kmcdrop

Okay...I'm a nOOb (4 static line jumps). I know I need to ask my DZ's JMs about this but I thought "the more input the better." I have a prosthetic shoulder joint due to a motorcycle accident more than 30 years ago. (The ball part of my joint is stainless steel and there's a "spike" which goes down into my upper arm bone.) Because of the prosthesis and how it had to be put in place, I lost about half of my muscle and tendon in one of my shoulders. If you were to look at me from the side, one of my shoulders is about half the size of the other - the difference due to the missing muscle and tendons. I put in 10 minutes of tunnel time to see if I was going to have any problems with freefall. Although I can't move the injured arm as far as the other (I have to use my hand to "climb" my arm up the riser in order to reach the toggle when it's stowed.) Although I don't think that I'll have a problem with freefall, I have some concern that a hard opening at terminal velocity might be violent enough to either dislocate the shoulder or, worse yet, dismember the arm at the joint. How bad can a hard opening be? (I haven't worried about them yet since I'm not going that fast so far during opening since I'm on the leash - static line.) I know that I need to check with the JMs and the doctor(s) but has anyone else had a similar injury/prosthesis? Maybe not even an artificial shoulder joint but a hip or knee replacement. Any advice is welcome! Kevin M. Curran

Oh and the being cool thing - it makes me sad when people do things for that reason - there's not much dumber. Reminds me of the guy I did the s/l with, he had 4 jumps by this point, and after it he told me the best thing about it was that everyone on the motorway beside the dropzone would have seen him and thought 'wow there's a guy under a parachute - how cool'. I remember thinking why were you looking at the road, of all the things to look at.... You've got the "being cool" thing exactly right. People aren't "buying it" because their canopy didn't open or they had a streamer, etc. They're buying it (most of the time) in the jump plane or under a good canopy. The stats clearly show that the sport can be done safely as long as people don't get complacent or cocky. However, I don't know how many times I hear jumpers talk with whuffo's like every jump is like staring death in the face (just to look cool - i.e., "brave"). I still get nervous every time the door opens but I still jump simply because it's the only way I can get under a canopy and fly. That's not "brave". If the sport was as dangerous as some people want to make it sound (so they look cool), they'd have terror in their eyes before every jump! Kevin M. Curran

I've started working on my A license and I'm going through the static line progression. The DZ provides all three methods (S/L, AFF, Tandem) or any mix-n-match the students want. By going the S/L route, I'll save more than $1,000. I didn't go the tandem route because, even though it's the money-maker for the DZOs, you're just baggage. Since I don't have to make any more jumps than people going through AFF or tandem, I will actually get the A license (assuming no repeat jumps) plus an additional 40 jumps for the same cost. That, of course, puts me into a B license if I decide to work on that (probably will). S/L isn't an inferior discipline. Just follow the money. AFF and tandem progressions make more money for the DZOs. That's why, at most DZs, the tandems get priority on the loads, followed by AFFs, then followed by S/Ls, licensed jumpers, etc. Kevin M. Curran

I'm a n00b and I've started thinking the same way too. I've got 4 static lines in (looking forward to getting off the leash next weekend). As far as cost, I did find out one thing: I already owe 3 cases of beer according to some of the JMs. They told me I owe one case each for having my first jump with my own goggles, my own altimeter (Alti-Galaxy), and my own helmet. I bought them for my 2nd (goggles), 3rd (altimeter) and 4th (helmet) jumps. I kind of think they're trying to push the "first time" issue a bit too far. I thought you only owed a case when you had your first freefall, reserve, etc. - in other words the big milestones. If I'd have known this ahead of time, I would have bought everything and made just one jump with all of it as a "first time." Kevin M. Curran

I'm an ultra-ultra newbie (4 statics) but I've looked into the stats in quite a bit of detail for skydiving. I believe there were roughly 132 fatalities in the past 6 years with approximately 19 million jumps. Of the 132 fatalities, I believe I only found 6 due to a double malfunction. The rest were mostly: hook turns, canopy collisions, cutaways with no reserve pull, a couple of suicides, etc. Looks to me like the equipment is extremely reliable (if in good condition and packed well) and once you have a canopy over your head (virtually every time from what I've gathered from the stats) you're going to be fine as long as you keep your eyes moving and stay away from any body else in your airspace. (It's probably like flying - most collisions occurring in the pattern.) Kevin M. Curran

