Free falling

Skydive Lost Prairie offers the thrill of a lifetime Annual skydiving meet starts Saturday

As the door flew open of the plane 9,000 feet in the air, the pilot said, "Take a deep breath." My breath slipped away for a second, but then I caught it and headed out the side of the plane.

Full of nerves, adrenaline, wonder, fear and a multitude of feelings, I found myself asking myself — Am I really doing this?

And then, boom, we got out on the railing of the plane and I really did it.

I tried to remember all the instructions my tandem instructor had told me, that's what kept my mind focused.

I had no choice with my tandem instructor attached to my back. We jumped, or fell, and then floated.

For a split second I could imagine what it would be like to be a bird. I felt free and more alive than I have felt in a long time.

The ultimate day-tripper assignment I could ever imagine was sky-diving out of a Cessna 182 from 9,000 feet, with a 30-second freefall. My mouth was actually sore from smiling cheek to cheek, the whole time.

The event took place at the drop zone at Skydive Lost Prairie, just an hour drive from Whitefish.

I arrived easily, after downloading the well written directions of getting there. I found that I was the only one set to jump for the time we had planned.

I sat down and started to read over and sign the many papers required to jump. Reading things like, "in the event of a death," and writing down my parents as emergency contacts got my mind reeling, to say the least.

I just figured if that does happen, at least I was doing something exciting and fun, right?

The friendly and energetic staff at Lost Prairie bring you into the tandem room, where you watch a informational video about skydiving.

The video scared me. Signing the papers weren't as visual. I got this churning feeling inside my stomach while watching it. They go through the safety measures, and then show a video of someone jumping. It's so exciting to watch, but I felt my anxiety building and was just ready to get it on, or not do it at all.

The video and waivers basically tell you that if anything happens, freak accident or otherwise, the company is not responsible.

The equipment and chutes used are so highly evolved, though, that there's nothing to worry about, I realized.

After the video my tandem instructor, Ty Losey, set me up. Ty has been jumping since November 1995. His favorite part is the free fall and the contrast between jumping with his students and jumping with his friends.

His highest jump was 22,000 feet. Up to 15,000 feet you need oxygen to jump. The danger of jumping higher is the counter effect of hypoxy, from not getting enough oxygen; symptoms include being light-headed and colors diminishing.

Ty was addicted from his first jump, just like the majority of people who get into skydiving. He makes about two to three jumps a day for a total of about 800 a year.

The owner of Skydive Lost Prairie, Fred Sand, just celebrated 33 years of jumping and has done 8,000 jumps. He is a self-described adrenaline junky, and is in the right business to get his fix.

The pilot of my plane, Greg Aeiper, started as a jumper before he became a pilot. He got his commercial license to fly in 1995 and feels it was a good trade-off, but says he doesn't get to jump as much now.

"I love the people I work with and the students. I've never met a nasty person out here," he said. "Oh, and everyone always leaves with big smiles, just like you!"

When you tandem jump, you have the choice to have a cameraman follow you and jump with you to capture everything on tape or film. I chose to and am very happy I did because it all happens so fast, you really don't remember everything. I've already watched it twice since I've gone and shake my head in disbelief that I actually went through with it.

Rob Lowe was my videographer. I remember looking into Rob's eyes and thinking… "how strange, I am falling from plane and looking at this man as I do it." He loves sharing people's excitement.

"I relive my first jump every time I see someone jump for their first time," he said.

The views I got to enjoy, and views they get to see everyday are of mountains, trees, and lakes galore. Ty pointed out many of the lakes during our 20-minute flight while reaching the top altitude.

Before my jump, I asked a couple of burning questions: "Has anyone ever puked or not been able to control their bladder?"

"Yes," he said.

Luckily I didn't have to deal with those unpleasant things.

I also had to ask the inevitable question of how safe it really was.

"Malfunctions happen fairly rarely," Ty assured me. "The gear is safe, general failure happens rarely, pilot errors or packing errors can happen, but for the most part they have worked out all the bugs from the old days of skydiving."

If you've decided to skydive, try not to think about these things and know that you are with trained professionals who know what they are doing.

Skydiving meet this weekend

Lost Prairie's annual skydiving meet starts Saturday and continues through Aug. 2. The meet attracts over 500 jumpers from throughout the U.S., as well as Canada, Europe and Australia.

From 9 a.m. to sunset each day, several large aircraft, capable of carrying as many as 23 jumpers on each flight, will be used by the skydivers. The public is welcome to come watch, or even participate in tandem jumps, which include one hour of training and 55 seconds of freefall with an instructor who is with the student throughout the jump.

It's a perfect day trip in the Flathead because not only is it close and a pleasant drive, it's also the most exciting thing out there to experience. I will never forget the thrill.

For directions, prices, and more information on the skydive meet go to: www.skydivelostprairie.com or call (406) 858-2493 or toll-free 1-888-833-5867 to schedule an appointment to jump. Let your breath be taken away.