Sky diving - Best Weekend cover story

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COVER STORY

Is this the ultimate adrenalin rush?

Absolutely, writes Jenny Ringland

I CAN’T wipe the smile off my

face. My legs and arms are shaking, my cheeks are flushed, I have so much excited energy I don’t know whether to scream, do star jumps, hug the closest stranger or try all three at once.

When I was asked if I wanted to do a tandem skydive I said yes without hesitation. Why not? Apparently there are lots of why nots. The parachute might not open, the instructor might miss a loop when attaching me to him, I might die. I thought of none of these possibilities but they have been pointed out by friends and colleagues – after I jumped of course.

When I arrive at Sydney Skydivers in Picton at 8am the sky is blue and there’s not a breath of wind. I’m greeted by Jon, my world-record breaking skydive instructor who has more than 16,000 jumps under his belt.

“Welcome to the drop zone,” he says. Awesome, it’s just like Top Gun. After all the paperwork is completed – I feel like I’ve signed my life away – Jon takes me to the instruction area which is in reality just a jazzed-up tin shed.

Faded photos adorn the walls, showing tandem A brief education is jumpers who have gone plenty, as it turns out before me. Some faces looked strained but most sport grins stretching from ear to ear, a promising sign.

Jon selects a red-and-yellow all-in-one suit, zips me up and assures me it’s not cold enough to warrant gloves. Next comes the harness, and finally instruction time. I have mentally prepared for an hour or so of tutoring. However it’s a two-minute run-through leaving no time for second thoughts.

“Once you’ve dangled your legs over the edge of the plane cross your arms across your chest and thrust your hips forward. Then once we’ve jumped out, I’ll tap you on the shoulder and you open your arms wide skydiving style,” Jon says.

Check. Seems easy enough at ground level.

“Then when we land we’ll be coming in at about 20 miles [30km] an hour so you need to keep your legs up,” he says.

He motions for me to sit on the ground. “Grab under your legs and pull them out in front of you.

Great, you’re ready to go.”

And that’s it. I have a brief moment of panic as I try to remember my to-do list, but Jon seems confident enough, so I guess I am too. Jon and I climb into the plane, which I’m told

Time to take the was custom-made in New Zealand, with about 20 other solo jumpers, who pay as little as $33 a jump – providing they have their own gear. It takes a lot to save a lot though – gear costs at least $5000-$6000 secondhand and up to $10,000 custom-made.

Among the crowd on board is Mike, a self-confessed skydiving addict introduced to the sport by his wife.

“I thought she was crazy,” he admits. “I said, ‘There’s no way you’d get me jumping out of a plane’. But after my cousins did it I thought I had to give it a go. That was two years ago and now I’ve done over 200 jumps.”

We are seated at the front of the plane with our backs to the pilot and everyone squeezes in so you are straddling the person in front. There are lots of high fives, some playful punching and general excitement as the plane shudders into life and we taxi down the grass runway. As we start our ascent

nerves set in, my stomach see-saws between butterflies of excitement and raw fear.

Oh my God. I am about to jump out of an aeroplane.

Jon busily points out landmarks of interest, obviously a diversion tactic but I have to admit it is pretty spectacular. To one side is the city skyline, with Wollongong, the ocean and the Blue Mountains also laid out below. After about 10 minutes, when the skydiving base is barely a speck on the ground, Jon yells that we’re about halfway up. To me it seems quite high enough thank you very much. Next to our exit on the wall of the plane are three lights which the pilot uses to signal when it’s time to jump. The first signals three minutes to go, the second

All ready to go with no time for second thoughts

“Oh my God. I am about to jump out of an aeroplane” 10

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another kind of flight PICTURES Ground photos: Katrina Tepper Sky photos: Robert Ellery

“It’s just like everyone says, the biggest buzz you will ever have”

“I’m mid-air, freefalling in a spiral, just like you see on TV and screaming at the top of my lungs”

two minutes and the third means go! I’m too busy looking out the window to notice the first one flashing.

“OK time to go,” Jon says. He hands me the goggles and begins attaching his harness to mine. I briefly wonder how he knows I’m secured properly but by then the door has opened, the wind is whipping around the cabin and my fellow thrillseekers are tumbling out of the plane.

The first is a group of five attempting some type of formation, but all I see is their backs as they somersault out.

By the time I get to the edge they’re nowhere to be seen.

As instructed I make my way down the plane on my knees, crouch down to sitting and swing my legs over the edge. For a split second I’m scared I’ll fall out but then I remember Jon is behind me, making me brave enough to let go of the handles and cross my hands over my chest.

Next thing I’m mid-air, arms spread, freefalling in a spiral, just like you see on TV and screaming at the top of my lungs.

From nowhere Rob the cameraman appears and I am so

Jon takes control as the drop zone comes into sight

busy waving and giving him the thumbs up I forget to worry whether the parachute will open and to ponder the fact I’m plummeting towards the ground at 200km an hour.

