"Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring, so make every day count.
Smile, laugh, teach, learn, be happy, make others happy, do something with your time -
it's precious and can soon be gone."

- The family of Andy Kelly, one of my Sky Dive instructors, who sadly died earlier this year. 

I got into sky diving more by accident than design. Unlike most skydivers, I had no great ambition to "jump out of a plane". In fact I can remember about 10 years ago saying that anybody who did so must want their heads examining.

But then someone persuaded me to do a bungee jump!

I didn't know what I was getting into and assumed it was a short 10 foot jump off a bridge. Boy, did I get a shock! If I could have bottled out without the others losing their "discount rate" I would have done. However, the feeling of achievement (after one of total terror and then suffering sensory overload on actually jumping off) was incredible. I did another 80 jumps over the next 2 years, most from the crane at Chelsea Brige in Battersea, but also a few from bridges in the South of France.  During those two years I appeared on an Esther Rantzen programme on BBC1 about "Dangerous Sports" to discuss bungee jumping, and also BBC2's "The Sunday Show" which followed a Bungee Club Adrenalin Weekend in the South of France.

The friend who had persuaded me to do my first bungee jump eventually suggested we try for the world record bungee jump from a helicopter (we were drunk - what can I say?!). The only problem was that we had to learn to skydive before attempting it. We both agreed to go to Florida and do an Accellerated Free Fall (AFF) course that would get us qualified very quickly. Unfortunately the friend then got involved in a messy divorce and couldn't afford to go, and then my partner died the night before I was due to fly out. It was another 2 years before I would save up the money and have the inclination to give it another go, but this time in the UK to avoid losing the cost of the course if an emergency arose.

On May 1st 1998 I booked myself in at the Headcorn Parachute Club in Kent for an Accelerated Free Fall course. The following Monday I did my first jump, which was videoed and photographed by Simon Hughes of Air Affair. His photo's from that first skydive are shown in the Photo's section of this web site. You can also read my skydiving diary (Log Book) for that first jump (and my subsequent jumps) if you're really sad

I am not exactly the world's most natural skydiver - I have broken the Headcorn record for most skydives needed before graduating AFF. I eventually got my Cat 8 ("A" certificate) licence after 52 AFF jumps (far more than most people need) and am still a bit of an "ugly duckling" in the sky. I had to go to Skydive Sebastian in Florida to complete my course - British weather has a lot to answer for and if you need as many jumps as I did (unlikely, admittedly!)! A Cat 8 licence enables you to skydive solo anywhere in the world so long as you remain "current" (skydive at least once every 2 months). I returned to Sebastian in March this year and got my Cat 10 licence, which means I'm allowed to now do formation skydiving ("relative work") with other skydivers.

Skydiving is as much about the people as it is about the actual sport. There are  none of the traditional clique or ageist problems that plague other sports. Skydivers are the most positive, enthusiastic and encouraging people I've ever met.

What else makes skydiving so addictive? The sense of confidence and achievement you get when you face your fears (jumping out of a plane!) and conquer them (sort of!) is incredible. The total exhilleration of literally flying through the skies over the beautiful Kent countryside just cannot be expressed by words. Friends and work colleagues don't understand why I spend time sky diving when I don't seem to be making much progress. But they do understand that irritable, irascible, stressed-out Ian always seems to come back de-stressed, happy and "on an upper" for several days after a trip to Headcorn.

The opening quote to this Sky Diving section is from the family of Andy Kelly, who was my instructor for several of my Level 3, 4 and 5 jumps. Sadly Andy, aged just 27, was killed at the end of May in a freak canopy and reserve malfunction. I think the opening quote (top of this page) from his family explains what skydiving is all about and makes an important point we should all remember: Skydiving may not be your thing, but if it isn't, go out and find something that is. Life is for living and none of us know for sure when it's likely to end.  Nobody wants to be one of those people who finds themself in old age regretting the things they could have done but somehow never got around to!