On the verge of life and death. How do you parachute?

We all sometimes crave a dose of extreme: to conquer a high mountain, swim far into the sea, ride a roller coaster. I decided to experience the feelings of indescribable fear, to make a long-planned parachute jump.

What do people feel when they take that risk? What emotions do they get when they jump into the unknown? How dangerous is it to life? What if the parachute doesn't open? These questions torment me endlessly on the way from Yekaterinburg to Loginovo airfield. I think there's already a field with planes, all right, we're here. It becomes more and more scary, and more and more questions in my head. I am terrified of heights, and the view from the house from the seventh floor is depressing. Maybe you don’t want to live, do you? No, I'm questioning it and I'm going to the building to prepare for the jump.

There is a strange atmosphere around. Someone has already made his jump and is happy, and someone in fear prepares for it. And now I'm being sent to lay the D-6 parachute. The laying takes place in three stages. After each of them, an instructor passes and checks the correctness. In the first stage, it was necessary to lay the dome itself, taking it in my hands, I found that there was a large hole on it. Immediately ran to the instructor and reported that my dome was torn. After examining the main one, I heard the answer: “It’s normal, keep laying.” I became more and more frightened, more and more tormented by the question: maybe not? It is desirable to lay the parachute together, this speeds up the process at times. The remaining two stages were successful, although it took more than an hour.

Now I'm going to go to the medical board. It is important to check the state of your health at the moment, as well as to find out the weight and growth, and this has its limitations. I am completely healthy and can prepare for the jump. Fitting clothing, thorns, tank cap and leather gloves are necessary for a safer jump. After we are sent to train outside, put in an old abandoned plane, jump out of it, imagining that at a height.

That's the last step, get on the plane and take off. It seems scary, but it doesn't. Fear of something new and unknown frightened me the most. Here we are on the plane, seated five people on each side, I sit in the second five, but first in a row. The instructor on the plane reads the last recommendations that I will remember for the rest of my life: You know everything and have been taught everything, do not be afraid, everything will be fine. After the red signal come to the edge and after the word "Go!" jump out. Do not rest, otherwise it will be difficult for me to fight with you, and loudly with the cry “Mom!” we fly forward. Now I was really scared, after his words, after the word "mom." But it is too late to decide, we are gaining altitude.

What is a parachute jump? Emotions.

I had never flown a plane or been taller than a twenty-five-storey house, but we were going to be 800 meters tall. The thought of a torn dome does not leave me for a second, as well as the fact that I laid my own parachute, with my own hands. A terrible signal sounds, from which goosebumps go down the body, tears appear in my eyes. The top five jump one by one, and we fly on the second lap. I was sitting right in front of the door, and the instructor and the pilot decided to make fun of us. The instructor opens the door, and the pilot tilts the plane sideways, and now I hold on to the railing, and under me there is an open door, which I will fall into if I let go of my hands. Why did I go? What do I need this for? I'd be sitting at home under a blanket right now, and why don't I just live quietly?

There comes a crucial moment, and I am standing on the edge of the plane, in front of me is an altitude of 800 meters. What was I thinking at the time? It seems like nothing, then I even forgot my name and what is happening now. Signal. Crying “Go!” and I took the most horrible and long-awaited step of my life. In three seconds, the parachute should open, and I can tell you it was the longest three seconds of my life. And now I'm flying with a parachute, now it's not scary. It’s a beautiful view of nature and everything seems so small. The earth begins to approach and it seems that it is not you who are flying to the earth, but the earth that is flying towards you. Doing, as we were taught, the right tilt, legs together and forward. The landing was more than successful.

On this day, I made two parachute jumps and conquered my main fear of life – height. I advise everyone to do this at least once in their life. These are the most incredible emotions I have ever experienced. In a few minutes of your life, you went through tears of fear and real happiness, like you were born a second time. I like all sorts of experiments.

Author of text and photo: Kolosova Polina