whats the most amazing/beautiful thing you have seen under canopy?

[wmw999 2,445]

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My open main after I packed it for the first time.
P-

It's probably similar to mine; my Starlite main is still one of the prettiest things under canopy. It was a white rainbow, with white on the front and back, and 5-color rainbows radiating out the side. It made me feel free and happy to look at it.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[mujie96 0]

Me.

Just keep swimming...just keep swimming....

[flypunk 0]

my bright orange fully inflated & funcitonal reserve on top of my head after a spinning mal.

...

[Laraine 0]

I did my first balloon jump on the weekend at the Mansfield Balloon festival.

After whingeing about getting out of bed at such a ridiculous hour and the fact that it was freezing, the experience of silent freefall for the first few seconds was amazing.

The sky was a brilliant blue and I shared the canopy ride with about twenty other balloons against a backdrop of mountain ranges. It felt really good to be alive.

[brits17 0]

Was at collegiates in Lake Wales, FL a couple years ago doing a sport accuracy jump. At 3K, I look beside me and there's a bird (medium to large size, and I have no clue what kind, so don't ask) flying directly 90 degrees to my right, about 15 feet away. He stayed with me for about 1K feet as we flew around each other. At 1500, I realized I'd better let the bird do its own thing as I had to concentrate on the target now But that was the coolest thing ever.

_______________________
aerialkinetics.com

[damion75 0]

My first ever jump (static line) three years before I learned to jump properly. We just got to jump as a storm front was coming in and under canopy I had the best view if this enormous storm cloud approaching, shadowed with purple and orange highlights from the sunset.

There were also some tiny snow flurries which caught the sunlight too and shone like little beams of light.

I fluffed the landing but I was still smiling.

***************

Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

[Unstable 9]

Um, on my very first skydive ever, my own parachute was the most beautiful thing I could have ever hoped to see!!

=========Shaun ==========

[WrongWay 0]

A tracking dive at sunset at Skydive Sebastian this february. It was beautiful. There was the lake on one side, and a beautiful sunset on the other. I wanted to stay up there forever.

Wrong Way
D #27371 Mal Manera Rodriguez Cajun Chicken Ø Hellfish #451
The wiser wolf prevails.

[livendive 8]

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Blue skies and colored leaves. - Dan Rossi

Ahh...I remember that post by Dan on rec.skydiving some years ago. It's particularly relevant to this thread, so I'll paste the rest of it.

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Yeah, I know, I'm the last guy you'd expect to have something to
say on this topic. But in the spirit of all the story telling
that's been going on around here, I thought I would share some
thoughts with the group.

It was a number of years ago, back when I was living in Ohio and
doing a lot of jumping at Cleveland Sport. It was late October and
the season was winding down. I sniveled onto the last load of the
day just to grab some air. I was only going up to 6.5 and was
wearing just my sweatshirt and jeans. It was cool but not very
cold yet. That certain temperature where you know winter is on
it's way but you've still got some time before the first snows
cover the run-way..

I can't say I remember anything about the plane ride or the free
fall itself, probably just another 20 seconds of style series or
something like that. The canopy ride was uneventful and would not
have stuck in my mind except for one thing.

I was just drifting around enjoying the cool air. I could even
smell the leaves on the ground. I remember thinking that was
pretty neat and decided to slow down the canopy and hang in the
quiet air for a while. I sunk into deep breaks and just let the
canopy hang above a stall. It was so quiet and the air was just so
crisp and smelled so wonderful, it was a very peaceful moment.

Suddenly, my radio crackled to life. Now the guy who usually talks
me down is not known for his "mildness". He is usually harassing
me, telling me he's going to have me try to do a hook-turn landing,
just generally joking around and so on. Well anyway, on this
particular talk-down he was apparently in a thoughtful mood. In a
much softer and mellower tone than his usual bark I heard him
saying:

"Hey Dan. The sun is just about going down. It will probably be
down by the time you get on the ground. If you could look off to
the west you'd see it setting. It looks real nice. And the moon
is just rising in the East. You can see it very clearly. And
below you all the leaves have turned color and are all these great
shades of red and yellow and gold. It's really beautiful."

