P A R A C H U T I N G ' S N E W S M A G A Z I N E
Ask the Editor
Contents of Batch 13:
Do I need
retraining if I switch DZs?
What's a
'sun dog'?
Is BASE
jumping illegal?
Storing
parachutes
Teenage jumpers
Fall rate &
wearing weights
Where can I
make beach jumps?
Exit altitudes for
paratroopers
Information
on wind tunnels
Skydiving
in South Korea
Why do
tandem jumpers use 'butt landings'?
Who issues
licenses & ratings in the US?
Where can I
get info on POPS and SOS?
Why isn't
Kittinger's jump a high-altitude record?
Wants to rent a wind
tunnel
Where can I
get a freefall chart for freefly jumps?
Skydiving
software for the Macintosh computer
Needs STC'd
jump door for a Cessa 180 or 185
The following questions were submitted by visitors to our Web site and answered by the editor of Skydiving magazine. .
To ask a question of your own, click here.
Do I need retraining if I switch DZs?
Q. I started jumping in another part of the country. I just tried to jump at a local DZ and got all this blather about needing to pay all sorts of fees to get retrained. Is this normal for a DZ to not trust the training of other schools? Do I get to look forward to retraining at every DZ I visit?
A. Experienced jumpers—those with licenses or more than 25 jumps—rarely have trouble when they visit a new DZ. The DZ typically wants to see some proof of experience, such as a license, or in the case of a jumper with less than 100 jumps or so, a logbook.It’s not unreasonable to ask for proof that the visiting jumper has enough skydiving skills and experience to be turned loose on the DZ and in the air over it. Some DZs scrutinize even very experienced jumpers and take a few minutes to brief them on the DZ’s procedures. Visiting students get extra attention. Since training procedures, aircraft procedures and student equipment varies widely from one DZ to the next, it makes sense to run the visitor through some sort of familiarization training. The amount required depends on a lot of variables; a student with 15 jumps usually needs less than one with three. The cost of such refresher training is usually a function of how much time it takes and what facilities are used. We’ve rarely seen a DZ charge a visiting student very much for such training, but some might. Students aren’t the only jumpers who receive refresher training before being allowed to board an aircraft. Skydivers who haven’t jumped for a few months are often retrained, too. If you’re a student, the best plan is to complete your training and accumulate some jumps at a single DZ. But, again, once you have about 25 jumps or so, jumping at other DZs shouldn’t be a problem. Remember to bring your logbook, and don’t take offense if an instructor wants to review your knowledge and experience.
Q. My mother recently made a tandem jump. While watching the video of the jump, I heard the cameraman use a peculiar term to describe the unusual shadow the freefalling jumpers made on a cloud beneath them. The shadow had a bright halo around it. Any help would be extremely appreciated (after all, it’s an extreme sport!)
A. The photographer probably used the term “sun dog,” which is correct.
Q. If a BASE jumper gets caught by police, what charges are made against that person?
A. BASE jumping per se is illegal only in a handful of places, such as National Parks in the U.S. (And its status there is being challenged in court, as some of the restrictive statutes are ambiguous. Some laws prohibit “aerial delivery.” Is a BASE jump aerial delivery? We don’t think so.) But skydivers sometimes commit crimes to gain access to suitable sites; they trespass or break into private structures. Sometimes they’re charged with catch-all offenses such as disorderly conduct and creating a public nuisance. The sneaky aspect of BASE jumping seems to be part of its allure. It’s like that old saying, “Nothing tastes as good as a stolen watermelon.” But the sport is paying a price for its implicit endorsement of petty criminal acts. Organizations such as the U.S. Parachute Association officially ignore it. USPA has decreed BASE jumping doesn’t fall within its purview.
Q. In mid-1997 I bought an old rig with a ram-air main and a round reserve. But I went to prison before I could jump it and the rig has sat unopened in the closet since then. Do you think the rig has been damaged in any way?
