diablopilot 2 #1 May 22, 2009 I did a tandem the other day, after the jump there is the usual "If you're hooked, we can help you with that" banter. The Student says "I'd love to but I don't know if my wife would allow me to." After some "who wears the pants" comments, the student tells us that his wife was really against this jump. It seems that she has an uncle that died skydiving. In Panama. Was training jumpers. Was kicked in freefall and knocked out. Had an "Automatic reserve thingy, but it wasn't turned on." Go figure.....---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zoobrothertom 5 #3 May 22, 2009 Sounds like Tommy.____________________________________ I'm back in the USA!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CDRINF 1 #4 May 22, 2009 Sounds like Tom "CyPiras". That incident did more for the acceptance of the Cypres by experienced jumpers than anything else. People figured that if it could happen to Tom Piras, it could happen to anyone. CDR Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skypuppy 1 #5 May 22, 2009 So as far as the guy's wife is concerned, the world championships, the world records, the fact he made his living this way for years, and all the thousands of good jumps he made where he didn't die, don't mean squat.... That's a fairly sad statement as well. I mean, none of us 'want' to die, and I'm sure he would have wished he'd turned on the Cypres, but I also think he probably figured that it was a fair trade in the end....If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 0 #6 May 22, 2009 QuoteSo as far as the guy's wife is concerned, the world championships, the world records, the fact he made his living this way for years, and all the thousands of good jumps he made where he didn't die, don't mean squat.... That's a fairly sad statement as well. I respectfully disagree. It's not irrational for a well-meaning non-skydiver to not want a loved one such as a spouse to engage in an activity where on any given jump the risk of potential death, even if doing everything right (much less if human error is involved), is as high as exists in skydiving. Even among skydivers, who do understand the sport, there are some jumpers who decide to take a hiatus from the sport while raising young children for exactly this reason. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckakers 370 #7 May 26, 2009 Tommy may not have had his Cypres turned on, but at least he wasn't wearing a helmet.Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpwally 0 #8 May 28, 2009 I'm trying to figure out what the hell that means... smile, be nice, enjoy life FB # - 1083 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckakers 370 #9 May 28, 2009 Quote I'm trying to figure out what the hell that means... Just a bit of sarcasm for one of skydiving's most high profile moments. Sure kick started AAD sales to experienced jumpers, though. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites