I JUMPED OUT OF AN AIRPLANE!!!!
Another post with nothing to do about real estate. I think it is important for people who live in Volusia County, the Daytona Beach, Port Orange, Deland area, or who are here to vacation to know that there is a lot more to do here than go to the beach, the track or ride motorcycles (not that those are bad things to do).
I have a group of friends who have made it a tradition to come down to the area for Biketoberfest. Mike and I love getting together with them. This week while chatting with Donna Maida, (wife of Larry Maida, a former co-worker and a Keller Williams agent in Virginia Beach) we discovered that skydiving was on each of our "bucket lists." You know, the list of things we want to do before we die. I chimed in that "we can do that here!" I've heard of Skydive Deland and knew it was nearby. And skydiving was one of the things that I always wanted to try, but never had someone else who would go with me. Most people would clearly let me know that there was no sane reason to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.
At Skydive Deland, they offer tandem jumps for first time divers. PERFECT for me. The next morning I called and easily got reservations for the following morning. They instruct you to wear athletic shoes and comfortable clothing and all of the gear is supplied. We arrived a little early and were surprised at all of the activity. First, we were seated before a small monitor in order to view a short video that basically tells you that you are the idiot that wanted to do this and you are doing it at your own risk. We then signed the waiver -- nothing was going to stop us at that point. We were each assigned an instructor and a photographer. I had to get photos or nobody would have believed me. Donna and I had to suit up in spandex jumpsuits. Personally, I felt like an overstuffed green sausage. Between the time we first arrived and when we finally boarded the plane, we must have seen at least a half a dozen groups take off. And we watched dozens of perfect landings...I was psyched!
Okay, now it's our turn. As we are walking on the tarmac we lost one guy in the group who had some cookies to toss before he jumped. There were 23 of us on the plane including a dive group from Qatar, and jumpers from Australia, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Brazil. Donna and I were the only ones doing tandem jumps so were the first out of the plane after an adrenaline junkie extreme sports kind of guy wearing sandals and shorts. I had given my instructor, Pedro, permission to push me if I hesitated leaving the plane. It wasn't necessary. I can't describe how AWESOME the experience was. I have an amazing video of the experience that I keep watching over and over. I don't think I mentioned that I don't like roller coasters and I'm afraid of being near the edge of high places and bridges. For some reason, I didn't get that roller coaster drop feeling in my stomach. We had a small drag chute that kept our free fall speed at 110 mph, instead of terminal velocity speed of 120 mph. It wasn't scary. The only discomfort is when the main canopy is deployed and you are yanked up by the gust, the harness dug in for a few seconds. Once the chute was opened, Pedro loosened the harness and it was fine. The photographer followed and played with us on the way down during the free fall. They wear special jumpsuits with wings that allow them to maneuver through the air so he was able to record us at many different angles. Then he has to beat us to the ground to capture our perfect landing.
It has been a day now. My ears still haven't popped yet. But I still have on the same stupid grin I wore through the whole thing yesterday. At the time I was thinking that it was going to be a once in a lifetime experience for me. But, now I'm not sure. I think I want to do it again. I don't think I'm brave enough or committed enough to go through the solo course, but I did it! I JUMPED OUT OF AN AIRPLANE!!!!!
Here is a slideshow of some of the photos. I just converted the video and posted it on YouTube.
http://www.VolusiaHomeFinder.com.
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