One of the Manager in the Air Quality Program is a former Army Ranger.
During his spare time he flies Ultralights and is a US AFF Certified Skydive Instructor. He and his wife also have a collection of 10 motorcycles they drive. He was hired last year, and when he put up a poster of a sky diver, I was relentless about quizzing his experience in it. I've always imagined doing it, but as I grew older and became a parent I put it out of my mind. That is, until Tom Postell arrived at DNREC. After helping him with a computer issue, he asked me if I would be interested in skydiving. "What's holding you back?" he asked. Besides obvious "death concerns" and found myself questioning.....why not? I talked with my buddies in my IT group, and found two friends that were immediately willing to jump. Every time I see him, he continues to make it part of our routine conversation. Of course, if or...... I should say WHEN we do it, It'll be tandem .
I interviewed almost every jumper there, including the pilots and the instructors. I met the owner of the business, who is also an instructor. We stayed for 3 jumps (12 jumpers per plane). It was a cool 58F with a 10 mph wind. From 11:30 - 3:30 we waited, listened, and watched as each plane load flew almost 14,000 ft. into the sky. It takes 3 minutes for the plane to reach altitude. The first group missed the landing zone by 2 miles. The second, a perfect landing. It's so funny trying to find those little parachutes in the sky. They just seem to pop out of nowhere. On the third jump, I saw them closer to the plane then the ground.
Have you ever jumped? One jumper, who was ready for his 8th solo jump, told me he blacked out the first time for a few seconds. Apparently, your brain cannot comprehend what you are seeing, because your body is taking the experience in like a filmstrip....and the brain skips a few of the frames. Doesn't that make you feel secure? Oh Joy! My goal is to jump when my mother is here in October. I'm so excited.
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