NationStates Jolt Archive

I am curious how many of you have skydived? I have numerous times however that was when I was younger and crazier then I am now. I thought about going up again with the wife. Question is how do I convince her to do it? She is a bit timid to do anything really extreme. However I have pushed her before and got her to mountain climb with me which she really enjoyed after trying it.

once, one of the most scary but anticlimatic times of my life. i was bored by the time i landed. i mean, i loved it, but the parachute bit was boring.

I haven't...I'd like to though...

No, no, and no. And, erm...uh...no. :p

i mean, i loved it, but the parachute bit was boring.

what he said

though you forgot about the paying part :p

edit: I suggest telling your wife your going on vacation and then pushing her out when opportunity arises

Nah, I've never skydived. I have, however, jumped off some tall things, onto sand or into water. That's always fun. :)

I am curious how many of you have skydived? I have numerous times however that was when I was younger and crazier then I am now. I thought about going up again with the wife. Question is how do I convince her to do it? She is a bit timid to do anything really extreme. However I have pushed her before and got her to mountain climb with me which she really enjoyed after trying it.

I think you just found the answer... A boot in the rear end and out the door she goes.

I've got to say, though, that skydiving sounds stupid. I spent a good many hours in airplanes hoping I _didn't_ have to use the parachute the government gave me.

Why would I jump out of a perfectly good aircraft?

Why would I jump out of a perfectly good aircraft?

'Cause you only bought a one-way ticket?

I think you just found the answer... A boot in the rear end and out the door she goes.

I've got to say, though, that skydiving sounds stupid. I spent a good many hours in airplanes hoping I _didn't_ have to use the parachute the government gave me.

I always maintain you haven't lived unless you come close to death. Without throwing her into a combat zone I figure this is the second best thing. ;)

'Cause you only bought a one-way ticket?

That would be the case if I wasn't a pilot. Even if the pilot of the aircraft jumped out, I could land it. :D

Once. A tandem jump.

'Twas great fun. I wanted to go right back up, but that would have been too expensive.

Not yet. Within a few years since I turn 18 soon.

No but I want to.

Why would I jump out of a perfectly good aircraft?

Ask D B Cooper.

Always wanted to when I was younger, but I hadn't thought about it for years until I saw this thread. Now I'm wondering if I should do it, and the idea scares the shit out of me. But I still think it would be pretty cool...

I always maintain you haven't lived unless you come close to death. Without throwing her into a combat zone I figure this is the second best thing. ;)

I like roller-coasters. That's about as close to death as I want to be now-a-days.

Captain of Dundee Uni Skydiving Club be I. Gots 160 jumps so far and aiming to hit 200 by the end of the summer so I can finally gets me a camera helmet.

Why not take her along to a local DZ and watch a bit, or talk to a tandem master to reassure her. They generally have the most experience at convincing scared folks that jumping really is a good idea. Alternatively if there is a windtunnel nearby you could give her a shot at that for a couple of minutes and persuade her that way.

once, one of the most scary but anticlimatic times of my life. i was bored by the time i landed. i mean, i loved it, but the parachute bit was boring.

As you get more experienced you can downsize to smaller and smaller canopies which tends to spice up the canopy ride a good bit

Captain of Dundee Uni Skydiving Club be I. Gots 160 jumps so far and aiming to hit 200 by the end of the summer so I can finally gets me a camera helmet.

Why not take her along to a local DZ and watch a bit, or talk to a tandem master to reassure her. They generally have the most experience at convincing scared folks that jumping really is a good idea. Alternatively if there is a windtunnel nearby you could give her a shot at that for a couple of minutes and persuade her that way.

The windtunnel is not available at all civilian jumping schools. I agree with having her talk to a tandem master, and doing a few tandem jumps to get the feel of it.

Keep in mind that not everyone can get the hang of this - freefall parachuting requires some body control that is beyond some people (unless you like the spectacle of watching someone tumble uncontrollably).

As you get more experienced you can downsize to smaller and smaller canopies which tends to spice up the canopy ride a good bit

You can also hold the drogue in your hand, and play chicken (vs. another jumper) with the ground.

