Fulfilling a dream - skydiving today!
Trip Start
Jan 16, 2011
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31
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Trip End
Jan 15, 2012
San Martín, Mendoza, Argentina
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Today is the day I was waiting for a long time: I will jump out of a plane...with a instructor and a parachute attached to me!
Fernando, my instructor and Hugo the owner of Flyranch packed me in their van, picked up 2 more guys from South Tyrol and we drove to the Aero Club in San Martin, 40 minutes outside Mendoza.
I was the first to jump. I did not take long and I was in the jumping pants, but with my short sleeve t-shirt as it was blue and white and thus Argentinian....no seriously, it was just hot!
So I did the video camera thing: and we started before the jump already, saying goodbye to my family and friends and then jump on the plane, a Cessna 182. Small, just enough space for the pilot, Marco the cameraman, Fernando and me. We flew about 20 minutes to reach a level of 10,000 feet. The view was relly nice but also very similar to Burgenland, my homeplace. Lots of fields and wineyards! 3 minutes before we reached 10,000 feet Fernando told me to get ready and remember the most important thing: smile! That was the moment I thought I am crazy and got some butterflies in my stomach. Then Marco opened the door, I put one foot on the step, the other tangled in the air and then it was Ready, Set, Go! And off we jumped! Freefall! Within 12 seconds we reached 200 km/hour which did not feel like it at all. It was more a feeling of being in space, not that I really know though. Just great! Free feel was about 40 seconds, then a strong pull and the parachute opened! Sadly the feeling of free fall was gone, but gladly the parachute opended! We soared up into the air and slowly came down within 8-10 minutes. We circled a bit which I totally liked! Landing was spot on. We prepared for a butt landing, but within the last few second changed to a standing landing. And it was over. So fast!
Loved the jump, could have done another one right away!
Next were the 2 guys from South Tyrol. Before the last one came down I already got a ride back to Mendoza cause I had a bus to Salta at 8:30pm. And on the bus I met Julia, who I met on my wine-bike tour around Maipu yesterday. Small world! Chatted on the bus and figured that we have the same route in mind, so we will travel together for the next 3-5 days.