A. Probably not; modern parachutes store well if they’ve been kept dry, dark and at room temperature. Take the gear to a rigger, tell him it’s been in storage and ask him or her to thoroughly inspect it. Chances are that any discrepancies will be the result of wear and tear caused by the previous owner, not by storing it.
Q. My son is 17 years old and has made about 70 jumps here in Mexico. He has docked 15th on a 29-way and jumps a Sabre 170 loaded at 0.77. He is studying at a small town in New Mexico. Do you know of any nearby DZs that would allow him to jump with a written waiver and permission from both parents?
A. We’re told the problem with allowing minors to jump is that a minor can’t sign a binding hold-harmless agreement. Even if both parents sign such an agreement that waives their right to sue in the event of an accident, the minor may sue, either now or when he becomes an adult. Thus, a DZ that puts minors in the air is especially exposed to lawsuits. Nonetheless, a few U.S. DZs allow minors to skydive at their facilities. We suggest you contact several in and around New Mexico and discuss the matter with them.
The reader soon responded:
We found a DZ that will let our son jump, providing these conditions are met: Both parents must sign waivers. The youngster in question is a licensed skydiver, a member of USPA and has full medical insurance. He must also jump his own equipment and it must be Cypres-equipped.
Skydiving asked the name of the DZ. The reply:
Sorry, I won’t be able to tell you until after it’s done. Maybe the DZ would change its mind if word got out; it is a very prestigious USPA drop zone.
Q. A guy I work with will not believe that wearing weights in freefall makes a difference in fall rates. Where can I get authoritative proof to convince him otherwise?
A. Your coworker would be right if we skydived in a vacuum. But in a fluid, increasing an object’s mass without changing its surface area will increase its terminal velocity. Any basic physics book should be enough to convince your friend.
Q. I’m an experienced jumper who lives in Indiana. I want to visit Florida and jump on a sandy beach. I also want to spend a week there, living in a tent on the DZ. Any suggestions?
A. Skydive Daytona Beach is located at Flagler County Airport about 15 miles north of Daytona. End-of-the-day beach jumps are routine there. Skydive Sebastian—located about 10 miles north of the city of Vero Beach—also drops jumpers on the beach, although less frequently than Skydive Daytona does. But its camping facilities are markedly better. Customers of Emerald Coast Skydiving in Elberta, Ala., frequently jump on the beach along Florida’s panhandle.
Exit altitudes for paratroopers
Q. I read in a book that during World War 2, paratroopers were sometimes dropped at altitudes as low as 500 feet. Is this plausible, given the state of art of parachutes back then?
A. We asked John Hoover, a member of the U.S. Army Parachute Team and combat veteran. He told us the normal altitude is 1,250 feet, but “over half of my 80 military static-line jumps were at night, from 800 feet and with combat equipment.” Actual combat is different. “The planes fly at 150 knots and drop at 500 feet.” We have a photograph of a 1944 drop in the Pacific theater. The caption says the altitude is 400 feet—and it looks it! By the way, today’s static-line troop rigs aren’t that much different than what was used during World War 2. They’re better in many ways, but the basic technology is the same.
Q. I’m interested in wind tunnels like the one used by Wesley Snipes in “Drop Zone.” Where can I find more information?
A. Flyaway operates wind tunnels in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and Las Vegas, Nev. SkyVenture runs one in Orlando, Fla. For a complete list, check www.skydivingmagazine.com/windtunl.htm .
Q. I’m going to Korea. Has our sport reached that country yet?
A. Skydiving checked with Matt La Chance, a skydiver recently returned from a stay in Korea. “There’s a civilian DZ near Seoul where civilians jump two weekends a month from helicopters,” La Chance reported. “Jumps are quite pricey: about $70 each. However, if you’re an AFF jumpmaster—you’re in! The only Koreans who jump are very wealthy. So you not only get paid to jump with them, but you eat and drink for free.” Both the U.S. and Korean military forces support sport parachuting in that country, but their activities aren’t open to civilians.
Why do tandem jumpers use 'butt landings'?
