Tab tries: Skydiving

What else would you do on a Saturday than willingly throw yourself from a plane

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Pale and terrified on an early Saturday morning, I joined the five other people on my course to learn the correct way to leap from a plane. 

Can you not see the excitement!?

We were told from the start if the instructor didn’t think we were ready or if we didn’t pass the written test that skydiving would be a no go, as this could potentially put not only our lives in danger but also others.

We all passed, so I was free from the fear that a fellow-skydiver would come plunging towards me mid-air.

We were brought into a small classroom to be taught the theory of skydiving. Freezing cold and shaking with nerves I could barely hold my pencil, suffice to say the five layers of clothing we’d been told to wear came in useful.

The practical lessons and relentless drills were taught in the hangar. This involved pretending to jump out of a fake plane and whilst this was fun, the seriousness of the situation was hammered home by the constant reminder that death might occur.

We were taught the correct way to jump. Sounds simple, but if you didn’t sit the way you had been told there was the possibility that you could tumble out of the plane. That doesn’t end well for anyone.

Another thing our instructor warned us about is called a Static Line Hangup. This happens when you jump out of the plane before your instructor shouts “Go!”. This means that you are hanging from the side of the plane and with no way to deploy your reserve parachute and it could potentially send the plane into a skydive of its own.

Fun!

After lunch, which I had barely eaten thanks to nerves, we sat our test before kitting up and split into groups to take flight.

We were split into two groups and each given a number. I was told I would be jumping out second. The first jump went off without a hitch and then it was my turn.

Hands red and shaking, not just from the cold, I got into position to exit the plane from an altitude of 3,200 feet.

And then I jumped.

When I checked my parachute to make sure there was nothing wrong, I immediately noticed it was twisted at the top.

Luckily, the rigourous training stuck with me and I manage to disentangle myself.

The next frightening moment came when I couldn’t reach my toggle to control my descent.

After a second of pure panic I managed to gain control and was guided to safety by the instructor via a one-way radio we were all given when we were suited up.

Unfortunately, not all of us made it to the correct field. The girl who exited after me ended up at least ten fields from where we were supposed to land. The more experienced divers called it: “record-breaking”.

When we eventually found her she told us that she had fallen into a field full of cow manure. It was even stuck in her hair.

President of QUB Skydiving Michael Doone says:

“You are placed with your back to the door, are at the mercy of your instructor, and while everyone else on board has a massive grin on their face, you are thrown out backwards from 9000 ft.

“What started at the scariest jump, turned into possibly my favourite jump so far.

Skydiving is incredible and there is really no other feeling like it.”

Was skydiving terrifying? Yes.

Would I do it again? Absolutely.