parachutedress 0 #1 September 8, 2009 Hi girls, I've been thinking about doing something for a while and I wanted to get an opinion on it. For prom my senior year I wore this really poofy dress and got a lot of comments saying that I could jump out of a plane and it would act like a parachute lol so naturally I want to give it a try...wearing an actual parachute of course hopefully one of those big round ones because I hear they can slow you down quite a bit lol. I've done a bit of research and I figured the best bet for me would bet, I would tie the hem of the dress down to my legs with some rope or something with a bit of slack and do what you call a "static line jump" so that the parachute chord is pulled for me and my dress flying up in my face won't get in the way of the rip cord being pulled or me seeing where I was going. The dress itself is two pieces so I can put on the bodice, the harness and container and than on top of that I can slip the skirt and petticoats on so the harness would have a good snug fit to it. So girls I was wondering if this would be the least bit possible and guys you can answer too if you wanted I just figured the girls would know a little bit more considering the dress lol. I enclosed a link to a picture of my dress and I hope to get a lot of feed back. Thank you all very much!! Tiffany http://api.ning.com/files/PS*5K4oSAl4pjUWZxPBRfW-Veb9RD2mkMI1JYQn*XUttLhxJxqC8txtol8b6KPjWu2v8yFqRuRGOeATK3lDJM*8o77ajY8Sj/CONSUELOFUCHSIA_PINK.jpg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #2 September 8, 2009 It's not just the deployment of the main you have to worry about - if the main malfunctions and you have to cut it away and deploy the reserve, that dress could easily cover the handles that you would really need to be able to see and pull if you wanted to survive the skydive. For this reason it's highly improbable that any instructor out there would let you do it on your first jump, whether static line, tandem or AFF. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #3 September 8, 2009 Not a good idea, in my opinion. That dress would act like a shuttlecock, putting you into a head-down position, from which you would have no control to be otherwise. That's not a good position for canopy deployment. And you sure as hell don't want to be tying things to your legs. You also haven't told us what your experience level is. Cool idea, but not practical, and probably not safe. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJL 232 #4 September 8, 2009 Get into skydiving and then figure out a way to jump it. It can be done. Still not smart but don't let let people tell you what to do. They're just suckers."I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,400 #5 September 8, 2009 Demo jumpers regularly jump with some absurd costumes. At the last demo I did we had people with skirts, people in Batman costumes (we skipped the cape part) and people in three piece suits. Santa outfits are common; even Spongebob outfits have been jumped. The issues are: 1) Drag. What you are wearing has to have sufficiently balanced drag such that you can fly belly-to-earth (which is how you have to deploy.) A dress with hoops will give you trouble there. 2) Deployment safety. The outfit has to not generate too large a burble, and must not trail behind into the space that the main/reserve will need to open. There must be no hooks or catches that can snag lines. 3) Harness attachment. The harness will have to go around your legs and chest. For long dresses you'll have to cut slits to pass the legstraps through. Often, people cut slits in their shirts and pass the chest strap beneath the shirt so people can see what's on the front of the shirt better. If you really want to do this, your best bet is to get licensed, get to the C license level and start talking to demo jumpers who have done this before. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #6 September 8, 2009 Maybe you can go for a tandemjump dressed like that, be sure to get video ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #7 September 8, 2009 QuoteMaybe you can go for a tandemjump dressed like that, be sure to get video Any tandem instructor that would do that is, imho, seriously lacking in judgment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #8 September 8, 2009 Anyone answering this thread is seriously lacking judgment. Except for Billvon of course. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pirana 0 #9 September 8, 2009 You wore THAT to prom?!Was you mate dressed like Henry the VIII? " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
