jabwoman 0 #1 April 17, 2004 New to this board and skydiving. Some of my friends are going to Skydive Chicago the weekend of April 24 & 25. I have wanted to skydive for years, but the reports for Skydive Chicago are not great. Even the owner was killed last year! Eleven deathes in the last 5 yares!!! Not all of the fatilities seem to be just "hot dogs". Am I wrong??? They have help Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
d_squared431 0 #2 April 17, 2004 Skydiving has it's risk but if you pay attention to what you are told you will be okay. I really think you should try it at least once. It is natural to be scared of this but once you do it you will realize you want to do it all the time.TPM Sister#130ONTIG#1 I love vodka.I love vodka cause it rhymes with Tuaca~LisaH You having a clean thought is like billyvance having a clean post.iluvtofly Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
streaker 0 #3 April 17, 2004 Jabwoman, You seem to have abundant information about Skydive Chicago. Hmmmmm.... I'm very new to skydiving but would tell you that I'd have no problem jumping there. As a matter of fact many skydivers that I know jump there regularly. Skydiving is as safe a sport as you want it to be. Risks are reality, but the risks are calculated. Beautiful Landings Streaker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cudlo 0 #4 April 17, 2004 Quite simply the media in the Chicagoland area has an itch to scratch when it comes to attempting to discredit Skydive Chicago. It is a wonderful and SAFE place to skydive. Especially to learn through their AFP program. I've never felt anything but safe in their capable hands (me=student). But, its up to you to make your own choices. Just please, don't judge it based on news reports. Stop by, hang out with people, get to know the place for yourself then decide._________________________________________ "People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid." - Kierkegaard Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bodyflight.Net 0 #5 April 18, 2004 You should always trust your instincts... I think sometimes we get lazy when we are defending our lives. Your right, their record isn't great, but that doesn't mean you will be hurt/injured or die. Perhaps you should encourage them to visit a different DZ? If your going to be that close, try Chicagoland Skydiving Center in Hinckley... they are just under an hour from Chicago and they haven't had all the bad PR. http://www.skydivecsc.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tattoojeff 0 #6 April 18, 2004 the amount of skydiving deaths at sd chicago is proportioned to the amount of jumps they do there. in other words yes alot of jumpers have died but the do a hell of a lot of jumping there. missy nelson is an awsome dzo and extremly saftey oriented skydiver. so relax have a ball and just like any other large dz have your head on a swivle under canopy contantly looking for traffic. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeyRamone 0 #7 April 18, 2004 I love people that post and do not have any contact info...YA sound like a TROLL to me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Unstable 9 #8 April 18, 2004 I don't think this person is a troll at all - they are just looking for information and very unfamiliar with some of the couresies extended here on DZ.com - come on everybody, lets stop this troll-calling.... In regards to the question - Being a Statistics Major and not having too much of a life, I compared the sample proportion of those killed at Skydive chicago versus national average.....My results when tested at a=.05 is that their safety record is NOT significanly different than any other DZ in this country. All assumpions for this test have been met, we all know the sample size n is large enough, and I have the entire test very well written out rather academically. If anybody wants a copy of my work on this, PM me, I will be MORE than happy to share.... Edited to add - I can say right now that if I had more information available about all other DZ's, I could have blocked data accordingly, on such qualitative and quantitative variables like DZ size, swoop pond, aircraft, training staff available - perhaps then using backwards selection to get rid of the redundant variables. If I could figure out how to get this information in a ethical and efficient way, it would be a WAY cool test to run and play with the numbers... Edited to add again: one more thing, I'm sure several people here can see that with such broad info from USPA, there would be several tests that we could pass the assumptions on - I found it more logical to stick with standard analysis of Varience (Anova).=========Shaun ========== Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimbo 0 #9 April 18, 2004 QuoteI love people that post and do not have any contact info...YA sound like a TROLL to me. Ya think? With a name like JABwoman? - Jim"Like" - The modern day comma Good bye, my friends. You are missed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smooth 0 #10 April 19, 2004 Quote QuoteI love people that post and do not have any contact info...YA sound like a TROLL to me. Ya think? With a name like JABwoman? - Jim Got no time for the jibba jabba ! ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tattoojeff 0 #11 April 19, 2004 im curious about how you were able to do the math so to speak on the fatality averages at sd chicago. wouldnt you need to know how many jumpers and how many loads they flew those years? if you colud run the numbers for Kapowsin air sports in WA. the faa is up there ass due to i belive 7 fatalities over 10 years. but what the faa isnt looking at is how many loads and jumps they do a year there. Kapow is a very modern safe DZ and it botheres me when people only see how many dead and not the other fac=tors. jeff Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Unstable 9 #12 April 19, 2004 Quoteim curious about how you were able to do the math so to speak on the fatality averages at sd chicago. I just did the basic Sample prop. I compared total jumps and deaths on the national average and total jumps and deaths for SDC. The numbers are out there, USPA publishes their fatality reports in The Parachutist and the numbers for SDC were not hard to get ahold of. I sent a few PM's out and got back consistantly the same numbers from different people here on dz.com - Like I said before, there lots of variables (like Instructional staff available, aircraft, swoop pond, et cetera) that I did NOT take into account, and I am talking right now with some people of doing a full analysis taking into account all of these things. If you look hard enough, the info is out there.. Quoteif you colud run the numbers for Kapowsin air sports in WA. the faa is up there ass due to i belive 7 fatalities over 10 years. PM sent....=========Shaun ========== Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skailz 0 #13 April 19, 2004 I've not been to Skydive Chicago yet, but I would say it's just as safe as any. It seems to be one of the largest, if not the largest, in it's general area in the U.S. Naturally the more skydives done, the better chances of increased incidents. Also, I know they broke a record there once, shooting for I think 300 people in one formation.. one died I believe trying that. You gotta take things like that into consideration. I plan on visiting that DZ one day soon since it's only 4 hours or so away. Blue Skies, ~Skailz~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Unstable 9 #14 April 19, 2004 QuoteI plan on visiting that DZ one day soon since it's only 4 hours or so away. Only 4 hours away!! Dang, I'd be there Every weekend!!! =========Shaun ========== Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skailz 0 #15 April 19, 2004 Hehe, I don't know what I've been thinking... Blue Skies, ~Skailz~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpwally 0 #16 April 19, 2004 If you are new , i suggest a pm to diverdriver on this forum,,he is a pilot there and can give you a good assesment..........smile, be nice, enjoy life FB # - 1083 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #17 April 19, 2004 I think you are wrong... Skydiving is dangerous, and if you don't like that fact then I'm sure you and your friends would enjoy spending the day at Six Flags instead. That said, if the numbers are important to you, then there are other dropzones available. There is another dropzone down the road, Chicagoland which not had a single fatality in over 11 years. _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jabwoman 0 #18 April 19, 2004 Thanks for your input Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jabwoman 0 #19 April 19, 2004 Great idea! Thank you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jabwoman 0 #21 April 19, 2004 Well-I see the dropzone.com has a lot of nice people and some that might need to get their anger under control. (I've had some colorful PMs). For the civilized crowd: Thanks very much for the information. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chaoskitty 0 #22 April 19, 2004 Quote There is another dropzone down the road, Chicagoland which not had a single fatality in over 11 years. So, statistically speaking (yes, unstable's post threw me back in to stats mode).. is it more likely that she would be the first fatality at chicagoland, or the "n"th at SDC? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #23 April 19, 2004 I have absolutely no idea. I'm pretty sure she'd do well at both places, they both have good student programs with good safety records. My point was 1) She doesn't have to skydive. 2) She doesn't have to skydive at SDC. Both of these two points will be reinforced if she reads the SDC waiver. If she doesn't like any aspect of one particular DZ, there are alternatives available. _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chaoskitty 0 #24 April 19, 2004 I agree.. just trying to change the mood of this thread Maybe a whuffo analogy would help? ... someone who drives 400 miles per week(SDC) is more likely to be involved in an accident than someone who drives 50 miles per week(smaller dz's). However, a safe driver(canopy pilot) reduces that risk by a great deal, no matter how much time they spend on the road. But you still run the risk of unforseen accidents/blowouts/mechanical failures, all which can be paralleled with malfunctions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #25 April 19, 2004 At best estimates, Skydive Chicago does roughly twice the volume as Chicagoland. The difference in size is significant, but not as much as many people think. _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites