chuckakers 425 #51 June 10, 2009 QuoteQuoteBig Steve Hobbs went in under a bag-locked reserve after cutting away a main mal on a borrowed rig. When they found him he had climbed half way up his reserve lines. Guess we know what he was thinking. Never give up. Sounds kind of like what I said when I was a kid. "If you're ever in a plane that's going down, just jump right before it hits the ground!" Actually, I'm thinking Steve was hoping to reach the bag and clear it.Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sagan 0 #52 June 10, 2009 Observation: No one on this thread regardless of if they had a near experience, knew someone with an experience, or had a "plan" gave any indication of ever feeling "down and sorry for themselves". All the posts were either incredibly positive minded (cursing can be positive) or funny. I wonder what that says about skydivers? As for myself (assuming the commercial plane catastrophe) I'd track for water, soft looking trees, whatever looks like it'll work out best. I'm convinced in the right circumstance I'll live because I did something.... and if not, none of you fuckers will say "hey he didn't even track! he must have sucked as a skydiver"-Patrick Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FallloutboyDAoC 0 #53 June 10, 2009 FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pontiacgtp00 0 #54 June 10, 2009 QuoteFUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK I think this sums it up nicely. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rwieder 0 #55 June 10, 2009 QuoteMy experiences here so far have caused me to question my mortality. QuoteAs it well should. QuotePersonally, I would know that I have about 50-60 seconds until impact. My first thought would be, "F*ck, I'm going to die. This really sucks." Then I think I would accept the fact that I'm going to die then try to enjoy my last skydive. At the point I start getting ground rush, I'd probably close my eyes and think, "This is it..." and burn in. QuoteYour thoughts should turn to pride for dying for your country. Your second thought should be to see how many of the enemy you could kill before you die ]No way you would scream or die no otther way than with honor & dignity. What better wat to enter the pearly gates? God is with you, he will protect you, rely on your faith. Thank You for your personal sacrifice and service. God Bless-Richard- "You're Holding The Rope And I'm Taking The Fall" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dj_smokie 0 #56 June 10, 2009 First of all, thanks for all of your responses. It's interesting to peer into the thought processes of skydivers in a theoretical situation such as this. And acknowledging the very real dangers of this sport, I think it is something healthy and responsible to address (not dwell upon, however). I have known a few skydivers who seem to have no respect for their own or fear of going in. Maybe it's just young DZ bravado. I once thought I was invincible, but that has changed. As sagan observed, I think that most skydivers are very positive people who have made an objective decision based on calculated risk to pursue a passion that brings so much joy. There are definitely some nut cases though In regard to burning in, if you have something available (partial or total mal), then yes FIGHT IT TO THE VERY END until your fingers and arms are nothing but bloody stumps! If a skydiver has no rig, then yes, find something softer than hard dirt or asphalt to hit. Or maybe track and aim for a hill to "roll" down to diminish the vertical component of your impact trajectory. Regarding last thoughts before burning in, that may vary from person to person. Again as sagan mentioned, I do not think I would feel sorry for myself. I would however, feel plenty of fear and worry for my family and friends. Regret that I would not be able to live another beautiful day, yes. But no feeling of self-pity. This does not mean that I do not value life, but it means that am mature enough to face the fact that skydiving was a decision that I chose to make, and now I am left to deal with its consequences. Also, thank you for all of your support and encouragement while our troops our out here. We do not join looking for praise and thanks -- it is our job. But your thoughts and words are very well recieved and appreciated. I must also mention that no serviceman / servicewoman wishes to "die for their country". There are no positive outcomes in death. Even if you fall on a grenade and save the lives of 10 men -- you are still DEAD and someone is weeping back home. I wish to LIVE for my country and be remembered by how I have done so. Death, is permanent sleep, cold, unnegotiable, forever--game over. There is nothing good in death--maybe valor immediately before it -- but nothing inherent in itself. But that's just my opinion. Like skydiving, serving in the military is a choice in which the individual must make a serious calculated risk and be able to accept the outcomes. I can't wait to get back and share the clear blue skies with you all! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
