École de Parachutisme Victoriaville
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Felix Baumgartner’s recent, adventurous feat--a freefall from the stratosphere--took me back to the day where I too enjoyed a fling with the sky. The great thrill, I remember it like it was yesterday, I was 13. The day when my mother said to forget about Old Orchard Beach for the year… we were going parachuting!
For a huge “woah!” stretching out in the sky. Free falling for 50 seconds………… thousands of hairs on end, eyes completely teared up. École de parachutisme de Victoriaville had just handed us the moon.
Learning How to Fly
You guessed it; you don’t just dive into the sky to dance with the clouds without preparing a bit. Without butterflies dancing a bunch! I still remember the sound of the planes, the professional attitude and wide smiles of the instructors who welcomed my family with enthusiasm, despite having thousands of jumps under their belts. The colours of parachutes in the sky.
I opted for the big jump. Some 11,000 feet, give or take, tandem equipment, free fall, panoramic sky. Safety too, because the qualified instructors… well, they’re qualified! They’ve got your back.
On the ground, I looked like I was attentively listening to the instructions, but it was all fidgets in my head. Thirty minutes of instructions before taking to the sky. We practiced the free-fall position, your arms here, legs there. Head up. Perfect. Ready?
On Go, Jump!
The plane climbed… and climbed some more. Bloody idea. I wanted the beach and even the frigid waters at Old Orchard. Please! From the plane, Quebec shrunk into a kind of brown, yellow and green quilt. We were at the door, hair and nerve gone with the wind.
École de Parachutisme Victoriaville
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And then, go! We jumped… my heart did three somersaults (probably more) and caught in the wind. Quickly, we stabilised even if we were flying through the sky like there was no tomorrow… what was the position again? Seconds go by in km/h. I was 13, having a fling with the sky.
Already? I was on the ground, feet on earth, eyes to the sky. I remember the parachute slowly opening, going through a cloud, the exhilarating fall. I remember wanting to get right back at it, right then, right now.
Spiderman can go put his clothes back on; me, I can fly!
Thanks to the pros at École de parachutisme de Victoriaville who have been helping adventurers experience the big jump for over 30 years. And thanks to my mom, who’s got guts!
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