Skydiving

[Boomhauer]

I have video of it. I've used it to convince a few people out of bungee jumping.

Bungee jumping is just...stupid.

Parachuting at least makes a bit of sense.

[RoadKingLarry]

You might find a good deal on an almost new one: only used once, never opened.

- Slightly stained

[Stetson]

I've been a part of plenty of those, too.  And most of them involved either .mil aircraft, or general aviaiton guys doing something stupid. 

Plenty of plane crashes?  So they don't make a perfectly good airplane then....

[BobR]

I did some civilian skydiving back in the late 70's. I really liked it. But now that I am old and fat, and not to mention cheap, I will have to leave that particular sport in the past. I have never had any desire to bungee but that ride at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas where you jump off the tower and go straight down for 800 feet or so looks interesting. http://www.stratospherehotel.com/Tower/Rides/SkyJump

bob

[RoadKingLarry]

Bungee jumping is just...stupid.

Parachuting at least makes a bit of sense.

I can't argue with that however, I was much, much younger then .

But, there are only 2 valid reasons to jump out of an airplane while it is actually flying.
-Actual paratrooper operations/training (and that's debatable)
-The damn airplane is about to fall out of the sky anyway.

[Jamisjockey]

Plenty of plane crashes?  So they don't make a perfectly good airplane then....

Mostly pilot error.  There's something not smart about trying to duck under a ragged '600 ceiling in hilly to mountainous terrain.  Or miscalculating your fuel.  The miliatry ones were a mixed bag, though.  Lots of good ones there.

[BobR]

There's something not smart about trying to duck under a ragged '600 ceiling in hilly to mountainous terrain.

Isn't that the truth. Those granite clouds will ruin your day for sure.

bob

[roo_ster]

.... 

I've been cleared of all wrong doing!

The ones in the .mil were the best.....19 year old Marines working on 20 million dollar aircraft piloted by 22 year old marines.  What could go wrong?!?

I sense a pattern....

[Jamisjockey]

I sense a pattern....

Oh, the Navy and Air Farce have the same problem, trust me on that.  The Air Farce guys were always funny because they get quite wound up over emergencies.  The ground crews, squadron safety guys or SOFs would always call us right in the middle of the emergency with some information that really didn't matter to us.  Was Supervising an F16 emergency with engine problems  when the squadron safety officer (F16's) called up to try and explain to me how a precautionary flame-out approach works. I laughed at him and told him I'd already worked two simulated flame out approaches that shift, I think I know what I'm doing....
Of course, between the 19 year old mechanics and mid 20 year old pilots, I was a 21 year old tower supervisor....

[GigaBuist]

I gave it a go during the summer of 2003.  Started out on static line and progressed on up.  I went through 14 jumps, failed I think 8 of them, and decided to give it up.  Too my driving, waiting around, and getting banged up badly a few times when I pulled looking at the blue stuff instead of the green stuff.

Fun stuff.

From what I remember most of the fatalities had to do with people doing stupid stuff near other people or immovable obstacles including the ground.  It's pretty safe, considering what you're doing, if you avoid dangerous behavior.

[Tallpine]

It's pretty safe, considering what you're doing, if you avoid dangerous behavior.

Like skydiving 

[GigaBuist]

Like skydiving 

Nah, stuff like diving head down with a partner.  A couple of older guys collided doing that at my local DZ just a couple weeks before I made my first jump.  One died while in the air, the other landed unconscious.

Most of the injuries/deaths I read about at the time were doing stupid stuff near the ground.  Like trying to swoop through a hangar, or coming in at 45mph, or just not paying attention to what was below you (power lines, interstate highway).

[Jamisjockey]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcEx1FVEc_w

I was there for GHB's 1997 jump

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AyT5ry9ayU

[Scout26]

5 with the Americans, 5 with the Germans, 1 in Hawaii.  2 broken legs.  I want to do it one last time.

[MrsSmith]

I want to try it. I do have a little fear of heights at times but that's part of what adds to the thrill. And pushing myself further than I've gone before, seeing if I have what it takes to swallow the fear and take that step into nothing.

What Sumpnz said about not being able to breath easily inside a cloud caught my attention. It's the little details like that that make trying something new more interesting.

These are the reasons I've done half of the crazy/stupid/spectacular/memorable things I've done in my life.

Glad you tried it and shared AZ. Did you get any pics by chance?

[GigaBuist]

I want to try it. I do have a little fear of heights at times but that's part of what adds to the thrill.

I've got a pretty bad fear of heights too, but being 5,000 feet in air and looking down is way different than being on a ladder.  That extra 4,980 feet lets you know you've got time to think about what to do before you meet the ground again.  I was a lot less apprehensive up there than I thought.

And pushing myself further than I've gone before, seeing if I have what it takes to swallow the fear and take that step into nothing.

Funny thing about that "step" -- it wasn't a step in my case.  Standard exit for a student from a Cessna 182 (which is all we had) is broken down into 3 easy steps:

Step 1) (facing toward the rear of the plane, sitting next to the pilot but on the floor) hang your feet out the door and put them on a 6"x12" plate, place left hand on wing strut.
Step 2) Swing body out of plane, go hand-over-hand on the strut until you reach two handles mounted to the wing while getting bopped in the head by the door.  Hang from them, removing feet from previous plate.
Step 3)  Let go when given the command.

Edit:

Here's a video.  Only difference is we actually had handles, not just the wing strut to hang from:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6wtNx3XXtY

[AZRedhawk44]

No pics, Mrs Smith.

They wanted another $100 for a videographer/photographer to come with.  I didn't want to pay that much.

And they didn't allow any personal cameras.  Dropping hazard and so on.

[MrsSmith]

Can't say I blame you AZ - pretty pricey photos.

GigaBuist - Nope. If my life or someone else's, depended on it, then yes, I'd do it because I had to, but otherwise, I don't know. Watching the vid, I kept thinking he was going to slip and knock himself unconscious on the door.
Not really sure what the difference is but that way looks a whole lot more terrifying than just jumping. Then again, it's likely a mental thing. I sat on the Cliffs of Moher, feet hanging over the edge, leaning out to shoot pics of waves crashing on the bottom and didn't feel even a twinge of panic. Other times in similar circumstances - cliffs, rooftops, etc., it took every ounce of courage I had to even go near the edge and forget looking down. Maybe it's a mood thing.

Still want to try it. Don't know that I'd like the loss of control that goes with tandem jumping unless I REALLY trusted the person.

[Boomhauer]

Step 3)  Let go when given the command.

And if you don't let go when given the command, the pilot lets go of the brakes and makes the decision for you.