By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Have You Seen This? Always bring a spare parachute
de41932589219c1e03e705622274c5f520a4f99c224fc16f49a8297faf5c083c
A skydiving instructor shows us why it's important to always have a spare parachute. Granted she was her own worst enemy. - photo by John Clyde


THE SKY It's always a smart idea to have a Plan B. For example, you wanted to be a baseball player when you grew up, but it turns out you have the hand-eye coordination of a blind turtle, and you're allergic to grass. What's your Plan B? Always have a Plan B.

Skydiving instructor Brianne Thompson shows us all why having a back-up chute, or a Plan B, is vital.

You never know what's going to happen when you jump from an airplane. Maybe your chute doesn't open. Maybe your chute gets tangled. Or maybe, just maybe, you shoot a flare gun straight into your chute and set it a blaze. The latter doesn't seem incredibly likely, but that's exactly what Thompson did. She shot a flare into her chute, setting it on fire, then she ditched the flaming parachute and opened her reserve.

I want to say the moral of this story is to always be prepared, but I think it's actually that we've found a way to make skydiving look even cooler; add fire.