The fast way down

TRENTON - I tell you, the show is much different from the air than it is from the ground.
New Glasgow police Const. Ken MacDonald got me to do this. Looking back, I'm glad he did. MacDonald seems to have a knack for putting us reporters in situations outside our comfort zones. It's friendly payback, perhaps.
This time it was standing in the rear hatch of an airplane, a CASA CN 212-200, at 6,000 feet watching most of Pictou County slowly roll across the horizon. The Skyhawks, the Canadian Forces parachute display team, are preparing for their second jump of the day.
It would take a normal person weeks to work up the courage for their first jump. For these guys and gals, it's just another day at the office, with a couple of extra fist bumps thrown in.
Cpl. Andrew Pertus, the lone Nova Scotian on the team, says they're not immune to a bout of nervousness now and again.
"My jump was pretty exciting today," he said following the demonstration. "We started on the ground getting ready, getting all our gear set to go. The nerves are going a bit, but it was a good day.
"I've done 100 jumps. Every once and a while you get the butterflies."
The Skyhawks look like a well-oiled machine. All are in the military. Some are infantry but there are medical techs and clerks as well - they're all in great shape. Each had to try out for this demonstration team. They're remarkably professional and answer questions with detail and efficiency.
Waiting for takeoff in Trenton, Annie Thibodeau approaches and introduces herself. Pte. Thibodeau, from Bathurst, is one of the medical technicians on the team. She's got a sleeve of tattoos on one arm and she wants me to put on a harness.
If you're one of the few in the plane not wearing a parachute, they snug you into a full body harness. Onboard, two small cables run the length of the aircraft, which allow movement up and down its body. They also provide a smaller hitch for your camera. Wouldn't want to drop that - or the keys. You'd really be out of luck then.
During takeoff, the Skyhawks sit facing each other on both sides of the plane. It's cramped. Thibodeau assures me it feels a lot smaller with the rest of the team's luggage on board.
She tells me the plane will be making three passes over the drop zone - Scott Weeks field in Parkdale. During takeoff, the hatch remains open. The plane climbs to several thousand feet and a team member begins a wind check. As we climb, the temperature drops about 10 degrees. They begin an equipment check. My harness is looked over and I'm given a firm slap on the shoulder to tell me things look good.
The team throws a set of multi-coloured streamers out the rear hatch. I'm told they have to wait until they reach the ground before the first jump. Among other things the streamers also help assess wind speed. A two-minute warning is given and the secret handshakes begin.
The Skyhawks don't stand on ceremony. When the first jump is called, they exit the hatch quickly. You only see them for a couple of seconds before they disappear below the plane. You see them again after their chutes open. They look like jellyfish floating above the landscape - jellyfish painted with the Canadian flag.
There's not much time for freefall either. Pertus, the only Nova Scotian on the team, tells me later that they're counting for about four seconds before pulling their chutes open. It's a public demonstration after all, and the public on the ground wants to see parachutes.
Thibodeau says she's focused on the task at hand.
"Middle of a jump … it's positioning. It's different for all jumpers because there are different formations."
She carried the Skyhawks flag, but was keeping an eye on the other two flags which make up the formation they call the Canadian T.
"I think things went well. We had a good show jump."
Another day at the office.