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Fundraising Skydive - Very Scared.


lord_seagrave
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Chaps, it’s been a while since I’ve done anything with a charitable angle, and, unfortunately for me, I have mentioned to the Trustees once to often that a “charity skydive” would raise a few quid :lol:

So, I am royally bricking it, and staring down the barrel of a tandem parachute jump/skydive thingy in July. Honestly if anyone has any tips as to how to survive - please let me know!!

I must be insane.

If any of you feel able to chuck a few quid at this to get the ball rolling, I would be immeasurably grateful - as the CEO (on paper, I don’t actually get paid by the charity) I’m supposed to be “leading from the front”!

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/simms-falls-out-of-a-plane

Even a fiver makes a difference to provide business skills bursaries and support research into entrepreneurship education for those who wouldn’t otherwise have access to it. It’s often the case that necessity leads to innovation, and the Entrepreneurs Trust is there to offer financial support to students and young people who have got big ideas but need academic and practical business skills.

Thanks in advance, as always, and Mods please move/remove if this is inappropriate.

:good:

LS

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  1. dont go for a curry the night before
  2. have a wee before you go up
  3. put plenty of toilet paper down your pants
  4. take a sick bag

the Hercy birds we used to go up in...used to stink of jeyes fluid....for the above reasons.......

just enjoy yourself:sick:

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11 minutes ago, ditchman said:
  1. dont go for a curry the night before
  2. have a wee before you go up
  3. put plenty of toilet paper down your pants
  4. take a sick bag

the Hercy birds we used to go up in...used to stink of jeyes fluid....for the above reasons.......

just enjoy yourself

5...stringently check out the guy who's gonna be tightly strapped to your back....? 

PS (For Lord Seagrave)...I went to pay penance for being frivolous about your brave efforts and the link ain't working :-(

Edited by Eyefor
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Best way to survive it is ask your partner to pull the chord. Jumping out of a plane didn’t kill anyone, it’s hitting the ground too fast that’s  the problem. Also suggest bread and jam for brekky. Only thing I know tastes the same coming up as it did going down.

and with that advice good luck.

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 Well this is all very reassuring!  :lol:

Thanks a bunch guys - there is still a space left if anyone is keen. £100 deposit, and the Trust will pay the rest of the jump fee (another £200) if you raise a grand.

Have checked the link and it seems to work for me, is this better? https://www.justgiving.com/3e765bcc53

 

LS

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7 hours ago, ditchman said:
  1. dont go for a curry the night before
  2. have a wee before you go up
  3. put plenty of toilet paper down your pants
  4. take a sick bag

the Hercy birds we used to go up in...used to stink of jeyes fluid....for the above reasons.......

just enjoy yourself

How many jumps did you do?

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I remember when i did one .

The guy said before we get in the plane .

You make the desision to jump here and now .not up there .once you get in that plane thats it your going out the door at 18 k feet we dont fly any body back down again ..

When the door opened and the guy i was stapped to moved towards it ..... er .... i was a bit nervous  .Any way loved it and id do it again tomorrow .

Top tip -

If the  guy your with, asks, as your coming down, if you like rollercosters ,

Say no .

 

Edited by Ultrastu
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you will be fine............there will be an initial intense rush of sheer terror............then you will get used to the idea of jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft............then the chute will open.........(thats the bit when you clench yer bum tight.....dont want any leakage do we)............

the chute will open and you will become very religeous...(any denomination will do)............followed by an intense overwelming feeling of euphoria....that you are going to live

its called the SABENA moment.....after the Belgium national airline ....such a bloody experience never again......

this is the point when many "divers" turn permantly to bringing the word of god to peoples doorsteps on a sunday morning...................which ironically is actually more dangerous than jumping out of the bloody aircraft in the first damn place......:lol:

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The skydive is a piece of doddle, it's the last two inches that are the problem, but anyone can jump two inches.

Just enjoy it, it's a fantastic experience, especially when the chute opens and the noise stops.😎

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  • 1 month later...

54-A1-D87-B-4-F28-462-F-9-EE1-F45-CCE54-

Well, chaps. After leaving the house at 5.30am and arriving at Old Sarum at 8am, I eventually got to jump at 5.30pm :lol:

I’ve got to say that it was all pretty amazing. I’ve been bricking it for weeks (sleepless nights, nightmares, panics etc.), but the lads from the Red Devils were absolutely brilliant. Funny, nonchalant, but very disciplined when the kit came out - very reassuring for chickens like me!

The plane was late arriving (sticky flaps needed sorting out apparently 🤷‍♂️), and then some tricky low-lying clouds delayed the start even further. I had to go and have a nap in the truck at about 3pm!

As the day wore on, the turnarounds became quicker and slicker (there were 48 skydivers being managed that day - most tandem, but some solo “recreational” jumpers), such that, when the time came for my lift, we had about 10 minutes to switch jumpsuits and harnesses (hence no “before” picture).

The trip up was a brilliant - the weather was fine, bright and still, so we had a terrific view of Salisbury cathedral, Stonehenge, and, in the distance, the Isle of Wight. I was taken through a final reminder of the drill by my tandem partner, Cpl Steve Handley, shackled to his harness, and, within a matter of minutes, we were at 13,000 feet and ready to drop!

Assertively, I was bum-shuffled along the bench to the door, and, hooking my legs under the aircraft :sick: Steve rolled us out into nothingness...

It’s weird - all my nightmares have focussed on the height and the anticipation of a stomach-churning drop, but THERE IS NO “DROP”. We tumbled weightlessly into the sky, but I experienced no sensation of “falling” at all. The indoor skydiving thingy I did a few weeks back was exactly like the real thing - or, rather, the real thing is just like indoor skydiving. I only felt the “wind” holding me up.

Unfortunately, the hat I’d been given (I later discovered) was an extra-large, so, in the rather stiff 100+ mph breeze, began to come off - taking my sunglasses with it! Cue mad scramble to keep them on (cheers Steve for some quick-thinking!). And then, all too soon, the deployment of the parachute, and a very leisurely (albeit with a couple of sharpish turns to get us in the right position) descent into the drop zone. Beautiful, beautiful views of Salisbury and the surrounding countryside - absolutely magnificent.

We practised our landing position (my knees hugged against my chest) and then, very gently, we swept along into the DZ, and Steve plonked us down perfectly.

A bit of cake and posing followed, and then the day was pretty much over. What an unforgettable experience. I’m glad the nightmares are over, and I certainly wouldn’t rule out doing it again, now I know what to expect!

From 13 skydivers, our charity raised nearly £20,000, and we were presented with a further £10,000 from another charity too. It’s made all the anxiety totally worthwhile, and, most importantly, is securing years of support for business skills education and entrepreneurship.

Thanks to all those on here that supported me (both financially and with morale-boosting quips). The JustGiving link is still live, I think. Now that I’ve survived, the cash can go to charity rather than to the local undertaker!!

:good:

 

LS

 

Edited for spelling 

Edited by lord_seagrave
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Nice one. 

I did one years ago in taupo nz and was going to say the same. 

A feeling of acceleration but then it feels like you're hovering as you can't see the ground approaching in free fall, at least I couldn't. 

I loved it and can totally see why people take it up as a hobby. 

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