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ParagonUE

looking for statistics

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Howdy, my pop isnt too keen on me taking up skydiving after I turn 18 (Friday!!!!!!) and I was wondering if anyone knew where I can find statistics on skydiving injuries/deaths. I believe they are lower than some sports that are considered slightly "tamer"? any help is appreciated. thanks in advance!!;)
"he knows what its like to be dieing, so he knows what its like to live"

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I was a jumper at age 18 and my dad hated it. We hid it from my mom. I am now a dad in my own right, so I understand the parental mentality.

Trust me, if your pop is focused on that most basic truth about skydiving, which is that there's a possibility of death on every skydive (and there's no denying that basic truth), you won't convince your dad thru statistics.

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Whether to skydive or not has to be a decision made by adults for themselves. There is an omnipresent possibility you can die, and parents are not going to be real happy with that. Convincing a parent that it's ok to take that risk by using statistics will probably not be effective. Unles someone is a statistician, statistics are just numbers that people don't understand or trust. I don't think why someone wants to skydivie is going to be understood well by someone who has never tried itl (This, by the way, from someone who doesn't discuss that aspect of skydiving with her kids. I think they are happier not knowing.)
"safety first... and What the hell.....
safety second, Too!!! " ~~jmy

POPS #10490

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One more thing. You're falling victim to the instinct you still have to (a) tell your parents what you're doing, (b) get your parents' blessing for something you're doing. Those are your chains. It's quite liberating to come to the realization that you need to do neither.

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One more thing. You're falling victim to the instinct you still have to (a) tell your parents what you're doing, (b) get your parents' blessing for something you're doing. Those are your chains. It's quite liberating to come to the realization that you need to do neither.



thats actually a great point. i told my dad that at some point, when im experienced, id like to try wingsuit base jumping. he said hed chain me to the radiator[:/] perhaps they are better off being a little in the dark on the subject. im so used to asking their permission on things. after 18 years, i need to make some of my own decisions
"he knows what its like to be dieing, so he knows what its like to live"

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Howdy, my pop isnt too keen on me taking up skydiving after I turn 18 (Friday!!!!!!) and I was wondering if anyone knew where I can find statistics on skydiving injuries/deaths. I believe they are lower than some sports that are considered slightly "tamer"? any help is appreciated. thanks in advance!!;)



It isn't lawnbowling (to state the obvious) and it is not a roller coaster ride.

I've taught the First Jump Course to a lot of teenagers over the years. Some are more mature than others.

If you can accept responsibility for your own actions and work with the instructor to comprehend and perform the drills associated with the first jump course, you will probabably have a great experience that you will remember fondly for the rest of your life.

If you are young, dumb, full of cum and are too cool to listen to the instructor or the guy on the radio, then you may become just another statistic (plus cause the guy on the radio much stress).

Most people belong in the first category and do fine. The First Jump Course Instructors try to get to or weed out the ones in the second category ("You should go tandem...... or go home!")

By the way, you could always tell your parents after the fact..... like I did! B|

Major Dad
CSPA D-579

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One more thing. You're falling victim to the instinct you still have to (a) tell your parents what you're doing, (b) get your parents' blessing for something you're doing. Those are your chains. It's quite liberating to come to the realization that you need to do neither.



thats actually a great point. i told my dad that at some point, when im experienced, id like to try wingsuit base jumping. he said hed chain me to the radiator[:/] perhaps they are better off being a little in the dark on the subject. im so used to asking their permission on things. after 18 years, i need to make some of my own decisions


I started skydiving when I was 18...a little advise?

ALWAYS easier to seek forgiveness than permission! ;)










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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I started about 6 months ago, told them after I did my first tandem and showed them the video. Dad was pissed, mom was not that bad actually. I have paid for the whole thing by eating cheap stuff and forwarding a big chunk of my allowance to jumping. Worth it so far, if for nothing more than the badass value. If you skydive people will automatically think your a badass, in college anyway. Girls dig it.
"If you don't like your job, you don't strike! You just go in every day, and do it really half assed. That's the American way."
- Homer Simpson

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After 3 years and 200+ jumps of jumping in college I can say with some certainty that you think are are a lot more badass than most of your friends do. Most girls do not care, but will feign interest out of politeness. Same with most guys. I have seen about a dozen people come thru my college club with your attitude. None have lasted more than 1 year.

