I know a guy who has a recurring dream about falling. It’s not a
nightmare, not a paralyzing, nocturnal vision of helplessly hurling through space to his death. Nope. He’s a skydiver,
and falling to earth gives him a rush.
I’ve thrown my body out of a plane exactly once. It was a solo static line jump in Colorado, and I only experienced
momentary freefall. But it WAS a rush. And even cooler in its own way was the slow drift to earth in the parachute.
Like a dandelion seed on the shoulders of a heady breeze. (sigh)
Well these images of days past were reinvigorated in my brain after reading this WAPO
article on jumping
out of a plane. The writer heads out of Orange, Virginia where the broad, green fields stretch out below for miles, and
people who fancy themselves gravity hounds congregate to jump out of perfectly working aircraft. The writer, it must be
noted, tandem jumps. That is, she is attached like a Siamese Twin to a professional diver, who rides on her back. He
talks to her from behind, allaying her fear, like a kind lover.
What about cost? For those interested, the first-time tandem jumps range from $165 to $235. An accompanying
photographer can click stills or film videos of your jump for an extra $100 to $150.