Have you had a friend die while skydiving?

[Alienangel 0]

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I have yet to come across a single instance of you changing your mind about something.

I think you might want to look again then.

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I'm withdrawing from this argument.

Shame, your views sound quite naive, there is experience on this forum.

You really think driving is safer than skydiving? Quote your 'stats' til you're blue in the face: this is simply not the case. I've not only seen several people bounce, I've also had a friend hook in and die, not to mention the countless near misses/ close calls and broken legs. All this in four years. This is incomparable to my experience of driving.

I used to share similar views to yours. Then I woke up. A heightened awareness of the extremely dangerous nature of our sport is what keeps people alive. Sometimes.

But I don't think you can know this by being told, no matter how experienced, or well-meaning those who pass on their own learning may be. Unfortunately, one learns through bitter experience.

[meatmissile 0]

Hi Guys,

I was going to leave this alone, but truth be told, I did some thinking on the matter. I flew out to an abandoned military airfield close to where I live, parked the plane next to the runway, and sat down to do some thinking.

Ron has a point. Several, in fact, and good ones at that. The safety aspects of skydiving need to be taken seriously, and the risks need to be understood by all involved. I take safety very seriously, and have a good understanding of the risks as well. Maybe I just can't fathom the mind of someone who does not.

What I do have a problem with is the melodrama in most of the statements made. I think that continuously beating the "you can die doing this" drum may be bad for skydiving.

Ron makes no cohesive argument I can discern for making these posts. I'd like to see one. I know I can't demand one, but this being a forum, I can certainly ask - and risk looking stupid. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? What will he recommend? Certainly he would not want to just scare people off skydiving.

It seems like half the people who participated in the poll have had friends die in skydiving. If that were to be taken as a sample, it would mean that either skydivers have more than a thousand friends (who they see regularly away from the DZ) on average, or the number of incidents are seriously underreported. Or people are lying. And that I would find difficult to understand.

Jimbo, two people I knew and liked very much have died in skydiving. One of the incidents I was unfortunate to witness, being out at boarding point waiting for the plane. We did have a beer together in town on occasion, on a night when things were slow or cold at the DZ. They were wonderful, lovable guys, but to call them friends of mine would be a lie, and disrespectful to the dead - so the answer is no.

People seem to want to have been a "friend" of someone after they died. Rather be a real friend to them while they are alive. I have lots of drinking buddies, but I only have five or six friends.

Yes, you can die skydiving. So take care. Take safety seriously. And maybe re-think your definition of "friend".

--
ZZZzzzz....

[Rainbo 0]

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What I do have a problem with is the melodrama in most of the statements made. I think that continuously beating the "you can die doing this" drum may be bad for skydiving.

Being the melodramatic type I will respond to this. It is a fact. A long time ago a guy by the name of Jerry Bird told me " it is the only thing you will ever do where you are dead until you save yourself." He also told me " never go in with all your guns in their holsters." These are extremely true statements, that I have held close for years. Maybe that is why I am still around to tell others the same things.

People need to understand the ramifications of their actions as well as their inactions. It is not bad for the sport, the people that hear what needs to be said are us, skydivers. If they do not want to hear it they probably should not be skydiving.

Iam just as willing to help people learn how to have fun and enjoy one of the greatest activities in the world, but I also feel obligated to make sure they understand the consequences.

My personal feeling is that to many people today are more willing to hide from the deepest truths in life, than to try to understand them. I too, am shallow when it comes to some subjects. Perhaps that is just human nature, and one day I will find the means to deal with those issues personally. But to try and convince people that they are safer than this or that compared to skydiving is doing them an injustice. Especially if you are dealing with novice level jumpers.

So, from my perspective please throw these damn statistics arguments out the door, and make sure youre friends understand the consequences of their action. It is all our jobs to try and save the lives of our friends, as well as our aquaintences, even those we do not know but who want to learn to share the gift that we have all found.

Rainbo
TheSpeedTriple - Speed is everything
"Blessed are those who can give without remembering, and take without forgetting."

[speedy 0]

I voted no.

I thought for a moment this is not likely to happen to me because I don't socialise with the people I know at the DZ outside of the DZ. Apart from my girlfriend of course, and Team members, and ... hmmmm.
Fortunately, I have not witnessed a serious accident to someone I know well. (Broken ankles don't count as serious )

Although it may happen, I can still hope it won't happen.

What an awful subject for monday morning (or any time)

Dave

Fallschirmsport Marl

[welshKat 0]

Yes, just a few weeks ago.

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=1029701;page=3;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;