kitari said:
Looks like it would be fun and I'm afraid of heights... kinda. (it's mostly a tall ladder thing) Do you need a pilot's license for that or anything?
I'm afraid of heights too. So, why did I Sky dive? My Dad had me in a plane before I could walk. He became a Sky Diving Instructor and I helped him train jumpers.
I still didn't jump, but in my,first year of college, I stayed there for the weekend. I was bored so I found a live Parachute meet. I had seen many and I went to meets with him and I always packed his chute. Watching the show did it!
The next weekend, I told Dad that I wanted to jump. We went through a quick review and I put a parachute own and a reserve, which back in those days was on your belly. Plus, we wore boots and helmets as the older chutes (TU7) had hard landings, unlike the parachutes of today.
What I wanted to say is at my jump altitude of 3,500 feet, there was no reference like you would have on a building. I'll never forget having my feet on the step, holding onto the struct with both hands. Then, I got a pat on my left leg, which was my signal to jump.
I had the wind blast/noise and loud motor noise, then I pushed off and there was complete silence, with a peaceful floating sensation. Then the static line opened my chute. I loved it!