skydiving without goggles

[JumpShipGypsy 0]

a good jump pilot will keep a extra pair up front.

Just remember: if you use them you MUST replace them.

[GalFisk 0]

I see this thread is a few years old, but I'd rather post here than start a new one. I was curious about others' experience jumping without goggles. I've done it a few times, the first time was my first jump from 4000m (S/L course). They either blew up onto my forehead or i forgot to take them down from there. I just thought jumping from full altitude was supposed to be more windy. the jumpship was unfamiliar too (hired for a boogie). Not until I was under canopy did I notice what had happened.
Another time I forgot my goggles, I don't remember if it was a 2000 or 4000 meters jump, but I decided to make the jump and made it a point to observe how it felt. I could feel the air getting into the eye socket, and though it was a strange feeling it wasn't really that unpleasant. I had no problems seeing, pulling or landing. Only after landing did my eyes "catch on" to what had happened, and teared up like crazy for a couple of minutes. After that, I was fine.

Nowadays I jump a full face helmet, and the visor is neither comfortable nor safe to keep open in freefall - it can also easily be closed, should I forget it.

Anyone else have experiences with goggle-less jumping and feeling the wind in your eyes?

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

I lost my helmet and goggles on a coach jump, just as I started my track to catch up to my coach. Funnily enough my coach had just asked me what to do in that situation. I just pulled where it happened (Around 8K feet) as we'd discussed. I do pull my goggles down from time to time under canopy.

Airtwardo's story makes my flesh crawl. I had lasik back in 04 and really don't want to mess with that.

Funnily enough that helmet turned up again several months later. I'd attached a sticker to it and put my name on it. The person who found it in their back yard googled me and E-Mailed me that they had it. I stopped by and picked it up and now that I look at it, I can't find a strap adjustment for it where it will still fasten and also not pull over my chin with a little effort. I do make sure to check that on my current helmet before every jump, now!

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[rbignon 0]

I only wing suit and i love jumping without goggles or if its very cold sunglasses.

[RyanFYF 0]

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a good jump pilot will keep a extra pair up front.

Just remember: if you use them you MUST replace them.

I always wondered why there were 4 pairs hanging from the bacl of the pilots seat. thought they were for him incase he had to bail. Deland must have great jump pilots cause all the planes have spares hanging by the pilot.

[Shredex 0]

I don't jump with goggles...
















...because I wear a full-face

[oldwomanc6 52]

I've never jumped with goggles. I used an old pair of my prescription glasses.

The only times I ever had anything close to a problem was when it was really cold. My eyes would get somewhat teary. Otherwise, the wind was never a problem. They broke in freefall once, but again, the wind wasn't a problem. Being blind was

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[ILUVCHUTERS 1]

Curious: for those who wear goggles, do you leave them on until you land? The post up-thread about getting sand in your eyes at 100ft. got me thinking - if I'm wearing a full face I open the visor under canopy, and if I'm wearing goggles I pull them down. Am I unusual in this?

[hillson 0]

Nope...open the visor every jump after I'm open.

[roostnureye 2]

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I only wing suit and i love jumping without goggles or if its very cold sunglasses.

but you fly with your eyes closed, so whats it matter?

Flock University FWC / ZFlock
B.A.S.E. 1580
Aussie BASE 121

[StreetScooby 5]

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for those who wear goggles, do you leave them on until you land?

Yes, I leave them on. No particular reason that I can think of.

A bit of a segue here... Way back when I jumped at Lodi, I was just getting good at swooping out of the DC-3. At the time, no one wore helmets (...why do you need that ;-). On this particular dive, I went out 15th or so, hit a good iron cross and nailed the swoop. The acceleration pushed the bottom edge of my goggles deep into my eye balls, so much that they bulged out and teared up dramatically. Thank goodness the Lodi guys taught me to swoop to the side of the formation, because I ended up shooting past it at high speed. Had a bit of explaining to do once I landed

We are all engines of karma

[jhh166 0]

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I just pulled where it happened (Around 8K feet) as we'd discussed.

*disclaimer, I am not knocking you. I would have done the same thing if I could not see anything*

I have lost goggles and if I would have just pulled immediately I would have placed myself and others at serious risk. It was a 8 way and I was part of the base and we have yet to link up for the first point so I did not really know where three people were exactly (my back and feet were pointed up jump run so the other jumpers were somewhere up and behind me on their way to their slot). So I did what I was taught and that was to fly outside the formation and point to your malfunction and it worked, it let everyone know why I was no longer participating

Before I get flamed, I could still see good enough to see my alti, horizon, terrain and other jumpers. To be honest, losing my goggles really was not a big deal. Shit - there are some old timers out there that never wear goggles.