humanflite 0 #57 June 10, 2009 QuoteQuoteQuoteBig Steve Hobbs went in under a bag-locked reserve after cutting away a main mal on a borrowed rig. When they found him he had climbed half way up his reserve lines. Guess we know what he was thinking. Never give up. Sounds kind of like what I said when I was a kid. "If you're ever in a plane that's going down, just jump right before it hits the ground!" Actually, I'm thinking Steve was hoping to reach the bag and clear it. What I thought it sounded like as well. A bit like this guy, though he didnt have a reserve baglock but did well nevertheless in fixing a double mal... self induced. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpOCsQCKi7I Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bolas 5 #58 June 10, 2009 While self preservation and not giving up are good qualities, so is quality of life. If I was in a situation where I realized that if on the remote chance I survived I'd be permanently mentally and/or physically injured. I think I'd stop trying to survive and make sure I didn't. I'd rather people simply mourn my death for a bit than be a vegetable and a burden to others for much much longer. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zoobrothertom 5 #59 June 11, 2009 My thoughts were like this: 2. At a lower alt, like 15-20k MSL, I would be left with plenty of time to contemplate my fate, and skydiving would give me a huge advantage compared to the rest of the passengers now hurtling toward the ground. I could try to do some RW with one of them, or just enjoy the last moments of my life. I might be screaming in, but not kicking. Spews beer into monitor because of gut wrenching laugh of understandingI can just imagine you swooping the hottest passenger you can find that isn't spinning too radically. Give her a kiss pass and yell in her ear, "It's OK!! I'm the Captain and I have everything under control!"____________________________________ I'm back in the USA!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyjumpenfool 2 #60 June 11, 2009 Quote I can just imagine you swooping the hottest passenger you can find that isn't spinning too radically. Give her a kiss pass and yell in her ear, "It's OK!! I'm the Captain and I have everything under control!" (singing) "I'm the Captain, Yeah, Yeahhhh, Yeah, Yeah, Yeahhhhhh...Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sletzer 3 #61 June 11, 2009 Quote Big Steve Hobbs went in under a bag-locked reserve after cutting away a main mal on a borrowed rig. When they found him he had climbed half way up his reserve lines. Guess we know what he was thinking. Never give up. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sounds kind of like what I said when I was a kid. "If you're ever in a plane that's going down, just jump right before it hits the ground!" Quote Actually, I'm thinking Steve was hoping to reach the bag and clear it. That would have been my interpretation of the situation as well.I will be kissing hands and shaking babies all afternoon. Thanks for all your support! *bows* SCS #8251 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites airtwardo 7 #62 June 11, 2009 Help!..... Mr. Wizard! (...and don't forget to take off a shoe, and stick it in the front of your pants!) ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites downwindray 0 #63 June 11, 2009 Track for water..... Cannonball!!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites MarkTL 0 #64 June 11, 2009 i guess I would go in style and track swoop the pond Live life with no regrets Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites jdfreefly 1 #65 June 11, 2009 My last thoughts would be... "And wow! Hey! What's this thing coming towards me very fast? Very very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide sounding word like... ow... ound... round... ground! That's it! That's a good name - ground! I wonder if it will be friends with me?" Methane Freefly - got stink? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites AviationTD 0 #66 June 11, 2009 Just thinking out of the box......since we have technology, why not creating a large pit, full of some special foam that can arrest fall and save a life? It can be used as last resort. Did anyone ever think that? Police/Fire department have large airbags for suicide jumper. What wrong with applying same concept for life-saving purpose? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites madhatter 0 #67 June 11, 2009 Whilst the alter ego will be thinking: "Oh no, not again!" A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! D.S # 125 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites feuergnom 28 #68 June 11, 2009 fuck, i forgot to turn off the tap at home - well - whatever..... The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle dudeist skydiver # 666 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites humanflite 0 #69 June 11, 2009 Quote Just thinking out of the box......since we have technology, why not creating a large pit, full of some special foam that can arrest fall and save a life? It can be used as last resort. Did anyone ever think that? Police/Fire department have large airbags for suicide jumper. What wrong with applying same concept for life-saving purpose? So a large part of the DZ would need to be dug out and foam filled ...???? Also, at terminal velocity, it takes a lot of luck as well as a HUGE amount of good fortune and a hard ass to survive. No man made item Im aware of could do the job. Although there is always the DZ wind tunnel.... A huge wind chamber covering the main PLA that extends