Published: July 18, 2008 11:11 pm         

Golden Knights make drop into town

Yellow- and black-striped parachutes dotted the sky around Raleigh County Memorial Airport as members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights tandem team jumped with three people from local businesses Friday.

One of the first jumpers, Peter Timmins, chef at The Greenbrier, said it was quite the rush.

“It’s a thrill from the time you take off to the time you land,” he said. “I wasn’t really nervous as much as I was excited because this was something I wanted to do.”

Steve Antoline, member of the Beckley-Raleigh County YMCA board of directors, agreed it was an exhilarating experience.

“The view was very beautiful and I was very honored to jump with the Golden Knights,” he said.

The Golden Knights started out with 13 men who joined what was then called the Strategic Army Corps Sport Parachute Team and they competed in the sport of skydiving. They had become so successful that on June 1, 1961, the Army recognized the team as the U.S. Army Parachute Team. Two demonstration teams travel the country to perform at air shows and special events. One of those special events is tonight when they will be jumping into the Paul Cline Memorial Youth Sports Complex just before the musical concert at the Friends of Coal Auto Fair.

The tandem team’s objective is to pair an inexperienced person with one of the Knights to bring them closer to skydiving. According to safety officer Sgt. 1st Class David Herwig, the tandems open at 5,500 feet and the videographer at 2,500 feet so he can record the landing. Although skydiving can be dangerous, Herwig says one of the things they pride themselves in is safety.

“We check everything about five times from takeoff to jumping,” he said.

Joe Jones, who has been a member of the Golden Knights for five years, says he has made more than 3,500 jumps. The thrill, he says, does not go away, but the nerves do.

“I’m not nervous anymore,” he said. “I do this about five to seven days a week and it’s just like anything else. Although the jump has become routine, we do not forget about safety and the thrill does not fade, either.”

For Jones, skydiving has been a hobby since his time in the Army. There was always a thrill to jumping, he says, and to do it every day with pay sounded like a good idea.

Although he has fallen for skydiving, many people still remain reluctant to choose it as a hobby. For many people, he says, the fear is of the sudden drop.

“Many people think that you get this feeling in your stomach right as you jump, but you don’t really notice it,” he said. “You don’t really free fall when you first jump out because you’re going about the same speed as the plane. It’s not a sudden drop.”

Woody Duba from Beaver Coal Co. agrees there is not a free-falling feeling. Instead, he says it is rather peaceful — at least after the parachute opens.

“This was my first time as well and I hope it’s not my last,” he said. “I was nervous, but after the parachute opens, it’s peaceful. You’re suspended above everything and the view is beautiful. It’s a good feeling.”