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First Jump - August 20th, 2005
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Every year the Maltose Falcons throw a beach/water camp out and party, the mythical Sunfest.

After much hemming and hawing, I managed to recruit 2 of my friends, Steve Cook and Dan Cunningham, into forming the Maltose Falcons' First Sky Brigade.

Early morning (7:30am) we rose and drove the hour north of our campsite at Los Padres to the little Lompoc Airport to jump with Skydive Santa Barabara. After reading and signing the scariest set of legal documents I've ever seen and watching a odd bearded man explain the principle of tandem jumping, we waited for the coastal cover to clear.

When it was time for the plane ride, I was strapped into a harness, interviewed by my camera man and lead out to a much smaller Cessna than anticipated.

The ride up to 13,000 feet was relatively short and I spent the whole time thinking, "Well, you're stupid and you're here, time to go."

The Video
Click images for large versions


At 8,000 feet, my instructor started giving me the list of instructions of things to do: head back, arms crossed, hold on, relax and snap your legs back to your butt.
Yes, I'm just a little bit scared at this point. You'd be too.

Out the door and trying to figure out a way back into the place.

Feet tucked, arms out, stabilized and beginning to look around. This is the moment when your skydive becomes a blast. Yup, you're falling, but you really can't tell.

From here, the world seems pretty small and really fascinating.

While my instructor checks the altitude, I start grinning like a madman.

A quick 360 starts with a simple change of arm position.

Hey, who's rifling my car?

One last moment to smile before running into the quiet of the chute ride. (My big obvious realization about skydiving: free fall is noisy.)

Feet up!

A quick slide back to the earth. A nice soft landing in the gravel.

A big dumb laughing grin

The First Maltose Falcons Sky Brigade: Steve Cook, Drew Beechum and Dan Cunningham

Page Last Modified: September 15 2005 04:57:27.