by Lowri Clarke Are You Crazy?!? I watch, frozen, as the cute, blonde girl is roughly shouldered towards the open door of the tiny, quivering plane by a grim-faced, broad shouldered beefcake. She kneels by the door, the air of the world rushing past her, and crosses herself sagely. Suddenly the pair are sucked out the door, the scream on her lips hovering above them as they drop rapidly away from the plane. Bizarrely, this terrified girl has paid for and even helped to plan this experience. She's on a sky dive, and even more strangely, she's in popular company.

Human beings are inclined to get their kicks in any number of dangerous and completely impractical ways; the nearer the death experience the better. Jumping out of a perfectly good aeroplane from anything up to 18,000ft (that’s nearly 5.5km!) strapped to a professional who has had the foresight to bring a chute, is one of the most extreme. All in pursuit of the ultimate high. And fortunately for you, this high octane, ‘near-death experience’ is readily available for little more than $150. You can quite simply get up and go by opting for a tandem jump – which requires minimal training. According to California-based Adventure Center Skydiving; "Tandem skydiving is the easiest, safest, and cheapest way of getting sixty seconds of freefall under your belt. With about a half hour of instruction, you will gear-up (jumpsuit, harness, and goggles) and ride up to at least 15,000 feet. Then, while harnessed to a fully trained and licensed Tandem Master, you will leave the aircraft together and freefall to an altitude of about 6,000 feet, a trip that takes over a minute. Yes, more than a full minute of falling at approximately 120mph." The person you are strapped to is in complete control. They tell you when to jump, they pull the shoot, they execute the landing. You need bring nothing but courage and a smile for your jump video. You must be over 16 to do a tandem skydive. The other option is learning to skydive yourself on an Accelerated Freefall Course (AFF). This is the course for you if you plan to make skydiving a regular past-time – rather than just a one-off afternoon of fun. AFF is comprised of seven levels of achievement. You can be jumping unaided out of a plane from 15,000ft after about 4 hours of instruction at Level One. By level Seven you will be swan-diving out of the plane and perfecting your somersaults. Around $1,400.00 buys you all seven levels – including equipment hire – with 10 free jumps on completion of the course. You must be at least 18 to begin an AFF course. So, you want to learn to fly? Sky Dive Worldwide is your first port of call. They have a comprehensive directory of all skydive centers in North America and can help you to plan your jump efficiently. Seasonal Insanity If tandem is the way for you, then there are a number of factors to consider before you book your jump. Firstly – the time of year. You don’t want to be freefalling through fog. A spring or summer jump is definitely preferable. Secondly, where you land is crucial to making your jump the best it can be. Jumping over the coast or mountains will more likely be better looking than the prairies. You ideally want to be flying over somewhere very picturesque – and landing somewhere soft. The skydive school will take care of this for you, with a support truck waiting to pack you and your gear off back to the Center (or bar). Andy Ellis did his jump with Northeast Pennsylvania Skydiving Center, run by Guinness Record Holding Instructor Don Kellner, who has over 36,000 jumps under his safety harness. "It was such an unreal experience, unlike anything I’ve ever done. You don’t get that paralyzing fear you do with bungee, you can hardly see the ground before you jump. As you’re falling you really do feel like you’re flying." Might As Well Jump Meanwhile, back in the plane, Glen, my Tandem Master, is edging me ever closer to the door. Despite knowing how very safe this is, my mind is still telling me not to be so bloody stupid. I am now perched right at the edge of the plane, looking out into the abyss. It’s like a huge map sprawled below me, punctuated with clouds. We count to three; I don’t have time to draw breath before we’re falling, spinning into the blue, the plane growing smaller and smaller with the sun behind it, lighting up my life. I’m flying… After what feels like a few seconds, Glen pulls the chute and we fly upwards (not really – just a dramatic change of speed). This part of the jump is beautiful, and is known as being ‘under canopy’, floating down through the clouds, bird-watching, sight-seeing. As we approach the beach I lift my legs, as instructed, and Glen lands daintily on the soft sand. Wow. Can we do that again? For a list of all Skydive Schools and Centers in North America, visit this site.