Show Professor jumps into his Frank Penman Staff Writer F SEVEN FORTY ORTY SEVEN students s sand and one teacher Mark Merkley y jumped from a perfectly perfectly perfectly per per- per per- good airplane last week at an altitude of f feet et They not only lived to tella tell a about out it but said they would do it again The students were members of a the High Adventure Club a new campus club originated by Merkley and open to all students Im going to literally jump into th the second half of my life life said Merkley as he prepared to celebrate his birthday After watching other friends receive gifts like to commemorate commemorate commemorate com com- entering the declining declining declining ing stage of their life Merkley decided to show that his life is going to begin at 40 Because so so many people became became became be be- came interested in the idea Merkley decided to start the High Adventure Club Their club motto is is- is Eagles Fly High and Few Next year they are planning to go white-water white rafting The type of jump the High Adventurers did this year is called Tandem Jumping This consists of a beginning jumper wearing a special harness that enables an instructor to connect connect connect con con- him herself to the beginners beginner's back while they exit the plane together The pair then fall for 30 seconds or approximately ap approximately approximately ap- ap proximately feet At that I point the instructor deploys a i huge wing para-wing which is over twice the size of a regular sport para The instructor guides the descent into a joint landing sometimes touching down in an upright as asif asif asif if the two had merely stepped out of an ordinary door Im Im I'm a little excited but scared said Jackie Valerga as she paced the zone drop dressed in her white suit jump-suit and black harness Valerga along with Megan who said she was nervous but excited were next in line for the drop It took about 20 minutes minutes' forthe forthe for the twin engine plane to reach an altitude of feet Directly over the zone drop-zone you could coul d observe the four in instructors instructors instructors in- in four students and two solo jumpers with helmet helmet- mounted video cameras falling JaIling from the plane In only two minutes all 10 jumpers had reached th the ground Things were getting bigger and bigger I loved it said Valerga who when asked if she would do it again replied Yes De Definitely Valerga's instructor Jeff w who who o has 1650 parachute jumps behind- behind him him said that Tandem Jump Jumping ing ingis is a relatively new and better better better bet bet- ter way to learn parachute jumping Meanwhile had summed up her jump with one loud word Wow |