i'm a music fan....

[moonglo 0]

Studies have shown that listening to music while driving slows your reaction times as if you'd had a drink or 2, so it can impair your abilities even if you're not actively listening/grooving/whatever. (sorry, don't have the study handy right now) I agree it wouldn't be a big deal on the airplane, and if there's an aircraft emergency you'll probably notice your buddies gearing up in a hurry. But I don't think it's a good idea for freefall or canopy flight for any experience level if it could distract you, make it difficult to communicate, or slow your reaction times.

[billvon 2,392]

>Aircraft emergencies does not some without a notice.

Every aircraft emergency I've ever been involved with came without notice. You're just sitting there and - BAM! - the engine blows, or the helicopter's transmission goes and blows access covers right off, or someone's parachute goes over the tail. It goes from just another jump to emergency situation in seconds.

[Sick_Of_It_All 0]

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Studies have shown that listening to music while driving slows your reaction times as if you'd had a drink or 2, so it can impair your abilities even if you're not actively listening/grooving/whatever. (sorry, don't have the study handy right now)

I read about a study that showed music can INCREASE your reaction time, specifically rock and metal.. I don't happen to have the study at hand either, read it in a magazine.

[AggieDave 6]

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It goes from just another jump to emergency situation in seconds.

I fully agree, having (like yourself) been in some AC emergancies one of which required an engine out landing right after take off.

If the engine is on, then be ready to get out. If that means jumping out of a burning plane on the ground, then so be it. If that means having your harness adjusted so you can get out of the plane at 1500ft when the pilot screams get out, then so be it. Sleeping and listening to music are distractions. If you're comfortable with accepting the personal resonpibility, then so be it. Don't expect the rest of the load to wait on you to unF*** yourself and move with the rest of the load.

The rest of the scerios (on the ground, under canopy and in freefall) have been covered already.

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

[Darius11 12]

I have jumped with music a few times.

In free fall it is point less you can’t hear shit, and it is a distraction. Wires no matter how secure can always get lose.
For a high Alt. Hop n pop where you just flying your canopy and the sun is setting, that’s off the hook.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[phoenixlpr 0]

Simple: can you skip 10-35 minutes without music / jump? We usually have radio on in our club. I don't really miss those minutes spent with climbing, freefall, landing and walking back.

[DSE 3]

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Studies have shown that listening to music while driving slows your reaction times as if you'd had a drink or 2, so it can impair your abilities even if you're not actively listening/grooving/whatever. (sorry, don't have the study handy right now) I agree it wouldn't be a big deal on the airplane, and if there's an aircraft emergency you'll probably notice your buddies gearing up in a hurry. But I don't think it's a good idea for freefall or canopy flight for any experience level if it could distract you, make it difficult to communicate, or slow your reaction times.

Taken out of context, those studies are accurate. Most of them are contracted by automotive manufacturers. Listening to an aircraft engine drone on for 20 mins is potentially more hazardous to reaction times than listening to music, according to most of the studies. You can test this yourself, but there are dozens of studies ranging from the Russians to the US Dept of Health. Music with a droning sound creates faster reaction times than reaction times while the drone-only occurs.
Additionally, fast-tempo music significantly speeds up reaction/response time to visual and audible stimuli. Music at tempos of 130 and faster consistently demonstrates this. See link below.
Google "music +reaction time." You'll find lots of data from an exceptionally wide pool of testers.

HIP (Hearing Is Priceless) did a very interesting study on this a few years ago. The louder the music, the slower the response time, but still faster reaction times than those merely listening to a motor. Once music reaches the 100dB level resultant differences were negligible compared to much louder levels.
Except...when the music became more loud than the motor, reaction times became significantly slower.
You can also test yourself... Sight vs sound. Most people are slower at sight than sound.
http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspDetail&ResourceID=43

Test yourself/your reaction times to both visual and audible stimuli.

http://www.drdriving.org/misc/music_strick_report.html

http://www.irishscientist.ie/2003/contents.asp?contentxml=03p149b.xml&contentxsl=is03pages.xsl

http://www.colorado.edu/eeb/courses/1230jbasey/abstracts%202005/24.htm

This subject comes up a lot and given that the last time it came up, one guy consistently reamed my ass, so I spent a little time researching and found out that all this talk of "distracting," "slowed reaction time," etc is all just a bunch of BS. Or maybe the military, Dept of Health, NIST, and other testing agencies are all wrong.
I jump with in-ear custom cans at least once a month (solo jumps only), and can carry on a conversation in the aircraft with them in and music enabled. Yes, you can hear music in freefall quite well if you have sealed cans and a helmet. Etymotic makes the ER4; great for skydiving. Cables are inside my jumpsuit, and the only wire exposure is about 2" worth on the back of my neck. My hair is longer than that. My iPod is easily accessed in my front pocket. I turn off the iPod as I'm on final, so I can hear yells, or hear the slider flap of someone coming up behind me after I've landed.
Different folks are going to have different reactions, but I consider myself an adult, capable of making adult choices. Just be sure you have a good grip on your skydives before doing this, and your jump numbers suggest that maybe you might wait a while. I waited til jump 100. I see nothing hazardous about a solo skydive wearing cans, so long as they're off during final so you can hear others in the air and on the ground, and after you've landed. Music is my life, and I enjoy having a soundtrack to my most exciting moments from time to time.
YMMV.