The windtunnel is not available at all civilian jumping schools. I agree with having her talk to a tandem master, and doing a few tandem jumps to get the feel of it.

Keep in mind that not everyone can get the hang of this - freefall parachuting requires some body control that is beyond some people (unless you like the spectacle of watching someone tumble uncontrollably).

I assume that Marrakech is talking about taking her for a tandem jump rather than RAPS or AFF so body position wouldn't really be a major issue.

You can also hold the drogue in your hand, and play chicken (vs. another jumper) with the ground.

Nice way to get tangled though. If you're planning on going low (which I wouldn't be a huge fan of doing especially since the CCI would probably ground me) why hold it at all when you can just leave it secured until ready?

Edit: and don't you mean pilot chute?

Nice way to get tangled though. If you're planning on going low (which I wouldn't be a huge fan of doing especially since the CCI would probably ground me) why hold it at all when you can just leave it secured until ready?

I find it opens quicker if you hold the drogue in your hand.

When I was younger, we used to go low (we used to have to disable the AAD - the altimeter that automatically deploys the chute if you fall below 1000 feet unopened). Yes, it's not something you want the local authorities to find out about.

Then again, we were part of the jump club at Ft. Campbell (an off-hours pursuit that involved the free use of a Blackhawk to take us up to 8000 feet as often as we wished on the weekends), and no one was really looking.

I find it opens quicker if you hold the drogue in your hand.

How?

When I was younger, we used to go low (we used to have to disable the AAD - the altimeter that automatically deploys the chute if you fall below 1000 feet unopened). Yes, it's not something you want the local authorities to find out about.

I prefer not to jump an AAD unless required by the DZ


Then again, we were part of the jump club at Ft. Campbell (an off-hours pursuit that involved the free use of a Blackhawk to take us up to 8000 feet as often as we wished on the weekends), and no one was really looking.

Lucky

How?



Probably my personal perception - it's already in the airstream.

I prefer not to jump an AAD unless required by the DZ
Most places in the US require one. I personally believe they're unsafe - I don't want something else in control of when something is going to be deployed.

Lucky

Yes, those were the days. Jump, pack, jump, pack, jump, pack - as often as we liked all weekend.

I am curious how many of you have skydived? I have numerous times however that was when I was younger and crazier then I am now.

Just out of curiosity, why did you stop jumping?

Just out of curiosity, why did you stop jumping?

I moved to the UK for a job opportunity. That took a lot of my time. Met the wife and got married. Starting a business also took a lot of my time. So time constraints and moving. Just now I have more free time so I figure to take it up again. At least make a few jumps to get my feet wet again.

Just out of curiosity, why did you stop jumping?

1. The military made it free, whether for duty or for pleasure.
2. Free equipment, free air time, free insurance.
3. Jumping in the US is an automatic cancellation or exclusion in most life insurance and most medical policies (those provided as part of your work benefits). I have a family, and I don't want to pay through the nose for insurance, or go without it.

1. The military made it free, whether for duty or for pleasure.
2. Free equipment, free air time, free insurance.


There are a few uni students here that have joined the OTC (Student branch of the Territorial Army) to get a free two week RAPS course in Germany. Not only is the whole course free but they also get paid £500 to go. Damn army and their ways of making me jealous

No, I have never jumped from an airplane. I've got a wife I want to grow old with and a toddler I want to see grow up. I'm not going to risk that in the hope of getting a thrill of plummeting possibly to my death.

I like roller-coasters. That's about as close to death as I want to be now-a-days.

qft

No, I have never jumped from an airplane. I've got a wife I want to grow old with and a toddler I want to see grow up. I'm not going to risk that in the hope of getting a thrill of plummeting possibly to my death.

The big question is always, "How dangerous is skydiving?" Each year, about 30 people die in parachuting accidents in the United States, or roughly one person per 100,000 jumps. Look at the US Skydiving Incident Reports to get an idea of the types of problems that lead to fatalities. If you make one jump in a year, your chance of dying is 1 in 100,000.

