Freefall Express brings clients down to earth

by Kris Ann Hegle

SBJ Contributing Writer

Icarus should have taken a parachute. If he had, the Greek mythological character could have floated safely back to earth when the sun melted his wax-constructed wings. The folks at Freefall Express in Mt. Vernon could have instructed him in its use.

Freefall Express has been attracting sky-diving enthusiasts since Roger Moore opened the business in 1995. Moore sold the business in 1997, and Bryan Wolford, the current owner, incorporated it in 1998.

According to Wolford, Mt. Vernon has proved to be a good location for Freefall Express due to available hangar space, available air space and surrounding terrain that presents few landing hazards for sky divers. The business' central location also draws experienced and novice sky divers from Springfield and southwest Missouri, as well as Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

As with other extreme sports, sky diving has increased in popularity the past few years. In fact the United States Parachute Association (USPA), which certifies instructors, estimated that sky divers made approximately 3.25 million jumps in 1998.

"We're a lot saner than we look," Wolford said. "Sky diving has become much safer in recent years. The container system, which holds the parachute, is better, and round parachutes have been replaced by square parachutes called ram-air canopies, which are easy to steer and allow you to come in for a very soft landing."

According to Wolford, part of the thrill of sky diving comes from understanding that most of the risks have been eliminated. Take the equipment used, for example.

By federal law, all intentional parachute jumps must be made with a single harness, dual parachute system with both a main and a secondary (reserve) parachute. The main parachute is packed under direct supervision of a USPA-certified rigger. If the main parachute fails to open, students can deploy the reserve chute. Each reserve parachute is inspected and repacked every 120 days by an certified rigger whether it's been used or not, according to Wolford.

In addition, the container system that holds the parachutes has an automatic activation device (AAD), which calculates a sky diver's rate of descent and altitude. If a student is unable to deploy the parachute for any reason, the AAD will deploy the reserve parachute at the appropriate altitude.

Although this backup device increases a sky diver's safety, Wolford said the best sky divers are the ones who observe the rules and receive good instruction. All of the instructors at Freefall Express have been certified by the USPA. Also, all the pilots who take students to the drop point are commercially licensed, Wolford said.

The sky divers themselves also must meet some basic requirements. A sky diver must be in average physical condition, be 18 or older and weigh no more than 235 pounds.

Wolford uses two methods to train first-time jumpers. According to Wolford, approximately 90 percent of all initial sky dives at Freefall Express are undertaken with the instructor assisted deployment (IAD) method. In the IAD method, each student attends a six-hour safety and training class before making the first solo jump.

The other sky-diving method taught at Freefall Express is the tandem method. In a tandem jump, the student exits the aircraft attached to the front of the instructor. Both the student and the instructor are attached to the sky-diving gear and descend under a single, large parachute. Unlike the IAD method, the tandem method requires very little classroom instruction.

The price charged for each instruction method varies. A first-time IAD jump course costs around $129, with subsequent jumps running around $45 apiece.

Wolford said he rarely advertises his services with traditional means, but he seldom misses an opportunity to be seen. Recently, he and other sky divers from Freefall Express jumped into the Ozark Mountain Duck's stadium for the season opener. Sky divers from Freefall Express also have parachuted into Firefall and numerous other local events.

While running a sky-diving business has its share of excitement, it also has its challenges. Overhead is high, with a parachute costing around $4,000. Hangar space and airplane maintenance are also expensive.

The biggest challenge the business faces, however, is Mother Nature. As a weather-dependent sport, students are grounded occasionally due to winds, clouds and rain.

Despite the challenges, Wolford can't think of another business he'd rather be running. Indeed, there is a camaraderie that can be found among the sky divers who spend their evenings and weekends at Freefall Express.

"Only sky divers know why the birds sing," Wolford said. "It's the biggest natural high there is. Sky divers experience a euphoria that can't be described."[[In-content Ad]]