More good news from USPA

[Zing 2]

Friday, Jan. 11, 2008
Skydiving Rings in New Year on a 'High' Note as Safety, Popularity Soars
U.S. Parachute Association Sets 45-Year Safety Record, Reports Record Membership Increase
U.S. Parachute AssociationFREDERICKSBURG, Va., Jan. 11 — Things are looking up for the skydiving industry.

According to the U.S. Parachute Association (USPA), America's premier skydiving association, 2007 made history as the year skydiving took a dramatic turn upward as one of the most popular adrenaline sports in the nation.

USPA reports that 2007 was one of the safest on record with 18 skydiver fatalities -- out of over 2.5 million jumps. That number surpasses a 1962 record for skydiving's fewest accidents.

Considering that in the early 1960s, USPA was only about 10% of its current size with 3,353 members and the aggregate number of jumps was considerably less than today's 2 million+ jumps, this record stands out even more as a testament to years of strict safety standards, training policies and programs.

"This has been a group effort," said Ed Scott, Executive Director of USPA. "USPA policies have been applied by every skydiver in the nation, as well as coaches, instructors, safety/training advisors, drop zone owners, riggers, pilots, manufacturers and gear distributors. We should all take pride in the strides we have made in skydiving safety the past half century."

And the good news doesn't end there. Significantly more people are taking up the sport.


USPA membership soared in 2007, with a significant number of new skydivers joining its ranks. USPA ended 2007 with more members (31,264) than the previous year for the first time since 2002. The total number of new members in 2007 was 4,900, reversing a five-year downward trend; it's also the highest number of new members since 2003.

The skydiving industry also saw an unprecedented upturn in the number of skydiving licenses issued by USPA; more than at any point in the last four years.

USPA's 2007 Skydiving Review with additional stats/demographics will be released in early spring.

USPA is dedicated to the promotion of safe skydiving nationwide, establishing strict safety standards, training policies and programs at 200+ affiliated skydiving schools/centers. The Federal Aviation Administration recognizes and supports USPA's successful leadership role in the self- regulation of skydiving.

USPA hosts the National Skydiving Championships, the sport's largest and most exciting annual competition, October 18-25, 2008 (Skydive Arizona).


Information: 1-800-371-USPA, http://www.USPA.org.
CONTACT: Robert Arends/Jean Walcher
619-295-7140
robert@jwalcher.com, jean@jwalcher.com
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link.
Jean Walcher
https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=5159

SOURCE U.S. Parachute Association

Robert Arends, robert@jwalcher.com, or Jean Walcher, jean@jwalcher.com, both for U.S. Parachute Association, +1-619-295-7140,

Zing Lurks

[davelepka 4]

Quote

USPA membership soared in 2007, with a significant number of new skydivers joining its ranks. USPA ended 2007 with more members (31,264) than the previous year for the first time since 2002. The total number of new members in 2007 was 4,900, reversing a five-year downward trend; it's also the highest number of new members since 2003.

I'm happy to see the lower number of dead people, but does the USPA really think this due to their efforts?

They quote the number of members, and the number of new members as both being up, but the relevant number in this case would be the overall number of skydives. They say 2.5 million, but they don't say how this relates to other years.

My impresion is that business is down overall, and I would naturally expect the fatality rate to fall in accordance.

Without doing any research in the 18 fatalities, I'm willing to bet that when the fataly report comes out, we'll find that statistically the types of fatalities, and the percentages they represent will be very similar to other years. This would support my assertion the a reduced number of overall jumps is partially (if not entirely) responsible for the downturn in fatalities.

Again, I'm glad to see fewer dead people, but I hope the USPA, and everyone else, realizes that this may just be a fucntion of fewer overall jumps, and that satying safe and improving safety overall still needs to be a priority for everyone.

[itllclear 1]

Quote

statistically the types of fatalities, and the percentages they represent will be very similar to other years.

Last year it was about 30 fatalities. There has not been a 30% decrease in jumps over the last year.

"Harry, why did you land all the way out there? Nobody else landed out there."

"Your statement answered your question."

