Part 12, page 123

Transcript

The scan is the source; the transcript is machine-generated from it.

Elation, Freedom':

This Man Jumps From Airplanes for 'Kicks'

Here we have a man who jumps out of airplanes for fun. He falls at 120 miles an hour. He glides like a bird. He blossoms out with a parachute. He lands with a bump. He's always a little fearful before each jump, but he thinks that's OK. His name is Sheri- dan Peterson, former Montana smoke jumper, now a Boeing Employees Skydiver.

Skydiving is fun, but . . . let's let Sheridan describe it. "When [guess: jumping] I'm a little uncertain, however, I've built up my self con- fidence. I still have a little fear, but I feel if you don't feel a tinge of fear you might become a little careless."

WHAT'S IT LIKE?

Well, what's skydiving like? What kind of attitude does one have when jumping out of an air- plane? Why is it fun?

You really have no sensation of dropping . . . it's like floating on a river of air. The farther you fall the firmer the air feels," Peterson explains.

"There are many reasons why people skydive," Peterson said. "It's simply a sport with unlimited challenge. It's a sensation of free- dom when you're sailing through space at 120 to 130 miles an hour. Some enjoy the excitement of fear —it makes all the other problems one might have seem trivial. It's a release. There also is a feeling of elation when the chute opens.

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SHERIDAN Peterson, skydiver, strikes typical high altitude in-flight pose.

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