Illinois Skydiving Center, Paxton

As the prop engine murmurs and the plane reaches its cruising altitude, there's a moment when one of two things happens. Either your stomach drops, even before the rest of your body does, or a calming sensation takes over and a moment of zen occurs. Regardless of how you react to the anticipation of jumping out of the plane, the actual experience of flying is worth the uncertainty. As soon as you emerge from the aircraft, you'll enter an exhilarating free fall before deploying a parachute and gliding safely back to land, finally proving to your middle school sweetheart that you are, in fact, not a bird.

The certified instructors at Illinois Skydiving Center can fly with beginners during tandem jumps or train students to skydive on their own through programs that teach safety, jumping techniques, and parachute deployment. Flights can also be recorded so that students return home with a DVD copy of their flights.