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Kid_Icarus

High Altitude Jumps?

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SO the average jump is between 10-13,000 AGL. Why don't DZ offer rides from say 25,000 or 30? I'm new and probably am missing something, but wouldn't we all like a longer ride? I know the air gets thin, and difficult to breathe, so is that the reason? Could someone rent 02 masks for the ride down? Just dreamin about flyin forever....

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"What What.....

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Ive made many between 20K and 37K. Its something you have to arrange for yourself, but first, get a High Altitude Indoctrination course and learn what can happen if you dont know what you are doing up there.

Oxygen masks, bailout bottles, console in the aircraft, and other related things are not readily available at the corner store.

Look into it, it is available, but you'll have to do some research.

Bill Cole




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SO the average jump is between 10-13,000 AGL. Why don't DZ offer rides from say 25,000 or 30? I'm new and probably am missing something, but wouldn't we all like a longer ride? I know the air gets thin, and difficult to breathe, so is that the reason? Could someone rent 02 masks for the ride down? Just dreamin about flyin forever....



Some DZ's do offer high altitude jumps occasionally...

however...
1. you're right that there's O2 issues, both with the plane and jumpers
2. they are expensive as heck


If you're dreaming about flying forever....read about the lady who's planning a jump from around 130,000 feet...
expected to reach ungodly speeds, too...B|

--------------------------------------------
Elfanie
My Skydiving Page
Fly Safe - Soft Landings

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Skydance Skydiving in Davis California does high altitude (30,000) skydives twice a year. Cost may seem a little high but they provide all the training and equipment you need.

Your local Air Force Base can help with chamber rides, so you can identify your hyposia symptoms, and can evaluate your high altitude attitudes in a controled enviroment.

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Oxygen is an issue. Also there is the whole problem of other aircraft liking to use the skies. When you start getting up in the jet's neighborhood, you have to watch out for them in freefall. Freefall drift becomes greater as you are falling for a longer amount of time. Higher altitude means more fuel to get there; hence more costs. Also, if the plane takes forever to get to altitude, others who are not on the load have to wait for it to get back and hence the DZ gets less loads in. Those are a few of the reasons why high altitude jumps are not an every day occurance.

"Let the misinterpretation and attacks begin."

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We did jumps from 22,500 AGL one day at our dz. We had to use oxygen in the plane, I think any higher and we would have needed bail out bottles. It was one of the most memorable jumps ever. Expensive, $50, but well worth it.

B|


"Don't! Get! Eliminated!"

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Everyone's response so far is right on target. Bill is right about an altitude chamber course.

Go to www.faa.gov, scroll around until you find "cami" and they'll have information regarding scheduling at a nearby Air Force base. For Utah, closest is either Beale AFB outside of Sacramento, Peterson AFB, in Colorado and Hollomon AFB in Alamagordo, NM. It only cost $50.

If you come down to Houston, I'll put you "or anybody else" thru our course for free.........if you have at least a Class III or better physical....

Buck


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My home DZ (Skydive Space Center) does 18K jumps whenever they have enough jumpers that want to go up. It's $22 per jump ticket. Not bad considering the extra freefall time. They provide little O2 masks that you wear from 15K till jumprun. Done it twice last year and well worth the extra $, just find it hard to get enough people to go all the time. [:/] Those poor skydivers.

PcCoder.net

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a bailout bottle is a small (2" diameter X 12" long) bottle of high pressure (2000 psi) pure oxygen, that you ativate on jumprun and which will lasy you for 2 minutes. However, it is under great pressure, and it forces itself into your lungs and you have to forcibly exhale.

On the climb to altitude, you are breathjing through the same mask, but it is taking the oxygen from a console, or the aircraft supply.

It too is under 2000 psi, but is broken down through a regulator, and you breathe it through a demand regulator, no problem breathing or exhaling.

The oxygen used, "should be" without any moisture content, because it could freeze at altitude (-65F) and the ice would block the flow.

I filled my bailout bottles from welding tanks, which have moisture , but it wouldnt freeZe in the warm aircraft, and after jumping, I would be down in the ambient air before it would likely freeze.

Bill Cole D-41




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also FYI: A wakaround bottle is usually about 4 to 6 inches in diameter and about 24" long. It is a thin walled bottle, ususally has 500psi, and a demand regulator, and the user can walk around a large aircraft in flight. This bottle is not heavy, and before the jump, he would do like those on the larger console, and disconnect and go on his bailout bottle.

Just thought you might as well know about that one too.


Bill Cole




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Yes, you must call ahead. Next time I'm at the DZ I'll get you the digits! I'm not sure which base around here does it (maybe none with the altitude). I did mine at Shaw AFB in SC.

9 minutes at 28,000' with no mask (they told me to put it back on, i know i could have gone longer), leads me to 2 possible conclusions.

1) I'm a skydiver and used to breathing in low O2 areas or morelikely...

2) Not much upstairs needin operational O2...:P

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Bill,
There are a couple of new bail out systems out now. One is the "twin 53's" 2 bottles holding 53 cu. in. each and good for about 30 min. They also have a low pressure reg. Much better then the green apple ones.
Sparky
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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I filled my bailout bottles from welding tanks, which have moisture , but it wouldnt freeZe in the warm aircraft, and after jumping, I would be down in the ambient air before it would likely freeze.



Just a word of caution. You may want to check with whoever supplies your O2 to make sure it's medical grade gas (ask the delivery driver cause the office will say no). Most manufactures sell medical grade gas in their industrial grade bottles because it's cheaper then having multiple grades. If, however, it is actually industrial grade it may have impurities, like heavy metals, that you don't really want to breath.

Peace
Jason
Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for lost faith in ourselves.
-Eric Hoffer -
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