THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 7, 1995 TAG: 9507040183
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY WILLIAM D. SROUFE, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 170 lines
BRAD FOSTER, KEVIN Sinibaldi and Chris Shay have come a long way since Leonardo da Vinci sketched the design of a rigid parachute in 1495. They have the aircraft da Vinci lacked.
Foster, Sinibaldi and Shay are partners in one of Chesapeake's newest delights for thrill seekers: Chesapeake SkyDive Adventures.
At the Chesapeake Municipal Airport off West Road, the sky-diving operation has been going full force since March.
Foster, director of operations for Chesapeake SkyDive, said opening the business wasn't the first thing that came to his mind when he was about to end a 12-year Naval career in February.
``I was going to get an RV and travel around and do freelance sky-diving instructing,'' he said. ``But Kevin came to me in November 1994 with the idea.
``We sat down and looked at the finances, created a financial plan and tried to see if we would at least break even the first year.''
Foster, who was a Navy SEAL training officer, must have had an intuition, because business has been so good that they had to buy another plane within two months of opening.
Recognized as an official aviation activity in 1986 by Congress, the sport of sky diving has made a drastic change in the last 20 to 30 years. Once a thrill for reckless, adrenaline junkies and over-achievers, it's now a sport for anyone.
Chesapeake SkyDive serves 10 to 15 people a weekend - about 300 total since the business opened four months ago.
According to Foster, sky divers come from all walks of life. Thanks to advances in technology, anyone who wants to sky dive can.
Everything from equipment, equipment materials, liability laws and instruction has made the sport more accessible.
Foster said it used to be that the most popular method of teaching students to jump was by hooking their parachutes to a line inside the plane; the parachutes would open automatically when the students leapt into the air at an altitude of about 3,000 feet.
But Foster said that method, called static line jumping, does not provide students with one-on-one instruction; they're left to just ``punch a hole in the sky,'' he said.
In the mid-'80s, the accelerated freefall method of instruction was developed, he said. The student leaps from the plane, parachute still bundled, at about 10,000 feet. Two freefall experts hold onto the student's harness during the jump and make sure the student has no problems releasing the parachute. The new method was hailed as safer and easier for beginners.
The development of square parachutes, called Ram-Air, which generally have replaced the round military ones, also made the sport safer, Foster said.
``Square parachutes are much like the wing of an airplane,'' Foster said. ``The air rams through it - thus its name - and it inflates, creating lift and speed. So instead of falling like a yard dart, one can land softly.''
The technology didn't stop there.
The industry also has developed a tandem harness, which connects a student to an instructor; the instructor supervises the jump and operates the parachute. Tandem jumps allow a person who wants to try sky diving the opportunity without having to go through a six- to eight-hour training course.
Because all it takes for a student to go on a tandem jump is a 30-minute briefing, this reporter was given the opportunity to try it first-hand.
First, there were papers to sign and a short film to watch. Every student does this; it's informative and puts your mind at ease.
Foster first explained what I would need to wear: a jump suit, goggles and a helmet. After I was suited up, he put me into the harness that would later connect me to him during our jump.
At that point, there were a lot of questions running through my mind. ``What am I doing this for?'' was the most common.
But I set my fear and anxiety aside.
Foster explained what I would need to do when I jumped out of the plane: I would need to arch and keep my legs together. It was very important, he said, for aerodynamics.
Just before our target altitude of 10,500 feet, he said, we would connect ourselves with our harnesses. When the time was right, we would walk to the door, hunched because of the tight space inside the plane, and I would put my feet on the rail outside the plane. I would cross my hands over my chest, and Foster would hold the sides of the plane. He would count and separate us from the plane in a head-over-heels leap called a roll-out.
When Foster's instructions were over, we were off. The plane was roaring, and we climbed aboard.
Kevin Sinibaldi, director of aviation for Chesapeake SkyDive, takes care of getting the sky divers to their destination.
Sinibaldi, a former Navy A-6 pilot who made his first jump just recently, ensures that SkyDive's two Beechcraft D-50 Twin Bonanzas - affectionately called ``The Beasts'' - are up and running.
``The idea is really the same as flying an A-6,'' Sinibaldi said. ``You have to drop bombs at a certain target and altitude, and flying jumpers is about the same - though time is not as critical.''
After we climbed into the plane for our jump, we were delayed at the runway for a short period, leaving time for more doubts to pop into my head. But as we took off, I quickly calmed down and resigned myself to the mission at hand.
There was no turning back.
As we neared our target altitude, Foster and I connected ourselves to each other - and it was time.
Some Navy SEALs went ahead with no hesitation. Then it was our turn. Foster and I, hooked together, walked to the open plane door. As I put my feet out, Foster reminded me of my arching responsibilities, and then the countdown began.
One . . . two . . . We were off!
He explained to me before we jumped that I wouldn't have the sensation of falling. Because I was jumping from 10,500 feet, I didn't believe him. But he was right: I really didn't feel like I was falling. It was as if a giant fan were blowing up at me.
The feeling up there was one I can hardly describe. I now know why Foster and his partners love the sport so much.
The rest of the jump was outstanding. Just as Foster had said, everything got quiet when the canopy was released. At that point, he let me participate by turning us first left, and then right. He also let me assist with the landing.
It seemed like a long time. But from the time we left the aircraft until we landed was only about three minutes.
Foster told me the tandem method eliminates a lot of stress on the student. While I had my own doubts about the entire ordeal, I'm glad he was along for the ride.
Twenty years ago, sky diving might not have been worth it for beginners, Foster said. There were a lot of horror stories about injuries, and people were naturally nervous about jumping. But with tandem jumping, the instructor has total control.
``We've had paraplegics jump, and even older people are trying it,'' he said. ``With the smaller parachutes, you get more women jumping because the load is not as heavy, and specialized equipment makes the sport even more diverse.''
Now regulated by the United States Parachute Association, the sky-diving industry has special ratings jumpers can achieve, based on their experience and performance. It's a rigorous program.
``You start out a basic student with eight to 12 jumps, then you're considered a novice with 12 to 24 jumps,'' Foster said. ``After 25 jumps you take a test to get your A license, then after 50 jumps and another test, you get your C license, then at 200 jumps a D license. And from there you can move on to instructional ratings.''
Any good sky diver should try to learn something new, no matter how many jumps he or she has made, Foster said.
Pierre Ponson, a 30-year Navy veteran who made his first jump in 1965 and taught Foster how to sky dive 10 years ago, said one of the best things about sky diving is contributing to another person's thrill.
``When you see a young person make his or her first jump,'' Ponson said, ``and you know you've either contributed to the student directly or helped the student's instructor, that is the best feeling.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color cover photo]
[Sky diving]
Photo by JOE HILL
Brad Foster, top, goes on a tandem dive with a student. Training is
quick and easy for novices.
Staff photos by MORT FRYMAN
Getting ready for the flight and jump, Shane Hinte, left, adjusts
the harness of Laura Markham as cameraman Joe Hill videos the
experience.
Brad Foster shows one of the forms required to make a tandem jump
successful. The tandem harness connects the student and instructor,
who must work in unison.
A group of friends watches a video telling about the problems and
dangers of sky diving. The would-be jumpers are, from left: Phil
Kulle, Laura Markham, Ashley Harris, Tom Marchese and Mike
Marchese.
by CNB