Whats the best and worst?

[Slappie 9]

I know I'm new here and also very new to the sport of Skydiving. I'm addicted to it only after 3 jumps. 2 tandem and 1 AFP.
My question is this; What is the best part of your jumps? I mean the part of the jump you look forward too? and secondly what is the worst part? The part you don't actually want to do?
For me the best part is the feelings and mind numbing rush you get when you first leave the plane and arch back and watch the plane fly away. The one part I don't really look forward to is the landing 1. because the jump is over and 2. I sure don't wanna hurt myself or have anyone razz me about a face plant...ect... So I hope you all will put up with me.. I'm actually begining to feel a bit at home here and I am learning so much just reading the different threads somethings are better then others the jumpers websites are fun to look at and the pictures are wonderfull. I hope one day to be as good as some of you guys here and maybe get a raft dive!! That looks like a blast!!
I've typed enough and look forward to reading your answers to my mindless babblings Gota jump baybay!! Blue Skies!

[Watcher 0]

Well I personally enjoy the entire expirence, the rush to get suited up, the comradare on the plane to altitude, the wierd feeling as you lineing up at the door, the total freedom of exit, the total concentration on the actual skydive hiting one move after the next, the beep in my ear telling me to get the hell away from everyone, the throw out where im not sure if its going to open, the watching of the flower above my head till my slider comes down, the spirals to get down below everyone else to not cause uneeded traffic, the front riser apporach, the amazing feeling as you finish the flare on your surf to give you that little pop up, the walk back into the hanger talking about the dive.
Then the only bad part Packing, i dont really mind it that much unless im on like a 10 min call, i even pack my significant others or atleast finish it off for her (i seem to be able to close containers a bit better). But i enjoy the whole thing all in all
Jonathan
(sorry about the long sentence)

[freeflir29 0]

Favorite Part- A few seconds after I exit when I have picked up enough speed to transition and be stable head down. Solo exits are cool cause I go out standing up and let the wind take my feet out from under me making the transition easy. plus I get to watch the tail go by...
Parts i dont like- I guess the only thing I dont like is clearing air space and tracking as this can get a little hectic some times. Dont worry....landing will be fun when your skills increase and you can do some High performance landings. It is a fun part of the skydive.
"I used to know a girl...She had two pirced nipples and a black tattoo"-Everclear
Clay

[skymama 37]

The people involved in skydiving is a favorite part for me. There's lots of fun and good times and plenty of acceptance for everyone at my dz. It's hard to pick a favorite part of a dive, because they are all unique in their own right. But, I love the feeling of accomplishment I get when I am able to do something that I had been working on, like being stable on a RW exit, turning new points, learning how to sit-fly, controlling the canopy better, a sweet landing, etc. It makes me feel less like a student and more like a "real skydiver". Even though I have 60+ jumps, there is still so much more to learn, which makes it so exciting.
The worst part- definitely packing!
Andrea
"Up high, I feel like I'm alive for the very first time"

[Slappie 9]

Thanks you guys. I'm enjoying everything you've said. I'm sitting here and nodding my head to everything that has been posted..
Thanks again Gota jump baybay!! Blue Skies!

[Stacy 0]

mine is 4way related of course... the best thing for me is when you exit as a group, exit is beautiful- start turning points on the hill with four people looking right at each other- and even though you can't talk to each other through a full face you can read each others' minds while cranking out the points. Like talking to each other without words.
the worst? Besides injury I don' t think ther is anything negative. Negativity seems to ruin dives. It is always a bad thing when a packer gives you a step through or some annoyance like that, but if nothing like that ever happened, would half the stories you hear around the bar still exist?
Stacy
http://astro.temple.edu/~sweeks

[FallinWoman 1]

Best?? All of it, sitting by the door on the ride up, the perfect exit, playing in the air, the contrast of the violence of freefall and the serenity of canopy flight...
Worst?? Monday morning, knowing you can't jump til Saturday!!
Blue skies,
Anne

[mouth 0]

You can close it better because you are larger and stronger.
I do appreciate it though...thank you.

[freaksister 0]

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I'm actually begining to feel a bit at home here and I am learning so much just reading the different threads somethings are better then others

Some things are better than others huh? Like what? The overt references to sex? Alcholism? Crazy dz.commers posting whatever comes to mind that moment? HAHAHAHA
Well, you'll just have to pardon those of us who are too bored to do anything else except try to annoy you.Anyway, welcome to our sport and our little psychotic family!
What I love most: Exiting the aircraft. I get a huge thrill out of just letting go of the last thing tying me to the earth (for the next 60 seconds anyway!) Otherwise, I like freefall and I love the social aspect of skydiving. I love the people I meet!
I don't like packing...makes me too sweaty. I also worry about packing a mal.
Now this is different: What scares me the most? (Not what I don't like) Canopy control. I love flying my parachute but it scares me a lot. landings scare me too. But I look at that part as a big challenge, always room for improvement! I just think: OK -Conquer those nerves, conquer those shitty landings!! I am finally getting more into challenging myself in freefall...I find myself MUCH more comfortable than ever before in everything. It just takes time. I look forward to having like 500 or 5000 jumps. I wonder how my outlook will change by then! Sis
I don't want the meaning of life, I want the experience of being alive!

[Slappie 9]

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Some things are better than others huh? Like what? The overt references to sex? Alcholism? Crazy dz.commers posting whatever comes to mind that moment? HAHAHAHA

NO NO Not that!! Those are the things that make me feel at home!! I guess I ummm said it the wrong way.. scratches his head wonderin what he did mean by that statement hmmmmmm things that make you go "hmmmmm"
Gota jump baybay!! Blue Skies!

