So a bit of a different post today.

At the weekend I had a bit of a life experience. I jumped from a plane at 10,000ft. It was a gift I bought for my boyfriend's birthday and I wanted to have a go too.

The arrival time was 8am at Salisbury Airfield and we woke up bright and early to fog. During the drive there the fog seemed to be getting thicker and thicker; this didn't look very good for getting airborne later.

After a seamless check in, we had a short wait until everyone in our time slot had arrived. About an hour later, a loudspeaker told us to attend a short training session. At this point we were starting to get a bit nervous, but the speaker (Gordon, if I remember correctly) made us feel at ease instantly. His relaxed and entertaining attitude really helped calm us down. He showed us the position we would need to adopt for the duration of the free-fall. Everyone came up to the front and practised on one of those gym horses as he checked we were doing it correctly. Following a few videos and explanation of what the day would be like, we were told to go back to the waiting area and wait for our names to be said over the loud speaker. It was made very clear that sometimes, due to the weather, it could be a bit of a wait before we could jump. If we wanted to give up waiting after a few hours, they would be happy to rebook our day.

Now I was here, I really did not want to come back another day, but there was nothing any of us could do about the weather. The fog was still quite thick when we finished in the training room, but slowly we began to see the other side of the airfield. Fortunately, the airfield had a lovely cafe where we could sit and have a much needed cup of tea. When a few hours had passed we ordered some late breakfast. But as soon as we sat down to eat it, our names were called on the tannoy system to go and get suited up. Luckily, the cafe let us take the food away and we kept the muffins in the boot of the car for the rest of the day.

Outside in the equipment tent, we met the people we would be jumping with, given a jumpsuit to put on, helmet and goggles and straps fitted. My instructor asked me lots of questions about myself; was very friendly, open and professional. His name was Pete and he asked me to write about him when I mentioned to him I was a writer. So a special thank you to him for making the day so fantastic for me.

I was raring to get up in the air and get going, but once again we had to wait a bit longer. Still the clouds hadn't cleared and the visibility was no good.  As time passed it was beginning to look more and more unlikely...

Suddenly, we were hailed and told to go to a penned off area by the runway. It was time to get ready to skydive. The sound of the propeller starting up really made it sink in that I would be jumping from the plane while it was still in the air. Am I crazy?!

There were about seven of us on the plane during this first round. As we began to take off we were connected to our instructors; everything was tightened and checked over as we ascended to 10,000ft. I was the first to go and I think that was the best position to be in. I didn't have to wait painstakingly for the ones before me to jump. Apparently, as my boyfriend told me afterwards, the plane jolted when each jumper fell out into the sky.

The only time I thought "Oh god, I can't do this" was when my legs were hanging out of the door, sitting on the edge of the plane and looking down at Salisbury far below me. What am I doing?! But luckily that wasn't for long, my partner checked over my straps, made sure my head was back far enough and then we were off.

My stomach went up into my mouth as I felt the plane fall away above me. I had to close my eyes for the first few seconds just to steady my brain. There was nothing but wind whooshing passed my face and the sound of the wind. I couldn't even hear myself screaming in excitement. Below me were the clouds and the expanse of green fields, tiny houses and miniature cars. The free-falling lasted approximately 30 seconds. Before I knew it, the parachute had been opened and I jolted to a stop. Everything went silent. And I burst out laughing. It felt fantastic.
Being up above the world was so quiet; no wind, no human voices, it was just me, my tandem and the sound of the parachute as we floated towards the earth. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before; not only the free-falling but the gliding with a parachute. Pete let me control the parachute for a while, showing me how to direct where we went and how to descend.  He then asked if I wanted to do a spin. Again my stomach caught up in my throat as the parachute turned around and around in a tight circle. The parachute ride lasted for about five minutes and after the excitement overload of falling through the sky, it was a much needed feeling of calm and weightlessness.


I was instructed to lift my legs up high - as shown how to do during the earlier training - and we touched back onto terra firma, skidding along the grass to a stop. It was a very smooth landing, the only down side was a wet bum from the grass. After being unbuckled, a quick interview after the experience and a hi-five, I ran to meet my boyfriend who was just landing himself.