Erin, Nate & I were on the last load of the day.  Both of them were further ahead of me in the student program.  Today, Nate would be making his first "self-supervised" jump and Erin was doing a hop and pop (AKA low pass). What's a hop and pop? The skydiver exits the plane at a low altitude and pulls the parachute right away.  This training helps prepare us for emergency situations that might require us to exit the plane prior to reaching full altitude.  

After Erin left the plane, Nick closed the door and we continued to climb. I visualized the skydive – it was going to be awesome! This technique seems to be working well for me. With my eyes closed, I thought about my freefall tasks.  Once we reached full altitude, Nick and Nate opened the door.  Nate was being silly - he ran out of the plane yelling something.  I think it was "Geronimo!"  

My turn!  We climbed into place on the outside of the plane. I checked in with Nick and turned to face the relative wind. I began the count and let go of the plane. I checked my altitude, did my practice touches, and tried to stay focused on my goal - relax. I couldn't tell if Nick was holding on to me or if he was just hovering around. I waved off at the appropriate altitude and pulled. The canopy opened above me - a beautiful perfect canopy. I tested it out. Everything was working properly, so took a couple of seconds to appreciate the view.

No matter how many times I've done this, every time I see the view over Orange I have this rush. I'm in awe. It's so incredibly beautiful and quiet. I've spent years trying to find a place where I can be in harmony with the world and I've finally found it. I'm disconnected from everyone and everything. I'm alone, but I'm not. I know this doesn't make any sense - sorry.

I made my way to my 1,000 foot spot and began my flight plan. Nick provided radio assistance. As I came in for my landing, I kept thinking it would be really nice to land on my feet. Nick told me when to flare. The canopy stopped flying forward and I was just hovering above the earth. "Put your feet down!"

It seemed like I stepped down out of the sky and planted my feet on the ground. A standup landing - I did it! I shouted out a "Woo hoo!" I was so excited!  A stand up landing - on my 3rd AFF jump! Damn! I should have gotten a video!