81-year-old KPLE-TV Killeen, TX GM Catherine Mason did, indeed, make her first-ever skydive on Memorial Day Weekend as a fundraiser for the Christian station’s DTV equipment. She said the freefall was “a bit much,” but once the parachute deployed “it was absolutely awesome.”
“I did a lot of praying while I was in the airplane up there,” Mason said in an interview with the station’s camera crew after getting back on the ground. The GM said she had a little difficulty getting out of the plane because of her two knee replacements. They also caused a bit of concern on the landing. “I was afraid for a split second that I might have jammed my right knee implant, but two young men quickly hoisted me up, and got me out of the chute strings,” she wrote in her online description of the experience.
A photographer for the skydiving service also jumped at the same time that Mason made her tandem jump with an experienced skydiver. She looked pretty enthused as she waved at the photographer while falling through the air. Click here to see the video posted on the KPLE website.
KPLE is still raising money to cover its $300,000 in costs for the DTV transition.
