“Why would you jump out of a perfectly good airplane?” is the question everyone seems to have when you tell them you’re going skydiving. Well, as a wise person once said, there’s no such thing as a perfectly good airplane. Plus, the door is open anyway!
Skydiving has always been a bucket list item for me. I love roller coasters, so naturally, freefalling at 10,000 feet seemed like the next step. When fellow coworker and skydive enthusiast Tim Dahnke of the EAA chapters team set up a group outing for EAA staffers, I knew I couldn’t miss it.
Four of us made the hour-and-a-half drive from Oshkosh to the Wisconsin Skydiving Center located in Jefferson, Wisconsin. WSC is owned by powerhouse couple Bo Babovic and Alex Kolacio, who were brought together by their love of skydiving. Collectively, they have jumped more than 25,000 times!
Luigi, a mellow Bernese Mountain Dog, greeted us as we walked into the open hangar, and owner Bo was not far behind him. Bo commented that the weather was all too perfect – 75 degrees with a sunny, clear sky after a week of clouds and wind. It was at this point I realized this is happening.
After signing the necessary waivers, we sat down with the rest of the scheduled jumpers for a training session where an instructor showed us a step-by-step video and explained what is and isn’t expected from us. We then were introduced to our tandem skydive instructors, mine being Macha. Macha got me suited up in a jumpsuit and harness, and then we did some one-on-one training to practice the few maneuvers I’d be responsible for. This included practicing the position to get in when the door opens, when to put my foot out, how to properly sit in the harness, and the “banana” pose you’ll be in during the freefall.
The training was very straightforward and made me feel at ease with… jumping out of an airplane. Everything after this point moved quickly. My jump-buddy Emily and I made our way to the jump airplane, a Cessna 182 with all but the pilot seat removed. The 20-minute ride to 10,000 feet felt like I was on the bus to summer camp again – packed tight with bodies, bodies that were anticipating undeniable fun. Everyone high-fived when we reached the halfway point. I watched out the window as the people and cars on the ground turned into tiny figures, and Macha reminded me to take some deep breaths; we’d be jumping in just a minute.
Time somehow moved even faster when Macha started connecting our harnesses. In what seemed like a matter of seconds, the door opened and the solo jumper who tagged along gave us a quick “hang-loose” before skillfully diving into the open air. Next was Emily and her instructor. Then came my time to shine, the moment I’d been training for (with Macha reminding me what to do; they don’t expect you to remember when you’re in the moment). I grabbed the handle, put my foot out of the airplane, and let go. Easy as 1-2-3.
The freefall felt like I was underwater. I’m not even sure how long it lasted, but it wasn’t long enough! I think I was expecting the entire dive to feel like the wild freefall, but once the parachute was pulled, everything slowed down. A rush of calm came over me, and I wasn’t underwater anymore. Instead, I was looking down on the sprawling mosaic of farm field that makes up much of Wisconsin. We were no longer falling through the air, but rather gently descending. It was quiet without the rushing air. There is truly no way to describe the pure, overwhelming freedom in that moment. I’m not sure how many times I said “oh wow” on the way down, but maybe Macha could tell you.
The calm was quickly replaced by excitement once again when Macha asked if I like roller coasters. Of course, as you already know, the answer was yes! He had me grab the parachute handles and explained how raising or lowering the handles will control the speed, and pulling one handle or the other will make us turn. He even had me look up to see how the parachute moved as I pulled the handles, so I could understand what was happening – a small detail I appreciated.
After my mid-air lesson, the roller coaster commenced. We pulled the left handle down and immediately went into a fast spiral. Macha then had me let the handles up, and the air once again was rushing past my face. Then, with his help (because apparently, a parachute filled with air can resist my strength somehow), we pulled the handles down. Once again, everything was calm and quiet. We repeated this a couple more times before it was time to prepare for landing.
The lack of wind that day actually made it difficult to land on our feet, but the training prepared me on how to get seated in my harness for a smooth, seated landing. The ground seemed to come quick, but Macha made the landing as smooth as butter. And just like that, I was back on solid ground. I had jumped out of a “perfectly good airplane,” and lived to tell the tale.
Whether it’s a bucket list item or your biggest fear, I think everyone should consider taking the leap. Something inside you will change. There’s just something about falling 10,000 feet that builds character, you know?
A big thank you to the incredible team at the Wisconsin Skydiving Center for welcoming the EAA group and making it a day none of us will forget! Now to convince more staffers to join us next time…