I’m not gonna lie. I was terrified. I have no idea what would compel me to jump out of a plane when the very thought of looking out an open door at 10,000 ft. sent shivers down my spine, caused my heart to race, and kept me up at night. Ali insists it’s conceptually wrong. “If you’re going to jump out of a plane, someone ought to be paying you!” he reasoned.
This is me after my jump. I was proud, relieved, and so happy I took the plunge. I’ve always dreamed of skydiving.
But for as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to skydive. When I became a mother, I gained a stronger sense of my own mortality and eventually set aside the desire altogether. I have five children and a husband who love me, after all. Why should I take an unnecessary risk?
Our goofy family in front of our home on wheels.
Then began an entire lifestyle of risks and changes. We sold nearly everything, rented out the house, and moved into a motorhome to travel full-time. There was a certain degree of risk in going against the norm, especially when it required my husband to leave an awesome career in Disney World’s corporate office. After several months on the road, I again ventured into unfamiliar territory when I first drove the motorhome. I was scared to death I’d cause an accident and kill my whole family in the process! But now I’ve driven hundreds of miles and am reasonably comfortable with it. Why not kick things up a notch?
While camping in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, I searched online for things to do, and West Plains Skydiving came up. They were located just a little west of Spokane, Washington, not too far away, and I contacted them. Part of me (a big part) hoped they wouldn’t respond. Then I could tell myself I reached out rather than chickened out without actually having to go through with it. Instead, a gal named Kara connected with me almost immediately. She was easy to talk to, answered all my questions (no matter how many times I called with more), and put my mind at ease. Well, as “at ease” as possible when considering jumping out of a plane.
The night before skydiving, I had a rough time getting to bed. I was fine thinking about falling; it was the images of an open plane door that kept me awake. All day long, I felt alright until I envisioned that gaping door. I was more scared of seeing that and being too petrified to jump than I was of falling out of the sky!
A long-time dream (one that had been set aside for over twenty years) would come true for me here!
We made the drive out to Ritzville, Washington, in the early evening of June 29th. The weather was warm and mild, but there was a storm of emotions inside me. Excited, anxious, giddy, scared, alive… terrified. I kept coming back to that word, and my stomach would do a little flip. “One step at a time,” I told myself. “Take it one step at a time. You’ve always wanted to skydive, and this is a chance to face your fears and prove you can really do it!”
With my six-year-old son Nabeel in the hangar. When asked if he thought Mommy could really jump out of a plane, he grinned and responded affirmatively. “Yep…. Mom’s going to die so epically!” Nice.
Pulling up to the hangar, I debated whether I should even get out of our safe, comfortable minivan. But I did, and when I stepped inside amongst all the parachutes, harnesses, and a plane, I found a group of veteran skydivers prepping to go up again after me. One guy had jumped four times and was working towards his license. A girl two decades my junior had jumped 122 times. Kara had about 1700 jumps under her belt. I was relieved to learn Sergei, my assigned instructor with whom I’d be doing a tandem skydive, had already jumped 4,093 times.
Getting into the plane is not a tough step to take. It’s getting out of the plane that’s so hard!
I was all smiles and nerves getting harnessed up, going through instructions step-by-step, and heading to the plane. I loved my little, silver plane that reminded me of something out of an Indiana Jones movie. It was great fun to wave at my kids standing outside the hangar as we taxied to the runway and gained speed. And then we were off! A few minutes later, as I stared pensively at the geometrical patterns formed by crop circles and fields, Sergei asked, “How high do you think we are?”
“Maybe 3,500 feet,” I replied.
“Nope. We’re still only around 1,500 feet.” Gulp.
Kara, who was jumping with us to take external video, smiled widely. “You’re going to do great, Jennifer! You’re going to love this!”
Soon, we reached altitude and prepped for the jump. Sergei connected me to his harness at four points and triple-checked everything out loud, demonstrating it all to Kara and I for added safety. I held up my “I love WG” stickers, a reference to my hometown of Winter Garden, Florida, for some quick photos. And before I knew it, Kara had opened the door and was climbing out into position. A loud rush of cold air suddenly swept through the tiny cabin, swirling around me wildly, and I screamed. There was the dreaded open door with the earth spread out 10,000 feet below!!!
Sergei and I had our right legs out and left legs in the plane. This was jump position. We were leaning out over empty space, and I was terrified!
Everything began to move quickly. “It’s time to move forward,” Sergei instructed. Scooching alongside the door, I thought I’d die. My heightened senses momentarily forbade me to move. “Okay, right foot out,” Sergei directed. I had to follow through.
Kara jumped with us and captured this “point of no return” moment. Yes, I’m screaming.
“Oh, my gosh! I’m stepping out of a plane!” Every nerve in my body was alert, awakened to what was happening, and my sense of sight was working against me in the biggest way! But I did it. I stepped out, and Sergei and I moved into position to launch ourselves from the aircraft. Head back against his left shoulder. Check. Rock forward, rock back, rock forward, and JUMP!!!!!”
I chuckle at this hand-cam shot that captures the plane and ground while making Kara appear to be attached to Sergei’s right hand. 🙂
Suddenly, I was soaring through the air, the plane above us zooming away back to the hangar. Down, down, down at 120 mph. The first few seconds were chaotic and terrifying, but soon I realized everything was going as planned, and I was facing Earth, dropping rapidly and feeling the wind rush against my body.
Thumbs up!
I looked across to Kara, who was smiling ear to ear and waving, giving me a thumbs up. I returned the gesture and realized something astonishing. I wasn’t scared anymore. There I was, hurtling toward my planet at an alarming speed, and all I felt was exhilaration! After those first few moments of terror leaving the plane, there were only feelings of freedom and flight, energy and excitement, wonder and wakefulness. Sergei spun us around in a 360 degree turn, and I looked out over the beautiful countryside. I could have cried; this was surreal, a truly extraordinary experience unlike anything else in the world!
Steering the parachute for 360 degree views of the world below
After about 45 seconds, Sergei tapped my shoulder, my cue to bring my arms in and hold the harness in preparation for the main chute to deploy. This was the moment of truth, and my anxiety returned. Sergei pulled the cord, and I felt a quick tug (and no small amount of relief) as our bodies swooped into an upright position, soaring over the earth under the safety of canopy. It was glorious! It might seem like overkill to use that adjective, but trust me; it’s not! It was the most amazing and peaceful feeling to look out across the fields, still 4,500 feet in the air, gliding gently toward the earth. Sergei pulled down on the right handle attached to the parachute, and we spun full circle. Then I had a chance to try my hand at “driving.” Incredible hardly begins to describe the elation within me.
Approaching our landing site, the green grassy area alongside the hangar
As we approached the landing zone, I was reminded to pull my knees up toward my chest so we could slide in safely.
Sergei and I landing
It was a smooth landing, and my husband, children, and Kara were all standing there cheering for me, ready to give hugs and high fives. “Would you do it again?” Kara wanted to know. Why yes, yes I would!
My kids and me on the runway after my jump
Check out the video to see the full experience!
Would you jump out of a plane? Have you already? Share your thoughts, fears, and experiences in the comments below!
West Plains Skydiving provided images and aerial video to support this post.
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