And somewhere up there, Katie Baron, the president of the UNC Skydiving Club, was jumping for the 33rd time.
Baron, a junior psychology major, said she got addicted to the sport last year when she jumped with her brother on his 18th birthday.
"The experience is unbelievable," she said. "It's the biggest rush you can ever imagine."
When preparing to jump for the first time, one has to watch a safety video that warns of the dangers of skydiving and explains the legal consequences of signing a waiver.
"I was basically signing my life away," said freshman Nadia Luhr, who was preparing for her first jump.
Luhr said she hadn't told her parents about her skydiving endeavor but planned to surprise them with a video of her jumping.
After suiting up and receiving some basic training covering proper jumping techniques from the instructor, she was ready to jump tandem from 14,000 feet.
"Take care of her; she's our vice president," Baron said to Randy, Luhr's instructor, who jumped tandem with her.
Luhr headed for the plane with Paul Manos, a junior business major who was ready for his second jump. Despite the danger, they seemed in high spirits as they got ready.
"It was a surreal experience," Luhr said after landing. "It was weird because it's so quiet and peaceful, kind of like floating."
From the time of the jump, skydivers have a minute of free fall and several more minutes floating through the air after the parachute opens.
Luhr said she was not scared until she looked out of the plane and prepared to jump.
"I didn't have time to think about it, so it was good," she said.
The club, which is in its third year, was started by Capt. Craig Marks, who is also the adviser. Marks, who was a parachuter in the army, said he has completed about 1,300 jumps.
A skydiver needs to complete nine jumps to get promoted to student status and 20 to get an A license. The first five jumps are tandem, and six through nine are coach jumps.
Both Luhr and Manos said they weren't extremely worried about their safety because of the many precautions taken to ensure the safety of the jumpers.
"More people die playing golf each year than skydiving," Marks said. "And about 99.9 percent did something stupid to die."
Marks said that since the start of the club, there has not been an injury to a club member. He also said that he has seen only one person break his leg at the drop zone and that was because the man was attempting a stunt.
The club is mainly active from March to November, and members go skydiving every other week.
During Winter Break, the club plans on sending a team of skydivers to the National Collegiate Finals in Lake Wales, Fla. There are 25 universities that have skydiving teams.
The club has had several meetings, but the main source of communication is the listserv.
Baron said that whenever people want to go skydiving, they send an e-mail to the listserv asking if more people want to go.
Although the club is not recognized officially by the University, Baron said she has submitted paperwork for approval.
Manos said he considers skydiving the ultimate thrill, a sentiment his fellow club members share.
"I guess I am an adrenaline junkie, " Baron said. "I can't beat skydiving, so I keep doing it."
The Features Editor can be reached at features@unc.edu.