It has been beat in my head that if you can dive the plan then do so! Anyway, situation dictates and if I could not see I would have probably done something different.

Take that like a grain on salt, it is definitely not advice. I just feel there needs to be good reason to deviate from the plan or to wildly pitch a pilot chute.

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

Heh well today it might be a different situation. That was one of my first coach jumps out of AFF. The fact that we'd been discussing that very situation on the trailer kind of sped up my reaction, too. My instinct, on student status as I was, was to respond in this way to such an emergency. He agreed. I did wave off before pulling, but he was ahead of and below me. Not quite as safe for the guys behind me, but we usually leave decent separation between skydivers.

These days I'd pause to see if I can see anything. Particularly in a large group I'm going to exercise a lot more caution about unexpected moves like that. Hell even if I can't see on my belly, I can try going to my back to see if that lets me at least see my altimeter to get to my planned deployment altitude. It's not like you don't have time at 8K feet.

Of course these days I check my helmet straps before every jump, so that's a lot less likely to happen now.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[jhh166 0]

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Heh well today it might be a different situation. That was one of my first coach jumps out of AFF. The fact that we'd been discussing that very situation on the trailer kind of sped up my reaction, too. My instinct, on student status as I was, was to respond in this way to such an emergency. He agreed. I did wave off before pulling, but he was ahead of and below me. Not quite as safe for the guys behind me, but we usually leave decent separation between skydivers.

These days I'd pause to see if I can see anything. Particularly in a large group I'm going to exercise a lot more caution about unexpected moves like that. Hell even if I can't see on my belly, I can try going to my back to see if that lets me at least see my altimeter to get to my planned deployment altitude. It's not like you don't have time at 8K feet.

Of course these days I check my helmet straps before every jump, so that's a lot less likely to happen now.

Yea, like I said I was not saying you did something wrong.

I guess I just felt like running my mouth for a minute. I am not the most articulate person and did not want the post to come across like I was judging your scenario, nor is it my place to do so.

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

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Yea, like I said I was not saying you did something wrong.

I guess I just felt like running my mouth for a minute. I am not the most articulate person and did not want the post to come across like I was judging your scenario, nor is it my place to do so.

Oh, I know, you made that pretty clear in your reply. It's funny how much the situation changes over time. I have more tools in my toolbox now, am much more comfortable with how a skydive is supposed to go, and know about how long I have for a lot of situations now.

I'm actually tempted to try a goggle-free jump one of these days when the temperature isn't cold enough to freeze my eyeballs, and they're flying the Cessna. If I got out last and left a lot of room so the jump could turn into a high pull if it needed to, it'd probably be reasonably safe. I'd want to talk to my eye doctor about it first. The lasik was years ago but it'd kind of suck to hit terminal and have my eyeballs explode or something.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[chuckakers 425]

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would you?

I have many times, usually when I've forgotten my goggles or given mine up to someone else who forgot theirs.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[fasted3 0]

Here is a thread I started about this:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3483409#3483409

I got some very good negative feedback about doing it.

But what do I know?

[airtwardo 7]

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Curious: for those who wear goggles, do you leave them on until you land? The post up-thread about getting sand in your eyes at 100ft. got me thinking - if I'm wearing a full face I open the visor under canopy, and if I'm wearing goggles I pull them down. Am I unusual in this?

If I'm wearing sunglasses (90% of the time) I leave them on, they help with glare and never fog up. If I'm wearing goggles which I usually do on demo jumps I pull them down around my neck as soon as I open.

That way I don't need to worry if & when they may fog up and IMO give a 'marginally better' unobstructed view.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[chuteless 1]

I never wore goggles until I laid off from jumping for a couple of years, and when I started jumping again, my eyes almost came out of their sockets.

I wear them now, because the muscles around my eyes are weak.
Otherwise, I would never wear them.

[FastRon 0]

Long ago, I made maybe a hundred jumps without. Normal freefall speeds didn't cause issues, but the speed of a paricular long, steep dive/swoop really did. Wore some kind of eye protection religiously after that. I also knew a guy who hit a bumblebee square in the eye at terminal at maybe 3000 feet. No goggles. Did not lose an eye but it did cause some bleeding and bruising as I recall.
They are doing some great stuff with knees etc, but no artificial eyes yet...

[ChrisD 0]

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a good jump pilot will keep a extra pair up front.

Just remember: if you use them you MUST replace them.

I always wondered why there were 4 pairs hanging from the bacl of the pilots seat. thought they were for him incase he had to bail. Deland must have great jump pilots cause all the planes have spares hanging by the pilot.

I was there a week ago, and to answer your statment,...No they don't keep spares.
C

But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."