MY MOM'S A SKYDIVER!!!

She came down to the drop zone to see what it is I do. I was working hard shooting video of Tandems so I just let her mingle. While I was packing at one point, she watched a bunch of people getting their tandem briefing. She watched the video, listened to the instructions and decided the time was right.

It kinda hit me from out of the blue when she said she wanted to try it. I swear, I never even suggested it. I didn't push her at all. In fact, since we didn't have time to do it that very day, I was perfectly prepared for her to change her mind overnight.

Not MY mom! We drove back out to the DZ, got her on the manifest and waited for her slot.

I got to shoot the proof. Click on the small gifs to get a slightly larger JPEG. These are video captures I'll post some still scans when I get some good prints. If you have the time, you can also download the Quicktime movie (1 min, 3.8 Mb).

Steve Rafferty was her Tandemmaster. This guy is great. I'd recommend him to anybody's mom.

Out of the KingAir at 15,000 ft, I'm shooting straight into the sun. Kinda pretty.

The drogue goes out to slow and stabilize

It sure is a long way down, huh, Mom?

Having fun yet?

Raff gets ready to pull

Time to slow down

And there they go...

"FLARE!"

A nice, sit down landing.

"I'm alive"

Raff gets a hug

Alright all you whuffo lurkers out there, if my mom can do it, so can you! No more excuses like, "I gotta floss the cat" or "I just don't look good in those colors". We did this less than two months before her 72nd birthday. She was better at it that a lot of the first timers I've seen.

Way to go, Mom!

Send her email if you want at Bjmckee826@aol.com. Or click the mailbox.

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John McKee mckee@NOSPAMhighwitness.com