The freefall lasts for about 60 seconds but seems like 10, then with a whoosh the noise stops as Jon activates the chute.

The speed at which Rob disappears is frightening and suddenly it starts to sink in. But there’s no time to be nervous. Jon thrusts the parachute handles into my hands and with a tug of my right arm we veer down towards the right. The harder you pull with both hands, the slower and more peaceful the fall. But it’s hard work, a bit like doing a chin-up, but in the air.

Down below the dots on the rural landscape begin to take shape and I can make out cars and animals and eventually people. The first thing I notice is how dry my mouth is. No wonder, I’ve just spent an entire minute falling through the sky with my mouth wide open, screaming louder than I thought possible. Next I realise it’s not cold.

Jon points out the grass strip where we’ll be landing and gets me to practise my landing position. I reach down to grab under my knees, which is much harder than it sounds dressed in an all-in-one suit and tightly harnessed, and tug my legs upwards so they are perpendicular to my body. It’s a relief to let them drop back down, and the fi nal few minutes, which are over in what seems like seconds, are spent trying to soak it all in, the quiet, the view and the fresh country air. However, I am on such a high it’s hard to focus on anything, and I realise why they say you have to jump at least twice to get the full experience. As we near the ground my heart starts to beat a bit faster again as I see a couple of the solo jumpers come in to land. Then it’s our turn.

Jon takes over to arrive at the drop zone and we land smoothly Back on terra firma on the grass. Tears are with legs like jelly streaming down my face from the wind, my cheeks hurt from smiling and my legs have turned to jelly. I do a little jig, shake Jon’s hand and hug the cameraman.

It is just like everyone says, the biggest buzz you will ever have.

And you want it to last forever.

how to do it Jenny jumped with Sydney Skydivers at Picton; 9791 9155, sydneyskydivers.com.au Cost: Tandem skydive with video $400, or $325 without; $285 for bookings of four people or more Elsewhere: Skydive the Beach, Stuart Park, North Wollongong; 4225 8444, skydivethebeach.com.au Cost: Tues-Thur $279, Mon and Fri $289, weekends $335, DVD and photos $125 midweek, $145 weekends Simply Skydive, International Regatta Centre, Penrith; 9223 8444, simplyskydive.com.au. Weekends only Cost: $329, $33 insurance, DVD and photos from $99 Coastal Skydivers, Port Macquarie Airport; 0428 471 227, coastalskydivers.com Cost: $320, DVD and photos $80

"LADIES and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking …”

Let’s be honest – who hasn’t dreamed of uttering those words while seated at the controls of a jumbo?

And who wouldn’t give up a seat in cattle class for the chance to try their hand at "Cabin crew, prepare for landing".

Whatever your flight fantasy it has had to remain exactly that, until now.

The arrival in Sydney of Flight Experience has changed fantasy into near reality, getting every aspiring pilot as close to airborne as possible.

The Darling Harbour-based company has a Boeingapproved flight simulator and qualified pilots who guide you through every step of the way.

Before takeoff I was given a 10-minute pre-flight briefing by my co-pilot, 19-year-old flight instructor Julian D’Arcy, who explained the fundamentals and the cockpit’s many instruments Then it was up, up and away.

The simulator is virtually identical to a real Boeing 737-800 cockpit and looks out on to a projection screen that wraps right around the windows to give a 180-degree panoramic view.

Choosing a flight path is a case of New York, Paris, Rome or whichever of 20,000 destinations tickle your fancy. I opted for Hong Kong’s new airport.

Then it was time to prepare for takeoff.

I adjusted the flaps, flicked on the wing lights and taxied away from the gate using just the steering pedals. My craft was cleared for takeoff by the control tower and thundered down the runway.

"Rotate," instructed Julian, the command given to point the nose to the sky when the plane reaches take-off speed.

A pull back on the yoke and I was airborne.

As simple as that!

Next using the instruments which I had first seen only minutes earlier, I levelled out the plane and performed gentle left and right turns.

Julian talked me through the landing procedure, from approach and lining up with the runway, to flaring the aircraft to gently touch down with the back wheels first before bringing the nose wheel down a few seconds later.

Thankfully, after all that, I didn't crash.

Instructors allow wannabe pilots to have as much hands-on control of the aircraft as they can handle but don’t expect to try any tricks such as flying under Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Boeing simulator can only be used for authorised flight practices.

The experience is open to anyone aged 12 and over and taller than 140cm.

Cost: From $175 for a 30-minute flight, $225 for 45 minutes, $275 for 60 minutes and $375 for a 90-minute session. A DVD of the flight costs $15.

Special offer: Purchase a Flight Experience and get a free pack with a Boeing hat and T-shirt; see coupon on page 2.

Stephen Fenech

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