this just in: bad things can happen if you willing jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

FTA: "A lot of jumpers choose to land this way because it's exciting. But it's very unforgiving."

Yes, jumping out of an airplane is not enough thrill. Wondering if the parachute opens correctly is not enough of a rush. In order to get my fix of adrenaline, I need to approach a solid surface with limited control surfaces and no internally powered thrust at speeds that will kill me.

/I have been skydiving.
//loved it.
///I still think this is ridiculous.

This has been a really bad year for Skydive Perris. I think this is the third skydiver dead within the last four months. The second guy was killed during the memorial jump for the first guy, no less.

On the upside, if you're in the Southern California area and always wanted to try skydiving but couldn't afford it, I'm sure Perris is running some great deals right about now...

A video of what swooping looks like.

A friend sent me this video like 2 days ago, and I remarked, "this guy is unlikely to meet his grandchildren."

Seems legit. The human body is structured roughly the same as a flat rock, right?

imontheinternet: Seems legit. The human body is structured roughly the same as a flat rock, right?

It is now.

StanTheMan: A video of what swooping looks like.

That's a wingsuit.

This is swooping Chute deployed, skimming along the ground or water.

StanTheMan: A video of what swooping looks like.

A friend sent me this video like 2 days ago, and I remarked, "this guy is unlikely to meet his grandchildren."

That's not swooping. Though he might have swooped (you can't tell by the way he sped up the camera playback). That's skimming or rock soaring a type of base jumping typically done with a wingsuit. Swooping typically is done out of a spin or curl where you are nearly parallel to the ground (or a tight turn) where you skim or run across a surface (field or water) to your landing flare.

Penis Vally Skydiving?

special20: Humean_Nature: Sybarite: The other deaths this year at Perris have included one from Denmark, one from Australia and a man from Russia whose body was found two months later by a farmer ploughing his field.

Nobody noticed when the Russian dude jumped and never showed up on the ground. "Hey, wasn't there another dude on the plane with us?"

Yeah, but he was foreign or something. He'll turn up.

Isn't that just like a commie to bond with the motherland.


That place is pretty remote, they probably gave up the search.

YouPeopleAreCrazy: StanTheMan: A video of what swooping looks like.

That's a wingsuit.

This is swooping Chute deployed, skimming along the ground or water.

Ballsy.

Stupid..... But Ballsy

/been skydiving
//would never ever even think about doing that.

Wingsuit Madness!!


Link (new window)

Like most skydiving fatalities this occurred under a fully functioning and controllable canopy.

This isn't so much a skydiving accident as it is the unfortunate outcome of a dangerous stunt performed by a person who just so happened to be using a parachute.

Also - anyone who asks why skydivers jump out of "perfectly good airplanes" hasn't done much, if any skydiving. Smaller dropzones commonly operate aircraft that do not fall under the category of "perfectly good". I've often found that I'm only comfortable once I'm well clear of those flying clumps of baling wire and duct tape.

Jeager76: StanTheMan: A video of what swooping looks like.

A friend sent me this video like 2 days ago, and I remarked, "this guy is unlikely to meet his grandchildren."

That's not swooping. Though he might have swooped (you can't tell by the way he sped up the camera playback). That's skimming or rock soaring a type of base jumping typically done with a wingsuit. Swooping typically is done out of a spin or curl where you are nearly parallel to the ground (or a tight turn) where you skim or run across a surface (field or water) to your landing flare.

I knew some asshole was going to nitpick this. Turns out, there is more than one armchair extreme sportsman in here.

FFS, it's Dangerous Falling Out of Airplane Activity and leave it at that.

Hypothetical Imperative: I've often found that I'm only comfortable once I'm well clear of those flying clumps of baling wire and duct tape.

You are giving them way too much credit. It's more bubble gum and baling wire. At least that describes most tow planes used when I did some glider training when I had more disposable income.

Did anyone click the side link
Link (new window)

Another swooper who died

notaverygoodname: Wingsuit Madness!!


Link (new window)

Nice.

A couple more, for those interested in watching cool stuff instead of being couch-bound Semantics Nazi's.

Jeb Corliss flies through Tianmen Hole
Jeb Corliss wing-suit demo

Hypothetical Imperative: Smaller dropzones commonly operate aircraft that do not fall under the category of "perfectly good". I've often found that I'm only comfortable once I'm well clear of those flying clumps of baling wire and duct tape.

