Jumping out of a perfectly good aeroplane to raise money for charity is definitely one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had! And it's up there with my 21st birthday and getting engaged as one of the best moments of my life so far!
On Saturday, along with a very brave fellow skydiver, I got the train up to Hinton-in-the-Hedges-a tiny village near Brackley in Oxfordshire. After a lovely meal in the local pub (where we worryingly got talking to the pilot who would be flying our plane the next day!!) we stayed in a gorgeous B&B and had a fairly restless nights sleep worrying about the next day!
6am saw us up and getting ready and at 8am we arrived at the airfield! There were lots of safety forms to fill out and a training session. I tried to listen really carefully to the training but I was so scared that I wasn't really taking much of it in.
After a gruelling two hour wait in which I watched other brave groups go up in the planes and glide back down it was our turn to go! We got kitted up and made our way over to meet our instructors who would be jumping with us.
Going up in the plane was probably the most terrifying thing. All I could think about was how far away the ground was and that once I was up, the only way back down was out of the plane!
The last thing I heard before it was my turn was my friend screaming as she went, which took me from scared to absolutely petrified! Going out of the plane door is all a bit of a blur now, I don't actually remember it happening! Then suddenly I was out and falling through the air at an initial speed of 200mph, slowly to a mere(!) 128mph as I fell at the speed of gravity!
I really cannot explain what freefall felt like. It was like nothing I have ever experienced in my life. You know those dreams you have of falling...nothing like it! It was more like being thrown around in a tumble drier. I screamed the most when the parachute was released and we slowed down with a jolt-a bit like when you have to do an emergency stop in a car!
Gliding down to earth with the parachute was beautiful, and has made me want to give paragliding a go! It was a clear day so I could see for miles around and everything looked like a toy town. Although we were still falling quite fast it felt like I was suspended in the air and could really fly.
After landing I was completely shell-shocked that I had done it. I would definitely do it again and would recommend everyone give it a go! And the best bit was that I managed to raise over £500 for ActionAid by doing it. So it was a massive achievement for me-both personally to overcome that fear, and to be able to help a fantastic charity that do such brilliant work all over the world.xxx
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