Jump #21 / Beiseker AB / 6000 AGL / 27 Jul 13 / 15 seconds of free fall
Freefalling – the act of jumping out of an airplane without a deployed parachute.
It is the ultimate leap of faith. This is not just a regular parachute jump with a static line – this is a definitive statement about your beliefs and your life.
There is no turning back once you feel your fingers slip off of the wing strut – all you have is your parachute.
And, most importantly – your faith.
What people see as they track down and accellerate to terminal velocity – or 140 km/h - is different.
Intellectually, I see the curvature of the earth. The brilliant deep blue of the sky which is a different shade than what you see on the ground.
What do I really see?
I see all the people that I’ve known that have passed before me. I see all my triumphs and my regrets. I see the people who’ve helped me get this far in my life and to be able to make this jump.
Most importantly, I see my keeper, my guardian – my on call angel.
Call me crazy, but in the middle of all of that insanity and the close balance of life and death – and just before I pull the pilot chute – I smile to myself.
It’s not the adrenaline rush that gets me smiling, nor the thrill of a near death experience – it’s the feeling of large, warm, friendly hug. I close my eyes when I feel it and I smile to myself –
