4. JUMP
Yes, it's kinda scary. But despite the fact that you dart out of the airplane and reach speeds of 90 to 110 miles per hour during the first 10 seconds, freefalling doesn't even feel like falling. That's simply because the sensation of falling is primarily a mental one, caused by the sight of things moving closer or past us. During a freefall, most of what you'll feel is lots of wind and a small sensation of pressure against your body. It's more like floating than falling.
When you open your chute it's a different story. Once it opens, it feels like you're being stretched upwards. It doesn't hurt and lasts only about four seconds. After that, one steers the parachute using simple controls in each hand. Radio contact with the ground (via walkie talkies in your helmet) makes is very easy to "Right turn," "Left turn" your way to the ground.
As for landing, beginning jumpers use big, square parachutes that act more like gliders than umbrellas, making landing slow and soft (none of that G.I. Joe slapping to the ground). The landing is usually easy to maneuver, but keep in mind that most skydiving injuries are caused during landing. (When else are you going to injure yourself?! Crashing into a bird?!)
So this all sounds fine and dandy, but you still have a burning question: "What if the parachute doesn't open?" Yes, this is a concern - but not too big. You do have a second chance. By law, all parachute backpacks must be made with a main chute and a reserve chute that can be opened if the main chute is damaged, twisted, or simply doesn't come out. The FAA also requires that the reserve chute must be inspected and repacked every 120 days by an FAA-rated parachute rigger, even if it hasn't been used during that time. However, to get the reserve chute out depends on you.
