Skydiving engineers

[phillipabell 0]

Seriously - I think there are more engineers that skydive than any other profession (except, of course, the people that skydive for a living). What's up with that? There's lots of pilots too, but most of them don't do it for a living.

Maybe engineers are just good at rationalizing stuff - we can even rationalize making a sport out of plummenting to one's death.

phil
school: Colorado School of Mines
degree: Engineering - Electrical specialty (can't spell gEEk without EE)
year: 1993
profession: software (in case EE wasn't geeky enough)

[quade 4]

You may have fallen into the trap of extrapolating your personal experiences toward that of the population in general.

It's ok, lot's of people do that.

My guess is that the percentage of skydiving engineers on dropzone.com is higher (maybe considerably higher) than the the population of skydivers in general. My reasoning behind this is that most engineers have or have access to computers and the internet and therefore dropzone.com (as well as rec.skydiving). However, I know a lot of skydivers in the general population that have no interest in computers and the internet whatsoever and therefore no access to dropzone.com (as well as rec.skydiving).

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[hobbes4star 0]

this is very true quade. when i was still doing body work i hardly ever turned on the confuser. now i am on it 12-13hrs a day..

if fun were easy it wouldn't be worth having, right?

[skygeek 0]

Me thinks they are alot of IT geeks here as well

Welcome to the New World Order. Expect no Mercy.

[freeflir29 0]

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Me thinks they are alot of IT geeks here as well

Guilty as charged. However, desperately trying to GET OUT of IT!!!!

[jraf 0]

I would dread to rationalize my skydiving. Also in my short experience I don't think I me an engineer. Does it matter? What we do professionaly is only a means to the ultimate goal of skydiving - cheat, lie, steal or beg - it all has one purpose: JUMP

jraf

Me Jungleman! Me have large Babalui.
Muff #3275

[Deuce 1]

There are a disproportianately high number of engineers that jump in the Bay Area. I think that it's cause of the high number of tech jobs up here.

But I have often remarked to myself and others how many engineers/math types/propeller heads there are in skydiving.

It is absolutely (help me out here, the word for "my experience is not statistically significant this is just a thing that happened to me). But there seems to be a lot of them in the SF Bay Area.

Quade's luckier. We don't have hardly any starlets to video

[hohonukai 0]

extrapolating...new word for the day...had to go look that one up. I am edumacated, really I am.

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but I know a lot of skydivers in the general population that have no interest in computers and the internet whatsoever

NO! That can't be true! It's sooo easy to fall in love...it's so easy to fall in love! See, I looked up "extrapolating" by doing a search for a dictionary online. How can they breathe without the internet?!?

actually, I've been without my cable modem at home for 7 nights and I'm still breathing...more alive than ever!! (But, I still have my T1 at work ) Baby steps...it's all baby steps....

and another +1 to the count of IT geeks. Network/desktop support, at your service.

[quade 4]

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There are a disproportianately high number of engineers that jump in the Bay Area. I think that it's cause of the high number of tech jobs up here.

Yes, but I would wager that if you took the national averages of careers from say, the U.S. Labor Department and the USPA that they'd be within a couple of percent of one another.

My further guess is that they'd be skewed -slightly- higher toward the USPA only because engineers should have a slightly higher amount of disposable income than the national average and therefore more able to jump than say, a textile worker.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[carbonezone 0]

<<<>
I am an Engineer (until I became a DZ Cook 2 years ago). And my technical background made packing a bitch!!!! I way over analyzed it….and it had to be perfectly packed or I would pack it again. “Boy did that change in a hurry”
Tami

[Deuce 1]

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(help me out here, the word for "my experience is not statistically significant this is just a thing that happened to me).

Anecdotal!

I agree that if there's a skew, it's an income skew. Edumacation is usually associated with that, except for us liberal arts types.

[Sinkster 0]

Your intuition is right on phillipabell! Although the reason may also include the extra disposable income engineers usually have due to good salaries in general.

Here is a list taken from a USPA membership survey.

What is your Profession?
9.7% Engineers
8.1% Military
7.6% Building Trades
7.2% Business management
6.8% Computer Industry
6.6% Sales/Marketing
6.1% Medical Field
5.8% Administration
4.0% Factory Worker
4.0% Law Enforcement
3.8% Skydiving
3.3% Students
3.2% Pilots (Non Military)
2.3% Retired
2.1% Self-employed
2.0% Auto Mechanic
1.9% Education
1.6% Entertainment
1.6% Emergency services
1.5% Arts
1.5% Maintenance
1.5% Truck Driver
1.4% Aviation Industry
1.2% Athletics
1.1% Aircraft Mechanic
1.1% Science Field
1.0% Journalism/Writing
1.0% Hospitality

Source: http://www.uspa.org/PageOneLinks/Stats.Releases/2000_survey.htm

[nws01 0]

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1.0% Hospitality

I'm on the bottom of the list? I must be that one percent!

[quade 4]

Ok, now go to the http://www.dol.gov site and try to find something that even resembles that. I -dare- ya!

They have a googleplex of stats, but I can't find the one I'm looking for!

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Sinkster 0]

What would I look for? If you mean the national averages I highly doubt they would even come close. For example, if there were that many engineers in general there wouldn't be enough manual laborers to build what they were creating. It would also mean 1 out of 10 people in college were engineering majors, etc. which there is no way that is possible. Nor would the pay be so good if so many people were doing that.

[dmddave 0]

I completely agree with you. I have met more skydivers that are engineers than any other profession. I do a lot of scheduling for my dz and I also return far more phone calls from engineers than anyone else. Definitely more than the 9.7% USPA shows.

[BikerBabe 0]

LOL, but Dave, we live in a city/state that has a disproportionate number of engineers...

What am I saying...I'm an engineer!

Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

[PLFKING 4]

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I way over analyzed it….and it had to be perfectly packed or I would pack it again.

(raising hand with a sheepish grin...) "Guilty as charged, Your Honor."

I'm an engineer also, but I'd be willing to bet that the highest percentage of DZ.COMMERS (not USPA members) are IT folk, not engineers.

Do any of you other engineers have any problems regulating speed variations of the caboose during freefall ?
Ok....that was my weak joke for the day. I'm going out to the garden and see if I can extirpate the hell out of some weeds.

Don

[freeflir29 0]

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I must be that one percent!

Now you can go out and get that 1% patch like all those cool bikers have......

[Deuce 1]

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***Now you can go out and get that 1% patch like all those cool bikers have......

So long as you don't get the black wings. (shudder)

[dmddave 0]

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What am I saying...I'm an engineer

Exactly!

[slotperfect 7]

My Real job title: Parachute Rigger
A More impressive One:

"Aerodynamic Desceleration Engineer"

Doh!

Arrive Safely

John

[freeflir29 0]

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So long as you don't get the black wings

Well...somebody has to do it......

[freeflir29 0]

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My Real job title: Parachute Rigger

I thought it was "Army of One"

[quade 4]

Heck yeah I mean the national averages!

Of course, the USPA stats might also be way off in that people that are saying they are engineers really might mean something slightly different than, for instance, a structural engineer. For instance, a lot of IT folks call themselves engineers and a lot of TV folks call themselves engineers and . . . but you get my drift.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver