Sitting in an airplane is a familiar sensation for many, but when the door of that plane opens at 11,000′ and you watch someone jump out, the gravity of the situation hits you: You are going skydiving!
Despite many peoples’ perception, skydiving is as safe as driving a car, and there are few things in life that can duplicate the sensation it provides. I recently took a friend with me for a skydive at the local drop zone, Skydive Louisiana. First-time skydivers like my friend are attached and jump with an instructor. After my friend landed softly with his tandem instructor, his cheshire cat-like grin quickly changed as he realized: “Everything else is going to be boring now.”
This is one reason why skydivers at any drop zone are like kids in a candy store. There are many things we all have to do in our life, daily chores and paying our bills, but when you’re skydiving, it’s all about having fun. Personally, one of my favorite things to do right now is see how many front flips I can do after I jump out of the airplane. I also like to hang onto the strut of the plane with my feet dangling in the wind and let go.
Tandem skydiving at Skydive Louisiana is by appointment and is mostly scheduled for Saturday or Sundays. They’re located in Gilliam, La., which is about 30 minutes north of Shreveport. Give them a call and if they don’t pick up, leave a message and they get back to you very quickly. If, after your tandem jump, you get the bug to learn to skydive yourself, they can walk (and jump) you through an instructional course so that you can begin jumping on your own.
Also, check out their Facebook page if you want to see people with massive smiles on their faces!
i’ve actually done it twice! once in miami and once in north carilona. it was fun and i would love to do it again. it’s a bit expensive and neither of the places i went to offered a free video. they charge like 75 bucks for that/photos. on my second jump i asked the instructor a lot of questions and he gave me a booklet to document the experience, and he even added notes about my jump. it was a nice memento which i can use to document my jumps and possibly become a solo jumper.