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At 20,000 feet, the air tends to thin out.
As the time approaches, John Thieson of Warsaw takes the oxygen mask off and prepares himself for what is going to happen in less than 20 seconds.
His heart rate is climbing as the others begin jumping. This was the 24th time in the past week he jumped from an airplane. They were only going to have one more chance to do it right before they would have to pack everything up and go home.
The world record for free fall is 200 people in formation. All that was going to change if they were successful in either of their last two attempts.
It was time.
Thieson approached the door and jumped.
Sixty-five seconds was all the time he had to get into position. If he lagged behind or did something wrong he would be removed from the lineup.
They had come close but were only able to hold the formation for 2.2 seconds. In order to defeat the world record, they would have to hold it for three seconds.
Thieson has tried to defeat the record twice before and failed. Both of those attempts were in Florida. This time it was Ottawa, Ill.
At some point during the day, Thieson completed jump number 2,800. He began jumping in 1982, when he was 23 years old.
Thieson said he has been after the world record for a long time.
On July 26, the last day of jumps, the second to last scheduled jump, that dream came true.
Two hundred and forty-six of the world's best skydivers held formation for 7.3 seconds at 19,500 feet and became the new world record holders.
"Never again," said Thieson when it was all over.
After going through the most physically, mentally and emotionally draining week of his life, he said he believed he has had enough.
Less than a week after the jump, though, Thieson is already thinking about what will be next.
For now, though, he will go back to teaching.
He is the chief instructor at Skydive Goshen and has taught 2,000 people how to jump.
After so many jumps, one might think it would become boring. He said he gets asked that question a lot and doesn't understand why.
According to Thieson, jumping out of a plane is never boring.
