How long were you in this sport before a friend died?

[iluvtofly 0]

I know this is a bit of a morbid question. But everytime I see a fatality report it makes me think. I know that if you're in this sport long enough your going to see a friend or 2 die in it. I have yet to have a friend die in skydiving. The closest I've come to it was Skinnyshrek but I only had the pleasure of meeting that fat bastard once.

This is my 3rd year in the sport. And the more people I meet in it the more chances are that I'm going to lose a friend. When you did lose your first friend to this sport, how did you handle it?

[MajorDad 0]

In year 5. Two friends same week, separate accidents, different Dropzones.

We cried, we remembered, we laughed, we moved on. We also planted trees at the Drop Zone in their memory which are 20 feet tall now. Every year those of us who remember Merf and Nessman gather around the tree and toast absent friends.

It drives home the point to be excellent to each other and look after each other as best we can.

Blue ones

Major Dad
CSPA D-579

[skybeergodd 0]

I was in the sport almost 10 years before someone I considered a friend was killed. I witnessed a couple fatalities prior to that but they were people that I did not know.

[PhreeZone 15]

I had made a single jump in '99 and worked my way through the student program in 2000. In August 2001 one of the girls I had seen a few times at the DZ died at the Ranch pond swoop meet. In September 2001 one of the jumpers on the DZ had a heart attack under canopy and died. I was onsite and had to perform CPR on him until the medics arrived. July 26 2006 one of my good friends hooked in right in front of me. On April 28 2007 another friend did a low turn and died. Just about every year I was out at WFFC there was a fatality.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[superwoman8433 0]

I lost three friends my first year in skydiving and have averaged 2-4 a year. It SUCKS!!! Then again I have been to a lot of dz's and swoop comps.

[Andy_Copland 0]

2 acquaintances, 1 friend in 3 years.

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.

[JSBIRD 1]

Nine months for the first one...of many.

BASE359

"Now I've settled down,
in a quiet little town,
and forgot about everything"

[shropshire 0]

A lot of years (and that wouldn't be enough!). I've thankfully never lost a friend skydiving but a couple of aquaintences have been lost to paragliding accidents.

BSBD

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[The_Don 0]

2 years.

I am NOT being loud.
I'm being enthusiastic!

[Loonix 0]

4 years and counting.

[NWFlyer 2]

About six months before a skydiver friend died (not skydiving); three weeks later a jumper at my then-home dropzone went in during a low turn incident. He was someone I was just getting to know. It was another year after that before I lost a close friend and too many since then.

[JerryBaumchen 1,064]

Hi luv,

No close friends jumping but way too many in airplane crashes.

JerryBaumchen

[lauraliscious 0]

3 years, lost 2 mentors at once at Dublin. That was rough. I cried, went to the memorials, kept jumping, got my coach rating, and try to be a good teacher to newbies. Lost another one this past weekend, 1.5 years later.

I've had friends outside the sport die too, and it's really not mcuh different. The grief is still the same. The more people you know, and count as your friends, the more likely you are going to know someone who dies. It's a fact of life.

Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

[Peej 0]

Year 2. A friend i made at Perris died in a BASE accident. Since then i have lost 1 acquaintance and 2 friends, one of whom was my mentor.

Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky

[Amazon 7]

First one 2 years.. since then I have lost count. Even my FJC instructor is gone.. well I dont like to count anymore.
The last couple years was really rough.. thanks to going to so many boogies all over and meeting so many people.

Everytime I see a new incidents thread I hold my breath and hope against hope that it is NOT someone I know and cherish in my life.

[Andrewwhyte 1]

I went over ten years before I lost a friend skydiving. I did lose skydiving friends to a car accident and a plane crash before that and I had five or six acquaintances go in as well.

[Andy9o8 0]

An acquaintance after about 5 months - a freefall-into-canopy collision.

A friend after about 11 months - a student who was incompetent (forgive me, My Friend) being jumpmastered by an up-jumper who was equally incompetent. Long story short: deadly combination.

Both at the same DZ. That was back in the 70's.

[pilotdave 0]

Getting close to 10 years and none for me. Trying to keep it that way by not having any friends.
I've known skydivers that have died, but never a friend or anyone that I knew well.

Dave

[chrismgtis 0]

Two years so far. No friends lost yet (to skydiving). And hopefully I'll get at least another 2 years without ever seeing that.

Though I have lost skydiving friends. I was in my first jump course with 3 other guys, Andy, Rick and Jason. I think about a year in, maybe less I heard about Jason passing away. Our DZ has also lost a few other guys to other causes (I think one was a car wreck).

I was blown away when I heard about Jason. He was a good guy and always came to the DZ and would talk to anyone like he knew them well. I know everyone has demons in their closet, but it's sad losing someone you started in this sport with and got to know somewhat well.

There has been times that I've thought about the fact that sooner or later I'm going to lose a good friend in this sport and I've met a lot of damn good people. I'd hate to see any of them go, whether I knew them well or not.

Seeing someone die or losing a friend to this sport would be terrible. I don't think it would make me stop. Hell, I think I'd go right back up just to honor them when loads start going up again. Personally, I'm all for a dedication load an hour later, though I've got no problem whatsoever with the DZ shutting down for the day. Either way, it's honoring fallen comrades.

Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033
Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

[monkycndo 0]

About a year and a half for the first.
Then 7 months later, two more just a day apart.
A bad year for the NorCal family.

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[squarecanopy 0]

In the sport 3 1/2 years and lost a friend, the TI that had taken my wife for her one and only skydive. THAT SUCKED. Have lost another friend since then. No different. But both would have wanted us all to stay as safe as we can, keep learning, and keep on jumping. So that's what I am doing.

Just burning a hole in the sky.....

[Samurai136 0]

It was about 3 years before someone I knew died; average is about 1+ per year for each year in the sport. I've been in the sport 8 years.

One friend sold me his old FF suit, my first one (I still have it). Another friend bought one of my Samurai 2nd hand (I sold it to a jumper who sold it to him the following season); later he hooked in on a X-brace.

I include skydiving friends who died base jumping in the list.

If you jump regularly, make your way around the boogie circuit, and jump at several DZ's thru a season; you make a lot of friends in the plane and around the bonfire. Eventually you will lose some of those friends or see them seriously injured. You never know who it will be or when it will happen.

I'm going to drink a beer in their memory. BSBD.

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[DeNReN 0]

I lost a close friend 3 years ago Aug

[zoobrothertom 5]

Lost one friend at 2years and lost 2 more in my third year. Too many after that. I keep a memorial page at the front of my logbook.

____________________________________
I'm back in the USA!!

[SStewart 13]

27 years and I still have not lost a friend or witnessed a fatality or been present on the DZ when one occured. I did lose two close friends in a plane crash in 1990 and I was supposed to be on the load.

Just lucky I guess but the DZ's I have made most of my jumps at have outstanding safety records. Two of them have not had a fatality since the 70's and another has never had one.

Many of my old skydiving buddies are dead now but it was other stupid things that killed them. Drugs, drunk driving, health problems, old age, and even a few suicides.

Onward and Upward!