[mountainman 0]

Most of you sound just like me when it comes to the BEST part of the skydive: all the way from gearing up to walking back to the hanger.
Worst part....packing would have to be one and leaving the DZ. Man...when I leave the DZ, I just feel so depressed that I wont be back for awhile. Ah well....
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[Zennie 0]

Hmmmmm... I love it all.
I probably like packing the least mainly because I'm so slow. Post jump debriefs for RW can be sorta stressful.
Actually I thought of something I don't like.... DZ politics. But that's everywhere and it's tolerable at my DZ.
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Blue Skies!
Zennie

[Watcher 0]

Are you talking about my upper body.....or my lower body.....?
Jonathan

[chronistin 0]

the best?
everything from aircraft takeoff to canopy landing
the worst?
packing.
Have fun, stay safe...
Andrea

*************************************
http://www.wortwerkstatt.at/skydiving

[FallingMarc 0]

The parts that still give me that little extra burst of adrenaline every time are leaving the plane, and watching my canopy open. I'd agree that every single part of a skydive is unique and fun in its own way... the best part of jumping in general though, has got to be when you plan out a dive, or try to do something that you haven't been able to get quite right, and it all just goes perfectly smooth... what a great feeling!
Marc

[grasshopper 0]

the best: landing fast
the worst: backstabbing and DZ politics
the easiest: packing
the scariest: watching others land poorly

[Aviatrr 0]

The best is a toss up......the first few seconds out the door, or the last few seconds under canopy.. Everything in between is awesome, but those two things are the best to me.. The cramped-ass plane ride I could do without.. I love those Twotter loads with 10 people - but 22 is waaaay to damn many..
The worst has got to be waiting for a load.. Ya know, those busy weekends, ya get down, go to manifest, and they tell ya it'll be an hour.. You pack, grab some grub, and still have 30+ minutes to wait.. That sucks.. Packing is not so bad - I prefer to do it myself, rather than have a packer do it, for peace of mind.. Both of my cutaways were packer induced(massive tension knot causing slider hangup, and step through) - so I'm much more relaxed at pull time if I packed it myself..
I'd have to say, overall, the people are what makes this sport the best.. Think about it - how fun would it be if everybody jumped solo, and we never hung out together? Not too fun.. The comraderie is the best part..
Mike

[Ninja 0]

AN HOUR!?!? That is nothing
Ive never been able to jump as quick as an hour. holy shit..
Once I had to wait 2 FUCKING DAYS! Was I mad? Yes.

[Iflyme 0]

Slappie, I'd have to say, after much consideration, that I like flying my canopy the best -- but really, I love the entire experience, from the moment I pull out of the driveway on the way to the DZ (the anticipation is great) to the beers with other skydivers afterwards. The worst part? We land in Farmer McNasty's field several kilometres from the airport, and get a ride back in the "pick-up van"... walking across the field in full gear on a hot day and the ride back to the DZ is the part I could do without.

[Snowflake 0]

Being the vetran that I am at 35 jumps here is my .02
Best: ahhh like everyone else said the whole deal from gear up to touchdown
Worst: packing a ZP canopy (hated it)
JG

[froggie 0]

favorite part of the skydive : standing in the door getting ready to do a 2 way, whether its a belly jump or a tracking dive. Just being in the door, yelling an exit count with a good friend smiling right back in my face. when im jumping by myself my favorite part is waving and smiling at my friends who are still in the door.
I also like packing. YES FOLKS, I SAID THAT I LIKE PACKING!!! WTF?!?! NO, SHES NOT CRAZY.
It's something that i find rewarding , and Ive been taught some good techniques that make it a hella lot easier.
my least favorite part is manifesting. or at least that time right before manifesting. check ground winds.. are they good for me to jump? watch landings. study winds. study landing patterns. go manifest. get jumping clothes on, get geared up. go to boarding area.
i tend to be lazy, so i need a bit of motivation to get manifested. but once i do im good to go. i just dont like the whole "whats jumping conditions like today?" part of it. besides that, i bust my ass working on the dz the majority of the time i'm there.. its nice to lay around and not be bound to any classroom.
kel

[Aviatrr 0]

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Ive never been able to jump as quick as an hour. holy shit..
Once I had to wait 2 FUCKING DAYS! Was I mad? Yes

Move to Florida and you won't have that problem.. With multiple turbine aircraft at many DZ's, the wait time is usually not too bad..
Uhhh, no, wait a second.. The wait is 6-8 hours normally here.. We jump strictly 182's.. Don't move down here.. If you do, my wait time may increase.. Mike

[Slappie 9]

DONT COME TO HOUSTON EITHER!!!!!!! As a student and in need of a JM to make jumps my wait time is incredibly long!! Sheeeeesh I mean I can't really complain because I was a tandem jumper, but now I want my JUMPS in!! And have to wait and wait and wait until all the TL1's get there jumps in before a JM can come supervise me, with time and the fact I'm going to start going during the week hopefully this will rectify it's self ASAP!!
Gota jump baybay!! Blue Skies!

[mountainman 0]

I know that feeling...my wife and I wait forEVER to get our jumps in at Richmond. Recently they never have their Otter and the Beech 18 has been down for like 2 months.
On top of that, they never have pilots there to fly the Cessnas. I dont mine the Cessna, but as long as there is someone to fly them. I have heard that the problem is solved, so I'll find out next weekend.
Good luck getting done!!
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[PhreeZone 20]

Come back to the land of the CASA and Westwinds.........
Do I HAVE to do another raft dive???

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