... but Alas!.... i had to return to my feet... back to ground and the age/maturity sets in... I am a grown up now although i was still jigging because of that kid dancing within me...
I did the treck back to the Diving school office with my heavy canopy, Heard my instructors say i did pretty good... waited for reji... went and hugged him once he returned... we both were so excited and still digesting the experience ....
I cant believe that after 2 days of the experience I still think abt the whole thing so many times in a day... and sleep with a smile...
A dream achieved... A stunt dared... Mission accomplished.... What next, will I do another jump, will I get the A License to jump on my own... which I want to do so much right now... Will wait for the time to mould me ... and find out..
Here's the video of my jump -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9CQiDosNDQRest in the Next!