Q. I recently made a tandem jump. I loved it! My instructor and I both landed on our feet. When I got home I enrolled in an IAF course (three tandems first). The jump went great . . . except for the landing. My tandem instructor had me lift my legs to a sitting position and had us both land on our butts. This was planned before we jumped. It really hurt and I broke my tailbone. Now I’m really nervous about jumping again; I never want to land on my butt. Why do they use butt landings sometimes?
A. It’s especially hard for a tandem pair to land gracefully. It’s tough to run or move freely when strapped closely together at the shoulders. It’s not uncommon for the pair to trip over each other and land in a tangled heap. Tandem instructors have found that better landings result when the students lift their legs on final approach. The instructor then decides which type of landing is best and performs it without interference from the student. The intentional butt-slide is common when the wind is low, and usually it’s successful, especially with certain canopies. But, as you unfortunately found out, this type of landing can result in injuries, too. For you, one solution would be to avoid making tandem jumps when the winds are down. Another is to pair up with an instructor who’s taller than you, or with one who you’ve seen always land well. A third option is to stop making tandem jumps; bail out of the IAF program and enroll in an AFF, IAD or static-line course. A fourth (far-fetched) option is for your DZ to cover the landing area with a layer of pea gravel a couple of feet thick. Doing so would dramatically reduce the landing injuries incurred by jumpers of all levels.
Who issues licenses & ratings in the US?
Q. Is there an organization in this country besides the U.S. Parachute Association that issues licenses and instructor ratings?
A. Not really. Several manufacturers issue “tandem ratings” to those who buy their tandem rigs. Skydive University issues coaching ratings. A handful of drop zones issue licenses to their customers and ratings to their staffs. But only USPA has firmly established and widely followed programs that recognize parachuting skill and certify instructors.
Where can I get info on POPS and SOS?
Q. How does one apply to POPS (Parachutists Over Phorty Society) and SOS (Skydivers Over Sixty)? We have a guy in our club that’s been jumping since 1957 and is 61 years old.
A. Anyone who’s made at least one parachute jump and meets the minimum age requirement is eligible to join both organ- izations. The one-time dues are minimal. Contact: Ted Rose, Top POP, P.O. Box 285, Waurika, OK 73573, and Pat Moorehead, SOS, 3350 East St. Francis Place, Long Beach, CA 90805.
Why isn't Kittinger's jump a high-altitude record?
Q. You said the highest jump ever was by E. Andreev from 80,360 feet in 1962. Why isn’t Joseph Kittinger’s jump from 102,800 feet (April 16, 1960) considered the record?
A. We said the highest freefall was by Andreev. Kittinger used a drogue to help keep him from tumbling and spinning during his famous jump, problems that he had on earlier jumps. The International Aeronautic Federation, which oversees aviation records, recognizes only high-altitude freefall jumps.
Where can I rent a wind tunnel?
Q. I organize events for my university. Are there any companies that would rent a skydiving simulator?
A. Not that we know of. The machines are big, and they aren’t really portable. Check the Web site www.skydivingmagazine.com/windtunl.htm for a list of companies that you can contact directly.
Where can I get a freefall chart for freefly jumps?
Q. Where can I get a chart of freefall times for freefly jumps? I’d like to accurately log my freefall time from different altitudes.
A. We don’t have a clue. If a reader can help, contact editor Sue Clifton.
Skydiving Software for the Macintosh Computer
Q. Where can I get skydiving software for the Macintosh computer?
A. Another tough one; we don’t know. As above, we’d welcome help from Skydiving's readers.
Needs STC'd Jump Door for Cessa 180 or 185
Q. We run a DZ in Austria and are looking for a Supplemental Type Certificate for installing a jump door on a Cessna 180 or 185. Do you know of anyone who has one?
A. We did some checking. In the U.S., it seems that most jump doors are installed with one-time approval by local FAA inspectors via Form 337; we couldn’t locate an appropriate STC. Again, we’d welcome input from our readers.
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