For Spencerport native Brian LeSchander, things have come full-circle in a remarkable way.
LeSchander is marking his 40th anniversary as a skydiver and his 60th birthday this year and was able to celebrate the milestones by making a jump on the exact day as his first jump and out of the same airplane.
“I consider myself blessed to have this experience,” LeSchander says of the sport that has brought him decades of unbelievable thrills and very dear friends with whom he shares an intense bond. “The people I have met in this sport are second to none,” he says. “It’s an amazing thing to share with others.”
On July 5, LeSchander celebrated his 40th year of skydiving with a jump at the Perry/Warsaw Airport in Wyoming County. Friends Jim and Sue Beck of Hilton opened Rochester Skydivers at the airport in May and Brian was on hand for the grand opening. He mentioned his desire to make a special jump on July 5th and the Becks were determined to help him make it happen.
Amazingly, LeSchander was able to make the jump out of the same airplane from which he made his first jump, as the Becks are the current owners of the plane. “For an airplane to stay local is remarkable,” he says. “Skydiving is hard on airplanes. It’s remarkable the plane made it.”
The jump was documented with video and photographs and Brian’s wife got to go up in the airplane with him. Following the jump, there was a luncheon party with 50-75 people. “It was pretty nice,” Brian says.
The experience of skydiving and free falling creates, “… an exhilaration like nothing else,” Brian explains. “It can jade other experiences.”
He notes that before the parachute opens, the jump is noisy, but that once the parachute is deployed, “It is silent and relaxing under the canopy. Landing safely is also an art in itself.”
LeSchander has taken part in what he calls “major league” formation skydiving at The Ranch outside New York City. He describes the experience of “flying my body” in formations with up to 100 skydivers. “I was lucky to be on those dives,” he says.
“It really brings out the best in you. It’s really an art — color set in space above the ground and in a few moments it will be gone.”
He confesses that if he had had children, he might not have continued with the sport for so many years, but notes that children of skydiving friends are comfortable with it, including its risks. When the time is right, they are ready to take part in tandem jumps themselves, he says.
“In (a) 40 year span, I have accumulated over 3,000 jumps with more than 50 hours of freefall and earned a “D” license expert certification as recognized with The United States Parachute Association,” LeSchander says.
LeSchander acknowledges the dangers of skydiving, but he explains that it is truly unforgiving only “when you go outside the boundaries. Even messing up a landing can be deadly,” he says.
In his 60 years of life, LeSchander figures he has spent, “Fifty hours in free fall, detached from the earth.”
He says he probably peaked at the sport in his 30s and 40s, but wants to make a few more jumps, and continues to enjoy his many friends in skydiving. “Of all the people I’ve met, the dearest to me are the ones I’ve met at a drop zone,” he says.
Note: Provided photos used with this article by Dan McEneany and Karen LeSchander.
