Children jumping

[Ripple 0]

Has http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6826804.ece already been posted? Thoughts?

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[ibx 2]

AFAIK Tandems are allowed at any age in Germany as long as the Child meets the size requirements for the harness and has parental consent.

I don't think its a problem letting kids jump... If you let them ride a rollercoaster it's pretty much the same. It's a only a tandem, a fun ride

[Ripple 0]

I thought the article was unclear about the father's status - saying they jumped with him made it sound as though he was their TM.

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[dragon2 2]

What's the problem? If your kid wants to jump, come to The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, etc etc etc. Only problem I have with this is if said child isn't really willing but pushed by parents, had that happen once but kid was a foreigner (he's a dropzone kid but not at our DZ), didn't speak English either, and we didn't quite catch his nervousness. Don't feel good about that one, although his dad did, but usually kids are a absolute total blast to video.

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[councilman24 37]

Too bad this isn't an option in the U.S. Don't know what I'd do when my girls were big enough. Probably get a tandem rating so I didn't have to trust someone else.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[skybytch 273]

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It's a only a tandem, a fun ride

Yep. That's all it is. A fun ride.

[kallend 2,026]

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Too bad this isn't an option in the U.S. Don't know what I'd do when my girls were big enough. Probably get a tandem rating so I didn't have to trust someone else.

It's an option in the US if your father owns a DZ.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[Nightingale 0]

I think it's a bad idea. Skydiving is something where the jumper should understand the risk, and children that young aren't really capable of that. Jumping needs to be a personal decision. This isn't a roller coaster.

[jurgencamps 0]

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I think it's a bad idea. Skydiving is something where the jumper should understand the risk, and children that young aren't really capable of that. Jumping needs to be a personal decision. This isn't a roller coaster.

Who says it isn't a personal decision?
Where is the logic that a 16 year old kid can drive a car but cannot make a (tandem)jump?
Is it smart to see young children fire guns they barely can hold?

[Sangi 0]

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I think it's a bad idea. Skydiving is something where the jumper should understand the risk, and children that young aren't really capable of that. Jumping needs to be a personal decision. This isn't a roller coaster.

Doing a tandem jump is as safe as riding a roller coaster (kids don't understand the dangers of roller coasters either).. I don't see a problem with kids doing tandems (as the guy above me said, as long as they fit correctly in the harness) if they wish so.. Very good comparison with the driving a car at 16 (in Lithuania you can get a drivers license at 18 and yet there's horribly many car accidents involving driving teens..) and shooting a gun..

My brother did two tandem jumps when he was 13, there are kids in my DZ who just finished their AFF's and they are 15-16...

"Dream as you'll live forever, live as you'll die today." James Dean

[mik 2]

My kids have been riding on the back of my motorbikes snce they were 3 years old (on the highway, wearing suitable clothing etc). Other kids I know of have been riding their own mini motorbikes from a young age. I suspect none fully understand the risks, yet, like skydiving, riding motorbikes is inherently dangerous. Being a parent involves taking decisions on behalf of kids, for example when the kids can't appreciate the dangers for themselves. In my opinion, that does not mean forcing them into doing something they don't want to do, but it involves taking a view on whether they should be allowed to do things they want to do. So in this case, if the kid wanted to jump and the parents were happy for him to do so, I cannot see a problem with it.

***********************************************
I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

[Ripple 0]

I didn't have an opinion on this, but am interested to see what others' considered thoughts are.

Nightingale's comment has made me realise though that I have limits to what I consider acceptable in this scenario.

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[mircan 0]

I heard (or read, i don`t remember) that letting small children jump has something to with a chance of them getting permanent psychological damage (nightmares, fears etc.)

little off topic...

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Where is the logic that a 16 year old kid can drive a car but cannot make a (tandem) jump?
Is it smart to see young children fire guns they barely can hold?

I always wondered how is it that in the US you can sign up in the ARMY at 18 and go around shooting/killing people, but you can not go and buy a beer until you are 21...

dudeist skydiver #42

[Pilot150 0]

I can't get my 7 year old daughter to exit from the mock doorway, nevermind jumping although she loves fliying.

[NewGuy2005 53]

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It's a only a tandem, a fun ride

Yep. That's all it is. A fun ride.

What could possibly go wrong??

[JohnMitchell 16]

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Doing a tandem jump is as safe as riding a roller coaster

I don't think so.

[JohnMitchell 16]

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I think it's a bad idea. Skydiving is something where the jumper should understand the risk, and children that young aren't really capable of that. Jumping needs to be a personal decision. This isn't a roller coaster.

