Skydiving

A few months ago Jacob and I decided to try out skydiving. It was something on our bucket lists and we thought it would be better to experience it now than to wait until we have kids, given that we don't want to make them orphans, should something happen. The day we went, the weather was on and off rainy. However, after what seemed like forever waiting in the airplane hanger, the weather cleared up and we got our chance!

They took pictures and videos of our jump with a camera that was located on each instructor's wrist. 

Robin's Jump

My Aussie instructor informing me of just how far I will be falling and how fast I will be going.

Plane ride up

The plane was pretty old and rickety. I'm convinced that was part of the ploy to get us to want to jump out. By the time you're thousands of feet in the air in that thing, you almost feel safer exiting than staying on.


There was all sorts of gear to put on. I'm not sure what this one was called, but I did get to wear a pink altimeter to determine our elevation and when to pull the parachute.

The initial look down...preparing to jump!

We were told to remember to keep our heads up and our backs arched at the beginning and during the jump. They stressed this quite a bit, so I figured it was fairly important.

The fall.
When we first exited the plane, we did a front flip (unintentionally I think). There were several seconds of free fall that reminded me of the feeling of falling in a dream.

My favorite picture

I was instructed to pull the parachute between 5 and 6,000 feet elevation (all of which I kept track of on my handy altimeter during the fall). Afterward, the parachuting was both crazy and amazing! I honestly felt like a bird soaring through the sky. You don't just float down like I had imagined. Instead you glide and turn in order to direct your way to the landing site.

Navigating our way to land

Preparing for landing



Some people were told to land on their caboose and slide to a stop. Fortunately, I got to land on my feet and save my
bottom the trauma!

Jacob's Jump

In the hanger before the jump

Jacob's jump instructor was named "Scooter." She was a bit small compared to Jacob (probably to even out the
weight load). Unfortunately, it makes the process of getting out of the tiny plane a bit harder when you're a
foot and half taller than the person behind you and trying to waddle your way to the door.

In the plane on the way up

Jacob watching the solo jumpers go first

Initial jump

Jacob got to steer his own parachute around

Safe and sound

For those of you wanting to know what it's like to experience skydiving, but who never intend on jumping out of an airplane at 13,000 ft. Here's what it's like:

Initial Jump: Imagine you're falling, like in a dream, and experiencing 5 seconds or so of free fall, possibly flipping head-over-feet like me.

Fall: In order to simulate this portion, simply drive down the highway at 200 miles/hr, while it's 30 degrees outside, and stick your head out the window for 60 seconds.

Pulling the parachute: Next, simply reach behind you and pull on a little ball, roughly the size of a golf ball, to activate the parachute (...now is a good time to pray). Before it deploys, anticipate a substantial jerk that will stop you're incredibly fast fall.

Sailing through the air: As you're sailing through the air, it will most likely feel surreal. Again, like a dream. You will be spun and turned around in order to be directed to your landing site. You may feel a bit like you're on a carnival ride during the turning. Take in the beautiful scenery below and enjoy it for the next 5 minutes or so.

Preparing to land: Prepare your landing gear by lifting your legs at a 90 degree angle in order for the instructor's feet to hit the ground first. If you're feet hit first, you can expect a trip to the E.R. with a broken ankle.

Landing: Lastly, quickly unhook yourself from your parachute, so that the next breeze drifting your way doesn't lift you off the ground and take you back up.

Take a deep breath: You made it and you're alive!