It was perfect timing. Hanging under that canopy in the cool air,
smelling the leaves, picturing the scenery. It was really
beautiful. I could see it in my mind as clear as day. The way the
sun looks when it's setting. It looks like the edge of the world
is on fire. All those shades of red and yellow shifting and
sliding down the sky. The big mottled grey face of the moon slowly
creeping up to replace the sun. And those leaves. The image of
those leaves was very powerful. I'd seen them before. I'd seen
them from above just like I was seeing them now.

You see, I haven't been blind all my life. It was back in the late
fall of 1974, I was seven years old at the time. The time was
drawing near for me to go into the hospital to have my second eye
removed. My family was trying to expose me to many visual stimuli
so that I might remember them in the future. Trips to Manhattan,
out to the ends of Long Island, relatives, all that stuff. Well,
one of the last things we did was for me and my dad to go for a
plane ride. I believe it was a 172 but don't remember
specifically. We flew around the island a bit and even got
permission to fly over Manhattan. I saw the twin towers, the
Empire State building, the statue of Liberty, and the hospital
where I'd be going. But when we flew over Long Island on the way
back home I remember looking down and seeing carpets of red and
gold leaves. Some of them in the trees and many on the ground. It
was a beautiful sight. One that has stuck with me all these years.
And when my radio-man mentioned it, that vivid flash of color came
into my head again. I'd seen this before and it was just as
beautiful as it had been long ago.

So, for all of you jumpers living in areas that get to experience
the magic of the changing of the leaves don't forget to stop and
look around when that time comes. It can truly be an inspiring
view.

Blue skies and colored leaves.

Flare when you hear the crickets.


Dan

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[Skyrad 0]

My reserve!

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[sdgregory 0]

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A hawk once flew formation with me for a short time while I was doing a tandem at Otay. It was impressive how "dirty" he had to get - wings partly folded, feathers flapping around - to stay with me.

Ditto on the "dirty" flying. Makes ya feel like an intruder, huh?

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Last year at the inugural Bytch Boogie, myself and about 10 or so other people made a sunset cross-country flight where they dropped us several miles over the ocean and we flew our canopies back to the DZ. Here are a few pictures which I captured from my camcorder on that dive.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[sdgregory 0]

I am actually a softy so stories like this would normally touch me anyway, but for some reason I cannot explain, it seems that this one touches me a little more today than usual.

Thank God for the gifts we do have.

[spidermonky 0]

I think there are amazing sights every jump, but last week the clouds were soo nice.

[chuckbrown 0]

The mountains of El Yunque (Puerto Rico) at sundown.

[JRock 0]

Thankfully the ground.... Pbbft!


I would have to say Lake Elsinore.

[pajarito 0]

25,000ft under canopy going cross-country with my team over the mountains of Yuma, Arizona. I had only been out west once before in Portland, Oregon. We don't have mountains like that in the East. I was WAY up there but the mountains seemed so close. Humbling experience. Beutiful!!!

[pajarito 0]

I really can't spell for shit...

Beautiful

[smellysue 0]

Thank you jumpmunki i have to say your the nicest thing ive seen under canopy to.


Soppy fools we are........

[Shawndiver 0]

Flying a paraglider above the edge of the fog bank at Fort Funston in San Francisco, you can look down and see your shadow on top of the fog. Light refraction in the fog creates a circular rainbow around your shadow called a "glory", and it is truly a beautiful thing!

Shawn

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[IanHarrop 41]

The Rockies...

Followed a four man team out at 12,500 and opened right away to fly my then new, now old, canopy around back in 85 at Claresholm, Alberta.

The mountains were breath taking!

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[RkyMtnHigh 0]

I'd agree that at MileHi I love the sunset load and seeing the sunset behind the mountains...just as much I love seeing the sunset over the water..both give me goosebumps!

_________________________________________

[Kennedy 0]

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what's the most amazing/beautiful thing you have seen under canopy?

That would be the fully inflated and functional canopy over my head after it bow-tied and collapsed at around 800 feet. I was flying it again around 250-300. I'm told they heard me yelling at it on the farm below me.

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[Aviatrr 0]

The most beautiful thing I ever saw under canopy was a PD126R....fully inflated....at about 300'....nothing ever looked SO good in my life..

Mike

[TheAnvil 0]

Mount Ranier at sunset jumping at Kapowsin, WA

Vinny the Anvil

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!