When my son was 14 and my youngest daughter was 12, we went out of the U.S. and I personally took them on tandems. Both of them had grown up at the DZ and were familiar with possible bad outcomes. I even told them that we could do everything right and still get killed. They both still wanted to go. It was a good time, but it was definitely not like taking them on a roller coaster. It was a much bigger decision by all parties.

[FrflyPimpDaddy 0]

My son is 10, I'm a tandem instructor. If I could legally do it, I would, and he would love the opportunity. He's been at the DZ since he was 3, so I think he understands the deal. However, I would probably have him explain the benefits and possible consequences of the choices he's about to make. The only concern I would have would be the harness. I doubt I would feel comfortable with him jumping the current Sigma harnesses we have. I've never put one on him, but I can't see one fitting him well, or at least well enough for my comfort level. He's just too skinny.......

[AFFI 0]

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Doing a tandem jump is as safe as riding a roller coaster

I don't think so.

1 in 150 million rides on a rollercoaster result in death and there
are 900 million rides each year in USA.

Roller coasters are fun! Nevertheless, a study in the January 2002 issue of the Annals of Emergency Medicine reported a disturbing trend in the rate of thrill ride injuries. Overall, the risk of injury is low. Of the 900 million rides taken in the US each year, about 1 in 124,000 result in a significant injury that is detected. Only about 1 in 15 million require hospitalization and 1 in 150 million rides taken results in a death. Most of the worst injuries are from internal bleeding or from brain damage. So the issue is safety for minors until they are legally able to decide for themselves, gravity works as well for kids as it does adults - just ask Eric Clapton. Some countries have differnet laws and guidelines - for instance in some countries legal age of sexual consent is solely based upon the individuals ability to carry a pail of water back to the village.

[Sangi 0]

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Where is the logic that a 16 year old kid can drive a car but cannot make a (tandem) jump?
Is it smart to see young children fire guns they barely can hold?

I always wondered how is it that in the US you can sign up in the ARMY at 18 and go around shooting/killing people, but you can not go and buy a beer until you are 21...

Gotta agree, quite retarded laws... Europe is way cooler, at least in my country you can legally drink from 18 (even though everybody drinks from whatever age they want to lol) and start jumping from 14

"Dream as you'll live forever, live as you'll die today." James Dean

[Nightingale 0]

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I think it's a bad idea. Skydiving is something where the jumper should understand the risk, and children that young aren't really capable of that. Jumping needs to be a personal decision. This isn't a roller coaster.

Who says it isn't a personal decision?
Where is the logic that a 16 year old kid can drive a car but cannot make a (tandem)jump?
Is it smart to see young children fire guns they barely can hold?

There's a big difference between a 16 year old and the 7 year old in the article, or even John Mitchell's 12 year old. It's really individual with children... some older kids will understand risk, especially DZ kids, but some won't.

Yes, it is the responsibility of a parent to make risk assessments for children in certain situations, but really, the sky isn't going anywhere, so why not wait a couple of years until they're old enough to make that risk assessment for themselves? I'm just thinking of what a headline of "Seven year old dies in skydiving accident" is going to do for the sport. We don't need that kind of negative publicity.

[riggerrob 643]

I jumped with two 13 year old girls - in France - a long time ago.
The first girl was athletic and big for her age and her uncle was on the same load. Her dad, mom, older brother, aunt, etc. jumped the same day. We both had a great time.

The second girl was so small we had to pull the harness to the stops to get ittight enough. She was talked into it by her fat, alcoholic, ex-paratrooper father. On the way down, she had a dead grip on my left hand, at pull time.
This foolishness ocurred before Cypres was invented.
That was the last time I jumped with a minor!

If tandem manufacturers hear about jumping with minors, they threaten to revoke licenses of instructors.

Rob Warner
Strong Tandem Examiner.

[Sangi 0]

You're so afraid of a minor getting killed during a tandem jump, maybe tandem jumps shouldn't be handed out to everyone as such a joyrides if they are soooo dangerous?

"Dream as you'll live forever, live as you'll die today." James Dean

[billvon 2,990]

>maybe tandem jumps shouldn't be handed out to everyone as
>such a joyrides if they are soooo dangerous?

They're not _that_ dangerous. But adults can waive their rights and agree to risk their lives; children cannot.

[mik 2]

[reply
Yes, it is the responsibility of a parent to make risk assessments for children in certain situations, but really, the sky isn't going anywhere, so why not wait a couple of years until they're old enough to make that risk assessment for themselves? I'm just thinking of what a headline of "Seven year old dies in skydiving accident" is going to do for the sport. We don't need that kind of negative publicity.