Need tips for coworker student-now partial amputee 2 continue...?

[somethinelse 0]

hi
I new to this forum, so bear with me.

I got a new job recently at the Post Office, and getting acquainted with my coworkers. this one guy was out for a while after having a leg amputated below his right knee. (If it's any consequence, I think he's right-handed too.)

end of work one day I was talking about wanting to go skydiving... and he tells me that he was going thru static line training.

I told him that there probably was a way to do it still with some special techniques, and that i check into it for him.

So how about it? He said he really enjoyed it, but hate to have him think that skydiving is all gonna be past-tense for him now.

so where can he check out getting the information that he needs to be able to get back into this sport if he so chooses?

Thanx everybody...

-LuLu.

[wmw999 2,122]

No reason he can't, as long as a DZ will work with him, and he doesn't have any other problems that would make it a bad idea (e.g. the other leg being marginal). I taught a static line student with a fairly high above-knee amputation many years ago; he made 2-3 jumps and got it out of his system.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[somethinelse 0]

Hey Wendy.

thanx. I'll tell him tocheck it out. I think that it's a concern about how landing would varying with a prosthetic leg, and how to have a freefall without possibiolity of losing his leg.

i've seen him take it off, I i can see how that would be a concern.

Also, what variancing in technique would be necessary to compensate for the difference in weight between the two legs?

it would be SO COOL to have another skydiving friend- especially one that I work with.

thanx!

-LuLu.

[Eule 0]

Quote

So how about it? He said he really enjoyed it, but hate to have him think that skydiving is all gonna be past-tense for him now.

I've met a guy with an amputated leg who is a fairly regular jumper. I don't know if he was jumping before the amputation or if he learned after; I suspect if he was jumping before the amputation it was military static line and/or round sport parachutes. I can't remember for sure but I _think_ it's an above-the-knee amputation. Anyway, he has a special prosthetic leg that he uses for jumping - it's a telescoping aluminum stick with a round plate and rubber pad on the end. Apparently the cup/straps that hold it onto his leg are just like the ones for a realistic prosthetic leg, but the rest of it is made for sports. Collapsed, the leg is about 8" (20 cm) long; extended it is long enough for him to walk on. He actually collapses it for the ride up in the plane (182) and extends it right before we go on jump run. He has a regular jump suit with one leg trimmed short; he wears the prosthetic leg outside of his jump suit.

Most of the time, he jumps accuracy, so he's got something soft to land on, but I know he's done demos into stadiums so I think he can land on the ground like any other jumper. (When he jumps accuracy, he hits the target pad with his good foot.) As far as I know there isn't any "give" in the metal part of the leg - there might be some foam where the cup fits over his real leg but I don't know for sure.

I once asked him if the weight/drag imbalance made him spin. He said that when he was first jumping with the prosthetic leg, he tended to spin, until he learned to counteract it.

I hope this helps!

Eule

PLF does not stand for Please Land on Face.

[somethinelse 0]

Eule
thanx, that WAS helpful. I'll tell him about this. Yeah, I think you would need to counter the weight deference to keep from spinning.

He did say that he wants to freefall Not just do statics any more. So I'm sure that instructors could/would work with him on all his issues.

Thanx Wendy & Eule for your input!

-LuLu.

[cptchaos 0]

look up the "pieces of eight" skydive team, they are all amputee's, and wow can these guys fly!!!

all that is gold does not glitter
not all those who wander
are lost!

[somethinelse 0]

Hey ya'all.

You've been REALLY great!
Talked to my co-worker today, and told him about the "pieces of eight" he got a laugh outa their sense of humor...
Later on he said, that he knows he can pursue THIS, but it just a matter of timing and money.

So it's all good. thanx. You've been a great help and encouragement.

Blues!

-LuLu.

[DanG 1]

I'm a fairly new amputee (arm), although I've been jumping for a while.

I see no reason your friend can't learn to skydive. He may need to talk to his prosthetist about an appropriate device, and some wind tunnel time would be a good idea, too. I did a couple of hours when I first started jumping again, and it was really helpful.

Pieces of Eight is getting together next weekend at Perris Valley in California. I'm sure there'll be a full report on these forums when the meet is over.

- Dan G

[huckalingus 0]

your partner will have no problem. I am a below knee amputee and have been skydiving for a while. I have had only one problem. Tell him to not cut the liner to short. Keep it long. I don't cut mine at all. The reason being is i had my prothesist come of in the air. I luckly grab it before it flew away. I 've never expierenced and spinning. I know a few of the pieces of eight guys and jump with one on occassion. If your buddy wants to talk to any of us message me and i'll give you some emails.
-Ben

[MikeD10834 0]

Lulu,
Your friend shouldn't have any problems that hasn't already been brought to light. My dad was missing his right leg from the hip down (no prosthetic device possible) and learned to skydive. Actually, he progressed through his D license and Pro-Rating without any waivers to the requirements, which means he met the exact same requirements as everyone else. A custom harness had to be built and TSO'd, and he used a scuba flipper to counteract the inbuilt turn due to non-symetry of the body. He used it like a rudder on an aircraft. These however, wouldn't apply to your friend.

I applaud and respect his desire to skydive and wish him well. There's absolutely no reason he can't skydive and the only disability that I see is between the ears of those who think he can't or shouldn't.