[jrh]

After working as a jump pilot for the past seven months, I finally decided to take the plunge myself! I never would have considered skydiving until working at this place, but after seeing hundreds of people leave the plane, I had to give it a shot.

I did a static line class two weeks ago, then made my first two static line jumps yesterday, on Saturday afternoon.

For those of you who don't know, a static line jump is basically where you fly to 3,000 AGL, climb out on the wing strut, then let go and a 15 foot nylon cord connected to the floor of the plane deploys the parachute for you as you fall away. Then you float down for about 3 minutes under canopy and get talked through the landing via a handheld radio. Static line jumps are the first steps to learning how to freefall and deploy the chute on your own.

All I can say is...WOW! This is awesome. I'm completely hooked. The falling away is crazy...with all the wind, it doesn't feel like falling. The ride under canopy is so beautiful, nothing like dangling 2000 feet in the air with nothing around me. I want to get my USPA Class A license this summer.

If you ever get the chance to go skydiving, either via static line or tandem, DO IT!