Not many people can say they have jumped from a plane, but for students in the ISU Skydivers club, it is a common thrill that can be experienced time and time again.

Emily Hogshead, junior in mathematics, has been a member of the ISU Skydivers since September, and she has gone skydiving twice.

“I have had an interest in skydiving for a while,” Hogshead said. “Both times have been amazing – an experience I wish to repeat.”

Getting the courage to jump out of a plane is not always easy, even for those who have dreamed of skydiving.

“I watched skydivers go up in the planes and come down for three to four months before I did it,” Hogshead said.

Although skydiving may seem like a task too difficult to accomplish, anyone can take the leap from a plane with limited instruction, Hogshead said. The first jumps are tandem jumps with an experienced skydiver and instructor.

Tandem jumping is when an experienced skydiving instructor is harnessed the whole time to the person who wishes to jump, according to www.skydiving.com.

Hogshead said if someone has an interest in jumping without an instructor, 10 hours of ground training and eight tandem jumps are required.

Hogshead said she watched an hourlong video that told her about the process of jumping and positioning yourself in the air as a part of the tandem training to jump with the ISU Skydivers club.

The first jump Hogshead took was an unforgettable experience, she said.

“When I was getting in the plane, I was thinking ‘Wow, I am leaving with the plane, but not coming down with it,'” Hogshead said.

Hogshead said, she had no reservations about jumping, but was more excited when the instructor hooked their harnesses together when the plane reached the right altitude.

As soon as Hogshead leaned out with her instructor, she was blown away with the feeling of freefalling.

“It was a tremendous rush of sensations,” Hogshead said. “My mind tried to keep up with the wind and the distance change. It was a complete sensory overload.”

The instructor did a series of corkscrew turns like quick turns on a roller-coaster, Hogshead said.

The period from the time the person jumps until the parachute is released is the freefall time, which can last anywhere from 30 to 50 seconds, depending on the altitude, and then another three to five minutes once the parachute is released, said Nicklaus Dugo, president of ISU Skydivers and junior in forestry.

“I was very thankful to be on the ground,” Hogshead said.

ISU Skydivers usually use the Boone Municipal Airport drop site for their skydiving jumps. At this location, the skydivers jump at an altitude of 8,000 to 10,000 feet, although Dugo said he has jumped at altitudes ranging from 3,500 to 14,000 feet.

For members of ISU Skydivers, dues are $20 a semester and each jump is about $20 to $50, depending on whether you have your own equipment.

“Anyone who has imagined themselves skydiving should definitely try it,” Hogshead said. “I recommend anyone who has an interest to stop thinking about it, and actually jump.”