THE JUMP – by Mark Moran

 

The scene is the inside of a small propeller plane, with two pilot seats that face forward (stage left), and two benches that run along each side of the plane facing each other.  At the back of the plane (stage right), there is a 4’x4’ cargo door that can be opened like a sliding garage door.  The edge of the door is the edge of the stage, above a six foot drop into the orchestra box.  The PILOT is a woman in her mid 30’s wearing large green aviator headphones.  Behind her in one of the benches sits a skydiving STUDENT (Steve), an 18 year old boy wearing a parachute rig [backpack] and plastic helmet that both seem much too large for him.  Across from the student is a JUMPMASTER (Ray), a gray-haired man wearing well-fitting but worn skydiving gear.  MIKE, a cocky-looking skydiver in his mid-20’s, takes his seat behind the student and buckles his seatbelt.  Meanwhile, CHRIS, another sleek looking skydiver in his late 20’s, climbs in and pulls the door down behind him.  CHRIS takes his seat across from Mike, next to the jumpmaster, and buckles his seatbelt.  The student nervously pulls his seatbelt a little tighter.

 

PILOT (speaking loudly into her radio):  Yolo Tower.  Yolo Tower, this is Cessna six-seven-eight-four-niner.

RADIO (crackling over speaker):  Cessna eight-four-niner.  Yolo Tower.

PILOT:  Yolo Tower.  Cessna eight-four-niner is a Cessna three-ten-light.  Cargo is four jumpers.  Request permission to take off and ascend to 15,000 feet.

RADIO:  Roger that, 8-4-9er.  You are cleared for departure and climb to flight level one-five-zero.  Taxi runway two-seven.

PILOT:  Roger, Tower.  Runway two-seven.

(The pilot turns a couple levers and taps a gauge.  She then turns the key, and the SOUND of twin propeller engines sputters and then becomes a loud drone.  All five people gyrate slightly with the movement of the now taxiing airplane.)

CHRIS (to the jumpmaster):  This his first jump, Ray?

JUMPMASTER:  Sure is.  A-F-F Level 1.

MIKE (giving Chris a high-five):  Woo hoo!  We got ourselves a virgin on board!  Fresh meat for the sky gods!

JUMPMASTER (kindly to student):  Pay them no attention.  You nervous?

STUDENT (clearly apprehensive):  Yeah.  A little.

JUMPMASTER (smiling):  Don’t worry.  This is the worst part.  Just remember to arch, and you’ll be fine.  Nothin’ to be scared of.  Safer than driving a car.

STUDENT (slowly, unsteady):  Yeah, maybe… but there are other benefits to driving a car.  You need to drive a car.  Who need’s to skydive?

JUMPMASTER: Hey.  It’s your money.  It’s not too late to turn back now.

(The pilot pushes the throttle knob all the way in.  The propeller sound becomes deafeningly loud, the pilot pulls back on her yoke, and the front of the plane (stage platform) tilts up to a 20 degree angle.  The engine sound decreases slightly.)

MIKE (giggly wickedly):  Hee hee hee!  Now it is, kid!  Don’t worry though, I’m sure you’ll live.  Why… we haven’t had anyone die out here in at least … what is it Chris? A month?  Yeah, at least a month!

CHRIS (joining in):  Nah.  Not quite a month.  It was just two weeks ago that that guy’s reserve pin didn’t fire, wasn’t it?  Maybe three weeks.  And he wasn’t even a newbie.  He was definitely an up-jumper.

JUMPMASTER (smiling to himself at the ritual): Knock it off, you guys.  The boy’s scared enough without your clowning around.  (Patting the student’s knee)  No one’s died here in years.  And just like the video said, almost no one ever dies from equipment failure.  The only people who are ever killed are clowns like these two when they try and land their chutes like Thanksgiving turkeys.

STUDENT (pausing, then changing the subject):  How high are we going up anyway?  And how long is it gonna take to get there?

JUMPMASTER (relieved to be back to simple questions):  We’re goin’ up 15,000 feet – almost three miles.  That’ll give you plenty of time for all the maneuvers we practiced in the dirt-dive.  Remember, altitude is your friend.

STUDENT:  So how long will it take to climb that high?

JUMPMASTER: About twenty more minutes.

CHRIS (pretending this is surprising):  Twenty minutes!  Shoot – I should have brought some cards, or a book or something.  (shutting his eyes and yawning)  Hell, I’ve got time to take a nap.

MIKE:  You mean you’re not gonna masturbate the whole ride up like usual?

CHRIS (amused):  Up Yours Thompson!  Just ‘cause you can choke the chicken for twelve hours straight…

JUMPMASTER (wistfully):  Ah, to be young again!

(Even the student cracks a smile, while Mike and Chris lean back on their elbows.  Twenty or thirty seconds pass with just the rumble of the engines.)

MIKE (looks at the altimeter on his wrist, and then looks up to Chris):  Hey Chris, 6,000 feet.  You know what that means…

(There is a loud farting SOUND and Mike sighs.  Everyone else crinkles their nose.)

CHRIS (genuinely grossed out):  God damn, dude!  That’s disgusting.  Why do you have to do that every jump?  Can’t you hold it till we’re out of the plane?

MIKE (pleased as a frat-boy):  It’s the altitude.  You know, air pressure…  Besides, if I held it, how could everyone else enjoy it!?

JUMPMASTER (to the student):  This is why the ride up is the worst part.  By the way, you can take your seat belt off now.  We’ll be there soon.

(After a pause, the student loosens his helmet strap a little.)

