✈️ That Time I Jumped Out of an Airplane | Experience Series #EX1
Today’s post looks at my experience of being flung out of an aeroplane. I share my story of how I agreed to skydive and my experience of skydiving in Dubai.
Welcome to TonyTriesStuff,
We here are keen on trying new hobbies to increase our repertoire of skills. Whether you’ve stumbled across this for the first time or are a regular, thanks for taking the time to look through what I have created. Read on to start your journey towards mastering skills that you are passionate about.
Today we are looking at something a little bit different. I share my story of when I found my fear of falling. It was a rare occasion when I felt both scared and euphoric at the same time. Despite this, I have actually quite enjoyed the whole experience. Taking the decision to do it made me confront my fear head-on and hopefully helps you in the same way too.
Quick disclaimer: Skydiving isn’t 100% safe, there is a 1 in 167,000 chance that things could go wrong. I signed a document that I was aware of the risks.
Chances are … we’re gonna make it.
-Tom Cruise, The Late Late Show with James Corden
The Story
In 2015, I rode on Singapore’s fastest rollercoaster. Before I got on that rollercoaster, I was scared. I was afraid of the high speed and the countless loops. I braced myself and slowly but surely it was my turn to go on the rollercoaster.
The rollercoaster starts slow — building anticipation and fear. We were at a 45-degree incline moving no more than about 15kmph. My heart was racing and as I looked around me I saw my cousin sitting next to me looking as peaceful as a Buddhist monk. His head relaxed with eyes drooping like he was stoned. Shoulders relaxed and looking content. I on the other hand could've passed off for someone having a panic attack.
And then the carriage stops and we all know what’s about to happen next. The breaks were off and I set a personal record for time spent screaming my lungs out. The rollercoaster was super fast and it often was freefalling. All the while my cousin next to me only let out squeals of excitement and laughter. If all you could hear were his sounds, then you’d probably think he was watching a Kevin Hart movie.
This experience ruined all other rollercoasters for me. Since then, every rollercoaster that I’ve been on has been not as exciting or fun. The ‘slow’ speed of 80kmph compared to the 120kmph that I experienced back in Singapore always had me feeling meh. I longed for an experience that would make me feel alive again. That’s when another cousin contacted me out of the blue one day.
“Are you interested in skydiving??” the text read. I have always been a fan of trying things in life and therefore I accepted the offer. It was the most painless booking process of my life as all I had to do was sit back, relax and wait patiently for the day of the drop which was set for one day before Christmas. Initially, we were about to book 27th December but I thought it may mean that we would be on edge around Christmas time. Therefore we decided to book the 24th instead so that we can have a relaxing Christmas. Or so I thought.
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A few days after, he sends me this YouTube video by a person who had done skydiving in the same location we were about to. In the video, the person was smiling and looked very relaxed. Much like my cousin on the rollercoaster. They seemed excited and were dabbing like there was no tomorrow. This gave me the impression that skydiving isn't so bad, it’s just a fun experience much like … eating ice cream.
The day finally arrives and I am a bit nervous but also excited. We head to the drop zone which is very close to Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah. As we enter, we see these colourful spots in the sky which I later understood were parachutes of people skydiving. It was nice to see people drop in every 15 minutes or so. It made it feel almost like it was an everyday occurrence.
There was a check-in, and we had to show our documents. Once we checked in we were assigned to jump at 2 pm. We waited patiently for them to call out our names on the megaphone. About an hour before take-off, we were escorted into a briefing. This briefing tells you how you do it. Since we were jumping tandem, we were asked to follow instructions.
After strapping up, we were escorted to the small twin-engine aircraft that was supposed to be taking us up to the drop zone 15,0000 feet above sea level. It was quite a squeeze with almost 15–20 people in a relatively small aeroplane. Shortly after takeoff, our tandem instructors were securely fastened to us.
The atmosphere in the aeroplane was one of tension, at least for me. I remember seeing my cousin and thinking, “Is this the last time I see my cousin?” He looks at me in a way that I interpret as saying the same thing back to me.
And then the moment arrives, the lights go from red to amber, and then to green. The doors to the aeroplane are open and the air starts gushing in. Slowly you see people jumping out one after the other. And then I see my cousin going out in front of me and I see him jump out of the aeroplane.
And then it’s my turn. The instructor leads me to the door and places me right on the edge of the door such that half my feet are over the edge of the door. I remember thinking ‘this isn’t so bad,’ just looking out at the view with the curvature of the earth visible and around you all the shining buildings of Dubai was a beautiful view. I could’ve stayed up there and marvelled at the view forever. And then I hear my instructor saying, “Three…. Two….” and then without warning, I feel myself plummeting towards the ground at terminal velocity.
And then the moment arrives, the lights go from red to amber, and then to green. The doors to the aeroplane are open and the air starts gushing in. Slowly you see people jumping out one after the other.
I vividly remember every single second, how the air felt so cold, how the speed picked up and reached terminal velocity, and how the cameraman appeared in front of me pointing to the DSLR at his head. But, it felt like I was experiencing all these from outside of me. What I mean by that is that I had very little control over how I responded to the situation. I was just there, much like how you are in the seat of a rollercoaster experiencing it all not being able to affect it at all. All I could see was the blue of the ocean below me and how this could be the last thing I see for the rest of my life.
And then I feel the pull of something at my back that makes me come to a rushing stop all at once. And all of a sudden, we are slowly sailing above the clouds with a view of Dubai in all its glory. No longer am I falling, now is time for relaxing. The instructor shows me how to control the parachute and I try and position us to have a view of the Burj Khalifa. And then we slowly touch down and I had one of the best experiences of my life.
If you feel comfortable with the risks involved and want to experience what it feels like to plummet towards the ground at terminal velocity, then I highly recommend skydiving.
I’d love to hear from you, have you sworn to yourself that you’d never go skydive in your life? What’s stopping you? Was it the best experience of your life? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below or tweet at me with your experience.
That’s all for this week. I hope you enjoyed reading this new series on my life experience (EX1). Hope it gives you a little insight into what it feels like to skydive. Do leave a comment, share it with someone you want to skydive with and subscribe if you want to be inspired to learn new skills on a week-ish basis.
Until next time,
Tony
Additional Resources:
YouTube: Will Smith’s Story; James Corden’s Story; Yes Theory’s Story; Similar Skydive
Related blog posts: Safety of Skydiving
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