to say 100ft AGl. If someone is going to go in they could just whip on the fans and the person would be stopped by the airflow.They could then practice some head down before exiting the DZ tunnel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites JohnRich 4 #70 June 11, 2009 Quotewhy not creating a large pit, full of some special foam that can arrest fall and save a life? It can be used as last resort. Did anyone ever think that? Police/Fire department have large airbags for suicide jumper. What wrong with applying same concept for life-saving purpose? Your chances of being above the pit when you have a problem is so remote, that it would be worthless. And you would need them at all points of the compass, depending upon which way the spot is being run for wind direction. As well as at various distances, to account for varying spots due to wind speeds. So you would need 1,000 pits, and you still probably wouldn't be near enough one to do any good. Heck, jumpers can't even hit a pea-gravel pit under perfectly functioning canopies! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites LuckyMcSwervy 0 #71 June 11, 2009 Quote i guess I would go in style and track swoop the pond With all of the goose shit in our pond? No thanks!! I'll shoot for one last try at accuracy - aiming for the 'X'. Always be kinder than you feel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Bolas 5 #72 June 12, 2009 Quote Quote Just thinking out of the box......since we have technology, why not creating a large pit, full of some special foam that can arrest fall and save a life? It can be used as last resort. Did anyone ever think that? Police/Fire department have large airbags for suicide jumper. What wrong with applying same concept for life-saving purpose? So a large part of the DZ would need to be dug out and foam filled ...???? Also, at terminal velocity, it takes a lot of luck as well as a HUGE amount of good fortune and a hard ass to survive. No man made item Im aware of could do the job. Although there is always the DZ wind tunnel.... A huge wind chamber covering the main PLA that extends to say 100ft AGl. If someone is going to go in they could just whip on the fans and the person would be stopped by the airflow.They could then practice some head down before exiting the DZ tunnel. I like the foam pit idea... It'd have other uses too. As for the open wind tunnel, would that theoretically work or would that be worse. 120 MPH winds up colliding with 120 mph falling object... 240 mph impact?Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites billvon 2,991 #73 June 12, 2009 >A huge wind chamber covering the main PLA that extends to say 100ft >AGl. Would have to be closer to 500 feet tall to be effective. You've got a lot of speed to dissipate, and even at, say, 4G's average deceleration you're covering a lot of distance. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites hcsvader 1 #74 June 12, 2009 I want to see someone do the math and figure this one out! Could you design a wind tunnel that you could land in?Have you seen my pants? it"s a rough life, Livin' the dream >:) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites JohnRich 4 #75 June 12, 2009 QuoteAs for the open wind tunnel, would that theoretically work or would that be worse. 120 MPH winds up colliding with 120 mph falling object... 240 mph impact? No, there would be no 240 mph impact. It would be no different than doing a head-down speed dive at 240 mph, then flaring out belly-to-earth suddenly. It creates some G-forces and puts pressure on your arms, but causes no ill effects. In fact, it feels pretty darned neat. The wind tunnel air would gradually decrease your fall rate, over time and distance. The trick would be making a wind tunnel big enough in diameter that you could hit it, with a tall enough column of high-speed air, to decelerate you to zero before you hit the bottom. I'd say it's theoretically possible, but not likely to happen. Unless we can get a billion-dollar economic stimulus package from Obama to do it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next Page 3 of 5 Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. 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airtwardo 7 #62 June 11, 2009 Help!..... Mr. Wizard! (...and don't forget to take off a shoe, and stick it in the front of your pants!) ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
downwindray 0 #63 June 11, 2009 Track for water..... Cannonball!!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarkTL 0 #64 June 11, 2009 i guess I would go in style and track swoop the pond Live life with no regrets Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdfreefly 1 #65 June 11, 2009 My last thoughts would be... "And wow! Hey! What's this thing coming towards me very fast? Very very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide sounding word like... ow... ound... round... ground! That's it! That's a good name - ground! I wonder if it will be friends with me?" Methane Freefly - got stink? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AviationTD 0 #66 June 11, 2009 Just thinking out of the box......since we have technology, why not creating a large pit, full of some special foam that can arrest fall and save a life? It can be used as last resort. Did anyone ever think that? Police/Fire department have large airbags for suicide jumper. What wrong with applying same concept for life-saving purpose? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madhatter 0 #67 June 11, 2009 Whilst the alter ego will be thinking: "Oh no, not again!" A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! D.S # 125 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