How does the fatality rate in skydiving compare to other common activities? Since most adults in America drive cars, let's compare skydiving to driving. Roughly 40,000 people die each year in traffic accidents in the United States [ref]. That's 1.7 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles. Therefore, if you drive 10,000 miles per year, your chance of dying in a car wreck in any given year is something like 1 in 6,000. In other words, we accept a higher level of risk by getting into our cars every day than people do by occasionally skydiving. You would have to jump 17 times per year for your risk of dying in a skydiving accident to equal your risk of dying in a car accident if you drive 10,000 miles per year.

Link (http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/skydiving8.htm)

Not to mention that a large proportion of skydiving injuries and deaths are not to do with the fall itself, or a double malfunction, but rather due to high performance turns close to the ground

Link (http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/skydiving8.htm)

I don't drive any farther than I have to. I walk or bike if I can get away with it. I don't think I've put 10k miles on my car in the last four years combined (and I live in California). 1 in 100,000 sounds small -- except to the guy who was the one. I couldn't risk putting my family through that.

Link (http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/skydiving8.htm)

Not to mention that a large proportion of skydiving injuries and deaths are not to do with the fall itself, or a double malfunction, but rather due to high performance turns close to the ground

Not to mention the accidental crash of an aircraft full of jumpers.

I don't drive any farther than I have to. I walk or bike if I can get away with it. I don't think I've put 10k miles on my car in the last four years combined (and I live in California). 1 in 100,000 sounds small -- except to the guy who was the one. I couldn't risk putting my family through that.

You could be killed in an accident while out walking or cycling. The odds sound small i'm sure -- except to the guy who was the one

EDIT:

Specifically, 4,749 pedestrians were reported to have been killed in motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2003.2 These deaths accounted for 11 percent of the 42,643 motor vehicle deaths nationwide that year.

Link (http://www.walkinginfo.org/pedsafe/crashstats.cfm)

You could be killed in an accident while out walking or cycling. The odds sound small i'm sure -- except to the guy who was the one

I'm not going to disagree with you. You can continue to ridicule me all you like, but I'm going to do everything I can to avoid putting my life in jeopardy (or even a sense of jeopardy) because I know how my dying would affect my family. If that takes a lot of the enjoyment out of life, then I will lead a dull life. But at least I will be alive.

I'm not going to disagree with you. You can continue to ridicule me all you like, but I'm going to do everything I can to avoid putting my life in jeopardy (or even a sense of jeopardy) because I know how my dying would affect my family. If that takes a lot of the enjoyment out of life, then I will lead a dull life. But at least I will be alive.

My intention is not to ridicule you. It is simply to show that the general publics view of the dangers of skydiving are exaggerated.

My intention is not to ridicule you. It is simply to show that the general publics view of the dangers of skydiving are exaggerated.

Thank you. All I was trying to say is that I'm doing the best I can to keep positive control over the course of my life because of the loss of control inherent in turning it over to someone or something else.

If I'm walking down the street and a car is coming at me, there's a modicum of hope that I can try to get out of the way. If I turn my life and death over to a parachute, there's nothing I can do to try to get out of the way of the ground.

Thank you. All I was trying to say is that I'm doing the best I can to keep positive control over the course of my life because of the loss of control inherent in turning it over to someone or something else.

If I'm walking down the street and a car is coming at me, there's a modicum of hope that I can try to get out of the way. If I turn my life and death over to a parachute, there's nothing I can do to try to get out of the way of the ground.

I understand what you're saying but I don't think there is much of a difference between the two examples. The point at which you can't dodge the car anymore is the equivalent of the point at which both your main and reserve parachutes fail.

The point at which you spot the car coming towards you and start acting to stop yourself being hit is the equivalent of having your main parachute malfunction and start acting to deploy the reserve.

You even have a degree of control over the odds of the main failing. Going through specific checkpoints while packing, and ensuring that no dangerous wear and tear is occuring, makes the difference.

Ensuring that you are in the correct belly-to-earth position before deployment also gives the main the best platform to deploy correctly.

In both a skydiving and walking accident you have control of the outcome up to a certain point but once that point has been passed the control is taken away from you and left to chance

I'd also like to say again that my intention is only to put across my viewpoint

I am curious how many of you have skydived? I have numerous times however that was when I was younger and crazier then I am now. I thought about going up again with the wife. Question is how do I convince her to do it? She is a bit timid to do anything really extreme. However I have pushed her before and got her to mountain climb with me which she really enjoyed after trying it.
It's extremely safe. There's only one death per 100,000 and only two tandem deaths in the past 20 years (at least in the US).

