pinkfairy

Hi there! I think you are making things too complicated in your head. It is good to analyze so that you understand what happened, but if you think too much about it, completely ordinary problems can seem unsurmountable. Your incident was by no means unique, the "getting back" syndrome is a major cause of injury and death in skydiving. I've not only read the incident reports, I've seen it happen several times. There seems to also be some of the "I can jump in this wind because everyone else can" syndrome, but correct me if this is not the case. Try to sum it up to yourself in a short and easy way. Then find ways to stop this from happening in the future. Since this was a 100% human error incident, with no equipment failure involved, it should be easy. Make some rules for yourself based on this, such as: "I will not jump in more than 20 knts" (or whatever fits you and your canopy) or "When I have a working canopy, my first priority is to get to a safe landing area and land safely". While what you learn from an incident like this doesn't guarantee your safety, it does increase your safety margins. Also remember, when you get frightened and stressed, like now, your body produces the stress hormone cortisol, which causes you to shy away from risks, even risks that you know from experience that you can handle. It's normal, and it happens to everybody, but it's not very productive or useful in itself. It's OK to chicken out, and you are the one who decide what you want to do and what kinds of risk you want to take. There are many other hobbies and activities that you can do. But do try to learn from what happened, whether you decide to keep skydiving or not. It's always better to understand things than to just run away. And I know people who had incidents almost excactly like yours, but who still skydive. That doesn't mean that you should keep skydiving, but it means that it can be done. Some people choose to do that. The above is just My Humble Opinion, and should by no means be taken as the Truth. I had a season ending injury in 2007, and really thought too much. I over analyzed it and it didn't help me getting back to skydiving or in any other ways. It was just wasted energy. Oh, and I wouldn't use a general aviation magazine as a guideline for what is current in skydiving, I'd use USPA's definition. But that's me. Oh and motor bikes aren't safe either Take care.

Ooooooh! Puppies!

One of the guys that I went to a training camp with this spring jumps with dreads. He just stuffs it in a buff and then stows the end of it inside the jumpsuit. He's a freeflyer, so he doesn't arch much, except at pull time. I've got long hair too, but I just make it into a ponytail and stuff that into a buff. I tried having just the pony tail, but once I started to fly head up, my hair would tangle into something called "speed knots" or "Involontary dreads". I know several experienced skydivers with dreads, you don't have to get rid of them to keep skydiving, just make sure you stow them properly. Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

Yup, I have the same problem with my Icon, DOM early 2007. I think it's caused by exess thread ends being burned off (this was done at the factory, they came to me in that condition), creating a sharp edge on the inside of where you stow the exess steering lines. It did help to cut off said sharp edges with scissors, (I had my rigger do it, as I was all new and didn't dare to do it myself), but it's still not perfect, and for that reason I prefer to stow the lines in a non standard way. I'd really like some new risers, but I suspect a new pair of aerodyne ones will have the same problem. Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

I thought so, but I still had to comment! Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

I have to go jump out of a chopper. Sigh Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

I'll probably be able to go abroad again this fall, but the summer is dedicated to norwegian skydiving. I've got lots of plans. But Spain is more tempting than the US, Skydive Spain: The landing area is not even even and the toilets stink, but the staff is friendly and there is 15 000 ft altitude. On EVERY load

Skydiving is not safe, if you hang out at the DZ, you will not only hear people talk about their injuries, you will see them happen. Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

I have to disagree there, staying in bed 100% of the time will be pretty much guaranteed to mess up his back. I don't have statistics, but I know someone who had a hard opening that he couldn't find a good reason for, he was fine, but the canopy was ripped apart. We jump 0P canopies with micro lines, the fabric is designed to not let through air, and the lines stretch less than steel, it is only the design of the canopy and the way it is packed that prevents it from slamming every time. There will always be a risk of a hard opening no matter what you do. But most skydiving back injuries that I've personally witnessed are from landings. Mostly compression fractures, often combined with injuries to other parts of the body. You will see "low turns" turn up with some regularity in the incident forum, where you read about the low turn fatalities, but most low turns cause injuries and not death. I hope this was of any help!

The day is well on the way over here, I've already been at the office for several hours, lugging around new office computers and taking out the old ones. Bright sunshine outside, and the weather forecast for the weekend's jumping looks good.

Dammit, and now I can think of skydiving only, about nice and smooth head up dives, and the wingsuit that I want to buy, and about how my new canopy will land with my weightbelt. I'm making a budget to find out how many jumps I can afford to do this summer. I can't concentrate on work. I'm messed up! Just because I went to Spain and did 48 skydives, some of them with Skywalkers, Decaelo and Team Panic. How do I get normal again? And is there a 200 jump phase just like the 100 jump syndrome, a phase where everything is just great and ALL the jumps just feel perfect? Even though my freefall skills are not the best, it just feels so good, and I feel like I'm good at what I'm doing. And wow, was it great to actually be able to land without beating myself up. Phew. Well, just wanted to share, my whuffo friends don't understand me. I'm going to jump the helicopter this weekend.

Many of us are here because someone in the past were stupid and fell in love. I'm quite definitily in the "good" cathegory, so I have to say that the statement is wrong. And I've been in love and gotten disappointed, but it was still a good experience. Life is full of risks, and getting heartbroken is one of them. Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

I can't see any reason not to, I've got a 132, and I love it. Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

Aerodyne Pilot! Better openings and flat glide! http://www.flyaerodyne.com/fly/products/pilot.asp Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

Thanks!

This was about flatulence in MOTELs, not in airplanes. You should be safe in the plane! Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

Does that make my hardware and scar tissue "permanent parachuting tatoos?" No, the hardware is "internal piercings" And the scar tissue is scarification http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Scarification See? But I'm guessing those are not skydiving related? Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

No, they don't go off under canopy unless you turn hard. Most of the time I don't hear them. Do you hear your final siren all the time? Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

There are a number of things that make a good DZ: 15 000' (Aaaaand the prize goes to Skydive Spain!) Fantastic unisex sauna and a party atmosphere (Østre Æra DZ) Really nice landing area, aircraft and the best people (Tønsberg fallskjermklubb) "What should we do with all the cases of beer, we can't possibly drink them all!?" (HAGL) I hear that Skydive Voss has great scenery, so I'll check out that this year. I've never been to a DZ that was great in all ways. ØÆ has few outs, the toilets on Skydive Spain are smelly, and you don't have a seat in the HAGL airplane, you put it on, like a coat. Home is where the heart is, and maybe the best DZ is where your friends are.

Anyone know how fast you have to go to hear the alarms? The manual doesn't say. I kept hearing them when I was testing out my new, smaller canopy. I guess this is a hint that I shouldn't turn low.

Lily Allen

Or when I did that naked RW dive. SLIPPERY! Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

No brainer: Skydiving, of course. What do you expect if you ask on a skydiving forum? Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

But does that make it a joke? Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

Billy is deaf. It is still not a very good joke, though. Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?