During ground school I was taught a variety of important maneuvers as well as hand signals that are given by fellow skydivers to insure safety.
After jumping out the plane (sounds scary right?) the skydiver should immediately arch their back and position their arms so that they make a “box” as pictured. The hand signal that accompanies this movement is a “thumbs down” to signify pushing the hips forward. My arms are not in the right position in this picture -- they should be closer to my head.

Ground School and its Unforgettable Advice...

I met with my instructor for the first time on April 12. I completed ground school with a couple of fellow adrenaline junkies! Ground school taught me how to successfully deploy and fly a parachute. My instructor Randy was sure to drill the three most important questions about parachutes into our heads:
1: Is it there? – after deployment check to see if that parachute even opened!
2: Is it square? – the ram-air parachutes used by recreational skydivers are always always always supposed to be rectangular, if not – you’ve got yourself a big problem: aka: Ball of Trash
3: Is it maneuverable? – parachutes are maneuvered by pulling two toggles – “brakes” are applied by flaring- pulling both toggles straight down at the same time.

If one of these three crucial questions is answered with a “no”, the parachute must be cut away and the reserve must be immediately pulled – better hope that the reserve is in better shape than the main!!

My fellow students and I were also cautioned by Randy to not make any sharp turns below 300ft as it would likely result in being “femured” (driven straight into the ground and breaking the femur bone… ouch!)

So basically: Is it there? Is it square? Is it maneuverable? And DON’T GET FEMURED!

How it All Began...

My Graduation Project began with research about the parachute - it's structure, function, and uses. To add to my research I interviewed Jon Brantley, an Air Force Jumpmaster who has had experience parachuting into hostile enemy territory. His riveting experiences made me a little bit nervous about completing my first jump, especially after hearing about blown out knees and people getting sucked into the airplane propellers because of improper jumps. However, my research continued as I got closer and closer to the big day!

This blog travels through the clouds with me as I experience freefall from 15,000 feet! You know you love the hat and polkadot jumpsuit! Be jealous!