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THE SPOOKY SKIES — I love movies, and for some of you that is no surprise. For others, you'er probably thinking, "How full of himself is this guy that he thinks I know anything about him?"
That's fair, but I love movies.
While I love most genres of film, I have to say I have a sweet spot for action flicks. The "Mission: Impossible" franchise, as a matter of fact, is a favorite of mine. (Well, all except film No. 2, but I don't have time to get into that). Not only have the last few entries in the franchise had strong stories, interesting characters and plenty of drama, they have also had some of the greatest action sequences ever committed to film. Watching Tom Cruise jump out of an actual airplane in "Fallout" got my heart pounding.
But when you think about it, that "Fallout" stint pales in comparison to what videographer Bernard Janse van Rensburg caught on camera in South Africa.
Rensburg was filming a jump with a team that was going to do some formations. But as most of them were outside the plane waiting to jump something went terribly wrong. The plane stalled and went into a nosedive. The jumpers went for it, but the plane freefell and nearly hit some of the divers. This is what Rensburg had to say about the incident:
"I felt the plane 'slip' once and then twice, after which I knew something was wrong and decided to let go of the now banking aircraft. This all happened inside of just a few seconds," he wrote in the YouTube description. "Those on the outside of the door and immediately inside of the door followed. With nine of us initially in the sky, there were still five skydivers inside of the aircraft. The moment was surreal and I could not believe what I was seeing. Everything happened in slow motion and I remember thinking, 'am I really seeing the plane spinning nose down next to us.' After the spin, the aircraft started to veer underneath us but luckily did not make contact."
The plane started to stabilize and one more jumper exited the aircraft. The plane then regained full control and eventually landed safely.
Rensburg, however, had a job to do and he wasn't going to mess it up. After he saw the plane was going to be OK, he rejoined the team and continued to film the jump. Incredible.
I'll watch Tom Cruise jump out of a plane or hang from a helicopter all day long, but nothing has made my heart beat like this video. Hard to believe it was real life and not a Hollywood stunt.