Why would I jump out of a perfectly good aircraft?
How utterly original.:rolleyes:

Keep in mind that not everyone can get the hang of this - freefall parachuting requires some body control that is beyond some people (unless you like the spectacle of watching someone tumble uncontrollably).
In all my years I've never seen this. People leave the sport because of money or they can't get past their anxiety.


You can also hold the drogue in your hand, and play chicken (vs. another jumper) with the ground.
Except the pilot chute will be ripped from your hands relatively quickly regardless of your strength. Your only chance of holding onto it would be to extract it completely from the BOC pouch and keep it deflated.
I find it opens quicker if you hold the drogue in your hand.
re you talking about the BOC deployment system? Which is the standard?

When I was younger, we used to go low (we used to have to disable the AAD - the altimeter that automatically deploys the chute if you fall below 1000 feet unopened). Yes, it's not something you want the local authorities to find out about.
Kind of silly to pull below 1000 ft when most main canopies have a 500-1000 ft snivel.

In all my years I've never seen this. People leave the sport because of money or they can't get past their anxiety.

I have


Except the pilot chute will be ripped from your hands relatively quickly regardless of your strength. Your only chance of holding onto it would be to extract it completely from the BOC pouch and keep it deflated.

It's rolled up in my hand before I exit.


Kind of silly to pull below 1000 ft when most main canopies have a 500-1000 ft snivel.

Don't blame me for the safety system I didn't want.

I have
Did they master walking and talking? It's really not hard to arch. I'm also curious how they could curl up into a ball and tumble when they have two instructors hanging onto them on either side to keep them stable, or how they would have mastered the arch well enough during static line/IAD progression to be put on delay just to revert to curling into a ball.




It's rolled up in my hand before I exit.
So you take it out of your BOC and hold it in your hand for freefall? Kind of wastes a skydive.



Don't blame me for the safety system I didn't want.
No, the AAD fires your reserve, your reserve will be out in under 400 ft. You are talking about deploying a main parachute under 1,000 ft which isn't the smartest idea in the world when a main parachute has a 500-1,000 ft snivel. Do the math. My comment had nothing to do with an AAD (fires at 800 ft AGL BTW).

Did they master walking and talking? It's really not hard to arch. I'm also curious how they could curl up into a ball and tumble when they have two instructors hanging onto them on either side to keep them stable, or how they would have mastered the arch well enough during static line/IAD progression to be put on delay just to revert to curling into a ball.


They didn't have to curl into a ball to tumble. Yes, the first time there were instructors hanging onto them, and there was some time on the ground over the fan - but some people can't get enough control to stop rotating/yawing/spinning. Some people don't get it.

The AAD I was using in 1989 was set for 1000ft. Go figure.

It's extremely safe. There's only one death per 100,000 and only two tandem deaths in the past 20 years (at least in the US).


.

I believe one or maybe both of them occured here in Washington state at a place called Kapawosin. That was a number of years though. As far as safety I agree it is safe however when I mention coming close to death I really am referring to what the mind thinks when jumping out of a plane. The overall fatality rate for parachuting is 0.001%. You would think it was higher but that is all.

http://askville.amazon.com/rate-parachute-malfunctions-situations-fatality/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=6899120

I believe one or maybe both of them occured here in Washington state at a place called Kapawosin. That was a number of years though. As far as safety I agree it is safe however when I mention coming close to death I really am referring to what the mind thinks when jumping out of a plane. The overall fatality rate for parachuting is 0.001%. You would think it was higher but that is all.

http://askville.amazon.com/rate-parachute-malfunctions-situations-fatality/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=6899120

No, not Kapowsin. DeLand and I can't remember the other place. A parapalegic fell out of a harness in DeLand and the other was a woman who fell out of a completely unadjusted harness. All within the past 3 years. Kapowsin had the horrible Caravan crash this last year. I knew those folks.:(

No, not Kapowsin. DeLand and I can't remember the other place. A parapalegic fell out of a harness in DeLand and the other was a woman who fell out of a completely unadjusted harness. All within the past 3 years. Kapowsin had the horrible Caravan crash this last year. I knew those folks.:(

IIRC, more jumpers are killed when the plane crashes with them all aboard, than are killed in the actual act of jumping.

