Love 'em or hate 'em, at least two night skydives are required for the USPA D-license, so if you want to continue to progress in the sport at some point or another you have to do them.

It says something to me when some of the most kick-ass radical skydivers you know suddenly get sort of quiet and serious when you bring up the subject of night skydives.

There is something special, kind of scary and almost magical about walking through the sky with the Moon and stars. The carpet of lights made by the city below become just another constellation in the sky and for a brief moment time stands still with you at the center of a vast endless expanse of night.

Flying small airplanes, I've found that once the Sun sets, the air is smoother, less crowded and allows for some sights that can only be experienced by a creature of the night.

I knew this experience would truly be unique and would be worth many times the effort.

I'd been planning and looking forward to this for a long time.

Several months before I had contacted OmniGlow, the makers of Cyalume "light sticks" and had asked for samples of various types so that I could perform some tests to determine which might actually be legal as a sole means of illumination for the skydive. The actual regulation, FAR 105.33(a), is worded in a rather vague way and says the skydiver must be, "equipped with a means of producing a light visible for at least 3 statute miles."

Well, OmniGlow makes some fine products and some really bright ones at that, but I can now tell you for certain that the "normal" 6 inch, green, 12-hour light sticks -- the ones being worn by just about every jumper except me -- are NOT visible for at least 3 statute miles.

I saw some jumpers covered from head to foot using them and while the effect was stunning up close, these same jumpers simply vanished into the night at about a quarter of a mile. I could actually see them better by the reflected Moonlight than the light sticks.