skydiving with ipod's?

[blacklabjumper 0]

Point taken John. I agree should not endanger other jumpers.

Rodriguez Brother #1626
Dudiest Skydiver #1962
DPH #-2

[Andy9o8 0]

Quote

Suggestion to resolve the problem:
Ask your buddy to inform you any piece of info if necessary.

"I would like to focus on my skydive by listening some music, would it be possible you inform me if theres any info given out.

Personally, I wouldn't bet my life on that. If shit happens on the plane, it can happen really fast.

[JohnRich 4]

Quote

it seems difficult to come up with even a theoretical (not to speak of a likely) scenario where you would actually NEED to talk to someone while under canopy.

It's not necessarily talking, but just hearing someone yell at you. If you are a music-listening zombie, you can't hear even that.

Quote

Lots of people wear ear plugs in the plane AND in freefall. You consider that hazardous ?

Ear plugs just reduce the noise level, not drown it out completely like music.

[DSE 3]

Quote

So let's just say that you are on your way to altitude rocking out to your "50cent" talking loudly to your girlfriend or beer buddy and an announcement has been made that changes the landing direction, exit separation, Increasingly gusty winds on the ground, or any other fairly important piece of information that could affect your safety or other people's safety. Now you get hurt or you hurt someone else on the load all because you wanted to listen to some music and tune out the rest of the world couldn't shut your yap for 15 minutes.

I'd wager the above scenario occurs more than there are iPods in skydiving. Every one of us has seen it, and seen it often.

Might as well be having the RSL/Cypres/metal handle/pillow handle/helmet/fraphat/nothing/shoelace untied/hackey/PVC/PUD/sunglasses/goggles/greenjumpsuit/bluejumpsuit/and whatever other debate is spawned here.

Quote

It's not necessarily talking, but just hearing someone yell at you. If you are a music-listening zombie, you can't hear even that.

Everyone who listens to music is a "zombie?" I guess everyone who owns a firearm is a murderer?

Quote

Ear plugs just reduce the noise level, not drown it out completely like music.

Bullshit. Utter bullshit. Absent of fact, absent knowledge, and plain wrong.

Next point; I personally know three completely deaf skydivers. They're very air-aware. Next I'm sure we're going to hear the ridiculous argument that "deaf people are more visually aware than non-hearing impaired people. Many deaf people have no sense of smell, either. I wonder if that makes them more dangerous? (Probably a blessing in many aircraft).

Here's one to chew on....
It may be demonstrated that it is MORE SAFE to skydive with a PLD than it is without one.
Many skydivers bounce each year. Not one of them died wearing a PLD.
Therefore, more skydivers fly safely with PLD's than skydivers who bounce with PLD's.
Pretzel logic, but no moreso than being lectured on the use of a PLD by those who never have.

[jumpwally 0]

agreed...whats next ? skydiving with a microwave ? nothing better than a warmed up panini at 12,500, right !

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[Andy9o8 0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv1sFDQtdKo

[JohnRich 4]

Quote

Quote

Ear plugs just reduce the noise level, not drown it out completely like music.

Bullshit. Utter bullshit. Absent of fact, absent knowledge, and plain wrong.

Well, I'm just going to have to agree to disagree with you on that one.

I spend a lot of time wearing ear plugs at shooting matches, and everyone else is wearing them too. We're all able to converse with each other just fine, and can hear what's going on around us. The ear plugs just reduce the sharp volume of the gunfire, and deaden the voices a little bit. We even conduct radio communication while wearing the ear plugs.

On the other hand, my granddaughters can't hear me talking to them when they're listening to their ipods when I'm sitting right next to them.

So, someone who is unaware that others are trying to conduct human interaction with them, or devoid of awareness of normal external stimuli, is a "zombie".

And if you can't hear me behind and beside you under canopy, then you might just whip a sharp turn right into me, killing us both. All because someone couldn't stand to go three minutes without music, at a time when they need their sense of hearing to help keep them, and others, safe.

I've said my piece now, and I'm done.

[DSE 3]

Quote

Quote

***

I spend a lot of time wearing ear plugs at shooting matches, and everyone else is wearing them too. We're all able to converse with each other just fine, and can hear what's going on around us. The ear plugs just reduce the sharp volume of the gunfire, and deaden the voices a little bit. We even conduct radio communication while wearing the ear plugs.

On the other hand, my granddaughters can't hear me talking to them when they're listening to their ipods when I'm sitting right next to them.