feuergnom 28 #68 June 11, 2009 fuck, i forgot to turn off the tap at home - well - whatever..... The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle dudeist skydiver # 666 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
humanflite 0 #69 June 11, 2009 Quote Just thinking out of the box......since we have technology, why not creating a large pit, full of some special foam that can arrest fall and save a life? It can be used as last resort. Did anyone ever think that? Police/Fire department have large airbags for suicide jumper. What wrong with applying same concept for life-saving purpose? So a large part of the DZ would need to be dug out and foam filled ...???? Also, at terminal velocity, it takes a lot of luck as well as a HUGE amount of good fortune and a hard ass to survive. No man made item Im aware of could do the job. Although there is always the DZ wind tunnel.... A huge wind chamber covering the main PLA that extends to say 100ft AGl. If someone is going to go in they could just whip on the fans and the person would be stopped by the airflow.They could then practice some head down before exiting the DZ tunnel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #70 June 11, 2009 Quotewhy not creating a large pit, full of some special foam that can arrest fall and save a life? It can be used as last resort. Did anyone ever think that? Police/Fire department have large airbags for suicide jumper. What wrong with applying same concept for life-saving purpose? Your chances of being above the pit when you have a problem is so remote, that it would be worthless. And you would need them at all points of the compass, depending upon which way the spot is being run for wind direction. As well as at various distances, to account for varying spots due to wind speeds. So you would need 1,000 pits, and you still probably wouldn't be near enough one to do any good. Heck, jumpers can't even hit a pea-gravel pit under perfectly functioning canopies! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LuckyMcSwervy 0 #71 June 11, 2009 Quote i guess I would go in style and track swoop the pond With all of the goose shit in our pond? No thanks!! I'll shoot for one last try at accuracy - aiming for the 'X'. Always be kinder than you feel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bolas 5 #72 June 12, 2009 Quote Quote Just thinking out of the box......since we have technology, why not creating a large pit, full of some special foam that can arrest fall and save a life? It can be used as last resort. Did anyone ever think that? Police/Fire department have large airbags for suicide jumper. What wrong with applying same concept for life-saving purpose? So a large part of the DZ would need to be dug out and foam filled ...???? Also, at terminal velocity, it takes a lot of luck as well as a HUGE amount of good fortune and a hard ass to survive. No man made item Im aware of could do the job. Although there is always the DZ wind tunnel.... A huge wind chamber covering the main PLA that extends to say 100ft AGl. If someone is going to go in they could just whip on the fans and the person would be stopped by the airflow.They could then practice some head down before exiting the DZ tunnel. I like the foam pit idea... It'd have other uses too. As for the open wind tunnel, would that theoretically work or would that be worse. 120 MPH winds up colliding with 120 mph falling object... 240 mph impact?Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,991 #73 June 12, 2009 >A huge wind chamber covering the main PLA that extends to say 100ft >AGl. Would have to be closer to 500 feet tall to be effective. You've got a lot of speed to dissipate, and even at, say, 4G's average deceleration you're covering a lot of distance. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hcsvader 1 #74 June 12, 2009 I want to see someone do the math and figure this one out! Could you design a wind tunnel that you could land in?Have you seen my pants? it"s a rough life, Livin' the dream >:) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #75 June 12, 2009 QuoteAs for the open wind tunnel, would that theoretically work or would that be worse. 120 MPH winds up colliding with 120 mph falling object... 240 mph impact? No, there would be no 240 mph impact. It would be no different than doing a head-down speed dive at 240 mph, then flaring out belly-to-earth suddenly. It creates some G-forces and puts pressure on your arms, but causes no ill effects. In fact, it feels pretty darned neat. The wind tunnel air would gradually decrease your fall rate, over time and distance. The trick would be making a wind tunnel big enough in diameter that you could hit it, with a tall enough column of high-speed air, to decelerate you to zero before you hit the bottom. I'd say it's theoretically possible, but not likely to happen. Unless we can get a billion-dollar economic stimulus package from Obama to do it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
