Well, I finally did something I have thought about doing for a long time:
Yesterday at around 2 pm, I climbed out onto a step built over the right wheel of a Cessna 182 flying at 3000 feet, hung by my hands from the wing strut for a few seconds, then let go.
This was after 4 hours of pre-jump training, of course.
About 3 minutes later, I drifted to a landing on my butt just a couple of feet shy of the drop zone.
This was an IAD (Instructor Assisted Deployment) jump. The instructor is out on the step with the student and deploys the pilot chute that will pull the main chute out of the pack. The ground man issued instructions over the radio in my right sleeve and directed me through various turns and simple maneuvers. At landing, I did stumble a bit and ended up on my butt, but I was all in one piece and that was good enough for me on my first jump. My wife was able to come and watch and take some video.
Much is a blur still. It is a mind-bending experience to willingly jump out of a perfectly stable airplane and I am still processing the whole thing.
I was amped on adrenaline for the ride home, and throughout supper and dessert. Shortly thereafter, I crashed in the lazyboy until my wife woke me to go to bed at 11 pm.
I plan to eventually get my next 24 jumps in and get my class A parachute rating. They tell me it gets easier to enjoy the experience as jumps progress and my brain gets more acclimated to the idea.

 

Well, I have never been one to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, but I get it was a trilling ride! Bet the view was fantastic!

 

I could never do that in a million years. I'll never get on a plane anyway.

 

My hat is off to you sir! I get queasy and light headed at anything over 10' in the air.

 

you guys keep saying "jump out of a perfectly good airplane" I say you have never worked on a jump plane! all of them I have worked on or been around are ragged out pieces of junk patched together to make another flight. engines are on their last leg from high power settings all the way up and than shock cooling to get down quickly to turn another flight.
I don't think I would even get in one my self, but that is just me.

 

I love it.
It's nice and cool at 14,000'
Congratulations Kal. It is addictive.

 

Congrats.

I've done three tandem jumps.....10k and two at 12k, all of them at Boulder City Airport. Loved every one of them. Had the last one video-taped because I figured it would be my last. Hard to justify skydiving with two young kids.

The free-fall portion of it was an absolute rush but my favorite part was the peace and quiet of just hanging there under the canopy with an amazing view.

And helifixer is right - the jump plane WAS a total P.O.S. I don't think I'd have flown in that thing without a chute on.

 

I tip my hat to you because I'm terrified of heights. Someday I might try it but it'd have to be for losing a bet or something.

 

Heh heh heh.
Actually, I would agree with you on that. It was a rattletrap. But by saying "perfectly good" what I meant was "capable of remaining airborne at the time I chose to jump".
The pilots of these things even wear chutes.

 

I have a long way to go, but I am very much looking forward to jumping at altitude. On the first jump, everything happens very quickly. I was on the ground before I knew it from 3k feet. I was running through the canopy check and clearing the toggles and turning at the instruction of the ground man with nary a moment to spare to enjoy the view.
The goal is to get certified (and keep advancing certifications) so that I can jump in different parts of the country someday when I am retired from working and able to travel.
How cool would it be to jump into the Grand Canyon (assuming it is permitted)?
You get the idea.
Thanks for the kudos. It was a rip and if I didn't have to go out of town this week, I'd probably go one evening. Hopefully next weekend I can go.

 

I used to fly jump planes. I've hauled hundreds of jumpers.
Never had the desire to jump myself.
All the planes I flew were in good shape, never had any problems.
Yep, the pilots wore chutes, beacuse if a door on the plane was opened in flight, we were required to, not because the plane was a junker.

.

 

i could never do it