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Yosemite Sam once said, "There are no second acts in American lives." Today we prove him wrong. The last time we ran this deal, more than 1600 Chicagoans took the plunge, along with a sizable cohort of the Groupon staff. Maybe you got that Groupon, or maybe you hesitated and have regretted it ever since. This is your chance to erase past mistakes or recapture past glories—this is your chance to fly like a unicorn through the wild blue yonder. With today's Groupon, put the extreme back in X-mas with a last-minute gift that will satiate thrill seekers and initiate first timers: for $120, you get a tandem leap for one (the other half of that tandem is your guardian angel) from 14,000 feet at Chicagoland Skydiving Center, a $209 value.

CSC is closed for the winter (for fear of collisions with Tiny Tim as he conducts his adorable annual reindeer joyride) but reopens in April. Your Groupon is good from opening day until July 31, leaving plenty of time next summer to reach for the sky from above. In season, its facilities are open seven days a week. Call ahead to schedule your jump.

The sky is clear from the Hinckley, Illinois, drop zone (west of Naperville on Route 30) for great views of the Chicago area and Lake Michigan while you flutter in ecstasy above the earth. CSC is the third-best skydiving spot in the country, according to dropzone.com. Since 1968, it has successfully delivered more than 100,000 people packages to earth while maintaining a perfect student safety record. Tandem means the novice skydiver is connected via a harness to an instructor. It's the jump of choice for first-timers. After a 30-minute orientation, one of Chicagoland Skydiving Center's friendly, professional instructors will guide you through the whole jump, from exit through free fall to piloting the canopy and landing. Since you're in front of the instructor with your own altimeter and ripcord, it feels like you're skydiving on your own.

People who are scared of heights expect to be scared stiff by jumping out of an airplane and hurtling through the air, but many of them are surprised to find they're totally comfortable. A good deal of acrophobia (the fear of heights and acroi) has to do with seeing objects in relation to one another—at 2,500 feet, the ground is so far away that the flattened depth perception decreases acrophobics' instinctive fears. People who skydive say the feeling of pure freedom is unparalleled, the adrenaline rush is addictive, facing one's fears is satisfying, and falling out of the sky is pretty good.

Chicagoland Skydiving Center uses state-of-the-art gear serviced by FAA-certified technicians. CSC's aircraft allow you to jump with friends rather than going down one at a time. Skydiving is the perfect way to celebrate a birthday, sweat out premarital terror for a bachelor or bachelorette party, or take a glorious leap into retirement.

Reviews

Yelpers and reviewers on the skydiving site dropzone.com give Chicagoland Skydiving Center a perfect five-star rating:

• I had my first sky diving experience today and it was awesome. The trainers walk you through the entire process and they are really friendly. – neo.donald, dropzone.com
• I was made to feel welcome the minute I set foot on their grounds. Pet friendly. Great vibe. AWESOME staff. I can't say enough great things. – ItalnIrishDude, dropzone.com
• A big group of us went there and faced our height fears! Great staff, great video, and just a great process and experience. I recommend you going and facing your fears! – Stella Y., Yelp