Night Jumps at the Ranch

[Laura 0]

BLACK SKIES, SOFT LANDINGS
The loader needs to shout to be heard above the whine of jet engines as the Otter pulls into the loading area. As you make your way to the stairs the blast of air from the props washes over you, filling your senses with the familiar, pungent smell of jet fuel. You adjust your goggles to keep flying dust out of your eyes.

Once inside the airplane the noise level drops, just enough so that you can hear the sound of your heart pounding in your ears. You settle in on the floor and fasten your seatbelt, then check your handles yet again. The door slides shut and the plane lurches forward, rolling toward the far end of the runway. Moments later the aircraft surges into sky, breaking the bonds of gravity and soaring into its natural element.

You look around at the familiar faces and realize that, even though you've done this a hundred times already, there is a distinctiveness . . . a strangeness . . . a sense of anticipation that you hadn't felt for many jumps. You wonder for a moment if anyone else has this feeling of controlled, but nervous, energy rising inside. In the eerie glow of the chemlights they all look so calm.

You take another look at your altimeter and find that nine thousand feet has gone by in the blink of an eye. Just a couple of minutes to go now.

The Jump Master rolls the door open and begins checking the spot. The temperature inside drops dramatically as the aircraft is flooded with cool wind. Suddenly the green light blinks to life. The JM beckons the first jumper into the door. You watch their momentary conference, see the jumper give a thumbs-up then vanish from sight.

Now it’s your turn. You move into the door and gaze out at the dark void beyond. For one brief instant you feel like a new student all over again, wondering somewhere in the back of your mind why you would want to do this. "Jump from a perfectly good airplane? . . . at NIGHT?"

You look down and see that the familiar landscape has been cloaked with a blanket of black velvet. Streetlights and porch lights have been remade into earth-bound constellations. And there, far below, is what you have been looking for, one set of lights blazing red, purposefully arranged and pointing the way home.

Any lingering doubts slide away as the crisp air washes over you. You look out toward the horizon and see the entire world bathed in the silver light of the full moon. A deep breath - or is it a sigh of contentment - and you relax your hold on the plane and begin to fall away. For the briefest moment you seem to hang there in the door, suspended in that endless second between who you were, and this next adventure about to begin.


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The next Night Jumps at The Ranch, Gardiner, NY, are scheduled for Monday, September 8th. This will be the last time we do them before the new USPA jump number requirements go into effect at the end of that month.

Anyone wishing to participate should have at least a B-License. For further info, check out the Ranch’s schedule of events page at www.ranchskydive.com. To sign up, contact Manifest at 845-255-4033 or [email protected]