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By Steven Butler
Special to Rappahannock News
Kneeling by the edge of an open airplane door, 13,500 feet above the ground, certainly makes one question his sanity. v*.,^iat am I doing here? What V Could have possessed me to do ihis?Am I really going to jump out of a perfectly fine airplane?
■ As I watch the skydivers in front of me begin their descents, I wonder if they have similar thoughts.
The ground is a grid of farms, roads and small towns. It’s a view that would be beautiful, if I were safely nestled in an airplane seat. But from my vantage point, it’s ominous.
My skydiving experience began the night before as I woke up nearly every hour. Is it anticipation? Probably. Could it be last-minute butterflies? Definitely. Finally, at 7 a.m. the alarm sounds. My wait is over.
My family was amazingly supportive of the outrageous endeavor I was about to attempt. They saw it as an opportunity to increase confidence in general. Friends, neighbors and family members all weighed in with lastminute advice on the adventure I was about to take.
The last words of advice came from my girlfriend.
“Don’t die. And call me as soon as you get to the ground,” she commanded.
As I approached airport, I immediately noticed the hangar in which training takes place by the bold SKYDIVE displayed on the top. My anticipation began to mount and I was ready to take to the skies right away.
But first, there was the legal mumbo jumbo.
I was attempting a Tandem Skydive in which one person is attached to an experienced skydiver. This type of i i skydive allows anyone to expe[ lienee the thrift of skydiving with very little training. A
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