[davelepka 4]

Quote

statistically the types of fatalities, and the percentages they represent will be very similar to other years.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Last year it was about 30 fatalities. There has not been a 30% decrease in jumps over the last year.

How do you know that?

[Andrewwhyte 1]

Quote

Quote

statistically the types of fatalities, and the percentages they represent will be very similar to other years.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Last year it was about 30 fatalities. There has not been a 30% decrease in jumps over the last year.

How do you know that?

Quote

My impresion is that business is down overall,

How do you know that?

Quote

Without doing any research in the 18 fatalities, I'm willing to bet

How do you know that?
The premise of your original post was how you felt. Don't you think its a bit rich to demand that everyone else have proof for their assertions?

[BerryBoy 0]

Quote

Skydiving Rings in New Year on a 'High' Note as Safety, Popularity Soars
U.S. Parachute Association Sets 45-Year Safety Record,

This is a great article...I found the source out on Yahoo! and e-mailed it to the folks. The week before I went on my first tandem, I told my parents of the plans I had...I was shocked that they didn't even want to talk to me about it and though I was making the worst decision of my life and was going to die...literally. Of course I fulfilled a life-long dream and lived in the process (amazing huh?). Five months later and I have a savings account going to start jumping after graduate school is over. I was born for the sky.

Slowly, I've tried to win the folks over because it will be a reality in less than a year or two. While not all the truth about the statistics presented is made clear in this article, it still is great to share good news like this with family members.

Here's some food for thought...
"According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2006, 4,810 people died in motorcycle crashes, up 5.1 percent from 4,576 in 2005 to the highest level since 1981"

Now, I don't know about you, but 18 looks a WHOLE lot better than 4,810! It's fair to note that there are just over double the number of motorcycles out on the road as the number of total skydives made this past year. So obviously, these guys ride their bike more than once which means they have millions more rides than we do jumps to aid in the accumulation of fatalities. However, without getting to technical, it does go to show that something commonly accepted by our society does indeed have risks that affect a greater number of people. You can look at this a million different ways, and it doesn't change the fact that risks are involved with everything....that leads me to agree that SAFETY should be never be overlooked for a moment.

Great article Zing, it has helped my family remove their false assumptions with reality. They still share concern, but at least they now realize that it's not like I'm marching to my certain death the day I start AFF.

Source of quote:
http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/motorcycle/

[AndyMan 7]

Quote

My impresion is that business is down overall, and I would naturally expect the fatality rate to fall in accordance.

I wouldn't say that at all. If it's true for your DZ, I imagine it must be localized.

The Chicago region has just had one of it's strongest years since 9/11. The number of students and experienced jumpers jumping is up considerably over last year. I don't see a decline at all. I see the exact opposite around here, actually.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[tombuch 0]

Quote

They quote the number of members, and the number of new members as both being up, but the relevant number in this case would be the overall number of skydives. They say 2.5 million, but they don't say how this relates to other years.

I did some checking on that when I was writing my book. I believe the 2.5 million is a best guess based on the numbers we report on our membership renewals. It does not include student jumps. I'll note that for past years the number of jumps is very specific, but the press release for 2007 rounds the number to 2.5 million. For more data, check out the member surveys at http://www.uspa.org/about/sport.htm

Here are the number of jumps reported by USPA in past years:

1999 2,343,506
2000 2.244,165
2001 2,215,995
2002 2,151,228
2003 2,086,692 (Derived, USPA membership log was corrupted)
2004 2,221,115
2005 2,177,074
2006 2,122,749
2007 2,500,000

As for number of members, it looks like this:

1991 20,250
1992 26,150
1993 25,550
1994 27,750
1995 30,000
1996 32,900
1997 32,665
1998 33,526
1999 33,458
2000 34,217
2001 34,322
2002 33,664
2003 32,628
2004 32,057
2005 31,276
2006 30,618
2007 31,264


Fatality numbers look like this:

1991 30
1992 27
1993 41
1994 30
1995 27
1996 39
1997 31
1998 44
1999 27
2000 32
2001 35
2002 34
2003 25
2004 21
2005 27
2006 21
2007 18

From the data I have looked at, the drop in 2007 fatalities is dramatic, and is the continuation of a long term trend. Part of that is probably related to our adjustment to new technologies including AAD's and high performance parachutes. In the case of high performance parachutes, we saw a dramatic spike in fatalities as we began using small HP parachutes, but our experience and educational efforts are paying off, and our canopy fatalities as a percentage of jumps and members is trending down. That's all super good. We should be proud, and USPA has been a major part of that effort.

