Yes, I jumped out of a plane of my own free will.

On June 13, 1999 I did a tandem jump. After a brief training session we did a walk-thru on the ground to prepare for exiting the plane. Upto 7 people cram into a small Cessna airplane that has all the seats removed. This particular plane appeared to be held together with duct tape. Note the tape on the window in the 4th picture. Also, the pilot wears a chute which makes your wonder?

After a 30 minute ride to 12,000 feet the plane has slowed to about 80mph and the door is opened. There is a tremendous rush of wind and it is extremely noisy. The most difficult part is maneuvering for the exit because you are strapped to the jump master. You clumsily position yourself so that your feet are on a small step above the right wheel and you are leaning forward holding onto the high wing planes wing strut. I presume for safety reasons you cross your arms on your chest while the jump master has his arms around you holding onto the wing strut. You rock right, left, right and your gone.

You immediately experience a sensory overload as you fall reaching a terminal velocity (nice term eh!) of about 120mph. It is particularly noisy, but as the jump master suggested, I forced myself to look all around, not just at the ground. After falling to about 6000 feet in 45 seconds the jump master opens the parachute. I expected a violent jerking motion, but the opening was fairly gentle.

Suddenly you are engulfed by silence. The exhilarating feeling of free fall is suddenly replaced by a peacefully quiet descent. I removed the leather jump cap so I could remove the goggles and put them around my neck. The leather cap was to keep the goggles and my sunglasses in place during free fall rather than providing safety for my head. Not much will protect you from hitting the ground at 120mph. The jump master has you steer the chute while he loosens your harness to "make you more comfortable". I admit the harness was a bit uncomfortable, but it was mildly un-nerving to feel your harness loosen 5000 ft. above the ground. We proceeded to do spins by pulling on two handles above our heads. It felt as though we were spinning horizontal to the ground.

The flight up, the exit, and fall all went smoothly. The landing was another story. I misunderstood the jump master and we proceeded to land on my knees. My adrenaline was pumping so I don't feel the impact, but the next morning I was sore. Listed below are some pictures taken during the day.