Music on the way to Altitude

[Slink 0]

While I'm very new to this sport (18 jumps) I have often wondered why I haven't seen a jumper with a cd player neatly strapped to his chest strap as the neatly tucked ear phone wires disappear into his sound retardant helmet. I'm sure it has been done but I wonder why it is not more popular.(It may be...I just haven't seen it) Certainly nothing would get me more in the mood to jump than a few motivating tunes. If you can fly tubes, rafts, and whatever surely tunes can come along. Does this sound crazy?

[chronistin 0]

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Does this sound crazy?

No... yes... maybe just a little bit.
i know a plane in Graz (Austria) that has a stereo on board, so they play music on the ride to altitude...sounds cool tome, but during the jump? no, i don't think i'd want that... got my own music in my head. but that's just me.
Greetings from Vienna
Andrea

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http://www.wortwerkstatt.at/skydiving

[mouth 0]

We've done this one before but I'm bored out of my mind so I'll bite. We have some people who jump with MP3's and such and enjoy it, others think it is crazy, and others just could care less either way. Personally I enjoy the ride going up with all my friends joking and playing so I think I prefer it just to be our time rather than having to chat over music. Once I'm out I'm either concentrating on the dive or I'm so engrossed in the beauty of it all that I think music would be totally ignored.
Just my .02.........hum, anyone ever notice there is no longer a "cents" sign on a keyboard??
I really must be bored........................

[Slink 0]

Thanks for the input bored or not. Your'e not in the air so of course you're bored! Life just aint the same is it?

[FallingMarc 0]

I like listening to appropriate music to get me going on the drive to the DZ... but on the plane, just looking out the door, at all the other jumpers, talking to everybody--this gets me pumped enough as it is! 'Course I've only got 34 jumps and as such I get an adrenaline rush from looking at the sky on a clear day, just imagining flying through it... Or maybe that's the way it'll be for my whole life... gee I hope so!
Marc

[Merrick 0]

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"i know a plane in Graz (Austria) that has a stereo on board, so they play music on the ride to altitude..."

A couple months ago they put a CD player & some descent midrange speakers in the 182 at our DZ... I love riding to altitude with the music cranked. Plus, I know our pilot (who flies some 12 hours a day - bless you Kevin) absolutely loves the break in the monotony!
"If words were wisdom, I'd be talkin' even more.."

[Iflyme 0]

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Does this sound crazy?

Yes... personally, I don't want ANY equipment that is not essential for the skydive strapped to me... when you release the parachute, you don't want anything attached to you that might catch your lines. We've lost 3 camera flyers recently because of lines snagging during deployment...
I remember taking my walkman on a ski run with me a few years back ... when I got to the bottom of the run, I was surprised to hear music -- because I hadn't been aware of the music at all during the ski run! Listening to music is a wonderful recreation, but a skydive is a time and place to concentrate on just one thing - the skydive. Distraction can mean death. I can just imagine it: "...pull time ... uh - malfunction -- oh, wait a sec -- is that Sammy Hagar or David Lee Roth singing that Van Halen tune ???"

[Slink 0]

Hey Merrick! Ponca City! I worked out of Enid, OK on the railroad before I started jumping. Do you jump out at Cushing? You might know "Buddy" Rogers.

[Slink 0]

I hear ya! Is that sidewinder helmet snag proof? I would love to fly a video camera someday...but only if its snag proof...lets just hope the gromets on our own rig clear first!

[Cacophony 0]

The Westwind Beech at Skydive Greene County has a sound system on board. I think that its more annoying than anything.
Safe landings,
Alex D-23912

[Jumperpaula 0]

When I have a challenging skydive, I reach into my serious side and visualize in the plane, concentrate on the skydive, think of every single move, every body position, every grip. I might need to ask a question or give a tip to my partner. Sometimes even the noise for the open door is too distracting, lots of skydivers wear earplugs. Music would grate on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. eeeeeeeeeeek
What about an aircraft emergency? You need to hear the pilots or load leaders instructions. I've rode the plane down with information from the pilot and without. Believe me, knowing why you are riding down is MUCH BETTER than not!
Silence please...the sound of those engines is music~~
Fly Your Slot !

[RemiAndKaren 0]

Lets make this thread a little more spicy...

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I would love to fly a video camera someday...but only if its snag proof

As a non-camera flyer, and a semi-experenced skydiver, I'll make a wide sweeping judgement: there is no such thing as a snag proof camera helmet. If you jump camera, you HAVE to be ready to cut-away the damm thing on any jump; even a *insert you favorite fully enclosed helmet here* can open in freefall or exit (if a mid-air colision can rip off a helmet, it sure could open a casing), and if a line catches it and you had belived you'd never have to chop it, you probably will be stuck without a Plan B in you head.
Remi
The opiniated fat-bastard
Remi
Muff 914

[fonz 0]

> a cd player neatly strapped to his chest strap
I definately think I'm not yet experienced enough to try but if I were,
I think I'd rather strap the player on my belly, under my jumpsuit.
Wearing it on the outside might create entanglements. Wearing it in a
pocket (if it will fit in the first place), you're faced with a loose headphones
wire.
Anyway, it should be possible (after all, students wear radios) but whether
or not it is desirable is another question. If nobody jumps with a
CD-player, there just might be a reason why they don't.
Just my $0.02,
Alphons

[Ninja 0]

Well.. I really get into my music and after I get to the point where I have my own liceanse and stuff like that I will probably try to work something out with music... It would add a whole new aspect to your jump. I love music and would dance my ass off on the way down. hahah.. Just cool music that pumps you up in some cases... Like Jimmy eat world? That song bleed american.. I love that. Or even some nice down tempo stuff if you just want to relax while your flying and just ovserve the scenery.. It does a lot to make your mood.
Anyways... Bye.

[xAer0 0]

Just make sure you don't turn up the volume too much, and use only one earphone...You must still be aware of the airspace around you, and also, you have to be listening to what your canopy is telling you...with time you'll get to be able to judge how it's behaving by the way it sounds,especially when you start going fast.Don't pull low, unless you are afraid of heights!
Tefkros

[Gravitymaster 0]

Just what you need, headphones covering your ears when the pilot is screaming to get out of the plane because the engine just blew. Use your time going to altitude to concentrate on the jump and what you are going to do WHEN you have a malfunction.

[PhreeZone 15]

They've pretty much taken the stero out of the Green Westwind at SCG. It was fun while it was there, but how often can you get 12 people to agree on the same choice of music at the same time? Not very often.It tended to be the pilot and the freefliers were the onlyones listening to it. Then the rest of the plane was upset since it was distracting and the stero just started never getting turned on. Its not even missed any more. Plus the location of the speakers caused the one speaker to be kicked in by a jumper exiting and hiting the back of the plane.
My opinon.... its been done before, no need to repeat it. Lots of bad things could happen and the positives probally dont outweigh the risks involved.
Do I HAVE to do another raft dive???

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[jfields 0]

I was just at a DZ that had music in the plane. The guy in the back kneeled, pointed to three people as group leaders and started doing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" in rounds. It didn't last long, but it was pretty damned funny. That was followed by "You are My Sunshine". I'd try it at my home DZ, but I can't carry a tune or sing for shit.
As for music in freefall, I wouldn't bother. I wouldn't be able to hear it well, and there is enough to focus on already.
Justin
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