Skydive!

You're not alone—I've been in that same spot before! I did my first skydive to raise funds for a cause close to my heart, and I was absolutely terrified leading up to it. The key thing that helped me was remembering that it’s normal to feel nervous. I also had a Cookie G35 Helmet on, which helped me feel more secure and gave me one less thing to worry about. It’s super comfortable and lightweight, and the visibility was awesome. Honestly, once I was in the air, everything just fell into place. You’ve got this! Focus on the reason you’re doing it, and remember you’re supporting something really important. 

Thank you

Yeah you described it really well!

Well done you, Alisha.

You've officially joined the ranks of us who can say, "I did that so you don't have to".

Did I describe the flying part right?

Hi I’m new here, I got my husband a 15,000 ft sky dive for Xmas. He absolutely loved it. He can’t wait to do it again. I’m sure he wouldnt mind talking to you about it. 
its a lovely thought for you to do it for charity. 

danii 

We Salute You, Alisha!

Well done you!  Congratulations!

I hope you are feeling very proud of yourself for thinking you wanted to do something scary and unusual.....and then doing it.  That shows character and guts.  I'm very pleased for you.....and even more pleased that you survived!

Kindest regards

Number.

***** = 5 star General status is awarded to Alisha.

Update: I did it and it was terrifying! It's so cold up there which isn't really surprising however it wasn't something I was prepared for. I understand why people do it however personally I didn't like the sensation at all and certainly won't be doing it again even if they paid me. Thanks for all the support guys.

Alisha xx

So mum's comment is : 'It's cool'  (Well her actual words were 'Et as cool' which is Luxembourgish so I translated it :). Not sure if that is helpful. Good luck! I know my mum really liked skydiving. 

Hi :) My mum used to skydive and my dad used to fly the plane for the skydivers. I've asked Mum whether she has any tips and will let you know!! :) 

Such an amazing thing to do! I'd love to do a Skydive (I'm very sensory seeking) so I bet it'll be amazing. Do let us know how it goes too!

Hi Alisha,

Hope you're doing well. I meant to ask sooner but been busy with work and health issues.

Wanted to ask have you done the skydiving yet? If so I hope it went well and if you haven't then sending more luck your way.

What an amazing thing to do for such a good cause. Well done and good on you! It's normal to be nervous but you'll be fine. Have fun and let us know how you get on. 

I've done hang gliding and about 150 hours of flying. I've always wanted to try parachuting, never quite managed it.

BUT I do know most of what will happen to when you do your jump. It'll be tandem with an instructor, and he or she will really do everything and they will do it all right, so it's going to be way safer than it looks, in reality..

You have two parachutes, and often the first one is deployed automatically as soon as you leave the aeroplane, and the second one is "insurance" so here's how it it will go: 

You'll rock up at the airfield and, find wherever it is you are supposed to go. You'll probably get a cup of tea and a short wait then a briefing where you'll be told everything you need to know.

At some point you will go to the nasty, smelly, noisy aeroplane and climb in the back with instructor. After a short period of faffing about the pilot will taxi (drive) the aeroplane to whichever end of the runway is in use today, and faff about some more doing his pre take off checks which will include a few seconds of running the engine hard with the brakes on, (magneto checks) where the engine might sound a tad rougher briefly, (it's sure noisy) before lining it up on the runway possibly with a short pause for the tower to say it's a good idea, and you roll down the runway gathering speed and take off.  

Take off is noisy, if they have a decent aeroplane you'll feel some acceleration, but in a few seconds you'll be climbing out and upwards. Some places they throttle back a bit or have to make a turn very soon after departing the ground for techical or noise abatement reasons but they'll keep climbing up to an awesome height.

Rather than being scared, as you get higher (probably than you've ever been, before) remember that in aviation height is your friend.

In simple terms, the little aeroplanes are pretty much invulnerable above 3,000 feet, because even if the engine quits even a crap  pilot like me has more than enough time to pick his spot, (if you look out of the window at the ground there are ALWAYS big flat spaces underneath you) and glide the aeroplane to a safe landing. I've done a precautionary landing in a field when, cough, I got lost once and although I had power, I know could have done it without power easily enough.     

So they fly you to the place where you get out, and at some point it will suddenly get very "real" for you...

However, they will have briefed you, and you should know exactly how they plan to get you out of the aeroplane, (if you are not sure about that or ANYTHING else, ask a question and be sure that you understand the answer. Preferably before you board the aeroplane!) so rather than allowing your self to feel any fear, concentrate on doing your bit right, being the perfect partner to your instructor as he gets you both to the point of leaving the aeroplane. It'll be noisy, unbelievably windy, and generally quite exciting with a sensation of falling but then the chute will open (all to quickly, if you are wired like me!), and after a bit of wobbling about, I'm told that the descent is a very laid back and pleasant experience somewhat akin to the hang gliding. At this point you are as safe as sitting on the couch, so look about and enjoy the view!

The landing you'll have been thoroughly briefed about, and if you want to practice a bit beforehand try jumping off a convenient step, stepladder, low wall etc. (there's probably a youtube video somewhere called how to do a parachute landing) but from what I can gather it's no big deal. I think 3 or 4 feet is enough, but I do not know.

It's good to prepare, although most normies don't, us Autists tend to like to have a bit more control don't we?

The whole experience although exciting and most probably very different to anything you've ever done before, has a huge amount of safety related stuff going on in the background.Trust the system and the people, it all works very well in aviation.

If anyone wants to take my bet, I'm happy to bet ounces of gold that she will be totally safe and have a great time... 

Do tell me how accurate my description turns out to be. Although I've not done a jump, I've been around aviation for a long time and I'm pretty sure I've nailed all the important stuff. 

if you can arrange do it safely try sticking your head or at least an arm out of a car window when the driver is doing sixty. It'll give you a good idea what to expect in terms of the wind, although during your jump your head will have more hearing and other protection, you still will understand why you want everything tight and not flapping about..  

Have fun. I'm a little bit envious to be honest.

Good luck 

It looks like fun, albeit a bit of an extreme way to get a free NAS t-shirt!

I've found the details here (in case anyone else wants to sign up).

https://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/raise-money/fundraising-events/skydive-for-autism

I forgot to mention, when I did my indoor skydive, there is someone with you to keep you centred, balanced and floating (if you need it) and quite a few people are watching you from the sides.  Thank you again for your chosen choice of charity for your scary jump adventure.......ie US LOT !!

Whoosh!?

When you indoor skydive, a giant fan pushes you up.

What a truly wonderful thing to do, and for such a good cause! 

As I have never skydived, I'm unable to walk you through it.

Good luck with it. I am sure it will be an amazing experience.

Alisha,

Good for you (and all of us!)

Thanks for helping to fund this wonderful community and the organisation that underpins it.

Have you considered asking nas to solicit sponsorship and/or pledges in support of your dive from folk on the forum.  I'd find a fiver (probably would need to mug someone!) to show my support.

I've never done a real sky dive, but did do an indoor one once - fun, not too scary but REALLY loud!

Thanks again for doing this - but you are conceivably certifiable / due for a sectioning!

GOOD LUCK x