So, someone who is unaware that others are trying to conduct human interaction with them, or devoid of awareness of normal external stimuli, is a "zombie".

.

I see. you're aware of perhaps one or two types of earplugs, so that makes you an "expert." Are you aware that *many* (and the union recommends it) professional musicians, including symphony musicians, wear frequency-specific-type ear plugs for performance? In other words, there are a wide variety of earplugs, just as there are a wide variety of headphones.
I guess it's acceptable if a deaf skydiver kills you, but it's not acceptable if a hearing skydiver wearing headphones kills you? Is that what you're saying?

If your granddaughters are ignorant of external stimuli, that says a lot more about their parenting than it does about me being a zombie.
Your empirical data is significantly flawed, whereas mine is irrefutable.

[LuckyMcSwervy 0]

I think it's the "You Tube" factor. No one likes watching skydive videos with some Disturbed rocking the background track more than me, but if I had to hear "down with the sickness.... waaa aaaa aaaaa aaaaa!!!!!!!!!" while I WAS IN FREEFALL or UNDER CANOPY, holy shit, I need to hear MYSELF think and I need to hear the sound of my canopy and listen for other people.

Just my .02.

EDITED to add: 'more than me'

Always be kinder than you feel.

[Baksteen 84]

Quote

~I'm a musician, music is full-time, part of my life. I don't breathe well without music

Same here, though I'm but an amateur musician.
For me it's the other way around; music is a distraction to me at best.. I tend to really listen to music (you'll know what I mean, as when playing it), I cannot treat it like 'background noise'.
Besides, hearing background noise while listening to music (such as wind or engines) annoys the hell out of me.

At work I do liven up the dreary tasks by listening to music, but that's more like I'm concentrating on the music while at the same time automatically performing the task..

"That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport."
~mom

[BMFin 0]

Quote

It's not necessarily talking, but just hearing someone yell at you. If you are a music-listening zombie, you can't hear even that.

So how often do you need to yell to someone under canopy ?

[phoenixlpr 0]

Quote

Quote

It's not necessarily talking, but just hearing someone yell at you. If you are a music-listening zombie, you can't hear even that.

So how often do you need to yell to someone under canopy ?

Does it matter? How many canopy collisions can you survive?

An airfield is a risky environment. Once I've almost stepped into the way of a glider. I don't want to share airspace with a music zombie.

[Gawain 0]

Quote

It's not for me. I like the sound of turbines on the ride and white noise during the decent and flapping slider under canopy ... agh, the music of the skydive.

My take as well.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[BMFin 0]

Quote

Once I've almost stepped into the way of a glider.

Did you yell OUT OF MY WAY !!!

[phoenixlpr 0]

Quote

Did you yell OUT OF MY WAY !!! Laugh

Nope. _Incoming_ !!!

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

~I'm a musician, music is full-time, part of my life. I don't breathe well without music.

I'm a musician as well, albeit not a professional such as yourself, but I found my MP3 player (it was before iPods ever came out) and skydiving didn't mix that well for me. It was mainly due to the volume that I had to have the thing set at.

I don't have a specific problem with skydiving with music, its just that the majority of skydivers I see with an iPod or similar and skydiving don't have enough experience to know their ass from a 2-stack. At that point in their skydiving career its a HUGE distraction and is obviously causing problems.

One jumper in particular I had to have the pilot stop on the ramp and then tell the jumper to put his ****** iPod away and put on his ****** seatbelt. This was not the first time he forgot to do that because he was trying to get the perfect song up.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[DSE 3]

I've seen something like happen too, Dave. And I've seen the plane stop for people without buckled on/secured helmets, and people stopping the aircraft because of forgotten goggles, altimeters, and in one case...a rig. No PLD involved there.

Volume is a primary consideration. The right headphones, properly seated, allow for nominal to low volumes that allow conversation to occur. My PLD is set up so that it's inside my jumpsuit and controlled through the fabric, wires entirely inside my jumpsuit to my neck.
When my helmet goes on, my right ear module comes out. I *can* hear my Optima with the right module inserted, but I prefer to not be risking a bump of the volume or a very loud passage to affect how well I hear it. Additionally, the Optima is wired to my HypEye, and so I also have a visual indicator in addition to the audible.
I'd say my parents taught me well.
BTW, JohnRich...I did try to respond to your acerbic PM, but you aren't accepting PMs from me. I owe beer. First drive-by insulting I've received, ever.

