I Took The Leap

The day finally came and passed. The big event that we had been waiting for for weeks literally flew past (pun intended). Yes it may have been April Fools Day for some but for myself and the Take The Leap Team it was the day that we finally jumped out of a plane.

On Saturday 1st April 2017 myself and a close friend and fellow team member climbed into a plane, flew over 10,000ft into the air only to leap out of it and plummet to the ground. Well, not
plummet…more like fall. We had arrived at Hinton Skydiving Centre for 12:00pm and went through a 15 minute safety brief. We were then left to let our nerves build, but for me it was more my excitement, until we finally kitted up and headed towards the plane.

From the plane window the view was breath-taking. The world grew smaller and our supporters became nothing more than dots in the distance. Everything looked so much more detailed and like a piece of art. The clouds especially. Considering this was only the second time i have ever been in a plane, I have to say this was my favourite. The way the clouds stood out from the sunlight and shadows; the fields and fields of nature; and the tiny buildings clustered together made me believe that could truly be no view more beautiful. Soon, the end of our plane trip arrived and it was time to jump. My friend attempted to hid his nerves with a smile but I knew how nervous he really was. Although, I think the view took his breath away too.

Since he was nearer to the front of the plane than I, my friend took the leap before me. As he flipped and fell towards the ground, I was shimmed to the door by the instructor I would be skydiving with. The cameraman hung onto the side of the plane filming my every movement, whilst I positioned myself for take-off…or…fall off. I assumed the banana position. Head back, legs curled under the plane and hips forward. Like a banana.
A few seconds later I was airborne. A couple flips and twist, my face been pushed upwards by the air resistance and an unbelievable view. Amazing. That was all i could keep saying. The cameraman and my instructor keep sending hand signals to each other that did confuse me a bit but I choose to enjoy the experience. As children , the first superpower anyone ever wants is the ability to fly, and I felt like I actually was. For most who have skydived they would’ve felt that it flew by. But that wasn’t the case for me. I felt every moment of it. It wasn’t too slow or too fast. It was the best experience in my life.

The free fall didn’t last long. The parachute was released and for a few seconds the harness tightened even more than it was before. At this point I was able to fully appreciate what I was doing. The breeze flowing past me. The incredible view all around me. I was speechless.

A few minutes later I landed. As soon as my feet touched the ground the words “that was amazing” escaped my mouth and I swiveled round to high five my instructor. He then detached me from his harness and removed my helmet, which made me look like I had an egghead by the way. My friend ran over and gave me a hug. We exchanged some words of complete awe and astonishment. Then headed over to our crowd of supporters. Cheers, whoops and clapping filled the air; and both mine and my friend’s faces had a smile spread over them.

I still cannot explain the dive in full as an experience like that cannot be defined by any existing vocabulary. It was thrilling and I would definitely do it again!

Thank you all for the support we’ve had over the past year. We couldn’t have done anything without you.