NWFlyer

Let us know what "area" you're in and which dropzones you're considering and you'll get a rash of opinions. Opinions are like assholes, of course, everyone's got one. Here's some "facts." There exists no comprehensive source for incident information, particularly if you define incident as including both fatalities and serious injuries. This site is not complete, even for fatalities, and it's nowhere near complete for injuries, serious or otherwise. The USPA (assuming you are in the U.S.) database is not complete. So that's your numerator. Flawed data. Then there's your denominator - how are you, the (presumable) first-time student, going to know how many jumps Dropzone A performed vs. Dropzone B? Even if you get that number, how many of those were student jumps (because assuming you're a student - that's the number you care about)? (Here's a hint: those numbers aren't generally available to the public if they're maintained at all). How do you define negligence? Do you even know what you're looking for? "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Same as everywhere. Egos Alcohol Believing that violence is a way to solve problems Alcohol Drama Alcohol Spending too much time embedded in the DZ world and losing perspective Alcohol women alcohol Added another category of trouble, in red... And no, it's not usually the women causing the problem, it's the fact that the ratio of men to women is high, therefore there's a lot of competition amongst the men for the few women. I thought that was adequately covered in Egos, Drama, Spending too much time.... "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Not all USPA members are licensed skydivers. Not all USPA members who are licensed skydivers are active jumpers. And where did you get the "US = half the world's jumps" number? And how many of those jumps are made by non-US jumpers? We could swag at this all day but it's always just going to be a swag. The only correct answer in this thread is 42. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I don't sleep, but I often do close my eyes and zone out. It's more likely (especially if I'm training) that my eyes are closed so I can focus and visualize. Visualizing's free and helps me fly better. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

You've had an account here for 7 1/2 years and this is the question you went with for your first post? Okay, I'll bite. There's no real way to calculate or even get a decent estimate of that number. Perhaps the closest number you could come up with would be to contact the national association around the world and add up the membership numbers or the licensed skydiver counts. But that would give you some double-counting as some people hold multiple memberships. It's also not going to tell you anything about whether they're active, as many people taking a break from skydiving maintain their memberships for various reasons. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Let's just say that William Henry Harrison sets the bar for "best legacy in office" as far as I'm concerned. Granted, his commitment to that ideal somewhat outstrips mine. I was gonna say... you sure you want to use his approach? "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

It's like the protests in San Francisco against the "Google buses." The buses (like Trader Joe's seems to be in this situation) are a symbol of larger issues that are pretty damned complex, socially and economically. But that doesn't make good headlines on the right or the left. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I think he'd object to being called a pet. But yes, they are WAY more trouble than anyone needs. (Yes, different meaning... b.f.'s nickname. My only pets are two cats.) "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Yeah, not on today's news, that's for sure! I've been on a handful of times but it's been a while. Back in the 80s I was on "It's Academic," a high school quiz show on the Washington, DC NBC affiliate four times. In 1995 I was on a Raleigh area news segment where they showed the ropes course my business school class was doing as a team-building exercise. I vaguely recall someone sticking a camera in my face after I got down from the zipline. I was so proud of myself for doing it (I was kind of a chicken shit about life back then) and I'm pretty sure I was babbling like an idiot. I never did see the clip, though several of my classmates did and told me about it. That might be it... "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Same as everywhere. Egos Alcohol Believing that violence is a way to solve problems Alcohol Drama Alcohol Spending too much time embedded in the DZ world and losing perspective Alcohol I'm only sort of being facetious about the alcohol, because other than actual skydiving incidents or weather hold shenanigans, it's involved in most of the injuries on the dropzone (come to think of it, if people have totally given up on the weather, it can be involved in the weather hold shenanigans, too!) It's not that you can't/shouldn't drink. But treat a dropzone after hours like you would a bar or a large house party and be aware of the bad behavior that alcohol can unleash. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Beat me to it! I'd also happily be on Mad Men. I'm pretty low key, fashion-wise, but I think I would really have fun getting the wardrobe, hair & makeup treatment on that show. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Eh, you two. The poll specified thing, not living creature (otherwise I'd have to go for my Monkey first and my felines second. Hopefully we could each grab a kitty then we'd all be good). Of the poll choices I voted for wallet. Having that means I can deal better with the lack of anything else. Plus, my boobies are attached, so if I leave they're coming with no matter what. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

