After
It was a beautiful summer day in Colorado Springs. The mountains
behind us, and the grassy fields were in front of us. The breeze was
even exceptionally calm today. It was the perfect day for us to jump
out of an airplane for the first time.
We
had just completed over two weeks of vigorous and thorough parachute
training. We were told that the United States Air Force Academy was
the only jump school in the country that the students jumped free
fall on their first jump. All the other jump schools in the country
required a static line, where you don’t pull your own rip cord
to open the parachute. Even though the training was thorough, it was
also fun. The jump masters loved calling us Crater Creators.
As
we were waiting to board our jump plane for our first jump, the
USAFA jump team launched out of their airplane and put on a show for
us. I’m sure the idea was to inspire us. Unfortunately it
didn’t work this time. One of the guys who had hundreds of jumps
under his belt landed right in front of us and broke his leg! Not a
confidence builder, but up we went anyway.
The
experience was awesome. It actually doesn’t feel like you are
falling. The jump masters were on the ground with scopes watching and
grading our performance. What I had not prepared for was hitting the
ground. Oh, we had trained well from high platforms, but when I hit
the ground it literally felt like I had hit a truck. Later I was to
find out that I had broken my clavicle and the size of a deep bruise
on my hip/buttocks was enormous.
When
I went to get my evaluation I was VERY motivated to see what the
jump master would say. I was upset to hear him say that I had a good
jump and a perfect landing! Ouch. I was so hoping he would tell me
what happened. The thought ran through my head that if that last
landing was perfect, I would not survive the next scheduled 4 jumps
to earn my wings.
After
asking around for a while, I got my answer. I had missed one
critical piece of information in my training: When you are
approaching the ground as you are falling towards the earth, IF
you pull down hard on the cords right before you touch down, it slows
you down. My first jump I hit the ground at approximately 25 miles an
hour. No wonder it felt like a truck hit me. When you pull the cords
it slows you down to 10 - 15 miles an hour.
Even
though I was more nervous the 2nd time out of the plane, the next 4
jumps were great - even with the broken clavicle and bruises. (I
didn’t tell the jump masters about that - I wanted my wings!)
Insight
to apply to your Christian Home Based Business: As you grow
your home based business, it can seem like things just aren’t
building right. There is much to learn. As you continue to press
towards the mark, you will discover the tips and secrets that will
propel you to success.
One
possible application: Many people try to do a home business
without an effective contact and communication software system. This
is a huge oversight. The WorksTeam
uses Oprius.
Review our home
business start up training page again.
