The Risk you take!

[GeekStreak 0]

Quote

I'd rather die living, than live dying.

Tuesdays With Morrie?
1111,
GeekStreak

[PLFKING 3]

In one year, 356 people drowned in their bathtubs. Unfortunately, this is not as "glamorous" as "falling out of a plane to your death", so the newspapers don't bother to print it.
Yes, skydiving is dangerous......it's not WHAT you're doing, it's WHERE you're doing it.
After my first static line jump, I bought Pointer's book, and read it cover-to-cover twice in the week before my second jump, and felt a lot safer for knowing the REAL risks, and not just the convictions of the non-jumpers I know, who all thought (and still do) that I'm nuts.
Read all the info you can find, evaluate the personal risk, THEN make your decisions....
Me ? I'm gonna keep jumpin'.......
The "Psychotic" PLF King
btw, Cyber, I really liked the pic........reminds of of myself on "the morning after"........

[matttrudeau 0]

Check out these stats I found. Unbelievable!
Activity Participants Fatalities Rate per 100,000
per year participants
All accidents 230,000,000 96,000 42
Traffic Fatalities 162,850,000 46,000 28
Power Boat Racing 7,000 5 71
SCUBA 300,000 140 47
Mountaineering 60,000 30 50
Boxing 6,000 3 50

AIR VEHICLES:
Air Shows 1,000 5 500
Homebuilt 8,000 25 312
General Aviation 550,000 800 145
Sailplane 20,000 9 45
Balloon 4,500 3 67
Hang Gliding 25,000 10 40
SKYDIVING 110,000 28 25

[zelda 0]

Quote

Driving an automobile or motorcycle is dangerous. SCUBA diving is dangerous. But most people wouldn't give you grief about it. That's considered "normal". Yet when you look at statistics, skydiving isn't much riskier than any of those activities. Yet whuffos think we're maniacs.

I've been thinking about that a lot lately. I think that while the fatality rate for a whole lot of activities is higher than that for skydivng, I don't believe that there are many activities (if any) that are more inherently dangerous than skydiving. I also think that's why the skydiving fatality rate is so much lower than that of other activities. Wait, this really does make sense--bear with me.
People go skiing, hiking, SCUBA diving, horseback riding, etc., without giving much thought to the risks; hell, they take the whole family! Because there is little perceived risk involved, people get careless. Skydiving, on the other hand, is inherently dangerous. There are things that can and should be done to reduce the risk, but anyone who says skydiving is "safe" is out of their minds. I think it's because we are all very, very aware of the potential danger that the fatality rate is as low as it is. We're a bunch of safety-conscious freaks, whereas a lot of people don't think twice about the risks involved in say, skiing, and the next thing you know, they ski into a tree and are killed instantly. Happens a lot.
Anyway, that's my theory...
blues,
zelda

[Michele 1]

Agreed. Totally and wholeheartedly. And I don't think anyone is saying that skydiving is "safe" - according to my father, I should stay home and watch t.v. for the rest of my life, then he'd be happy (but you should see him drive!) What he doesn't get (and what most people don't get) is that we take an acceptable risk; and it is acceptable only when we take the precautions we take.
Like I said, I agree.
ciel bleu-
Michele

[ADRNALN 0]

SwagDiva:
I am the same way I am much more cautious and aware while driving too. I guess my think is something along the lines of "if I am going to get hurt (or worse) it better be from skydiving.

[ADRNALN 0]

SwagDiva:
I am the same way I am much more cautious and aware while driving too. I guess my think is something along the lines of "if I am going to get hurt (or worse) it better be from skydiving."

[slotperfect 7]

-I have been jumping out of airplanes for 17 years. I love it, and will continue to do it until my body says quit.
-Skydiving is as safe as YOU make it. I learned from great Instructors, had fantastic mentors growing up in the sport. They made me get good at the basics before I moved on to bigger and better things (or smaller and faster things).
-I continue to respect skydiving as a potentially dangerous activity, and refuse to get complacent.
-I learn from others' mistakes as well as my own.
-I stay current AND proficient, maintain my gear, and update/rehearse my emergency procedures often.
-I check my gear before I put it on, get a gear check before I board the plane, and check it again myself before I exit. I am not ashamed to check my handles before I climb out.
-I tell you all of this not to toot my own horn, but to enlighten you as I have been over the years. I think that if you fall into the same mold that I have been poured into, you will be around in the sport for a long, long time.
-Thanks to Tito, Carl, Eddy, Al, Dan, and Fred for keeping me straight. They're all still around to share my stories with.
Respectfully,
SP

[Lindsey 0]

More people were killed by pirates last year than died skydiving. (I love that one). It seems that there have been a few years lately that have been "bizarre" for skydiving fatalities.....sometimes stuff happens that you really wouldn't anticipate. For me, I stay heads-up as possible and minimize the risk. I can't IMAGINE life without skydiving!
Peace~
Lindsey
"I live with fear and terror, but sometimes I leave him and go skydiving"

[chicagoskydiver 0]

Actually, I believe there are 3.5 million jumps made in the U.S. each year by 300,000 skydivers on average and the average fatality rate is approximately one in 100,000 jumps, and alot of those occur under perfectly functional parachutes due to the skydiver's error or bad judgement.
Hackey

[starzwithaz 0]

One of the most profound statements I remember from my initial training was.......
"Your gear will not fail you, you will fail you".
Nerves of steel are essential. Stick to your training no matter what....unstable/back to earth/spinning whatever. If you feel you cannot execute what your coaches have taught you.......stay out of the air.
DSF