Very respectfully, I think you should reconsider your choice to jump out of a plane if one of your top motivations is the badass factor.


To the OP: I started when I was 18 also. Tell the parents later, I did. The poster who said its easier to ask forgiveness than permission is absolutely correct.


Edit: I should clarify what I mean by none lasted more than 1 year. I do not mean that they got hurt or worse, simply that they realized that they were not getting what they came for (attention and badass points) and then quit the sport after a short time.

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One more thing. You're falling victim to the instinct you still have to (a) tell your parents what you're doing, (b) get your parents' blessing for something you're doing. Those are your chains. It's quite liberating to come to the realization that you need to do neither.



thats actually a great point. i told my dad that at some point, when im experienced, id like to try wingsuit base jumping. he said hed chain me to the radiator[:/] perhaps they are better off being a little in the dark on the subject. im so used to asking their permission on things. after 18 years, i need to make some of my own decisions


I started skydiving when I was 18...a little advise?

ALWAYS easier to seek forgiveness than permission! ;)


Exactly. I had about 10 jumps before I told anyone in my family - so by that time, it was a fait accomplit, and I'd had enough jumps that it wasn't just "OK, now you've done it once in your life", and I was no longer a (complete) whuffo, so I already knew a lot more facts vs. myths about it than they could pretend to. Made it a lot harder for them to do much more than voice their disapproval.

If they can still control you because you're still dependent on them for money or a place to live, figure out a way to do it without them knowing. If that's not possible, then your only choices are to get them to tolerate it enough not to threaten to cut you off, or to wait until you're more financially self-sufficient.

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I started skydiving when I turned 44 and my Mom told me straight away I am crasy and that I needed to see a psychiatrist. My children's reaction was that we needed to discuss this first. My husband was the only one who supported me, and still supports me.

I just went ahead and slowly but surely my Mom and children got used to the idea. They still get nervous, but I think as long as you don't try and push them to accept the idea of skydiving, they will eventually. Every now and then my Mom will even ask me a few questions(must admit very hesitant) and I try to answer them as honestly as possible and I think that also helps letting her feel more at ease with me skydiving.

Couldn't really give you any advice just wanted you to know that parents and children really need time to get used to the fact that you want to do something a little different.

Anyway, enjoy your skydiving.

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When I was an AFF Instructor I was asked often for statistics on skydiving safety. I figured it might be helpful to use a comparison with familiar situations so that just saying that X amount of skydivers per X amount of skydives die or are injured. So I went to the library and did some research on injuries and deaths in the US. I learned that, basically, we are all in the greatest danger at home, at work and when we drive. Also, males are at an 89% likelihood of getting killed by a gunshot than women are, presumably because we are more likely to be near guns for reasons that range from hunting to drug dealing.
The number of deaths or injuries in skydiving is ridiculously lower than in almost all other daily activities your parents no doubt already accept and never give thought to. But there is no sensationalism involved in an every day auto accident in which people die. It is tragic, but not a real awakening moment for anyone reading about it. Example: If you and your mother are driving along and you get into an accident and you are injured enough to need an ambulance, will your mother ride along with you in the ambulance or will she never set foot in an automobile again and insist that no one in her family ever go near a car? It isn't that skydivers are not succeptible to danger. We are, but for the most part (not 100%) the greatest danger is our own cockiness and willingness to assume that we know more than we do. The greater danger is the human factor, not the technology, equipment or training. As a student you will be - in many ways - in the safest possible environment because you'll have a lot of hand holding and guidance. If, as you progress, you slow down on the learning curve and make the fatal assumption that you have progressed beyond any need to keep listening and learning, then your parents will have a point. It will be your responsibility to them and to yourself to not give them fuel for argument. As you will be 18, you will, as has already been pointed out, be in a position to do as you damn well please. But they are still your family and you alone have to decide if their concerns matter. Rather than dismiss their feelings out of hand, share your thoughts and research and passion with them. Bring them to the DZ.Show them the USPA web site & Parachutist. Get some videos and some pocorn and show them just how beautiful the sport is and that it is, indeed, a sport and not just a lunatic attempt at suicide. Take them to this web site and show them the discussions and the help available. We are not a renegade bunch of crazed mavericks anymore, regardless of what anyone says or shooses to believe. USPA is the only aviation sport granted a self policing, self monitoring position by the FAA because our record for both safety and training are superior to the other such sports, and USPA routinely deals with safety issues before the FAA steps in, and then goes the FAA one better by enacting or issuing more detailed and precice measures than the FAA would have.
Meantime, go skydive and have a great time at it. Stay safe, listen to wiser, older voices.

