skydiving advice please?

[HepKitty]

So without holding a gun to my head, my dear friend Stacey has me talked into going skydiving with her and her son even though I always thought I'd rather just fly the plane and let other people jump. Anyway she lives in CO Springs and with so many military bases, there should be skydiving for civilians too, right? Any advice you have for us is appreciated!

 

[Tomasso]

So let me get this straight: You are going to jump out a perfectly good airplane!?!? :eusa_doh:

 

[Corky]

Here's my advice on the skydiving adventure that you let your pal talk you into...

The guy who sat behind me in high school went out skydiving on a fine summer day and invited a bunch of us over to watch.

His parachute failed to open and he hit the ground after a free fall from several thousand feet (I think they called it a "streamer").

We were told that statistically these thing happen once in a while.

It was not a pretty sight. I don't think the adrenalin rush was worth it.

Your signature note reads: "the only sin is to die, without having truly lived".

I think it might also be a sin to mistake the behavior of a person with a death wish for genuine courage and a zest for life.

It is also certainly a sin to die (or to encourage someone else to engage in acts which might result in death) as the result of one's foolish choice.

In the future, I suggest you make your potentially life-ending decisions by yourself and learn to discount the advice of persons who clearly have no interest in the welfare or life of their offspring or the welfare or life of their friends.

 

[Rudie]

I have several hundred jumps experience and my 73-year-old dad has more than 1,000 jumps under his belt. I believe the most important thing is not to become careless. Whenever anything bad happens to a skydiver it's 99.9% human failure. If you take good care of your gear, take care when packing the chute, don't do any foolish flashy moves in the air, especially while landing, have a properly packed reserve chute and an emergency openening device, then skydiving is much less dangerous than skiing.

That said, if you feel like doing it, do it and have fun. If you don't feel like skydiving, back out and do not do it! This your life, not anybody else's.

 

[scottyrocks]

So let me get this straight: You are going to jump out a perfectly good airplane!?!? :eusa_doh:

This is always my reaction to discussions on skydiving.

My best sky-diving advice? Dont do it.

But thats just me. I would never jump out of a perfectly good airplane.:nono:

 

[Atterbury Dodd]

Try a good zip line instead

 

[HepKitty]

Rudie, thank you so much, you have a ton of experience and you're still concerned with safety. Much appreciated!

Tomasso and Scottyrocks, yes I've always been more interested in just flying the plane. I do know that new people have to go tandem with an experienced skydiver so one would assume they would pack their own chutes correctly. Not that it's ever wise to assume, but one would think they wouldn't want to die either.

Atterbury that's on the list too, there is a zip line around Boise

Corky: after your experience I can certainly understand your concern. I don't think that's one thing I'd want to see either. However, please read my original request again. I asked for advice, not a butt-chewing. Please consider your delivery more carefully next time. The other gentlemen had no trouble with this. You get an A for basic content but an F for execution. I see no reason to be rude.

thank you

PS my sincere apologies to the board. I had no idea my question would cause such offense

 

[Tomasso]

PS my sincere apologies to the board. I had no idea my question would cause such offense

HK, you have no need to apologize for an unwarranted overreaction. And my response was in jest as it's a line often used when talking about skydiving.

 

[HepKitty]

HK, you have no need to apologize for an unwarranted overreaction. And my response was in jest as it's a line often used when talking about skydiving.

lol I know dahling but there is a point to that, I do not deny

 

[Warbaby]

One should always dress well when attempting death-defying feats of daring-do, so avoid the tacky jump suits. I would suggest tan jodhpurs, high riding boots, a nicely weathered A2 jacket, leather goggles and a leather helmet.

 

[HepKitty]

One should always dress well when attempting death-defying feats of daring-do, so avoid the tacky jump suits. I would suggest tan jodhpurs, high riding boots, a nicely weathered A2 jacket, leather goggles and a leather helmet.

That way I'll look classy if nothing else lol

 

[Tomasso]

I would suggest tan jodhpurs, high riding boots, a nicely weathered A2 jacket, leather goggles and a leather helmet.

Don't forget a white silk scarf!

 

[dhermann1]

Personally, I would never jump out of an airplane that was not on fire. That's just me.

 

[Bebop]

What better sane advice than "Don't do it" can you possibly expect? Any other advice would come from someone insane.

