Sky Diving in the UAE

Somewhere 9,000 ft over Umm al Quwain, a chap they call Smudge opens the door to our light aircraft. 'See you on the ground!' we all say, and I fight every sensible instinct within me and take up position by the gaping void.

The moment, when it comes, is mercifully brief. No time to lose your resolve or to change your mind. 'One… two… arch!' calls J. J., my tandem master, and suddenly we are hurtling through the clear blue sky. I want to shut my eyes, but the urge to see – and to drink it all in – is far too strong. Three seconds later, I receive a tap on my shoulder and release my white-knuckled grip on the harness. I spread my arms and feel the wind rushing through my fingers. J. J. reaches in front of my face and gives me the thumbs-up. So far so good!

I can't remember if J. J. manages to forewarn me, but it doesn't come as a surprise when we are jolted out of our freefall by the deployment of the parachute. 'It's beautiful up here,' I say, when I regain my faculty of speech, and all my childhood dreams of stretching out my arms and flying suddenly come racing back to me. As if reading my mind, J. J. unexpectedly hands me the lines. 'Here, you steer,' he says; 'pull down on the left to turn left, and pull down on the right to turn right.' I practice a couple of turns before asking where to go.

'Aim for the end of the runway,' says J. J., as we approach the little airfield.

'Stiff breeze,' I say conversationally.

'Yes,' says J. J., 'and we're not cutting into it. We're not going to make the landing spot,' he says, gesturing at a patch of grass next to the runway. Ah.

We eventually come down with a bit of a bump on a strip of dirt alongside the runway. As I brush myself down, I am reminded of the slogan from the Emirates commercial. When was the last time you did something for the first time?