Skydiving motorcyclists

[Eulogite]

I did AFF (accelerated freefall) three years ago at Decatur. A buddy that jumped with me then is ready to go again and take his son and son-in-law. I committed to jump again with this group sometime in the near future at Whitewright (Skydive Dallas). AFF is done at 13,500 feet with two jumpmasters who hold on to your suit until you pull at 4500 ft. You do about six hours of classroom where they tell you all the different bad things that can happen.

So, I'm curious. Motorcycling is a daring sport and skydiving may be the ultimate daring, adrenaline-producing sport:eek2: . How much crossover is there? I will try to get numbers on the general population for comparison.

[bluedogok]

Nope, but I know someone from OKC who jumps frequently at Skydive Dallas.

[Graubart]

My skydiving career is spotty at best. I made my first three jumps in Idaho Falls, ID when I was at Nuclear Power School in the USN......in January! :giveup:

That was in 1975, which means I jumped on static lines on old double L round chutes that come down pretty fast. The reserves were front mounted, manual ripcords, with no spring loaded pilot chute. Neither AFF nor tandem jumping had been invented yet. :lol2:

Graduated from nuke school, went to sea, started a family, got out of the Nav, started my civilian career, no more jumps.

Then, a few years ago, I went to Skydive Texas in Decatur and made two more jumps.......one tandem and one more static line.

What I discovered was that my tolerance for things not natural, like falling out of airplanes, had decreased a lot.......inversely proportional to my increase in age. :lol2:

[Eulogite]

Here are some numbers: (Of course, numbers that don't compare apples to apples are almost meaningless)

Annaul deaths in the US due to...

Automobile accidents 46,000
Motorcycle accidents 3,900(2004)
Bicycling 850
Scuba 140
Lightning 80
Skydiving 35

In the US, there are 3,250,000 jumps/year with 300,000 of those being first time jumpers. One percent of the population attempts skydiving.

[mnapuran]

Here are some pics/video (http://mike.napurano.com/album/listpics.asp?dir=misc%5Coldpics%5C96%2Dskydive) of my first jump back in '96 :)

[txbanditrydr]

When I started there wasn't any AFF or tandem jumping - "squares" were just starting to hit the market place. Ah yes, the memory of OD military surplus T-10 chutes with Nav-Con reserves... musta weighted 50 pounds at least. :giveup: Five static lines, five hop-n-pops, 5 sec delays, 10 sec delays, 15, 20, 30... just work your way up the ladder and license tier. :zen:

Moved up to the Para-Commander (high performance round chute) and finally on the the squares - even adopted the early square reserve. BTW - Anyone familiar with the Para-dactyl???? Got some jumps on that death machine too. :eek2:

While everyone else was busy making formations I preferred accuracy - naturally the demo jumps came my way... oh the stories. Lots of good times back then and it is THE ultimate adrenaline rush bar none. :trust: :trust: :trust:

[Squidward]

I've done static, AFF, HAHO, and HALO. Haven't jumped in years though.

[whoa]

The answer is; "There is no such thing as a perfectly good airplane."

My brother-in-law jumped with USARSO, and my sister with a private club while in Panama. It was very cheap, but when I came home and found out the cost never got into the sport. Looks like a great sport.

[Gilk51]

One of the guys that I work with at Ft. Campbell has a son in the Airborne. He explains how they recruit guys to jump out of airplanes:

It is a 3 week program.
The first week separates the men from the boys.
The second week separates the men from the fools.
The third week, the fools jump.

:lol2:

[DANNYROTH]

The only free falling I've done was falling about 40 feet when a large vine I was swinging on in northern Honduras broke. :eek2: The fall, which terminated onto the side of a steep ravine hurt. The several hundred pounds of vine and assorted vegetation that fell on me shortly afterward hurt worse.

Sinced then I developed a fear of falling. I can handle heights OK, as long as I feel secure. A chute does not look secure enough.

[Squeaky]

Erik "Rainmaker" jumps - he actually thinks pushing me out of an airplane would help me get over my fear of heights. Uh, no - it would just lead to murder!

[Photojojo]

when I came home and found out the cost never got into the sport. Looks like a great sport.

I would love to do it but the $$ keeps me out of it.

The only free falling I've done was falling about 40 feet when a large vine I was swinging on in northern Honduras broke.

Sooo, your Tarzan?

[DANNYROTH]

Tarzan, no. One of the benefits of growing up where vines grow up trees. The vine goes up the trunk and out onto a limb. Eventually the tree trunk grows faster than the main part of the vine and the vine pulls away from the trunk, leaving a vine stretching from the ground up to a limb. Enterprising young guys like yours truly then chop these off at the base and swing on them. Problem is, the nutrients that keep the vine alive seem to stop when you cut it off at the ground. A vine eventually "loses its grip" when it dries out.

The vine in question had been disconnected from the groud for about 6 months, thus the failure.

[pub610]

I'm the only scooter nasty in the family and the only one to jump from an airplane and I've jumped but twice.
My family questions my sanity.

[Plane Dr]

My brother does I have been wanting to but I have a really bad shoulder. Jumps out at the slightest provocation. I was told not to ride bikes even. Like that would happen.

Although you have to question jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.

