Skydive in Diary

Well, it’s taking me a while to get around to writing this. I’ve been so busy again lately, like I always am. I’m taking a break from roller derby for a while, it’s the only thing I can realistically drop. I NEED some time to myself at home, to catch up on chores but also to have a bit of time to sit and chill out on my own.

Anyway, here’s the entry about the skydive that my sister and I did on Saturday 29th April.

We woke up in the hotel early on Saturday morning and ventured downstairs for breakfast. It was a HUGE cooked breakfast; toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, black pudding, tomatoes, beans, fried bread etc. etc. As soon as we’d finished eating it, the chef told us that someone else had stayed there for a skydive and couldn’t keep his breakfast while he was hurtling through the air. Great, thanks for that. Me and Sonja are both emetophobic and really didn’t need that little nugget of information after we had eaten a huge breakfast and just before we were going to jump out of a plane.

Anyway, we all got into the car and dad drove us to the airfield, ready to sign in at 8am. It was on a campsite and there were loads of dogs running about, which made all four of us very happy.

So then we went for our induction, where the instructor told us what to expect and what we had to do. He hooked us up to the ceiling to make sure we could lift our legs with the straps on the jumpsuits, as we have to lift them when we come into land so the instructor can land for us.

Then we had to wait. We watched some other people falling first, it was very strange, all these little dots appearing out of the clouds which gradually turned into people as they got closer. It was a very quick turnaround; from the plane taking off to the people landing back on the ground was only 20 minutes. As soon as the plane landed, more people would get on right away. I was very impressed with the organisation.

Then our names were called over the tannoy and it was our turn to go, eeeee! On our flight, there was me and Sonja, plus our instructors who we were to be strapped to, one other lady and her instructor, three photographers (one each) and then, right at the last minute, a random guy decided he was going to get into our flight and do a jump himself. So 10 people inside this little thing.

The plane took off and we were all facing backwards, which was a bit strange; I’ve never flown backwards before!

When we got to 4,000ft, my instructor told me that we were just going to stop to let this one guy out, and then it would be our stop. We stopped (well, almost, as much as it’s possible to do so) and this guy just opened the door, jumped out and then someone closed the door again. That was VERY strange, just to see someone jumping out of a plane from above the clouds, completely unnatural! We then carried on climbing, up and up until we were at 14,000ft.

Pure blue skies and fluffy white clouds! We were strapped to our instructors and we had to sit on their laps to make sure we were strapped in as tightly as possible. No time for shyness here! The other lady who was in with us went first. I saw her disappear out of the door and then it was my turn. My photographer went out first and he held onto the aircraft on the outside. So weird!

How many people get to see a view like this??

I then sat on the edge of the plane and tucked my legs underneath, which was the most bizarre experience of my lift. I’ve been inside loads of planes before, why the hell was I now sitting on the edge of the floor, 14,000ft above the ground?? We tipped forward, and then we were gone. It’s an experience I can’t describe, that first drop. Imagine the fastest roller coaster drop you’ve ever experienced, and multiply it by 100. There is no acceleration period; one second you’re sitting still, then BAM you’re hurtling towards the Earth at 120mph. You spin and, for a split second, you can see the plane above you, rapidly getting smaller and wishing you were back inside!

Me

Sonja

Then you’re lying on your front with the photographer in front of you. Still falling at 120mph, trying to look cool for the photos but panicking because it’s so difficult to breathe when travelling at that speed. That was all I could concentrate on. I wasn’t even aware that I was falling as we were inside the clouds, all I could think about was trying to catch my breath. It lasts about 20 -30 seconds but feels a lot longer.

The parachute is just opening and you can just see the ground below the cloud.

Then we peeled away from the photographer and the parachute was released. Then I could start to enjoy it! We had just come out from the clouds so could start to appreciate the view, and I could breathe again! We could see the Lake District, Morcambe Bay, Blackpool and Isle of Man. Floating around way up the air with other people floating close to you, legs dangling down with nothing between you and the ground way below. It’s indescribable!

My instructor let me have a go at controlling the parachute and got me to do a few fast spins, which was muchos fun.

In no time at all, we were back on the ground with a very smooth and gentle landing. I was still alive! I looked up and I could see Sonja right behind me. She landed and immediately ran over to give me a big hug.

We did it, my sister and I skydived together and survived to tell the story! I was wearing my necklace with Jay’s ashes inside so he did it with me; I’m pleased I remembered to wear it as the whole thing was for him. So far we’ve raised almost £2,000 for Mind, the mental health charity, and I’m very proud of us and everyone who sponsored us. Hopefully we can help some more people who are struggling with mental health issues and can maybe stop someone else from taking their own life.

Our sponsorship page is still open so if anyone would like to donate, you can do so HERE

Conclusion - I’m glad I did it, I’m so pleased I can say that I’ve done it. But I won’t be doing it again. It was just uncomfortable not being able to breathe, I didn’t enjoy that part at all. I loved the parachuting part though, that was great fun! :o)

Last updated May 16, 2017