80th Birthday Marked In The Sky

Elsie Chapman had thought about her 80th birthday celebration for so long that she could hardly believe it was here.

Her toes met the edge of the plane. She heard her guide count down: three… two… one…

And just like that, she was flying.

I am free falling, she thought, as gravity pulled her down two and a half miles through the air. I am free falling in the sky!

Chapman knew that she wanted to learn how to skydive at an older-than-typical age ever since she read that former President George H. W. Bush had done it at age 85. (“Although I may not agree with his politics… I thought, ​‘That looks cool!‘”)

She held onto the idea for many years — and decided to actually go for it in honor of her 80th birthday this month.

“My niece thought I was nuts,” Chapman recalled. ​“I checked with my primary care physician — she was excited.”

A longtime New Havener and historic preservation advocate, Chapman had recently moved out of her Wooster Square condo. ​“It was getting to be too many stairs,” she said. She found a ​“continuing care” retirement community in Wallingford — a place where she could continue living independently, but where someday she could benefit from heightened support.

She finds her new neighbors to be welcoming. ​“I have people coming up to me saying, ​‘Oh you’re so young!’ ” she said. ​“I’m turning 80!”

Chapman is a determined commemorator of birthdays. For her 65th, 70th, and 75th birthdays, she’s spent the day in New York City — and, each time, secured a spot in the live audience of the Today Show. She’s considering a similar trip at the end of the month — but she knew that this birthday had to involve skydiving. ​“I don’t know how many more I have.”

She started planning by Googling ​“Tandem Skydiving,” a beginner-friendly option in which Chapman would be strapped to a certified instructor throughout the dive. She decided to sign up with the Ellington-based company Connecticut Parachutists. While she turns 80 on Oct. 29, the date that worked out best happened to be a few weeks earlier on Oct. 4.

She prepared by wearing layers and gloves, knowing that the air is colder at higher altitudes. The company would also teach her how to position her body in a seated position while landing.

“I expected to be nervous,” said Chapman, who’s normally afraid of heights. Her nerves peaked when she had to sign a small mountain of paperwork relieving the company of liability for an activity ​“that may result in injury or death.” ​“It’s like signing away your first-born,” she joked. But she figured, ​“If I go, the guy I’m tethered to is going to go as well. So I’m sure he’s going to be careful.”

Chapman soon realized that she was the only customer who had signed up for the early-morning 8 a.m. time slot.

The pilot thought the weather was slightly too overcast, so he delayed the flight for about an hour. Chapman introduced herself to the crew and asked them about their lives. ​“Everybody was just so nice,” she recalled.

Soon, it was time for take-off.

“They tell you that you can back out literally at the last minute, until you exit the plane,” said Chapman. ​“I was nervous, but I was amazed at the degree to which I was calm. I was more excited.”

And suddenly, the countdown — and the fall.

I’m doing this! I’m doing this! I’m doing this! she thought.

Strapped to the certified guide, Chapman kept her eyes wide open (behind goggles) throughout the dive. She couldn’t see any city buildings nearby; just trees, farmland, a smattering of clouds, and the glowing horizon. ​“I’m afraid of heights, but up there, at that height it doesn’t matter,” she said. ​“You look around and it’s just — it’s amazing. … You cannot adequately explain the experience.”

After a couple of minutes, her guide released a red parachute to slow their fall.

“Life, there are no guarantees,” Chapman reflected. ​“Life is so short.” She had held onto her skydiving dream for so long that, by the time she was flying, she thought: ​“Golly, I’m finally in the moment.”

With both hands, she waved to the world.