 

[HepKitty]

What better sane advice than "Don't do it" can you possibly expect? Any other advice would come from someone insane.

Quite possibly, but does that apply to all skydivers? I would rather not call all the troops willing to jump out of planes to protect country and freedom "insane." That of course doesn't apply to me, being too much of a wuss and now too old to join the military myself.

Let's think about other "insane" things that people do and get hurt doing. Skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing (of which we all know I'm a fan), skateboarding (why that scares me I don't know), drag racing... Point is, pretty much anything we do could be harmful to ourselves or others. Shall we not focus on safety?

 

[Bebop]

Quite possibly, but does that apply to all skydivers? I would rather not call all the troops willing to jump out of planes to protect country and freedom "insane." That of course doesn't apply to me, being too much of a wuss and now too old to join the military myself.

Let's think about other "insane" things that people do and get hurt doing. Skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing (of which we all know I'm a fan), skateboarding (why that scares me I don't know), drag racing... Point is, pretty much anything we do could be harmful to ourselves or others. Shall we not focus on safety?

I was kind of kidding but....... what and why the military does compared to the choices civilians have is hardly a fair comparison. Why not go walking through mine fields just for the sport of it?
I have had enough of the "insane" sports and way of life and think of myself as lucky to have survived some of my indiscretions. I guess calling it insane might be just a personal point of view. I see skydiving as something for the young and "I can live forever" crowd or the "I'm feeling old and want to act young" crowd. Of course it's always fun to watch people vomit while skydiving. Make sure to take a video camera with you when you dive.

Now my advice on skydiving is HAVE FUN! :eusa_clap

 

[HepKitty]

I was kind of kidding but....... what and why the military does compared to the choices civilians have is hardly a fair comparison. Why not go walking through mine fields just for the sport of it?
I have had enough of the "insane" sports and way of life and think of myself as lucky to have survived some of my indiscretions. I guess calling it insane might be just a personal point of view. I see skydiving as something for the young and "I can live forever" crowd or the "I'm feeling old and want to act young" crowd. Of course it's always fun to watch people vomit while skydiving. Make sure to take a video camera with you when you dive.

Now my advice on skydiving is HAVE FUN! :eusa_clap

lol if I don't die laughing first! See there is a point to it, to keep you entertained

No I don't think I'd consider walking through a mine field good fun. As for the military, they can choose what they do, be it pilot, sniper, medic, desk jockey, whatever, it's up to them. They don't have to do the scary/insane stuff if they don't want to, though there may be some emergency situations where there may be exceptions.

 

[Bebop]

The military has a totally different motivation for doing every single job they do. In the military, we were forced to face all kinds of insane/scary stuff with no options given. I remember thinking "I didn't sign up for this stuff" more than once.

 

[Harp]

Legal advice: A life insurance policy currently held probably excludes said activity from coverage.
Call your carrier to ascertain policy limit; have your legal affairs in order; including guardianship of minor children (if any); plan of satisfaction for estate debt; funeral/burial issues; named executor/trix etc.

Airborne advice: Visit reputable jump schools that offer thorough training; best gear; planes/pilots.
There is a training center outside Las Vegas with ex-Special Forces instructors.
I personally advise against this activity, but, if this is what you want, do not cut corners, spend the necessary money and time to do it right.

 

[HepKitty]

Legal advice: A life insurance policy currently held probably excludes said activity from coverage.
Call your carrier to ascertain policy limit; have your legal affairs in order; including guardianship of minor children (if any); plan of satisfaction for estate debt; funeral/burial issues; named executor/trix etc.

Airborne advice: Visit reputable jump schools that offer thorough training; best gear; planes/pilots.
There is a training center outside Las Vegas with ex-Special Forces instructors.
I personally advise against this activity, but, if this is what you want, do not cut corners, spend the necessary money and time to do it right.

Excellent advice, thank you! :eusa_clap

I've pondered it off and on myself, then Stacey asked about it. This won't happen until next year, if at all. My real dream (as far as crazy stuff goes) is flight school and if it somehow interferes with that, it's a no-go. On the practical side, I also have my children to consider. I don't think they'd like to be left with a sociopathic father and a stupid yet abusive step-mother. That should put and end to things right there. Maybe wait several years?