The Big Day

So, I know I had said that we'd be jumping yesterday but the winds were too heavy. We sat in a shed all day. It was horrible. If you really want that story, call me or something. In bigger news:

I jumped out of a plane today! Twice! It was a freaking rush. Much more fun than I had expected. I thought I was going to be freaking out on the plane and what not, but I wasn't. I was pretty calm and collected compared to most everyone else. I was messing with people, trying to get them to chill out. However, once we were given the 30 second warning, I did freak out just a little. I zoned in on the Jumpmaster Safety (the guy you give your static line to right before you jump out the door) and tried to not concentrate on the door. Then the green light came on and I didn't even think about it. I just shuffled forward, handed my line off and turned. Once I turned to jump out, I had no choice. I just jumped. I knew that if I didn't I was going to get a boot in my ass and kicked out anyway. When you leave the plane its crazy. I quit breathing for a few seconds (my heart may have stopped too). The silence is eerie... The propeller blast throws you behind the plane. The next thing you know you feel a tug and your parachute is above you, deployed.

My first landing was perfect. I pulled the right slip to slow me down, had good body position, and did a proper PLF. I got a little flustered when I landed and had to slow myself down and think about what I was doing with my recovery. But all in all, I did great. My second jump however, I got messed up by the wind. I was blowing all over the place on the way down and had trouble deciding on which slip to pull. Right at 200 feet I decided that a rear slip would be best, I got prepared to pull it and I felt my body turn and start drifting right. Quickly, I pulled a left slip and prepared to land. However, the wind grabbed my chute and pulled me backwards about 2 seconds above the ground (40-50 feet). This put my body in bad position. I landed on my feet, then my butt, then hit my head. Hurt SO bad. But, I'm unscathed and undeterred.

Tomorrow we are going to try and jump two more times. Hopefully, we can get both in. The first one is in combat equipment. That's going to suck sitting in the shed with all that gear on. But, its what I gotta do. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Chris