Good points. I did cover the RSL disconnect issue with several instructors yesterday and then I went back and checked over some more of the accident statistics. Apparently, even though there's a chance of fouling the reserve if you're not stable, the majority of the time the reserve still opens fine (even when unstable). In fact, the usual problem is line twists (big deal!). So, it looks like the RSL stays whether stable or not in an emergency. Kevin M. Curran

Good point. But...I'm already 52 and I'm afraid if I wait much longer, I'll be too old and frail to carry all that Zero-P back to the hangar! Kevin M. Curran

I did put some logic into the 2,000 foot hard-deck. First, I was told that the Cypress we students are using (and the rig I will likely use until I get my own rig after getting my A license) is set for 1,000 feet. I've set my container opening at 3,000 feet - provided I don't have a situation with another jumper where I have to go lower to avoid a problem. I just figured I'd give myself 1,000 feet (from 3K to 2K) to fix any problems with the main. The 1,000 from my hard-deck of 2,000 gives me time to correct any issues regarding cutaway of the main. For example, if I have a high-speed spin situation (line over or knots, for example), I really don't want to go to the reserve until I can get stable. Of course, as a student, the instructors aren't going to show me how to disconnect the RSL before I use the cutaway but that's something I just have to go with for now. I'm working through the static-line progression but I have put in 10 minutes of tunnel time to get some experience with keeping stable. Kevin M. Curran

Strangely enough - perhaps - my profession is risk analysis. I don't have the stats on general aviation anymore, but I did provide the local FSDO (Flight Standards District Office of the FAA) with an analysis about 15 years ago. The way it breaks down is that private aviation has a similar risk factor as motorcycle riding - on an hourly basis. GA is safer than driving because you have to spend less time in the air to get to your destination. However, if you were to spend the same amount of time in a car vs. in a private plane, you're at higher risk in the plane. Of course, you have to look at the details - just as I have in skydiving. A majority of accidents are not equipment problems but just people doing one or more "dumb" things. I have a better chance of a midair collision in a plane when I'm in the pattern getting ready to land. Same thing seems to be true in the skydiving landing pattern. Kevin M. Curran

As a newbie (2 jumps - static line), I'm trying to communicate to family and friends that skydiving risk is very similar to flying (private aircraft). I've been a private pilot for 20 years (without incident). When I got my license in 1989, I set certain personal flight minimums which are basically double the FAA minimums (inflight visibility, ceiling minimums, etc.). I've studied the fatality reports over the past few years (about 132 of them). However, I could only identify about 6 which look like they were due solely to equipment failures. All the rest look like they could be categorized as "pilot error." For example: hook turns at 50 feet, failure to deploy the reserve, a couple of suicides, etc. If that's the case, then the fatal accident profile for skydiving is very similar to private flying - the equipment might be the first part of a problem but it's almost always the pilot's / jumper's response which actually causes the fatality. Am I correct in what I've derived from the stats? I've already set personal minimums for skydiving just as I did for flying (and I've not violated them in 20 years). For skydiving, I've set my minimum container opening at 3,000 feet, my hard deck at 2,000 feet, and I won't be jumping anything more than a 1.0 loading. (I've read too many fatality reports about people downsizing far beyond their skill level. Besides, I don't need to go fast, I like the canopy ride!) I've also eliminated any CRW or freefly stuff since those seem to just increase the risk factors. Do those "minimums" improve my safety profile? It's tough trying to explain to people that the sport can be done safely if the right attitude and actions are taken. Kevin M. Curran

Well, I'm new to the sport but I have been a pilot for 20 years. Whether it is safe or not depends on a lot of factors. However, in general the safest TO practice is upwind in order to reduce ground speed (and keep as much remaining flat concrete ahead of you) in case of an emergency. In very light and variable wind conditions, the safest choice is to TO in the direction which leaves the best choice for an emergency landing. I've only gotten in 2 jumps so far, but I'm more afraid of dying in the aircraft than from the jump. Overloaded, improperly balanced aircraft and poor flight procedures seem to be a major problem in aircraft-related DZ accidents. I didn't check the numbers but if the runway is only 2,500' long I can't see how they're saving that much by taking off downwind. The plane still has the same rotation speed either direction and, if going downwind, they burn fuel - at TO throttle settings - just to get to a "zero" airspeed so they're already burning more than the taxi for that distance. Kevin M. Curran