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CNN Live Today

Look at Thrills of Skydiving

Aired August 05, 2002 - 12:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: If your life has become too mundane, here is one way to shake things up: jump out of an airplane. While it may not be for everyone, some say skydiving is the ultimate thrill.

CNN's Kris Osborne took the plunge to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRIS OSBORNE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All aboard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me big thumb's up there, Curtis. I'm here for you, fan,

OSBORNE: I'm here for you, man.

Four, Fire them up. Three, lock and load. Two, the thrill of free-fall, one with the sky. One, we have adrenaline -- ignition.

Wait a minute, hold on, back this up, you are likely wondering, just what does it take it hurl yourself out of a small airplane at 14,000 feet beyond guts and taste for the extreme.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once you're in it you're not coming up.

OSBORNE: For starters, safety and meticulous preparation. I jumped tandem with Nathan Gilbert of Atlanta Skydiving.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See the suit you'll be wearing.

OSBOURNE: And I am very thrilled to learn he jumped more than 5,000 timer. Each pack an FAA approved and backup shoot, and if needed, a computerized release mechanism.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready, set, and we go.

OSBORNE: As we got ready to take to the sky, I asked my trainer the ultimate burning question, why skydive?

NATHAN GILBERT, ATLANTA SKYDIVING: It is beautiful. I mean, you see some amazing things being in the sky, cloud formations.

OSBORNE (on camera): Hopefully I'm man enough to admit, I am a little bit nervous. (voice-over): Certainly the idea of flying up and jumping out at 14,000 feet has a way of rattling your nerves, but I decided to do it anyway, with a coach backing me up.

GILBERT: Everybody has a good time. And we have a saying you know, they get down, and they kind of have a permanent grin. They are just smiling ear to ear, and smiling for a couple of days.

OSBORNE: And a team of fellow thrill seekers, first time jumpers, facing the fear right there with me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready to roll.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name is Amy Derosa (ph). I'm a claims examiner for the government.

OSBORNE (on camera): What brought you out here today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fun. Just the thrill of it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Jeff Armstrong. I am in sales and marketing. And just looking for the thrill of the free-fall. That's what it is, the fall.

OSBORNE (voice-over): The thrill of freefall feels intense. The wind hit your face. Planet Earth nowhere in sight at times. You feel like you're flying. Your ears pop, and then whoosh, your shoot opens, and it feels like it yanks you back to the plane, but in truth, you are actually falling so fast, it just slows you down a bit.

(on camera): You can control this like a car, can't you? Nice and easy.

OSBORNE (voice-over): Nathan guided us through the sky, twisting, turning, maneuvering, almost as though the shoot were a bicycle. Then finally, after the journey through the air, a very wonderful, welcome site, solid ground. Mother Earth come else up to greet us. I just lift my feet and slide right in. Works like a charm.

(on camera): That's awesome! That is definitely intense. That is extreme.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good job, man.

OSBORNE: That is a rush!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Gives you some pretty bad hair, too. That was CNN's Kris Osborne.

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