Knowing more than most about aircraft maintenance, and having survived exactly 1 parachute jump (my 50th b-day present to myself), I agree.

/duct tape is being generous
/spray adhesive and overstressed aluminum, maybe

StanTheMan: couch-bound Semantics Nazi's.

Various styles of 'jumping out of an aircraft' are called different things, because they are different.
Just like F1 is called 'drifting', because some guy got sideways in a corner once.
Or downhill in the Olympics is the same as freestyle because in both, you sometimes get a little air.

What it looks like when this particular stunt fails. One thing to skydive as that is relatively safe, but to tempt fate like this...

NSFW....the woman in the video died.

Link (new window)

StanTheMan: Jeager76: StanTheMan: A video of what swooping looks like.

A friend sent me this video like 2 days ago, and I remarked, "this guy is unlikely to meet his grandchildren."

That's not swooping. Though he might have swooped (you can't tell by the way he sped up the camera playback). That's skimming or rock soaring a type of base jumping typically done with a wingsuit. Swooping typically is done out of a spin or curl where you are nearly parallel to the ground (or a tight turn) where you skim or run across a surface (field or water) to your landing flare.

I knew some asshole was going to nitpick this. Turns out, there is more than one armchair extreme sportsman in here.

FFS, it's Dangerous Falling Out of Airplane Activity and leave it at that.

Um... there's not even an airplane in the video you posted?

Do you also get mad when someone differentiates between a bike and a car? They're both ridable frames with wheels, after all.

RexTalionis: A Fark Handle: this just in: bad things can happen if you willing jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

You know, I always thought it'd be a great physics and engineering competition to give a bunch of engineers 50,000 dollars and they have to engineer a way to jump out of a plane flying at altitude and land safely without the use of parachutes and then have them try it out for real.

Now that's a reality show that I would watch.

I work with engineers all day. Not only would it be nearly impossible to find an engineer willing to even attempt the design of such a non-parachute method for airplane-exit, it would almost as impossible to find an engineer willing to design an actual parachute if they didn't already exist.

If an engineer today were forced to design the first-ever one-man parachute, it would cost $2 million, take seven years to manufacture in a clean-room environment, the materials involved in its construction would be contstrained only to those of which a 800-page book has been published detailing the material properties, it would require over 1,000 square feet of said material for every 20lbs of parachutist weight, and would have a "safety factor" of 2 added on top of all of that. It would also come with a list of conditions in which it can be used that would include narrow ranges for temperature, humidity, air-speed, elevation, and distance from the equator. At least one of said conditions would be be violated during the actual act of using the parachute all the way to the ground. Then they would complain about how the sales department doesn't sell enough parachutes to justify the cost of the design and manufacture.

Just kidding. I love engineers, but some could attempt to move beyond glorified liability-assumers.

Skydiving

earthmunching

Hypothetical Imperative: Also - anyone who asks why skydivers jump out of "perfectly good airplanes" hasn't done much, if any skydiving. Smaller dropzones commonly operate aircraft that do not fall under the category of "perfectly good". I've often found that I'm only comfortable once I'm well clear of those flying clumps of baling wire and duct tape.

QFT

CSB time - I once saw an experienced skydiver perform an unplanned swoop when he had to swerve to avoid crashing into another skydiver on landing. He ended up skimming across the runway on his knees...at about 40mph.

We all ran over to him, expecting to see bloody stumps at the end of his thighs, but the guy was already getting up and reeling in his chute. As we crowded around he pointed out the Teflon kneepads (the kind motorcyclists wear) sewn into his jumpsuit.

"Be prepared"

up here in Canada , Discoveries daily planet show did a show on this just a few weeks ago.
they were focusing on a couple Canadian lads trying to break a swooping speed record.
wonder if the one who died was on the show. seems likely.

oldcub: RexTalionis: A Fark Handle: this just in: bad things can happen if you willing jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

You know, I always thought it'd be a great physics and engineering competition to give a bunch of engineers 50,000 dollars and they have to engineer a way to jump out of a plane flying at altitude and land safely without the use of parachutes and then have them try it out for real.

Now that's a reality show that I would watch.

I work with engineers all day. Not only would it be nearly impossible to find an engineer willing to even attempt the design of such a non-parachute method for airplane-exit, it would almost as impossible to find an engineer willing to design an actual parachute if they didn't already exist.

