Skydiving

They either bounced..or were pulled back into the plane.

Whenever a Liberal utters the term "Common Sense approach"....grab your wallet, your ass, and your guns because the sombitch is about to do something damned nasty to all three of them.

Its the part about landing with only half the rotor blades..or no tail rotor thats a bitch...trust me

Gunner

Whenever a Liberal utters the term "Common Sense approach"....grab your wallet, your ass, and your guns because the sombitch is about to do something damned nasty to all three of them.

I'm also a sky diver, and I maintain that a tandem jump is NOT sky diving - it's a fugging carnival ride. ;-)

For my first static lines, the bag was physically integral with the static line, and the apex of the canopy was velcro'd inside the top of the bag, which was then velcro'd to the harness, so it'd be virtually impossible to hang up on it.

Cheers! Rich

The second jump is called the "awareness" jump. (you actually stay conscious through it.) :-)

Cheers! Rich

I skydived once and I liked it, scary as it was.

I also saw the regular skydivers and thought that they resembled drug addicts in their thinking, and decided that they suffered from adrenaline addiction. So, I decided, I would rather not join the club.

i

I am in the 98%. I only did it once. Static line jump in one of those old round surplus military chutes. No "steenking" tandem harnesses back in 1978.

I was sitting in the exit door of the little Cessna. The jump master said "go". I was about 1/2 the way gone when I looked down and saw this little tractor driving around on this little bean field way way down "there" on the hard hard ground. I freaked and managed to pull back into the plane. Then I decided, since I had come this far along, I had to jump and jumped. I looked up at the plane the whole time I was falling until the chute opened. I am sure my jump style looked just like a suicide leap. It was just really too exciting for me to try again.

And funny thing: before I did it I didn't really have much fear of heights. Now they make me nervous. Dave

Read once that only 2% of those that try skydiving ever make more than the first jump. Thought if ever I was going to try it, I'd do 2 jumps just so I could say I was in that 2%. But given my fear of heights.... lol

Jon

I'm rather strange with heights, I like scaffolding, bucket trucks and similar, but I'm not comfortable on tall ladders or hanging from a rope. Skydiving didn't bother me.

I did 11, but it helped that was in a college skydiving club- $7 a jump, pack your own modified military chute- it was fun, but short duration, I like kiteboarding more.

I'm with you, Jon. I can stand outside on a solid building or tower hundreds of feet above the deck and feel just fine. But put me in a place where I could fall off and I'm not happy at all. A safety strap is all it would take on solid objects, but you wouldn't find me climbing antenna towers, either. I don't think I'd like to do any skyscraper window washing, either. Rapelling sounds like a blast, though. Just not from 1,000 feet.

-- Some people hear voices. Some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever.

It's all perception. I used to do a bit of rope work for caving, and had some clear examples of the perception difference. One place was a 40' drop, wide open from an overhang and made me very uncomfortable, another was 150' but was in a tight space about 4' dia and I had no problem.

SOP for jump-masters. Emergency chutes usually mounted just inside the jump doors.

The first jump is total fear and adrenaline. The next few have declining fear and adrenaline. Once you get off static line (if you make that many jumps), the real experience is experienced for the first time. Or at least that was my experience. I have 44 sport jumps. Back in the sixties with POS military surplus chutes. Never had a soft or stand up landing.

Steve

Heart surgery pending?

Heart Surgery Survival Guide

"ATP" wrote

We sat on the beach near Princetown, Kauai, and watched the kiteboarders (is that the ocean surfing with a kite?), and it was purely awesome. Those guys got some BIG air and LONG hang time.

Steve

Heart surgery pending?

Heart Surgery Survival Guide

Yep, Emergency Chutes are standard equipment on most static line jump planes. It's actually not an uncommon thing to get dragged.

SOP is that the load master will notify the flight deck. They will reduce airspeed and start looking for a clear drop zone. Then the EC gets connected up. Once they are approaching the DZ the hung jumper will get cut free (actually they just pop the static rail lock and let the ring free) Once the jumper is free they can steady up and continue with the drop.

I'm generally not attracted to activities that are so intolerant of mistakes/failures. I prefer my adrenaline in somewhat safer, more manageable doses...

Jon

I'm sorta OK if there's a railing or I'm sitting. Flying in a plane doesn't bother me. Standing near a drop off, I get dizzy. Last trip down under, visited the Three Sisters in Katoomba. There's a scenic viewing area with a railing that slight overhangs the cliff. Looking over the edge, wooo......

Worst one was in work experience at NASA Ames. There had been small holes cut into the tubes that supported the 6 original motors of the

40x80 wind tunnel, for instrumentation. I got to go with a couple journeymen to weld patches over the holes. Don't know how high the top of the concrete structure is, but I'd guess 4-5 stories at least. I crawled up to the edge on my belly and peered over, managing to keep a handle on myself. Until one of the journeymen walked up, hanging his toes over the edge and leaned forward, saying "What's a matter, you afraid of heights?" I got so dizzy I thought I was going to fall off despite being on my belly...

Jon

Yup. Despite my fears however, a Sydney Harbor Bridge Walk is in my future. Hell, if my Aussie MIL can do it, so can I! And I really want to see the sunset from up there.

Jon

Those guys are probably a lot better than me, but I have fun out there. Last weekend was it for snowboarding, I'm ready to get back out on the water.