Brian Filipiak, 24, works for Skydive Chicago.
He has a COOL JOB as a Skydive Instructor.
“It’s not like a job. It’s more like a lifestyle. Hurling yourself out of a plane at 120 MPH 8 times a day really puts things in perspective for you,” said Filipiak.
A Day in the Life of:
Each morning he wakes up at dawn and freefalls from 15,000 feet out of a plane at 120 mph. He repeats this 15 to 20 times a day. The hanger at Skydive Chicago is buzzing with people at six thirty in the morning as Filipiak and his fellow national 10-way teammates hop aboard for the first run of the day. They have their sights set on winning the gold medal again this year at the national 10-way competition. The team practices a Right Flyer formation four times that morning. In between each run they congregate in Filipiak’s office to watch the jump on video. Around 9:30, Filipiak’s students start rolling in. This is when his job begins. His first student of the day is getting ready to complete her first solo freefall jump, without her instructor holding on. He says that skydiving is a good mental and physical release and he loves teaching people. “I like passing it on to someone else,” said Filipiak. Filipiak spends the rest of the day teaching his students. Some are beginners and others are working towards their certification. It takes 18 jumps to become a certified AFP instructor. When the sun goes down, he has a whole new day to think about, and just about every day is a good one for him.
How He Got That Gig:
“It’s like therapy for the soul.” That’s how Filipiak describes his career choice as a skydiving instructor. Five years ago, he was driving in his car when a radio commercial sounded really interesting. It was a commercial
for Skydive Chicago www.skydivechicago.com and Filipiak thought to himself ‘why not
try something cool?’ — he made his first jump a week later. “I wasn’t scared at all during my first
jump,” he said, “after I made my first jump I paid for the whole training program and went through
it as soon as possible.” He got certified in two months and began teaching soon after.
Honor Role:
• Member of the 1999 gold medal national 10-way team
• Has over 1600 Skydive Jumps
• Static Line Instructor
• Tandem Instructor
• Advanced Freefall Program (AFP) Instructor
• Is competing as part of a 300-person formation world record attempt (August 13th-20th)
• Certified pilot to fly his Piper Aztec twin engine plane
High Five: “I like it all. I like free falling, I like my parachute and I love the teaching,” said Filipiak, “Being able to take somebody and teach them something that changed my life so much is a great feeling.”
Down Low: Nothing — he loves his job!!
Ultimate Jump:
“Every day you come up with something new and great,” said Filipiak.
Wish List:
“The gold medal last year was great. I definitely want to do that again. I’d also
like to make 10,000 jumps with no injuries.”
Expenses:
Skydiving is not a cheap hobby. It costs $2,000 to become a certified licensed skydiving instructor and an additional $4,000 for equipment. “The equipment can make all the difference so make sure to get the best,” said Filipiak.
Words from the Wise:
“It’s a dangerous sport only if you make it dangerous. The key is to double check everything.”
Paying The Bills:
During the busy summer season, Skydiving instructors can make between $800 and $1,500 per week.
For More Information:
www.skydivechicago.com
