MikeBIBOM

It's not part of any calculation for micromorts for skydiving, it certainly is if you're comparing your chance of dying compared to the average German your age.

Congratulations, like 99% of the population, you don't know how to do statistics and probability. I looked at the DFV numbers and did the math and I got answers varying from 21.something to 15.something, depending on whether I used the whole set or just part of it. Where did you get 18.55? Numbers don't lie, but your math is way way off. First off, you used Wikipedia for your information, and their method of cataloging it is suspect at best. Their link to the BPA's stats (found here) don't even have the same numbers. ( 4,864,268 jumps and 41 fatalities over 20 years vs. 5,012,215 jumps and 40 fatalities over 20 years ). The BPA dataset breaks it down by type of jumper. Does the DFV? What kind of trend do we see in the numbers? Is it steady over the last 20 years, increasing, decreasing, anomalous? Are there other factors involved? Did the Tandem Instructor who died on the ride up count? Second, the USPA and BPA stats are based on 365 day jumping years, German skydive season is barely half the year if the weather cooperates, and many (most) DZs are still weekend only even in the summer time. Do you consider only actual open days in your total annual risk calculation? Do you do a similar consideration for the average German your age? (This is not even to mention that in comparison to almost every other country on earth, Germany is incredibly safe. Congratulations on living in the place with the best average drivers in the world) Of all German Skydivers, are 100% of them (and the fatalities) only in the age 20-29 group? Third, The vast majority of DFV members are inactive because they got their license, did a few jumps and then quit. How many are actually considered experienced? How many of the fatalities are current vs. novice vs. noncurrent? Wikipedia simplified this to the average for all jumpers, but the BPA Statistics clearly show that the injury/fatality rate drops by half or more for experienced jumpers vs. students, (1.5 per 100,000 for SL students, 2.5 per 100,000 for AFF students, vs 0.8 per 100,000 for experienced jumpers, not counting pro/demo jumpers) so Experience clearly is a factor in the actual statistics, but not the Wikipedia statistics or yours. Put another way, if you go out and do 500 skydives in a year, you're actually reducing your risk, all other factors being equal. That is to say, Skydiving is dangerous, but not as dangerous as you seem to be suggesting.

That's because they're assholes. Maybe so. The USPA requires that you have the A License before you jump with other people, that requires 25 jumps and a certain set of specific basic skills on your belly. Before that, you can only jump with a certified coach or instructor. And belly flying is a lot slower, easier and more naturally stable than sit flying. I guess that's because they're assholes. I suppose you started doing two-way RW jumps with fun jumpers just two jumps out of AFF? You didn't need to train to learn to get stable or to exit properly, you just grabbed somebody and went, because it's all fun jumps for you? Honestly, "Exit some-what stable and hold a sit all the way down on a few solo jumps" isn't that high of a barrier.

Actually, This is a huge reason why I haven't done as many WS jumps as I'd originally intended when I took my FFC. There's only one or two WS groups allowed per aircraft at most DZs, so you almost have to jump with other people. Jumping with other people means now you have to concentrate on the other people instead of yourself, which means you can't really focus and learn and fix yourself, and frankly I'm just not comfortable with that. Especially when on one of the few solo jumps I did have, I managed to, unintentionally and without much effort, induce a fast 360 degree flat left turn. Now imagine I'd had some other newb WS guy off to my left. More especially when you end up with somebody who's already jumping WS and Camera at 230 jumps. With Freeflying, on the other hand, you're expected to put in the time and effort solo. The barrier to entry is "can you hold a sit", which can take dozens of solo jumps before you're even vertically stable, much less horizontally so, not many FF people are going to walk up and ask if you want to do a two-way on your second FF jump.

Why is it that every time somebody asks about this the experienced posters break out stories of Stilettos and Sabre2s? The OP was asking about docile canopies like the Pilot or the Pulse. And for those saying the toggle stroke on a 150 could be X-inches shorter than a 170, have you considered that the arms of somebody jumping a 150 at a

Klatovy and Algarve don't do 7-days-a-week all summer, only during the boogies when they bring the big planes in. Skydive Spain is supposed to be fantastic. (http://www.skydivespain.com/) A lot of people who are disappointed with EB lately have started going there instead.

