Free Falling

Chad Stevens adjusts the harness connecting him to his
inexperienced student and conducts yet another examination of the
equipment that will save two lives in the next few minutes. The
hand on his altimeter points to 12,000 feet as the faces
surrounding him vacillate between fear and elation.

Stevens points to the airplane window and, with a sprightly
grin, says to his student, “This is the view from my office.
I love my job!”

It was love at first flight when Stevens completed his inaugural
tandem jump. Within two weeks of his first date with adrenaline at
120 mph, he registered for an Accelerated Free Fall course, the
necessary training for solo jumping. That year he completed 365
jumps. Soon after, the former Loreal chemist aborted his corporate
life for the high life ““ as a full-time skydiving
instructor.

“Jumping out of an airplane is a powerful tool. If you
haven’t done it, you haven’t explored the mind,”
he said.

Stevens lives at work. His mobile home shares the drop zone of
Skydive Elsinore with 14 other residencies belonging to
instructors. They call the town of Lake Elsinore home, located
approximately an hour-and-a-half drive from Los Angeles. There, the
staff of Skydive Elsinore expects to elevate the lives of college
students and recent graduates this summer by taking them on tandem
jumps and enrolling them in Accelerated Free Fall courses.

A sunny summer skydive proved ideal for third-year French
literature student Kumar Swaminathan, who chose jumping in clear
skies for optimal visibility.

“Jumping in the summer of 2004 was expensive enough that I
wouldn’t do it regularly, but it was worth it,” he
said.

The cost of skydiving in Southern California has escalated this
year, partly because of inflation and the rising cost of gasoline,
Stevens said.

Despite the recent rise in price, Jordan El-Saden, a fourth-year
political science student, wants to make his first jump after
graduation but before starting a career.

“I’d like to get some friends together and jump this
summer, before we go our separate ways,” El-Saden said.

Laurent “Lob” Lobjoit, the jump-school manager at
Skydive Elsinore, said the natural high and sense of satisfaction
derived from skydiving lures college students.

“A lot of UCLA students are adrenaline seekers who like to
get a rush. Jumping at Skydive Elsinore is a good way to legally
get high and feel challenged at the same time,” he said.

Established in 1959, Skydive Elsinore is the longest-running
skydiving operation in North America, according to the
company’s Web site. Presently, this long-running drop zone
grants discounts to students and groups of three or more. All
tandem rates include instruction, gear, the jump, a certificate and
a T-shirt. Digital pictures or a DVD, which can be shared over the
Internet, are common purchases for first-time tandem jumpers.

Those who find jumping solo a better fit than tandem may obtain
the necessary United States Parachute Association A-License by
completing the jump school’s 8-level Accelerated Free Fall
program and a total of 25 jumps. AFF students often lodge in the
bunk room or camp at the drop zone for $7 a night. However, the
program’s levels, ranging from $179 to $329, can be divided
over a period of time to accommodate students.

Other limitations students face in taking the leap are meeting
the age requirement of 18 and overcoming a fear of death or serious
injury. Lobjoit, a veteran of 11,800 jumps, feels skydiving is a
relatively safe sport.

“Skydiving is safer than driving around in Los Angeles
traffic,” he said.