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I don't think that my parents understood why I wanted to skydive or why I continue to do so but, they have all been out to the dropzone. In a way I think that this gave them a better understanding for why I love to jump. We went down to elsinore in october.....my mom lives near there and came down for the weekend. She got to go on a "ride along" and she watched us pack and land. She was able to watch what we were doing and asked us questions as the day went along. I think that answering her question help put her mind at ease and she could see the comraderie and the vibes that were at the DZ. By the time that she left, she understood why we jump and is a lot more comfortable with us playing in the sky. Most of her fear came from ingnorance about the sport and the sensationalization of the tragedies that can occur here. Good luck....and have fun next week!;)

DPH # 2
"I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~
I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc!

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That's great advice. Once I figure out how to land better, I think I'm going to have my kids come out. I think the 2 landing so far would probably not have had a very good effect.:D:D



It just came down to educating them about the sport more than anything.;).......yeah, I am still working on that landing thing too, but it has improved lately:S:S:S:S:S
DPH # 2
"I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~
I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc!

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bad comparison with driving - ignores exposure time. Ignores the injury risk too - what other sport has 'femur' as a verb?

18 is a funny age to make this risk call. Adults are allowed to make this decision, but not everyone is really ready to do so yet. It's a different world when you're living away from home and don't have the safety net that mom may provide.

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yeah, ive got another half a year where I am. i explained it to my mom, even mentione the car statistic. she then told me not to tell my father, and to paint the living room door. damn renovations
"he knows what its like to be dieing, so he knows what its like to live"

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I agree. On average, skydiving is far more dangerous than driving. The last paragraph of Tom's article makes it clear. He also makes clear that the statistics can vary so much because there are so many parameters involved that it is almost irrelevant. It's very different than statistics for the lottery. But if there was no risk, it wouldn't probably be as much fun and rewarding as it is!
Laurent - www.RhythmSkydiving.com

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Howdy, my pop isnt too keen on me taking up skydiving after I turn 18 (Friday!!!!!!) and I was wondering if anyone knew where I can find statistics on skydiving injuries/deaths. I believe they are lower than some sports that are considered slightly "tamer"? any help is appreciated. thanks in advance!!;)



Most drop zones require jumpers to belong to USPA because membership includes liability insurance that pays for property damaged by jumpers, like the fragile expensive airplanes typically parked around landing areas.

USPA has about 30,000 members.

There are about 30 fatalities a year.

So your chances of death are probably about 1 in 1000 from skydiving itself.

This is pretty comparable to motorcycling at 7 per 10000 registered vehicles.

You're also exposed to risk from general aviation which is harder to quantify in a skydiving context, since skydivers rarely fly in instrument conditions, rarely land with the plane, and can get out when some problems occur above a few thousand feet.

Accidents are relatively infrequent but kill lots of people when they happen - the Otter crash in Perris, CA killed 16 people.

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USPA has about 30,000 members.

There are about 30 fatalities a year.

So your chances of death are probably about 1 in 1000 from skydiving itself.



Ah, but here's another way to look at it: statistical risk of death on any given jump. I was under the impression that, in the US, there are roughly 3 million sport skydives made per year, and roughly 30-ish fatalities per year. So that would mean that on any given skydive made in the US, the statistical chance of death would be about 1 in 95,000, give or take. Big difference from 1 in 1,000.

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