Aircraft exhaust side effects

[ChrisL 2]

I have had occasions where after making a bunch of jumps in one day, my throat and bronchii become very
raw and irritated to the point where I get laryngitis and
lose my voice.

In a day of jumping I usually will make 4 jumps and occasionally 5. This doesnt ever cause me any problems.

Yesterday I made 6 jumps and today I literally cant speak
and had to call out sick from work even though I actually feel fine other than this bronchitis.
Fine in a tired-but-happy sort of way :-)

I had one other occasion when I made 7 jumps and had the same result the next day.

Am I just unusually sensitive to aircraft exhaust or is this more common than I know?

__

My mighty steed

[piisfish 135]

Are you sure it's the aircraft exhaust ?? Do you keep your head just at the exhausts of the engine/turbine ??
Maybe other factors. Are you a smoker ?? Sensitive to dry air ? Got asthma ??

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Tonto 1]

I think you're barking up the wrong tree.

I often do 10 or more dives in a day. I don't have any such problem,
either with turbines or piston engined aircraft. What aircraft do you operate?

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[ChrisL 2]

Quote

Are you sure it's the aircraft exhaust ?? Do you keep your head just at the exhausts of the engine/turbine ??
Maybe other factors. Are you a smoker ?? Sensitive to dry air ? Got asthma ??

In the order you asked
1. Pretty sure
2. Nope. I dont keep my head right at the exhaust :-)
3. Nope. Non-smoker (EX-smoker 5 years smoke free)
4. Not sensitive to dry air
5. No asthma

__

My mighty steed

[ChrisL 2]

Quote

I think you're barking up the wrong tree.

I often do 10 or more dives in a day. I don't have any such problem,
either with turbines or piston engined aircraft. What aircraft do you operate?

t

Turbines. Yesterday was 6 jumps from the Otter
First Otter jumps since the otter came home from its winter travels. Caravan over the winter months.
The other time this happened was the Skyvan.

Both of these aircraft produce a LOT more exhaust than the smaller airplanes. I really do believe there is a connection.
I also believe that I may be more sensitive to it than most people which would explain why you can do 10+ jumps a day without a problem.

__

My mighty steed

[Tonto 1]

Mmm. Interesting.

I think the Caravan, Skyvan, Otter and Porter (Which I jump) all use derivatives of the P & W PT 6 engine. I may be wrong here. While twins produce double the gasses, you'd need to be some place special to be able to breathe both at once.

I've spent months at Perris jumping Otters, and weeks at Eloy jumping Vans. I'm guessing you're right on the sensitivity issue but wrong on the cause. Rarified air at altitude or a host of other conditions could be related to the number of exposures a day.

Good luck pinpointing the problem and solving it.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[PhreeZone 15]

I think the Van's use Garret engines, but unless you are standing right in the wake of the engine it should probally effect you less then a Cessna since they tend to smoke a touch at initial turn over.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[jonstark 8]

Both of my kids were born nekkid. Wonder if it has to do with jumping?

[ChrisL 2]

Quote

Both of my kids were born nekkid. Wonder if it has to do with jumping?

Did you impregnate your wife in freefall?

Both times this has happened to me was immediately following
a day of jumping with more jumps than I usually make.
There are no other symptoms that would indicate an infection of any sort or a virus or whatever, and the symptoms clear up by the end of the next day.

Thats enough to think there might be a connection so I thought I would see if anyone else has had a similar experience.

So, was there anything that might cause you to belive there is a connection between jumping and your kids being born nekkid?

Maybe because you were nekkid under your clothes every time you made a jump or something like that?

__

My mighty steed

[koz2000 1]

Have you asked a doctor?

I've never had any problems but possibly it could be from the rapid change in air temp??

______________________________________________
- Does this small canopy make my balls look big? - J. Hayes -

[op5e 0]

Do you use a full faced helmet? If not give it a try and go hard one weekend. My throat has hurt from freefall, just not being used to it and not drinking enough throughout the day.

[ChrisL 2]

Havent talked to a doctor about it since its only happened 2 times.
If it happens again and the circumstances once again seem to point to jumping as being a probable cause
I will talk to one and see what they think.

__

My mighty steed

[ChrisL 2]

Quote

Do you use a full faced helmet? If not give it a try and go hard one weekend. My throat has hurt from freefall, just not being used to it and not drinking enough throughout the day.

Good thought, but I do use a full face helmet. Additionally
I drink lots of fluid all the time. Usually 3+ liters per day
and yesterday was no exception. The air temp was very nice. 70+ on the ground.

__

My mighty steed

[riggerrob 558]

Funny I suffer from exercise-induced-asthma and do 10 jumps per day out of our King Air.
The only downside that I have experienced from standing in PT6 exhaust is carbon monoxide poisoning and the lingering scent of jet fuel (kerosene) in my hair.
The adrenaline rush from skydiving tends to counter act my exercise-induced-asthma.
I suspect that your bronchitis is more related to cold, dry air at exit altitude.