They didn't have to curl into a ball to tumble. Yes, the first time there were instructors hanging onto them, and there was some time on the ground over the fan - but some people can't get enough control to stop rotating/yawing/spinning. Some people don't get it.

The AAD I was using in 1989 was set for 1000ft. Go figure.

Instructors hang onto a student for the first four AFF levels. Levels. Not jumps. Those AFF instructors are seriously unsafe if they are letting people progress past AFF level 2 without noting improper body position.


Funny how you still ignore the point of my comment. I'll state it again, this has nothing to do with AADs. You claim you were deploying under 1,000 ft AGL. Your main parachute snivels for up to 1,000 ft and generally between 500-1,000 unless you have a super hard opening. That's not a macho contest, that's suicide.

IIRC, more jumpers are killed when the plane crashes with them all aboard, than are killed in the actual act of jumping.

Nope. Low turns to the ground is the most common cause of death. Planes don't crash all that often.

http://www.skydivingfatalities.info/

There were two crashes last year. That was a very odd year.

Instructors hang onto a student for the first four AFF levels. Levels. Not jumps. Those AFF instructors are seriously unsafe if they are letting people progress past AFF level 2 without noting improper body position.

Military instructors. If you can't maintain the body position properly, you're not allowed to jump again.

Funny how you still ignore the point of my comment. I'll state it again, this has nothing to do with AADs. You claim you were deploying under 1,000 ft AGL. Your main parachute snivels for up to 1,000 ft and generally between 500-1,000 unless you have a super hard opening. That's not a macho contest, that's suicide.

We were young, military, and largely unsupervised. I've seen people manage to open quite a bit below 1000'. Yes, they had a super hard opening, and sometimes a really hard landing (well, more often than not). None of us died.

I've also seen someone exit the helo at 8000' with other jumpers, only to realize (he was he photographer during the 1988 Week of Eagles) without a parachute. It was then that I realized that a large, well-manicured grassy area can make you "bounce" as high as 50'. Not that he survived.

We were young, military, and largely unsupervised. I've seen people manage to open quite a bit below 1000'. Yes, they had a super hard opening, and sometimes a really hard landing (well, more often than not). None of us died.


Do you mean fully open or deploying below 1000 feet?

Do you mean fully open or deploying below 1000 feet?

We were well into the red on the altimeter face (at least halfway used up) before we released the drogue.

I remember a hard shock, and then piling into the ground. There was zero time to get hold of the toggles.

We were well into the red on the altimeter face (at least halfway used up) before we released the drogue.

I remember a hard shock, and then piling into the ground. There was zero time to get hold of the toggles.

You're crazy fools, very brave maybe both. Your description of a hard shock is a bit of an understatement but I wouldn't recomend waiting that long to pull.

No, not Kapowsin. DeLand and I can't remember the other place. A parapalegic fell out of a harness in DeLand and the other was a woman who fell out of a completely unadjusted harness. All within the past 3 years. Kapowsin had the horrible Caravan crash this last year. I knew those folks.:(

Maybe that was what I was thinking of.

Your crazy fools, very brave maybe both. Your description of a hard shock is a bit of an understatement but I wouldn't recomend waiting that long to pull.

I'll go with the bold option

We were well into the red on the altimeter face (at least halfway used up) before we released the drogue.

I remember a hard shock, and then piling into the ground. There was zero time to get hold of the toggles.
It's been a long time, but in Aviation Indoc, I remember learning that opening shock was worst in a very high altitude parachute deployment. Because of the low atmospheric density, that seemed backwards to me, so I asked the instructor. I think it's stuck with me for so long because it just didn't make sense, yet that was the standard Naval Aviation lesson.

Anyone care to elaborate?

[edit]
In fact, I found a little section on HAHO (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/airborne-halo-haho.htm) jumps that describe the opening shock at high altitude to be "traumatic".