councilman24 36 #10 September 8, 2009 IF any dropzone considers letting you do this run away very fast.As stated, not going to happen as a student. Not recommended as an experienced jumper. This is a stunt, not a skydive and would have lots of added risk. BTW you'd need to be a VERY experienced skydiver to 'give it a try'. In other words to try to inflate the skirt in freefall. Maybe a wind tunnel would let you play. But maybe not when that thing shreads apart and gets sucked into the fans.But in any case, WE NEED VIDEO! I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 34 #11 September 8, 2009 I'd be surprised if there was a DZ willing to let you try that stunt. In other words, ain't gonna happen. You might have better luck going to a bungee jump tower, putting the harness on first, then the dress, if there is a place you can route the cord through the dress on your back."Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJL 232 #12 September 8, 2009 Quote Anyone answering this thread is seriously lacking judgment. Except for Billvon of course. You're just mad because you don't have the skills to wear that on a jump."I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rivetgeek 0 #13 September 8, 2009 dont feed the trolls.~Bones Knit, blood clots, glory is forever, and chicks dig scars.~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maxmadmax 8 #14 September 8, 2009 Check out a wind tunnel. Here's a link: Wind Tunnel And of course we need video, especially when the prom dress vanishes! Don't go away mad....just go away! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 1,623 #15 September 8, 2009 Quote You wore THAT to prom?!Was you mate dressed like Henry the VIII? Maybe that explains why the head's missing.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amstalder 0 #16 September 8, 2009 I think everyone's covered the safety issues well enough, but your dress is gorgeous Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stuntbabex 0 #17 September 9, 2009 In solviet russia, parachute flys YOU Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeJD 0 #18 September 9, 2009 Do you have arms and a head? If not, I'm thinking that's going to be your first stumbling block. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrDree 0 #19 September 9, 2009 It could work... Is it a 9-cell dress? Zero-p fabric? "One day, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching." Dudeist Skydiver #101 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pirana 0 #20 September 9, 2009 I needed a good smile. If only the comment about Soviet Russia could have been delivered in the voice of Boris or Natasha Badenoff." . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgoltry853 0 #21 September 10, 2009 Quote dont feed the trolls. Believe it or not, I'm pretty sure she's not a troll... and she's serious that she wants to jump in the dress. How do I know? She found me on facebook (presumably through one of the skydiving groups I'm a fan or member of) back in December looking for advice on how to skydive in that dress on her prom night... except back then the plan was for her and a bunch of friends to all wear their dresses on the jumps. To the OP: Like others have said here (and I'm pretty sure I said a few times before)... it's not likely that you are going to find an instructor anywhere that will let you make a jump in anything other than normal clothes or a jumpsuit, and certainly not a dress like that, simply from a safety standpoint. I still say you should give skydiving a try, though. Get that group of friends together and find a dropzone nearby (NY, if I remember correctly?). I guarantee that the experience of skydiving in a plain old jumpsuit will be more than exciting enough. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
half-a-greek 0 #22 September 10, 2009 No offense to the OP, but what does this say about what people think of our sport??? I thought she was joking at first... then realized she was serious. I think to myself... really? do people have any concept of common sense? Although seeing a jump like that would be hilarious, as it has been covered by everyone else, it would be un-safe. Sell the dress back to Queen Victoria, and go skydiving Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hellis 0 #23 September 10, 2009 Quote No offense to the OP, but what does this say about what people think of our sport??? I thought she was joking at first... then realized she was serious. I think to myself... really? do people have any concept of common sense? Although seeing a jump like that would be hilarious, as it has been covered by everyone else, it would be un-safe. Sell the dress back to Queen Victoria, and go skydiving i dont think it has anything to do what people think of our sport, its what they dont know. most non-jumpers dont know anything about skydiving. they know we jump from a airplane and then.............. we land safely on the ground. they dont know anything about the freefall or the risks in the sport. i think some duct tape could make that dress safe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fastphil 0 #24 September 10, 2009 The game of Badminton comes to mind here... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,400 #25 September 10, 2009 >The game of Badminton comes to mind here... Well, if she did stabilize head-down I suspect she wouldn't be wearing that dress for very long . . . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
