You shuffled through a one day class, signed some release forms and then jumped out of a perfectly good airplane on purpose. Happy birthday!
There were only three or four basic things to remember.
Wear the chute correctly, jump clear of the plane, check the chute when it opens, and then land safely.
Easy enough when you look at it like that.
Since we were first timer's on a one day lark, our rip cord was clipped to the plane's floor. It had about 15 feet of extra strap. When you jumped out and reached the end of the cord, it yanked your chute open. They call it a static line jump, vs. a free fall where you pull the cord on your pack.
But that doesn't guarantee a flawless chute opening. Lots of things can go wrong. The lines going up to the parachute silk can get tangled. Most common, some of the chute sections might collapse or not open. I recall our rectangular parafoil having about nine of those cells across the top.
This is the part they really hammer home. If some of your chute cells don't open, you lose the lift that is slowing and controlling your fall. So, you look up as soon as the chute opens, twist your lines free and count the cells. If two or more (can't recall the exact number now) were collapsed, you could decide to "get a new chute." Simply stated, if the main chute isn't working right, you reach to your chest and pull the rip cord on the reserve chute. The instructor said this countless times during the course of the day. "If it's going bad, just get a new chute."
When you pull that cord to "get a new chute" the old one is released. You are left with the reserve chute and no further options.
It's a decision you have to make in split seconds as you hurtle towards the ground at 100 miles per hour. Do I go with what I have, or do I put my full trust in the alternative that I cannot see?
If the main chute is tangled or collapsed and useless, I imagine the decision is much easier than if just one or two or three cells are bad. Maybe I can survive that, maybe not. But at least I know what this chute looks like.
We're all hurtling toward the ground that signifies the end of our lives.
If we're at 30,000 feet of middle age, it seems like there's a lot more time to decide. But as the decades go by and the ground gets closer, the decision to change chutes seems more and more urgent.
I see people testing new chutes all the time. New spiritual beliefs, new philosophies, new lifestyles. They pull the cord and get a new chute. Most of them are tangled or only partially filled. Or they fail to open at all. So they pull it again. And again. New chute after new chute.
The apostle Paul said,
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come! All this from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ..." 2Corinthians 5:17-18
When my chute opened, I was so relieved! Everything was in order. No twisting, no lingering doubts of bad cells. And after my trust was confirmed, I felt free to look around me. It was beautiful! The ground wasn't rushing at me so fast after all. The frantic wind was now the breeze that I literally floated on. I still wondered what exactly the landing would be like - but I was no longer afraid.
What do you believe?
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