[edited to repair clicky]

[AggieDave 6]

I'm trying to figure this part out:

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My iPod is easily accessed in my front pocket. I turn off the iPod as I'm on final, so I can hear yells, or hear the slider flap of someone coming up behind me after I've landed.

Are you letting go of your toggles to reach your Ipod or are you all of a sudden going into brakes on final to try to reach your pocket? Are you continuing to fly in a straight line while doing this? I'm not trying to imply anything, I'm just curious if you really meant on final or when you start your downwind or how the mechanics of your situation work.

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

[DSE 3]

I let go of my right toggle to reach across my jumpsuit. I don't need to reach inside, because I can feel the buttons on the iPod and know which is which, from the outside of the jumpsuit. I manage my iPod in the same manner as when riding my bike (I'm familiar enough where everything is that I don't need to look or fumble around).
I don't put my hands inside the toggles, so it's not as though I have to worry about fighting to get my fingers back inside the toggle loop at 1K. Yes, I fly a straight line when I do this. It gets shut off before I enter the pattern.
[edited to clarify original post] I turn off my iPod as I'm going into my downwind leg. I'm not messing with it on base or final.

[billvon 2,392]

> I turn off my iPod as I'm going into my downwind leg.

Whenever I have stuff to mess with (cameras, booties, slider etc) I make sure I do it right after opening while I'm still in brakes flying away from the center. Once I release the brakes, everything starts happening faster. And on downwind, I expect to have to turn suddenly; that's when everyone seems to join the pattern (sometimes in unexpected ways.)

[AggieDave 6]

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Whenever I have stuff to mess with (cameras, booties, slider etc) I make sure I do it right after opening while I'm still in brakes flying away from the center. Once I release the brakes, everything starts happening faster. And on downwind, I expect to have to turn suddenly; that's when everyone seems to join the pattern (sometimes in unexpected ways.)

Thank you for making the point that I wanted to make Bill. That's exactly what I was thinking. I would like to further what you are saying by stating that doing things besides fly your canopy in the pattern is making a large assumption that the other people that were on the load with you will actually be flying a landing pattern. I know you've been to plenty enough DZs and boogies where you had to get into brakes and make evasive turns at various parts of your pattern to fly around people flying every which way.

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

[kimemerson 7]

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I don't put my hands inside the toggles, .

Hhhhhmmmmmm.......

[DSE 3]

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I don't put my hands inside the toggles, .

Hhhhhmmmmmm.......

yup....hhhhmmmmmm.......

[phoenixlpr 0]

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I don't put my hands inside the toggles

That should be some student thing.

[DSE 3]

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I don't put my hands inside the toggles

That should be some student thing.

Why would not putting hands inside toggle loops be "some student thing?" Offhand, I can think of at least six guys, none of whom are sub 10k jumps, who also don't put their hands thru their toggle loops. Maybe I have different toggles than you do. Or, perhaps there could be a physical reason for not doing so. Or, maybe I'm "toggle-phobic" or...
any other one of myriad reasons.
One of the reasons I skydive is because it's not a "just like you" sport.
I guess maybe it is.

[AggieDave 6]

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Why would not putting hands inside toggle loops be "some student thing?"

Its definately a personal preference thing. In reference to high performance canopies, though, dropping a toggle at any point during the process can prove to be fatal. So a large majority of swoopers put the toggle over their palm. Its been talked about quite a bit, so if you're still curious about it there's some threads you can find about it.

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

[DSE 3]

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Why would not putting hands inside toggle loops be "some student thing?"

Its definately a personal preference thing. In reference to high performance canopies, though, dropping a toggle at any point during the process can prove to be fatal. So a large majority of swoopers put the toggle over their palm. Its been talked about quite a bit, so if you're still curious about it there's some threads you can find about it.

I'm aware of the likely problems if one drops toggles during swoops; I had a good friend seriously hurt himself in that exact scenario. My sub-300 jump numbers are far too low for me to seriously consider swooping, additionally given that I'm still not flying HP canopies and lumbering along under a fat 210 main. Maybe if/when I begin swooping, I'll figure out a means of toggle that I'm comfortable putting my hands inside vs putting line between my fingers and having the keepers coming out from either side of my hands.
There are other reasons I prefer this method as well. But heck...I listen to music on occasional solo skydives, so what do I know?
Last out, pull high, rock on...Creed at sunset is a great feeling.

[ResolvedElement 0]

I can definitely say that listening to music on a skydive is very fun. It's certainly not something I would do when jumping with others, but DSE is right... sunset jumps with music are sweet. Although probably not with Creed. I take mine with a little drum n' bass. The DZ I jump at most of the time is a small one in farmland so I don't usually have as much to worry about as far as traffic goes, although it's always good to be wary. But burying your toggle to some crunchy techno is lots of fun.

Be careful, though, because mp3 players can get ruined quite easily by pressure change and extreme temperatures.