Cherie: Daredevil of the Skies, with over 600 jumps to her name, is a pint sized Dynamo of a woman whose passion is jumping from flying aeroplanes....
Last year she jumped her 600th jump and she had just turned 60 years old, or is it 60 years young? Cherie will never grow old…she just does not have the time.
Every possible weekend finds Cherie heading for the Dive Zone carting her equipment in a matching bag.
Intrigued, I asked Cherie some questions.
Why does a cute little lady like you want to throw herself out of a plane?
Cherie just laughs. She has been trying to get me up there with her every time I hit Texas, but something always stops me from taking that final step…out of a plane. She thrives on the adrenalin that takes her to the Drop Zone whenever the weather is fine for diving. Most of us enjoy planes, and many of us want to experience a sky-dive, but not many of us really take that step to actually jump out of flying plane.
Here Cherie shares her love of the sport, and also some videos about her experiences. She is one feisty lady, and the love is a passionate and dedicated one. Cherie is a daredevil of the skies.
How many Jumps have you now done?
I have 659 jumps as of today.
Do you get scared or nervous about jumping from a plane? Are you ever afraid?
I don't get scared anymore....I used to be scared silly until I had about 100 skydives; then I started to relax and really enjoy it without the extreme fear. Now I just hope I do well on each skydive, but I'm not afraid.
What’s your biggest problem when jumping?
My biggest problem is my fall rate. I only weigh about 100 pounds, so fully geared up I weight only 135 pounds at the most. It’s hard to fall as fast as a fully geared up man whose weight is twice mine. Thank goodness I have a flexible back and can get into a pretty radical arch, which makes me fall faster. And I have a very tight jumpsuit with slick fabric to make the air spill off me faster. The heavier guys sometimes use a camera suit to jump with me; which has little wings under the arms to slow them down, or a baggy suit which catches more air. I sure know a lot more about aerodynamics than I used to!
What is the best thing about sky-diving?
The best thing about skydiving is the thrill of going out the door and the splendid view falling from so high above the Earth….and the satisfaction of walking away from another brush with death.
What is the worst thing about sky-diving?
The worst thing is when I mess up in a formation sky-dive and feel less than good about my flying skills. But then I always shrug it off before the next one and resolve to do better. I always want to be perfect, get into my slot fast and without wobbling or floating too high and turn all the points we planned in the dirt dive.....sometimes I mess up and make it hard to complete the dive as planned. But I have to remind myself that I'm not the only one who messes up; sometimes it’s all of us together!
What Sky-dive Zones do you jump at?
I skydive at other drop zones whenever I can; although I usually jump every weekend at Skydive Temple. I've jumped in Dallas, Houston, San Marcos, Puerto Rico and Arizona, and want to jump everywhere I go!
How often do you Jump?
I jump at least two times every weekend, weather permitting. I log in about 200 jumps a year; and that's up this year from 100 jumps in previous years. I'm trying to get my numbers up so I can get insurance for demo jumps. For insurance coverage you have to have 1000 jumps and I only have 660 now. So I'm jumping more often in the hopes that it won't take me 4 more years to qualify for that insurance.
What was your Most Thrilling Dive?
My most thrilling skydive was the one where I had an unfixable malfunction on my main canopy and had to cutaway and land on my reserve. I was calm during the emergency when I was in an accelerating spin, which would have killed me if I hadn't cut my main away. I got the shakes after I landed and was heading back to the drop zone.
What happens in windy weather? Do you jump when it is windy?
In really windy weather the canopy will flex and the ride down is bumpy, so that's the only time the weather makes skydiving more thrilling. It’s kind of scary when you're bouncing all over the place and getting really close to the ground. You know what its like to land an airplane in turbulent winds......it can be a heart-pounder!
What do you think about when you are falling?
In freefall, I think about executing the sky-dive properly, so I'm focused on the other people on the jump. Under canopy I enjoy the view and think about how lucky I am that I get to do such a thrilling thing every weekend. The major feeling you get in freefall is wind pressure against your face, there's no sensation of falling....under canopy you get the floating sensation that's so pleasant. I get that wonderful feeling that life is good.
What about the cost? Is it expensive to be a sky-diver? What are the costs involved in this sport?
I was very scared when I first started skydiving and I had to repeat the same expensive skydive 43 times; so my cost as a student was outrageous and not typical at all. The average person will spend $1100 on the ground school and the training dives with one or two instructors. After they've passed the student dives and get off student status they're either renting the gear or looking to buy their own. I went cheap and bought an old rig when I first got off student status and got a broken wrist for it. The canopy was so old it didn't even slow me down when I ‘flared’; it just thumped me down really hard on my behind and I broke my right wrist against the hard ground. I was lucky I didn't break my back. So I bought all brand new custom made gear from head to toe and have about $6000 invested in that. Of course no one has to spend that kind of money to get good gear, but I knew it would last for years to come so I splurged on everything I wanted....color coordinated. Once I got off student status the jumps only cost $22 apiece, so once you have your gear it costs about what it does to play golf every weekend. I'm afraid to total up what its cost me to skydive over the last 7 years!
Does Your Husband watch when you sky-dive?
Richard likes to watch me skydive and seems to have no fears or anxiety about it. Of course, he knows I'd do it anyway even if he didn't like it and wanted me to quit. I didn't start skydiving until I was 54 and we were married when I was 33, so long after.
Is Fitness necessary for a skydiver?
Fitness is absolutely necessary, as the gear is heavy and the arch position has to be maintained in freefall or you end up flailing around. You also have to climb outside the plane and hold on against the wind to execute student and group exits, so you have to have strong arms and legs for that or the wind will knock you off the plane. Then there's the long walk back to the packing shed after you land with heavy gear on your back. So fitness is very important.
What advice would you give a new sky-diver who wishes to try sky-diving?
My advice to a new skydiver is to listen carefully to their instructors and soldier on through the fear that everyone experiences. The first skydive is very scary to most people and you have to make yourself do it. It’s worth the fear and that goes away with some experience. I would also advise a new skydiver to establish an equipment check routine to perform as they gear up for each skydive; kind of like pre-flight an airplane before you board and take off. That way you know you're properly suited up and your gear will work as it should. I don't know if its better when you're young....I was old before I started and it’s been great to me. It takes me longer and more practice to master the flying skills involved in formation skydiving than it would a much younger person......young folks have faster reflexes and seem to learn quicker; but other than that there's no difference as long as you're in good shape.
View a video of Cherie in a Skydive: (Video 2)
“I downloaded this video to youtube, but I guess it wasn't filmed at a high enough speed because much of it is depilixated. But it IS one of my skydiving videos and I thought you might find it interesting. I was just off student status and didn't fly very well, although my landings were good. And that is me landing under the blue canopy right at the end.
Cheri”
First Jump as a Skydiver over 60 years: (Video 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS_vNRg5MaA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYRuQuRrP_0
Play Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
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