>I mean, are you literally telling me my experience doesn't count? I think it can be a mistake to assume to rely on single instances of one's experiences, since they can easily be anomalies. For example, I've jumped canopies ranging in size from 520 to 89 square feet. All my injuries have been on canopies 190 square feet and larger. It would be a mistake for me to therefore tell new jumpers "hey, the smaller the canopy you jump, the safer you are - so get off that 190 as soon as you can!" >If that one video of a gopro hooking a d-ring is a great example of why people >shouldn't use gopros, then the other videos or articles I've read of accidental pulls >must be great examples of why people shouldn't do the other types of dives. Well: 1) If it happens often enough, then yes, it _is_ a good argument to not do those types of dives. Dives where fairly violent contact is common are more dangerous no matter what kind of gear you use. 2) In general, if you don't need your reserve and it is deployed, you are OK. If you do need your reserve and you cannot deploy it you are dead. Thus a harder to pull handle has more dire consequences than an easier to pull handle, although of course the ideal is no mistakes either way.

Absolutely I did it to myself. But that's my experience: Even with near-frostbitten hands, I could still easily curl my hand into an "n" and squeeze the pillow enough to pull it, where I might not have been able to curl my fingers any further to fully grip a ring, or even move my thumb enough to slip it through one. And, while there are a lot of people with a lot of knowledge saying X, there are also a lot of people saying "I'm used to the ring" "I usually jump with the ring" "I always used a ring before" therefore X. A lot of those people are also saying the pillow is harder to grip and pull, and I disagree based on my experience. I've never pulled a D-ring reserve, but I can't imagine it would be any easier to pull than the pillow. As to finding it, well, that's why I do my EPs 3-4 times every time I put on my rig.

Damn GoPros! http://parachutistonline.com/safety_training/keep_an_eye_out/dislodged-reserve-ripcord-handle I guess taking grips on exit is a bad idea, too. Also doing railroad exits with someone's feet under your arms, or any other exits with someone's hands on your harness, so AFF is probably out. In fact, most free-flying, since hands and feet can easily get too close to the handles, let's just all stick to teaching via static line and belly-flying with no more than two people. I use a pillow reserve handle and after my reserve ride, I'll never go back. I made the mistake of jumping with summer gloves in the winter and after a 20 minute ride to altitude in a plane with no heat () and another minute in freefall, my hands were too numb to find my pilot chute. After falling too low, I went for my reserve handle. Fortunately I could see it, so I didn't need to feel for it, and even with numb fingers I could grab it and squeeze hard enough to not lose it. The pillow being not a rigid piece of metal did not slip around under my numb fingers, and I didn't need to completely wrap my fingers around a thin piece of metal to ensure it didn't slip out - something I might not have been able to do given the cold. It took no effort to pull, nor did I lose the handle after I pulled. I doubt I would have been able to wrap my fingers around a D-ring enough to get a good grip, but a simple pinch was all the effort I needed with the pillow handle.

It took a few seconds to appear, during which time I'd already accidentally clicked it on my finicky Macbook trackpad, and on a Mod's post. Seconding or thirding some kind of "are you sure?" gate before actually sending the report.

Well, popular is a relative term. Compare that to someplace like Ireland where they have only a few hundred. Also when I drive to one of the DZs I frequent, I pass four others on the way.

Not condoning this for real, but most Bluetooth Headsets are smaller than the Optima I keep under my helmet.

Any time, especially if you're Chev Chelios! www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBIRhyERkak

No.

What is it about them that makes you nervous? Are you over-thinking them, worried that you have to get it just right or you'll screw something up badly? Do you have trouble getting stable in freefall? RELAX. Early on I always got nervous when the door opened and wanted to be precise and deliberate in my movements getting set up in the door, I was worried that I'd screw something up and fall out before I was ready. As a result I was tense and my exits reflected that. RELAX. You're over-thinking it and that's making you tense and that's messing you up. RELAX. I'll give you the same advice I got: Who cares if you slip and fall out, that's what you're going up there to do anyway, you'll just do it a little earlier than you planned. RELAX. You're over-thinking it. In freefall does it take you longer than ten seconds to recover to a stable arch from a spinning canonball? You have more than enough time to get stable from 3000+ feet on a H&P. RELAX. RELAX. RELAX.