I had a buddy though with tons of free fall, who quoted the safety record of the local jump school/club airplanes, and strangely you WERE safer if you jumped out. :rofl:

[Eulogite]

I won't kid you, I was terrified when I jumped the first time. I have a video that shows me coming out of the plane going end-over-end. I THREW myself out of the door! I want to go again to improve on my performance(arch,dummy) and also because the adrenaline hit lasted for WEEKS!

There is a reason that skydivers drink a lot of beer; they need a way to sleep at night. Also, moreso than motorcyclists, they tend to hang together because they don't have anything to talk about with people who don't share their passion.

[bushwhacker]

9 out of 30 who voted is well above what my research turned up for the National average - 1%.

-

[Gilk51]

and also because the adrenaline hit lasted for WEEKS!
My older son went and did this once when his crew at Sky Coaster at Six Flags all went one day (SkyDiveDallas (http://www.skydivedallas.com/)). He talked about it for a week.

He was strapped for cash & just did the one jump strapped to an instructor (is this tandem free fall?) and the instructor was great. They did a stand-up landing (decided at the last minute).

His one regret is not spending the extra $$$ for the video coverage. If I had known he wasn't going to pay for it, I would have sprung for the cost.

So, if you do it, get a video of it so you can annoy family and friends forever... :rofl:

[txbanditrydr]

One reason I haven't voted is the poll wording..... The only one that fits is static line but that's cuz the first two weren't invented yet.

[Mark G]

My son's the main packer for the tandems at The Drop Zone, east of San Marcos. But that's not the reason I won't do it.:eek2:

It's amazing how popular it is. He might pack 100 tandems in a weekend. He very rarely jumps.

If you want to try it, they've got a good operation. According to my son he's not "had anyone bounce yet."

[King_O_Road]

Parachute for sale, first owner, used for one jump, never opened, large stain on front.....:eek2:

I've never jumped before but have always wanted to, I have done the air assult thing (Dope on a rope) up at Ft. Hood when they used to train there...

[Rainmaker]

If you join the Army they pay you to jump........$60 extra a month. I have about 40 jumps and I walked away from all of them. Ok, Ok, I crawled away from one with a dislocated hip, but the other 39 were great! I Have been trying to get a group together to go one weekend. So far 3 of the fearless 4some are in. It's about $140 for a tandem and aroung $220 for a solo out here.

[Eulogite]

Yeah, it'll be cheaper on my second jump because I don't need a video, stills, and a t-shirt.

[macktruckturner]

I didn't vote, as it was closed already - but I've done the whole static line bit, T-10D onto Fryar Field, as I suspect everyone here w/ an earned pair of jump wings has. Too bad I've not jumped since, kinda hard to do when you're in a Mechanized Division :(

I'd like to do some in the civilian world at some point.

[Rainmaker]

[QUOTE=macktruckturner] kinda hard to do when you're in a Mechanized Division :([QUOTE]

Unless Your in the Mechanized Russian army. They actually push there tanks out the bird with the soldiers already in it!:eek2:

[Stephen Max]

The Russians also experimented with paratroopers jumping out of low flying planes into snow drifts sans parachute. Didn't work too well.

[TexBiker]

If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving's not for you. :)

I jumped once when I was in college. I'd love to do it again sometime. The jump center had a big sign in the training room:

"Full Refund If Parachute Fails To Open"

[Sleepy Weasel]

Motorcycling is a daring sport and skydiving may be the ultimate daring, adrenaline-producing sport:eek2: . How much crossover is there? I will try to get numbers on the general population for comparison.


How many cagers turn left in front of a parachute?
;-)

[flitemdic]

Hello all. Been lurking for quite a while, but just had to respond to this one. Used to jump all the time, started pilot chute, then free fall, got a bunch of jumps in on square chutes. Then met the now Mrs. Flitemdic, and started dating. She decided she would try and impress the new boyfriend by taking an interest in what interested me. So, out we go for a jump. She takes the lesson, gets the gear, goes up on a pilot chute, and jumps. Everything was just fine until about 200 ft. The jumpmaster is radioing directions to line up with the pit as we were landing. He tells her- "right turn". She, not understanding the more you pull on the toggle, the faster you turn, yanks herself into a snap-turn. She proceeds diagonally through the line of windbreak trees, breaking off 10"-12" tree limbs with her 5'0" 110 lbs body. :eek2: Looked kind of like that. Landed face down beside the access road. Fortunately, about 10' above the ground, the chute inflated, and broke her fall. Busted femur, arm, ribs and a lengthy hospital stay later, we went home. Since then, she is less of a risk taker, and so won't even think about riding anymore, and tells me if I jump- I might as well not even pull the cord. :lol2:

The bike? Well, that's cheap transportation in an expensive world, right? :mrgreen: (Well, SHE buys it......for now.)

[Eulogite]

What is a pilot chute?

[flitemdic]

What is a pilot chute?


It's a small chute like you used to throw your airborne rangers up with when you were a kid. It's attached to the main, and as you jump, you hold on to it, count to 5 and toss it out into the wind. It catches the wind, pulls the main out, and there you go. Hopefully. :eek2:

It can also be held by the jumpmaster in the plane, and pitched out behind you- if you are really worried about forgetting to do it yourself.