[FrogNog 1]

Did the Caravan affect you less than the Twin Otter? And how long do you typically stand in line in the hot exhaust of the twin otter waiting for people to figure out what order they're supposed to load the plane? (I hate that. )

It is my understanding that jet exhaust at idle contains some nasty stuff that some people could be sensitive to. You could use a filter mask for loading and takeoff and see if that helps. Or, you could go to the DZ one day and stand around in the exhaust for a dozen loads but never actually get on the plane and see if that still hurts.

Finally, does it happen with piston engine planes, or not?

I know when I get a sore throat from skydiving, it's because I've been yelling - either at someone in freefall, or at someone under canopy, or my anxiety-releasing "Yee-haw" (serious line twists, turbulence, cutaway, etc. ).

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[AndyMan 7]

I've never heard of jet-exaust causing those symptoms.

The stuff is pretty nasty, though - Jet fuel does contains benzene which is a known carcinogen. I understand It's especially bad when the engines are allowing unburnt fuel to pass through the exaust, somethign that happens when the engines are cold. I do try to avoid it as best as I can.

I find it odd that I perceive a large number of people with assorted cancers in skydiving. I suspect that the causality goes the other way - that a lot of people with cancer try skydiving and like it, but every once in a while I wonder if maybe we're sucking in a bit too much jet exaust.

_Am

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You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[Andrewwhyte 1]

Prolonged/repeated hypoxia sometimes has that effect. Were you going higher than usual?

[Rdutch 0]

I actually know someone that had to quit jumping turboprops because of an allergy to benzene in the jet fuel.

Ray
Small and fast what every girl dreams of!

[apixel 0]

I get the beginnings of this too, but only if I don't keep hydrated. If I drink tons ( and I mean tons ) of water I seem to be fine. Otherwise I'm heading your way. This sort of things happens to me if I'm around a place that just got painted too.

[Zep 0]

If you where exposed to exhaust fumes I'm shure you'd end up with a headache and feel a bit sick

I wonder if you have a habit of opening your mouth in freefall an this could be the problem

IE: dry air being forced past your throat.

Gone fishing

[cbennettjr 0]

Might have nothing to do with it...but if I don't hydrate enough I feel like crap when I try and crank out more than 5 jumps in a day. AND as we get older we develope more allergies and the like.
Just a thought.

chuck

[riggerrob 558]

Quote

Did the Caravan affect you less than the Twin Otter? And how long do you typically stand in line in the hot exhaust of the twin otter waiting for people to figure out what order they're supposed to load the plane? (I hate that. )

It is my understanding that jet exhaust at idle contains some nasty stuff that some people could be sensitive to.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It amazes me how many people waste so many minutes, mulling around in the hot, nasty, stinky exhaust directly behind the engines.
Smart jumpers wait by the wing tip until the jumper ahead of them is half-way up the ladder, then take a deep breath and scamper up the ladder.

• Quote

[flyboy62000 0]

I can tell you about jet exhaust side effects.

1. One whiff of it makes me instantly wish I was on a jumpship climbing to altitude or in the pilot's seat hauling a load.

2. Triggers daydreams/ flashbacks of days on the DZ, boogies, and great jumps from the past.

3. Causes an uncontrollable desire to grab my rig, quit my job (well, before I joined the military) and move onto the DZ so I can jump every day. Wait, I did that once already.

4. Reminds me how much I love the smell of jet fuel in the morning (well just the exhaust, unburned jet fuel usually makes me want to puke)...midday...afternoon...evening...well you get the picture, see above effects.

Joking aside, jet exhaust, like diesel smoke comes from burning a karosene based fuel. Since it burns rather sooty compared to gasoline, prolonged exposure to the smoke can lead to certain respiratory reactions in sensitive individuals. While this may not be the cause of your problem it certainly could be a contributing factor. As far as the otter goes, any aircraft in which you enter the door directly behind the engine will produce an area of considerable exhaust concentration while the prop is feathered, as many pilots do so the jumpers don't get blasted by propwash. I prefer when the prop is allowed to move some air to thin out the exhaust, I don't mind a little wind while loading the plane. Otherwise my eyes get irritated when there's a lot of exhaust and no air to move it.

Blue Skies,
Adam
I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things . . . — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

[HydroGuy 0]

My gut reaction would be hypoxia. If there was a sensitivity to byproducts in the exhaust, I believe you would experience the same reactions with 4 jumps as you would with 5 or 7.

If you were reaching the begining stages of hypoxia, multiple jumps could have a build up effect...

Maybe your body is just better handling four stressful events in one day as opposed to seven?

[FrogNog 1]

Quote

It amazes me how many people waste so many minutes, mulling around in the hot, nasty, stinky exhaust directly behind the engines.
Smart jumpers wait by the wing tip until the jumper ahead of them is half-way up the ladder, then take a deep breath and scamper up the ladder.

A sterling plan as long as there actually is a loading order. I waited in a cluster of people so long once that the plane stank of jet fuel until jump run (at 9k). We had all gotten out to the plane before it landed, but nobody considered order until it was time to talk it over with a running P&W joining in the conversation.

Next time I'll just get in right after the birdmen, do a solo freefly or whatever the load order eventually decides needs to be at that seat, get out last and pull high so I can make it back.

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.