STUDENT:  Why do I have to wear a helmet for, anyway?  It doesn’t really protect me from… (swallows) you know, equipment failure?

CHRIS (laughing):  Heh heh.  Nah kid, its so that if you do go splat, at least your mom will be able to recognize you at the funeral.  And if you have any gold tooth-fillings, maybe they won’t fly away either.

JUMPMASTER (seriously):  Gross.  No, its for in case you hit your head on the plane during exit.  It’s pretty rare, but in case you do get bumped, you need to stay conscious in order to pull your ripcord.

(A few moments pass in silence, and then the plane gradually flattens out again.)

PILOT (into radio again):  Yolo Tower.  Cessna 8-4-9er leveling off at 1-5-0.  Turning final.

RADIO (still crackly):  Understood, 8-4-9er.  (pause)  You are clear to drop.

(The pilot pulls back on the throttle knob, and the engine noise becomes almost silent.  She turns around to face the skydivers for the first time.)

PILOT:  All right, gentlemen!  This is jump-run!  Winds are from the southwest at about five knots, and remember to watch for traffic.  Have fun! (turning back to her cockpit)

(Mike gets up and steps over to the door.  He bends down and yanks it all the way up.  The SOUND of air whooshes in.  The student’s eyes widen with fear, and he quickly re-buckles his seatbelt and leans away from the door.)

CHRIS:  Burr!  God damn it’s cold!

JUMPMASTER (chuckling):  Hey, you can’t put your seatbelt back on now.  This is our stop.

STUDENT:  (teeth chattering)  Why is it so cold?

CHRIS:  Altitude, son!  It gets five degrees colder every thousand feet.  So its 75 degrees colder up here than it was on the ground.

MIKE:  Don’t worry, though.  It’ll get warm quickly, especially if you wait as long as possible to dump your chute.  You can be down in a real hurry if you want to.

JUMPMASTER (flashing Mike a warning look):  Don’t worry, outside you’ll have more interesting things to think about then how cold it is.  Look down there.  (he points and the student looks down).  Isn’t it beautiful from up here?  You leave all your problems far below you.  I bet you’re not thinking about your tests, your loans, or any of that.  I’ve got over 3,000 jumps and its still just like my first time when I get up here.  Do you see the airport?  Okay, can you see the field next to it?  That’s where we’re gonna put down.  Is your mom down there?  Or a girlfriend?  Can you see them?

STUDENT:  Wow.  I think I can see my car.  It’s tiny from up here.  My girlfriend should be down there somewhere too.  I hope she’s not too worried about me.  Will she be able to see us?

JUMPMASTER:  Nah.  Not for a while.  She can probably just barely see our plane right now, but she won’t see us until we dump our parachutes.  And how high will you be when you pull?

STUDENT:  4,000 feet.

JUMPMASTER:  Right.  Remember, I want you to wave off and pull at 4500.

CHRIS (walking toward Mike at the door):  Alright, Mike.  You know what time it is.

MIKE:  Yeah!  Beef-Jerky Time!

(They slap each other’s rigs and give each other five.)

CHRIS:  Rock and Roll, Baby!  (turning back to the student with a thumbs-up)  Hey, good luck kid!

MIKE:  Yeah.  Break a leg!  (Chris mock-slaps Mike)  Just kidding!

(The two up-jumpers grab onto each other’s forearms and dive out the door.  They land on mats in the orchestra pit, ideally out of the audience’s view.)

JUMPMASTER:  Alright, Steve.  This is it.  Our turn.  You all set?

STUDENT (shaking his head no):  I don’t think so, Ray.

JUMPMASTER:  Come on, son.  This is the moment you’ve been training all day for.  I’ve done everything I can for you up to this point, but you’ve gotta do the rest.  I’ll be right beside you for the whole free-fall, but you’re the one who’s going to make the skydive.  It’s your responsibility to make the final decision.

(The student continues to ponder and stall, alternating between looking out the door and down at his feet.  Finally, the pilot turns around again.)

PILOT (yelling):  It’s now or never, Ray.  We’re at the end of the run.

(The jumpmaster looks at the pilot, and then glances at the student.  The student is still pale with nervousness.  The pilot smiles with understanding at the student and her expression softens.)

JUMPMASTER:  Well, wha’daya say Steve?

PILOT (kindly to the student):  Hey.  It’s alright.  You can do it.  Think: if you don’t go now, you’ll have the rest of your life to wonder what you missed.  But if you do go, you’ll be on the ground before you even realize you’re scared.

(The jumpmaster looks expectantly at the student, who after a long moment of decision, finally nods his head with resolve.  The jumpmaster grins and helps the student stand up, and they walk toward the door.  The pilot smiles, and turns back to the cockpit.)

JUMPMASTER:  Just like we practiced on the ground, remember?

(The student nods, and the jumpmaster climbs out and holds on to the edge of the plane, facing inward.  He holds the student’s arm, and slowly the student climbs out to his left.  They both hang outside the plane and the student looks terror stricken.  The jumpmaster yells short clipped commands at full volume.)

JUMPMASTER:  Look left!

 (Student looks left.) 

JUMPMASTER:  Look right! 

(Student looks right.) 

JUMPMASTER:  Ready! 

(They both hold their left legs behind them out into the air.) 

JUMPMASTER:  Set! 

(They swing their left forward legs back into the plane.) 

JUMPMASTER:  Go! 

(They swing their left legs back out again, this time releasing with their hands and falling away from the plane and down into the orchestra pit.)

PILOT:  Yolo Tower.  Cessna 8-4-9er is clear the jump-run and returning for landing.