Question from safety forum

[Borkel 0]

Hi- I'm sorry for posting the same message in two forums but I need to know the answer to this question as soon as possible. I will paste it in.

Hi, I'm an achondroplastic dwarf with a heavy interest in going skydiving. Now apparently I'm told this gives me a weaker spinal chord and neck, but it's nothing too bad to the point that it stops me from doing daily activities. I've been given an opportunity to go this sunday, and I wanted to know if this should stop me from going- maybe will cause a problem with the shock from the parachute first opening. Any responses as quick as possible would be appreciated. Thanks.

[michaelflying 0]

What type of jump etc.. static line tandem etc... what does the Doc say???

www.skydivekzn.co.za

[Samurai136 0]

Ask your doctor.

I'm not sure what the risks are for an achondroplastic dwarf (don't even know what achondroplastic means). If you got hurt on opening would that mean you're paralysed?

If your doctor approves it enjoy your jump!
Ken

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[AggieDave 6]

First of all, skydiving is dangerous, although our canopies are generally designed to open fairly soft, there's no promise that it will.

What you should do is 1. Call up your doctor and talk to him/her. 2. Call up the DZ and talk to the head instructor or the instructor that would most likely take you on your jump. 3. Understand the risks involved and also understand that you sign a release of liability, thus if anything did happen, its no one's fault and you assume the risk of injury and death.

I want to welcome as many people to my wonderful sport as I can, but you need to know those things and understand the dangers involved.


I've had openings so soft that I barely knew the canopy was opening, and I've had openings so hard that my body hurt and it nearly knocked me out.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Samurai136 0]

Dave is also not a dwarf.

Your opening probably wouldn't be to big a deal since your mass is less than an average tandem passenger and it's all fairly compact around a central point.

The saftey concern is what if you got hurt?

Ken

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

Dave is also not a dwarf

The understatement of the evening...

Quote

Your opening probably wouldn't be to big a deal since your mass is less than an average tandem passenger and it's all fairly compact around a central point.

Although that is true, that doesn't invalidate what I was saying.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[hookitt 1]

Here is the same answer I wrote to the post in the safety forum.
======
How long are your arms? I ask this question because to steer a parachute you have to reach up and grab some toggles that connect lines attached to the tail of the canopy.

Well, the risers are kinda long on most student rigs and it's entirely possible that an achondroplastic dwarf is unable to reach the toggles. I haven't a clue what you look like so this may or may not be an issue using the dropzones standard student equipment.

Now as far as how much opening shock your body can endure, who knows. None of us can make that type of determination. If it's static line, chances are the shock isn't too high. That is also subjective but generally it's not too abrubt. If you freefall, a hard opening can equal or surpass the impact of a car crash. That's not an exageration either.

You can pretty much count on having linetwists if you do a static line. Depending on how high above your head you can reach, that can be trouble as well. If you sit in a swing and spin yourself up, you'll get an ide what line twist are. You need to reach up to push the risers apart then kick your self out of the twists. Line twists are generally not a big deal but can be classified as a malfunction if you are unable to rectify them


Other types of malfunctions are another story. Cutaway and reserve handles must be reachable and you must be able to pull them easily if needed.

I'm not suggesting you can't skydive but depending on your body shape, a more custom solution may be required.

A tandem is a good way to try your first skydive. That may be your best first option.

Good luck Borkel. Skydiving is a blast and it would be very cool if you can try it.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto