Why jump out of a perfectly good airplane?
by Troy Barnt
03 April 2008
by Troy Barnt
03 April 2008
Ask that of most any active skydiver and they will tell you, "because somebody opened the door." Ask a first (or one) time skydiver and you'll get any answer from the simple:
"I always wanted too,"
to the complex:
"well, you see, we were at this bar last night, and. yatty-yatty-yay."
For me, it was watching a friend do it back in the 70's and I thought that was about the coolest thing ever. About three years later I did it myself and even after recovering from a severely sprained ankle could think of nothing else. Unfortunately, I didn't get back to it until 23 years later.
OK, enough of my history, are there common answers to the common question: "why would anybody jump out of a perfectly good airplane?"
Taking the initial plunge
Many people may want to try skydiving once, as I did, just because it looked cool. So, you book the slot, take the class, wait for the wind to die down, wait some more, go home, come back and guess what, wait for the wind to die down. Finally though, you get to make the jump. When you leave an airplane for the first time, the adrenaline kicks in and you can hear your heart pounding in your head. You fly the canopy down, land safely, jump up and scream, "BOOYAH" and do your best end zone dance and then tell everybody that will listen you can't wait to do it again.
Coming back for more
C9-H13-NO3. That would be adrenaline to you all you English majors. The desire for more of this interesting chemical to pulse again through your veins is probably what brings the first group back. Although 99% of people making their first jump say they want to jump again, only 12% actually make a second. The sheer rush exiting the plane is a feeling we want to experience again. Seeking that sensation may keep you coming back for a while, but eventually, to all of us that stay in the sport, it's not the strongest reason.
Path to mastery
The 12% dwindles to 4% who keep coming back because now they get to start learning to fly. See, I think this may be the real reason to jump out of a plane. Most people think we jump out, fall straight down, open a parachute and fly it to the ground. Nothing could be further from the truth. In our early development as a skydiving student, we would love nothing more than to fall straight down, just burn a hole in the sky. Actually, most of us were all over the place. Backsliding, side sliding, spinning, twisting and turning and clinging to the core idea to PULL so that we would live through it. Why? So we could try again. Eventually though, we learn to burn that hole and then we learn to do all that sliding, spinning, twisting and turning on purpose. Now that, my friend, is what flying is really all about: true human flight.
The "lifers"
But what is the reason for the 1 or 2% who eat ramen noodles a couple times a week so they can afford to stay in the sport? The friendships. 'NOUGH SAID!!! Now you get to do it with friends, usually not people you spend your day to day life with either. These people are way cooler. They can fly. Some do it on their bellies, some sitting and some on their heads. No matter what style of flying though, they're all part of a special family. You see, less than one per cent of the population will ever make a skydive and this includes even those than only do it once. This makes our family even smaller. Like any family we have our black sheep and our lily white doves but it's still a family. It's like my favorite t-shirt says, "At 13000 feet, nothing else matters."
So, if this hasn't answered that age old question of "Why would anybody jump out of a perfectly good airplane," let me explain it one more way: Because, silly rabbit, SOMEBODY OPENED THE DOOR!!!
"I always wanted too,"
to the complex:
"well, you see, we were at this bar last night, and. yatty-yatty-yay."
For me, it was watching a friend do it back in the 70's and I thought that was about the coolest thing ever. About three years later I did it myself and even after recovering from a severely sprained ankle could think of nothing else. Unfortunately, I didn't get back to it until 23 years later.
OK, enough of my history, are there common answers to the common question: "why would anybody jump out of a perfectly good airplane?"
Taking the initial plunge
Many people may want to try skydiving once, as I did, just because it looked cool. So, you book the slot, take the class, wait for the wind to die down, wait some more, go home, come back and guess what, wait for the wind to die down. Finally though, you get to make the jump. When you leave an airplane for the first time, the adrenaline kicks in and you can hear your heart pounding in your head. You fly the canopy down, land safely, jump up and scream, "BOOYAH" and do your best end zone dance and then tell everybody that will listen you can't wait to do it again.
Coming back for more
C9-H13-NO3. That would be adrenaline to you all you English majors. The desire for more of this interesting chemical to pulse again through your veins is probably what brings the first group back. Although 99% of people making their first jump say they want to jump again, only 12% actually make a second. The sheer rush exiting the plane is a feeling we want to experience again. Seeking that sensation may keep you coming back for a while, but eventually, to all of us that stay in the sport, it's not the strongest reason.
Path to mastery
The 12% dwindles to 4% who keep coming back because now they get to start learning to fly. See, I think this may be the real reason to jump out of a plane. Most people think we jump out, fall straight down, open a parachute and fly it to the ground. Nothing could be further from the truth. In our early development as a skydiving student, we would love nothing more than to fall straight down, just burn a hole in the sky. Actually, most of us were all over the place. Backsliding, side sliding, spinning, twisting and turning and clinging to the core idea to PULL so that we would live through it. Why? So we could try again. Eventually though, we learn to burn that hole and then we learn to do all that sliding, spinning, twisting and turning on purpose. Now that, my friend, is what flying is really all about: true human flight.
The "lifers"
But what is the reason for the 1 or 2% who eat ramen noodles a couple times a week so they can afford to stay in the sport? The friendships. 'NOUGH SAID!!! Now you get to do it with friends, usually not people you spend your day to day life with either. These people are way cooler. They can fly. Some do it on their bellies, some sitting and some on their heads. No matter what style of flying though, they're all part of a special family. You see, less than one per cent of the population will ever make a skydive and this includes even those than only do it once. This makes our family even smaller. Like any family we have our black sheep and our lily white doves but it's still a family. It's like my favorite t-shirt says, "At 13000 feet, nothing else matters."
So, if this hasn't answered that age old question of "Why would anybody jump out of a perfectly good airplane," let me explain it one more way: Because, silly rabbit, SOMEBODY OPENED THE DOOR!!!
