No desire to go skydiving.

[happythoughts 0]

Everyone keeps referring to one aspect of the stats - deaths. Deaths are probably the most accurately recorded because they are reported. That is not all of it.

Non-jumpers believe that the death rate is huge.
To hear them tell it, it is one out of five.
We quote the facts and death stats.

However, as skydivers, we never tell them about the injuries. Everybody knows a swooper who broke something. At the dz, there is often somebody with an ankle injury, limping around on crutches.

On almost any day, there is a thread on Bonfire describing someones current injuries.

So, if we are going to have an honest discussion with a prospective tandem student... they probably won't die.

Two years ago, my best friend did a tandem for her birthday. Two weeks before, another friend died doing a jump as the tandem master. I didn't mention that.
It does happen.

A too-hard tandem landing can result in back/pelvic fractures, wrist or ankle injuries.

So, bottom line? If someone doesn't want to go, ok.

If they do, look out for them. Talk to the TM.
How many tandems?
How many cutaways? (Their reaction to emergency situations of the past.)
Current?
Weekend or full-time TM ?

A fractured tailbone hurts for months and that person will not be happy with you. Their SO will not be pleased. You will be on the s*** list of 15 new people.

An experienced, current TM may handle poor conditions better and avoid such injuries.

[stitch 0]

You left out all of the golf cart injuries.

"No cookies for you"- GFD
"I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65
Don't be a "Racer Hater"

[happythoughts 0]

Quote

You left out all of the golf cart injuries.

That is a controllable risk. Sunny can't be everywhere.

[jcd11235 0]

Quote

You compared deaths/skydiver to deaths/driver. Those are two entirely different ratios. Comparing deaths/minute of activity to deaths/minute of activity are at least utilizing comparable units. That is why your 'stats' don't have much validity to them.

Actually he compared deaths/skydive to deaths/(drivers+passengers). Had he compared deaths/skydiver to deaths/driver it would be a more valid comparison. Alternatively, he could have compared deaths/skydive to deaths/automobile_trip (which I think is more fair than time based), or compared deaths/skydiver to deaths/driver AND deaths/tandem_passenger to deaths/automobile_passenger, etc. At any rate, woady's comparison is not statistically valid.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[mdrejhon 8]

Quote

deaths/skydiver to deaths/driver

That's the comparision I usually try to use, usually on a annual risk basis. The most common comparision I use is that the cumilative risk level of 17 skydives approximately equals 10,000 miles of driving, which are based on 2004 U.S. statistics. However, this threads brings up a good point: I need to doublecheck if this includes passengers.

There is so much difference in how much risk one is subjected to. A safer driving activity can be 1000 times safer than a more dangerous driving activity. The risk difference is huge when comparing a one-time tandem jumper with an approved instructor, versus a swooper doing hundreds of jumps per year.

Most whuffos only want to try one jump in their lifetime to check off a "to do in my life" item. In this case, it's okay to claim the statistic that a one-time jump has less chance of death than driving for one year at typical driving mileage. As long as it is clearly pointed out, that it still has its high level of risk as the statistic is cumilative; a skydiver doing hundreds of jumps per year is more at risk in a year than their driving in a year.

Also, some skydiver's driving habits are pretty extreme -- so even this may even be a meaningless statistic too.

[pirana 0]

Quote

Quote

My mother is very young still- she's 39 years old-

How's your mother doin'?

14 posts before we got a lech to bite. Gotta be a record.

And everyone should be ashamed, . . . that it took so long.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[pirana 0]

Quote

Among tandems, which the mother is presumably theoretically going to take, a ONE-TIME tandem jump is safer than one full year of driving in an average car at typical North America driving distances. Most skydivers don't dispute that.

There's no doubt that 300 jumps a year with swooping is definitely more dangerous than driving. Most skydivers don't dispute that either.

I think the only reasonable way to compare the danger in a quai-statistical manner is one average duration skydive to one average length trip in a car.

I'm guessing skydiving comes out much more dangerous.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[chuckbrown 0]

You have the exact same attitude I had when I got into the sport. After 12+ years, my attitude is 180 degrees. This sport isn't for everybody & no one should do it unless they really, really want to. Aviation is a very hostile environment where you can and will get hurt or killed if you don't react appropriately in high stress situations.

There was a young lady in Perris a couple of years ago who bounced when her AAD didn't fire (she set it at sea level). She was fully conscious in freefall and did nothing when she had a hard pull situation. Her reserve handle was in its pouch. She was apparently a very beautiful and bright person, but she had no business skydiving if she couldn't pull her reserve.

Enjoy your passion for this sport, but don't minimize the risks. Mitigate them.

[banesanura 1]

I don't want her to be a SKYDIVER-


All I am just saying is for her to try it (tandem)

Because people say a bunch of shit, but have never tried it.

That's it- I just want her to exerience things outside of her house.....

And when I used the driving-skydiving analogy

I was just using it as justification that her driving everyday x number of miles every day is more dangerous that 1 tandem skydive.


YES- its a HORRIBLE and NOT a valid statistic that I pulled out of my ass- but I am willing to back up my words with- yes I am a dumb ass for saying that.

Best Girl Scout Ever.

[woady 0]

I agree with that statement.

The "average" person doesn't skydive, but maybe goes skydiving once. The average person does drive a crap load and there for are much more at risk of being involved in an accident and potentially dying, which makes driving more dangerous for them then skydiving. I think that would be a reasonable theory that no one can disagree with, right? And if you say no SO HELP ME GOD... lol.

You know what's similar between Cops and Firefighters? They both wanna be firefighters.