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neilly

Urban myths in skydiving

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I would say that without a doubt the most pervasive myth in skydiving is that you can't breathe in freefall.

This goes back to a "faq" that was posted on the usenet rec.skydiving newsgroup and has been cited as real fact by numerous legit news agencies.

Really stupid if a person stopped and thought about it for even a fraction of a second, but most people -don't- think at all so what the heck am I saying?
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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Sometimes with the smell on the plane you dont want to breathe, perhaps thats what they meant,lol

But we have all seen point break and know that you can talk in freefall, well you can, the only problem is nobody can hear you.

But has anyone heard about the woman who did ground school couldnt afford the jumps so went to a seperate DZ with a forged logbook , hired a rig and then jumped,
she screamed all the way down until her Cypres fired and she landed OK,
Fly like an aardvark

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One I have heard often over many years is skydivers surviving impact in freefall without any "nylon" out. I only know of one confirmed one from WW2 where a British bomber crew member survived by hittting large trees and there was a lot of snow on the ground. He was badly injured so. I saw an interview with him.

Any other incident Iknow of have always had something out to slow them down somewhat and they normally saved by muddy ground, water etc. Never known about a total mal impact being survived besides above. But I always have friends(whuffos) telling me about it.... :P
---------------------------------------------------------
When people look like ants - pull. When ants look like people - pray.

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If you go fast enough in freefall your skin can peel off.

And, um, doesn't everyone have a cousin whose brother's friend jumped, and neither parachute opened, and he lived?

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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One I have heard often over many years is skydivers surviving impact in freefall without any "nylon" out. I only know of one confirmed one from WW2 where a British bomber crew member survived by hittting large trees and there was a lot of snow on the ground. He was badly injured so. I saw an interview with him.



There are a number of people who survived without anything abover them - see the link. The chap you're talking about was a Nicholas Alkemade who flew in the same squadron as with my Great Uncle who was a belly gunner.

http://www.manbottle.com/trivia/Terminal_Velocity.htm_answer.htm

I do a lot of recruting at uni for my club - by far the most common question is: "how far up do you go when you open your parachute?" Oh, and you know everyone thinks we still use ripcords.

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Its not a myth but a question I get asked alot when recruiting is "What happens if both your parachutes fail?"

I would have thought the answer was fairly obvious :P



Answer: Untie your shoes. Why you ask, because it gives you something to do before you bounce.
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

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Its not a myth but a question I get asked alot when recruiting is "What happens if both your parachutes fail?"

I would have thought the answer was fairly obvious :P



Answer: Untie your shoes. Why you ask, because it gives you something to do before you bounce.


That's pretty good. I answer the whuffos by saying "walk towards the white light".



never pull low......unless you are

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Its not a myth but a question I get asked alot when recruiting is "What happens if both your parachutes fail?"

I would have thought the answer was fairly obvious :P



Answer: Untie your shoes. Why you ask, because it gives you something to do before you bounce.



My answer: Hold up your left hand.

They ask, "Why?"

And I tell them, "One of us on the ground might need a watch."
--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

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