Be sure you're not using "inserted" and sealed earbuds if you are dumb enough to try this. If the ear can't pass air, it can (and likely will) suck the earphone into the ear canal, which can be easily torn. Just ask the guys at Pepperell about the day that my inner ear bled like a stuck pig, blood running down my cheeks like strawberry syrup...
Don't "lick it before you stick it..."

[tsalnukt 1]

More recently, during a boogie, directions were given on the plane, directly to someone. They had their helmet on with their "i-pod", they "seemed" to understand what was said to them, but when it came time to follow the directions, the dude blew it. On the ground he was asked: "Did I tell you blah blah blah right before we got out of the airplane??? To which was replied:"I guess so". That's unacceptable. Johnny Loudmouth doesn't look like he's paying attention and it's pretty obvious. You tell him to shut up for a second and listen. The dude with the I-pod might look like he's paying attention, but are they? How many times have you walked up to someone to talk to them and they look like the are listening to you but as you are waiting for the answer to the question you just asked them, eye to eye, they realize that you may actually be saying something they might want to hear, they take out their ear-bud and say, "huh?"

How often have I HAD to talk to someone under canopy....I don't think any, but....I have flown up to people and gotten their attention just to say hello and I have flown up to students that are flying the wrong way. (I'll tell you all about it sometime). To have the luxury of being able to accomplish such communication, is really nice. Some people are out in their own little world out there and to isolate those people even more by putting a huge distraction on them is dangerous.

Nope. People that have their tunes cranked up under canopy are more dangerous than deaf people. Deaf people are used to being in a silent world. They are more "naturally" aware of what's going on. (Oh yeah, I helped teach a deaf skydiver. Don't talk about them around the bonfire) No, They probably aren't going to hear you yelling at them under canopy but I know that they are deaf. I would hope that a "hearing" person would give other people the courtesy of being able to communicate with them.

I can think of more reasons not to than I can to. In certain situations it might be ok. The BS about skydiving better with some tunes on is crap. I skydive better after a few beers, so why can't I get a good buzz on before I get on the load.

[DSE 3]

This debate is ridiculously old. And stupid.
Yet, if whuffos are going to stick to ignorant and subjective concepts such as "the skydive is/isn't better with tunes" then I'll stick to the insipid, yet perfect argument that I can prove skydiving is more safe with iPods turned up full blast at all times than skydiving without an iPod. Until you provide evidence otherwise, your argument has zero merit. My evidence is in the form of hard, indesputable, calculable and demonstrable fact. Yours is 'your opinion' and we all know about opinions, right?

[tsalnukt 1]

OK then....prove it.

The problem lies in the lesser experienced jumpers trying to be cool and probably not being thoughtful enough to take precautions and do it safely.

......tell me how it's SAFER.

[millertime24 8]

What I think he's getting at is statistically more people have died not wearing a PLD than have died wearing one. That being the case statistically its safer.

Muff #5048

[Andy9o8 0]

I'll be the first to admit that I'm no angel or role model by a long shot, but...

I'm really disappointed at the level of discourse in this thread, and particularly at the source of some of it.

[pbwing 0]

Geez Spot,

What ever you do, don't tell them how you change tracks while you're in freefall!!!!

[DSE 3]

Quote

Geez Spot,

What ever you do, don't tell them how you change tracks while you're in freefall!!!!

C'mon...the bite switch thing is elegant.

Just to keep beating the horse, given some of the silliness.
The newbie skydiver should never consider doing this. Ever. Any more than a newbie should be wearing a camera before 200 jumps, or wingloading at 1.5 at 100 jumps.
If you ARE going to do it, talk to someone who has a lot of experience with it, because there are a lot of "wrong" ways, IMO, and only a couple right ways (again, IMO).
Statistically, it *is* safer to skydive with an iPod than it is to skydive without one. Statistically, it's probably safer to skydive with a live rattlesnake in your jumpsuit than it is to skydive without one.
I use the statistic model to point out how silly some of the arguments are.
FWIW, one of my most close friends is a deaf skydiver. He can't hear under canopy or anywhere else. I can hear him, even wearing headphones. He's very safe... and gets treated no differently because he's deaf, other than people tapping him on the shoulder vs yelling at him

Did a little ad lib CRW the other day with a guy, I was wearing headphones, he was wearing silencer earplugs. He could not hear me, I could hear him.

[repcool 2]

Quote

The newbie skydiver should never consider doing this. Ever. Any more than a newbie should be wearing a camera before 200 jumps, or wingloading at 1.5 at 100 jumps

Do we need a BSR for this then?