If an engineer today were forced to design the first-ever one-man parachute, it would cost $2 million, take seven years to manufacture in a clean-room environment, the materials involved in its construction would be contstrained only to those of which a 800-page book has been published detailing the material properties, it would require over 1,000 square feet of said material for every 20lbs of parachutist weight, and would have a "safety factor" of 2 added on top of all of that. It would also come with a list of conditions in which it can be used that would include narrow ranges for temperature, humidity, air-speed, elevation, and distance from the equator. At least one of said conditions would be be violated during the actual act of using the parachute all the way to the ground. Then they would complain about how the sales department doesn't sell enough parachutes to justify the cost of the design and manufacture.

Just kidding. I love engineers, but some could attempt to move beyond glorified liability-assumers.

Depends on the engineer I guess. When I was a boy scout, our scoutmaster was a nasa engineer, an honest to god rocket scientist. Anyway, even though his official was engineer, he would always refer to himself as an inventor and true to form, worked on inventing stuff in his spare time. He designed and built his own backpack for hiking the AT, built a system on his own house for harnessing solar energy, and his yard and garage were littered with all sorts of things he was working on. If he was interested, he would have tried to build such a device, but yeah, your typical engineer often tends to be lacking in creativity or imagination, but some of them.....

One of the coolest guys I have ever met and I am not sure I would be such a big honk for the Boy Scouts if it were not for him.

YouPeopleAreCrazy: StanTheMan: A video of what swooping looks like.

That's a wingsuit.

This is swooping Chute deployed, skimming along the ground or water.

I'll say one thing: The noise certainly was pumped up in that video.

United State Parachuting Association
United State Parachuting
United State
State

Alys: This has been a really bad year for Skydive Perris. I think this is the third skydiver dead within the last four months. The second guy was killed during the memorial jump for the first guy, no less.

On the upside, if you're in the Southern California area and always wanted to try skydiving but couldn't afford it, I'm sure Perris is running some great deals right about now...

FTFA: "It is the fifth death at the facility in the last year."

No way they can carry insurance with a record like that. The underwriters would asplode.

caddisfly: Alys: This has been a really bad year for Skydive Perris. I think this is the third skydiver dead within the last four months. The second guy was killed during the memorial jump for the first guy, no less.

On the upside, if you're in the Southern California area and always wanted to try skydiving but couldn't afford it, I'm sure Perris is running some great deals right about now...

FTFA: "It is the fifth death at the facility in the last year."

No way they can carry insurance with a record like that. The underwriters would asplode.

Smart drop-zones make you sign ultra-comprehensive waivers. I saw one that made you sign like 10 different pages, then on the last one, it said YOU MIGHT DIE. NOT OUR FAULT. OK? and asked for another signature.

I jumped at Perris for years. Most did hook turns (swoop) on landing because it's fun and looks really cool. Typically it was the younger crowd, and ironically the more experienced that took these chances and had a greater number of injuries. I didn't do it because I was never really that good at it and was a biatchicken (smart?). But I get it. After a while jumping is kinda like sex with your spouse. It's good and all, but not as exciting as it was the first time.

People on the drop zone generally feel that skydiving is safer than driving. They'll say that statistically it's safer, but I did the comparison and it really isn't close. Anacdotally, I personally knew six people that died over a four year period while in the sport, yet I have yet to know anyone personally that died in a car accident my entire life.

The equipment is very safe and as I recall, there were only one or two fatalities nationwide each year due to equipment problems. The majority were low pulls (semi-avoidable) and hook turns (completely avoidable).

The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves: Penis Vally Skydiving?

You are a paragon of wit, my good gentleman.

caddisfly: No way they can carry insurance with a record like that. The underwriters would asplode.

Know how I can tell you've never signed a waiver at a dropzone?

/BSBD

Radak: caddisfly: No way they can carry insurance with a record like that. The underwriters would asplode.

Know how I can tell you've never signed a waiver at a dropzone?

/BSBD

Have signed a waiver at a dropzone. Also at a bungee bridge, a wreck dive and a chicken wings place (the last ended up being the most terrifying- about 6 hours later). The waiver won't protect the operator in the event of its gross negligence, and 5 deaths per year smells of something utterly wrong with that operation.