There's drama, there's tempers, there's bad behavior among skydivers just as among the non-skydiving population. On the whole, I don't really find us to be "special" in that way. What you mentioned about theft, I think, is probably similar to what you'd see in any relatively small community where everyone knows everyone else for the most part (most skydivers don't even need six degrees of separation - I can usually get to someone in two degrees without searching too hard). In those communities, there ends up being a greater degree of trust, because it's "all in the family." Someone could certainly very easily abuse that trust and rip people off, but the chances of them being able to do it for very long are slim, as are the chances of them being able to continue in the sport without having a reputation that precedes them. And yeah, I know of at least a few examples of folks in skydiving who have burned bridges that way. (Came back to edit this to say that even if we're not "special" I still think that skydivers are a pretty cool group of folks, and I've met an amazing bunch of people through my participation in the sport. What I like most about it is that it's opened me up to a range of types of people that I probably wouldn't have encountered in my "real world" life, and has opened up my eyes in a lot of ways. Wouldn't trade that for anything!). "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

WTF is this visitors procedure you imagine? I've not seen it for a current, licensed jumper at any of the dropzones I've visited in the current century. The original poster is a licensed jumper who will (presumably, based on her description) be current for her license level when she shows up at a dropzone. So long as she shows up with a license, signed logbook that shows currency, and in-date gear, I can't think of a single dropzone that'll require her to do anything other than sign a waiver, get a dropzone briefing, and plunk down some money before she's allowed to hop on a plane. Lodi won't even require any of those except for the money (though I've found the locals quite willing to provide a briefing upon request). Of course, the last time I was at Lodi was a whole 12 days ago when I was judging a scrambles event there, so I suppose my info might be a bit out of date. But what do I know, I've only gone to 25+ different dropzones in the most recent 9 years, while racking up 1200+ jumps and I have never once had to do anything more than what I described above - prove I'm licensed, prove I'm current, prove my gear's in date, get a briefing, and give 'em some money. (BTW you were doing really well with the read more, post less thing for a few days there. What happened?) "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Venice Beach and Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade both aren't all that far (taxi or bus, I guess, would be your best way to get there), and are always good for people-watching, window shopping, and food. Looks like the Santa Monica city bus ("big blue bus") route Rapid 3 goes from the LAX transportation center to Venice (a walk to the beach from the bus route) then on to the Promenade. Okay, that's all the googling I'm going to do for you. Have fun.

http://www.microtelinn.com/hotels/florida/zephyrhills/microtel-inns-and-suites-zephyrhills/hotel-overview I've stayed at the above hotel a couple of times. The rooms are small, but I've found them to be clean and comfortable, and the price is usually one of the better in town (and includes a light breakfast). "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

That was in the rejected languages. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Taking and posting multiple photos of the new gear to make all your friends jealous. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I'm not going to argue the flaws in your stats; others have done that quite well, but instead, bring it back to your sport. How would you feel if you heard of a commercial kayaking instruction company that was putting new students out without helmets, or did something else that went against the "industry standard" of the safest way to introduce someone to the sport? Maybe they gave them thorough instruction beforehand, and emphasized safety and even had them sign a waiver. But the instructors are still doing something that they fully understand is increasing the risk, but that the student probably doesn't understand. And the reality is that the odds are very high that they'll probably be fine and no one will actually get hurt. But it doesn't make it a good idea, and it doesn't mean that the recommendations to always wear a helmet should be relaxed because "you are doing a great job in terms of safety." That's what this picture appears to be (even though we don't actually know - all three participants could be experienced jumpers, in which case their decision to do something stupid is a more "informed" one), and that's why people are getting pissed off about it. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

i am guessing this question has already been asked before. This one and pretty much every other question you asked by starting 9 separate threads in the 30 minutes you've been on this site. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I don't think I've heard of it, but the author's name sounds familiar. It's a fun read and sounds like you'd be interested in it.

Have you read Stiff? (SFW) "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I would totally take one of those classes! The fun part of med school without having to you know, actually go to med school. Did you do CPR on cadavers? "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I haven't gotten a speeding ticket since 1997, either. (This doesn't count the 4 that I got between 1988 and 1997 though. ) "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke