20 Years, a Skydiver in the Making

‎20 years ago today, October 6, 1991, I took a leap of faith that changed my life forever. I became a skyDiva ~ skydiver. The bravest step I ever took in overcoming my fear of heights was pretty huge, and to this day, at times my ‘Acrophobia‘ is still somewhat a hurdle with each and every jump, believe it or not.

My first jump course and skydive was at the Cranfield Airport, UK. You could say that this is my original homegrown dz, although 5 weeks later, they closed the Parachute School and I had to relocate to Peterborough Parachute Club (aka Sibson). My first jump was on a bright yellow 28 foot Double-L LoPo round Static Line parachute, deployed from a height of 3,000 feet AGL out of a side-door Shorts Skyvan 3A-100 Skyliner. The first jump was completely thrilling and somewhat scary. The second skydive was absolutely terrifying, as I knew what to expect. Yet I kept going back for more. The community, the challenge, the adrenaline and the fear (plus the high ratio of guys to girls in the sport was an additional perk!) kept drawing me back for more. I was hooked from ‘Exit Position: GO!’.

Let’s hear a ‘hell yeah’  for pushing the limits of one’s comfort zone. Anniversaries are awesome … great reminders of where I’ve come from, moulding me into the sKYdiVA of today!