Adventurers to Make Extreme Military-Style High-Altitude Skydives Near Nashville During Upcoming Solar Eclipse
Portland, TN (PRWEB) August 18, 2017 -- A series of precisely-timed high-altitude skydives will take place over Portland, Tennessee on Monday, August 21, providing an international group of adventurers with the opportunity to witness the day’s historic total and partial eclipse from the sky. The skydivers will exit from airliner altitude and perform tandem versions of what are known in the military as “HAHO” jumps.
Adventurers and jump professionals will be making the extreme “high-altitude high-opening” jumps in order to spend the maximum amount of time in the air, sharing what will literally be a birds-eye-view of the eclipse. Skydivers will be provided with custom eclipse-viewing goggles to allow them to safely view the sun. It is anticipated that skydivers will be capable of remaining airborne up to 20 minutes.
Exiting at high-altitude requires the use of supplemental oxygen and specialized jump equipment. The eclipse skydivers will jump from a modified King Air into FAA-secured air space, wearing the same military-grade helmets and oxygen systems worn by US military operations personnel. To combat a temperature at high-altitude that can be a frigid 30-below, eclipse skydivers will be provided with special protective clothing.
The eclipse watchers will jump tandem with military-trained and USPA-certified skydiving professionals, after receiving a detailed safety briefing and training in the use of supplemental oxygen. Three individuals and their tandem masters will be under parachute during the total eclipse. Other jumpers will be airborne during the partial eclipse that follows.
”The idea to offer an eclipse jump came to me when I was consulting on a high-altitude balloon project. I thought it would be extremely cool to be able to watch the eclipse from the sky, without any obstructions. I knew if I wanted to do it, some of our clients would too," said Gregory Claxton, CEO of Incredible Adventures, the Florida company organizing the event. "I wasn't wrong. The event quickly sold out."
Incredible Adventures is offering the August 21 eclipse skydives in partnership with an elite team of jump professionals led by US Special Forces Veteran Kevin Holbrook. He and his jump team are the holders of more than 30 world skydiving records. The parties have been teaming up to offer extreme, record-setting skydives since 2003 and from April through October, offer high-altitude military-style freefall jumps near Memphis, TN.
“Every jump has unique requirements and before we could agree to conduct the eclipse skydives, we had to perform a careful analysis. One of the things we didn't know was whether the parachute canopies would obstruct the view of the eclipse. We conducted a series of test jumps that convinced us the view from the sky will be incredible," said Holbrook.
"Incredible Adventures is best known for sending people to Russia to fly MiG fighter jets, something we've been doing for 24 years now, and our great white shark dives, but every one of our adventures is incredible. We love the challenge of creating new adventures, like this eclipse skydive," said Claxton.
For more information about the eclipse skydives, visit http://www.skydivehigh.com. Information about the company's other adventures can be found at http://www.incredible-adventures.com.
Jane Reifert, Incredible Adventures, http://www.incredible-adventures.com, +1 (941) 346-2603, [email protected]
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