I didn't go splat this time either

After my jump last November, my daughter's first comment was, "You didn't go
splat." My response was, "After they made me watch that video telling me I

david...

my experiences in life (which, fortunately, have not including jumping out of
a perfectly good airplane...) have been that people who come together for a
common interest tend to treat colleagues with politeness and genuine concern.
i first noticed this when our son was in middle school and joined the band.
the band, like skydivers, are a self-selected group who want to do this. and i
noticed the kids in the band were all super... super smart, super kind, super
friendly to adults... i've also noticed it when among bikers... the ones in
leather vests and tattoos all over and long dirty hair... they also are
friendly and supportive to colleagues (of course, their vocabulary could boil
water from 10 feet.....).... i once spent a year in a fraternal organization
- again, the same experience. and that says a lot about people and an inherent
desire to communicate and to share... (well, that's my opinion...)

Joy...

I think you're right, david. I have noticed the same thing with
Toastmasters, I saw it with Barbershoppers when my husband was singing, and
I encountered the same thing (nearly all the time) among pilots when I was
flying.

Of course all the things we have mentioned involve commitment and effort, a
certain amount of time, and often money. Maybe it also says something about
people who are dedicated enough to pursue a particular interest in that
fashion.

couldn't sue, I didn't see any point in it."

All in all, it was a lovely day. It was hotter than I like, but not as hot
as I expected.

I went to my son's house, and he drove me to nearby Van Nuys Airport, where
is friend Tim was waiting with his Beechcraft Baron. It's a beauty; - a
twin engine with lots of bells and whistles. There's even a GPS with a
little map that shows where you are in relation to your departure and
destination points, as well as other nearby airports. It was a great
flight - about 20 minutes, compared to the almost two hour drive we had in
November. It was also so smooth I didn't even think about that until we hit
just the tiniest bit of turbulence near our destination.

I didn't have to watch the "You can't sue" video again, since I'd already
seen it. Jim, the instructor, took me quickly through the basics again.
You really don't have to do much when it's a tandem jump - the instructor
does all the work. It was pretty hot in Perris, although it wasn't the 100
degrees that had been predicted. Just the same, I was glad we were able to
do most of our waiting inside. The room, where jumpers don jump suits and
parachutes, wasn't air conditioned, but there was a fan, and the temperature
inside was almost comfortable.

Tim and Jim had jumped together in the past, so they had an enjoyable
discussion while we waited.

Finally, a plane was expected, so we went to the outdoor waiting area. It
didn't take long for the plane to come, and we boarded. As before, there
were a lot of jumpers, and we were the last in and first out. We sat on the
floor, parallel to the door, which is a roll-up, more or less transparent
plastic. After we were in the air, the door was opened, to cool the inside
of the plane. Since we were right by the door, we got the advantage, so the
temperature was quite comfortable. It was a bit unnerving, at first, to
know that I wasn't belted in (although I was strapped to my instructor) and
the open door was about two inches from the side of my legs. I leaned
slightly away from the doorway, but after a couple of minutes I enjoyed the
view. We could see Lake Elsinore, Lake Perris, and another lake whose name
I couldn't get.

I had decided not to pay the extra $100 for photos and a video this time,
but there was a photographer in training who wanted some practice. He took
a bunch of still shots, which I'll make available for viewing as soon as I
can figure out how to download them. They might also be available at the
jump school's website in a few days, according to my instructor.

This time I opened my arms when I was supposed to, so I got the full benefit
of the free fall. It's a fantastic feeling to be spread-eagled, face down,
traveling at 100 mph. It's a bit hard to breathe, but it only lasts about a
minute, and it's worth it. I had done a better job of arranging the straps,
so it didn't hurt so much when the chute opened, and I enjoyed the part
under the canopy more than I did last time.

We made a good landing again, and there was an employee of the jump school
waiting with a golf cart to take me back to the changing room. I got out of
the harness and jump suit, and then we waited for the photos. After that,
we had lunch, and then had another nice flight back to Van Nuys.

In spite of the heat, it was quite enjoyable, and I wore my skydiving
sweatshirt, with the patches from Don's friend Chris, for the jump. I
didn't feel the heat at all while we were in the air.

When I jumped before, I thought the other skydivers were being nice to me
because it was my birthday and my first jump, but they were just as nice

Joy...

*********************************************
Thanks, Jeanette. Yes, I did enjoy it. I think you're right about
skydivers. I think one of the reasons I enjoy it is because it's fun to be
around a lot of positive people. They're also very encouraging to
beginners.

When I get the photos posted so they can be seen, be sure to notice the look
on my instructor's face. This man has made almost 19,000 jumps, and he
looks like a kid in a toy store when he jumps!

this time. I guess skydivers are just nice people. At least the ones I've
met are.