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[BerryBoy 0]

Quote

I did some checking on that when I was writing my book...

I don't mean to go off topic here, but I have your book on my kitchen table! It has helped me make an informed decision on making my first tandem and deciding to later get into the sport when I have time to commit...such a great read, really! Thanks for putting something out there for people like me!

[tombuch 0]

Quote

I don't mean to go off topic here, but I have your book on my kitchen table! It has helped me make an informed decision on making my first tandem and deciding to later get into the sport when I have time to commit...such a great read, really! Thanks for putting something out there for people like me!

Cool comment, I appreciate it.

Last year I was riding the gondola at Stratton Mountain where I teach snowboarding and one of the guests asked what I did in the summer. I told him about skydiving and he said he had read a book for beginners, and based on that decided jumping wasn't for him. He was shocked to learn I was the author. So, some people have read it and made the decision to jump, and others have decided not to. Either way it's good to know I've helped folks to make informed decisions.

Blue skies, etc.,

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[BerryBoy 0]

Yeah, you never know who you're going to run into...it's a small world!

[upndownshop 0]

Quote

I'm happy to see the lower number of dead people, but does the USPA really think this due to their efforts?

Of course their efforts didnt add to them? So............ Yes I do believe their efforts have made a difference, how could they not???

Bottom line is the jumper and his education, where does that come from???? All over right? Not saying you are wrong, but.........their efforts have had to of made a difference over the last 50 years..Yes?

[billvon 3,080]

>but does the USPA really think this due to their efforts?

Well, they are almost certainly responsible for some of the reduction. USPA alone can't do much, nor can individual jumpers or DZO's. But working together, they can get a lot done (IMO) - and I think that's what happened here.

[kenneth21441 0]

In reviewing the data for the past few years. It appears that most of the death rates with skydiving actually are people with over 200 plus jumps. While some years ago it was inexperienced jumpers, this trend has changed.

Could this be to jumpers being too cockey? Wing loading? etc.

Dont get me into this. While it is great to hear that the rates have decreased my real test would be to see this remain the same - decrease over time.

Lessons are learned from what has happened and I only hope that we all learn from accidents.

Best rule: is be safe.

Just my input...

Kenneth Potter
FAA Senior Parachute Rigger
Tactical Delivery Instructor (Jeddah, KSA)
FFL Gunsmith

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

Quote

Last year it was about 30 fatalities. There has not been a 30% decrease in jumps over the last year.

How do you know that?

Most DZs wouldn't sustain a 30% drop in revenue well.

It seems that the frequency of landing accident reports has dropped in the past two years (guess just a hyperlink away to check). Since that was the biggest rising source of accidents, it would seem to be the issue to attack to get the best results.

[grimmie 186]

How many USPA members died outside of the US in 2007? 2006?, etc.

Were all 18 fatalities in 2007 full USPA members?

[firstime 0]

we all have to get with the program to understand who is responsible for the lower fatality rate. It's not just one organization, it's us as a group, THIS FORUM is a huge factor with a ocean of information. Yes the USPA is our mouth piece but we are them. So lets keep up our vigilance and work on the impossible "0".

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

How many USPA members died outside of the US in 2007? 2006?, etc.

Were all 18 fatalities in 2007 full USPA members?

Interesting questions - when you say "full USPA members" are you asking whether they were students / tandems, or foreign parachutists operating under FAI reciprocity?

I'd be curious to know whether the numbers the USPA reports are consistent as to whether they are attempting to give an accurate report of ...

1) all skydiving activities (jumps/fatalities) in the United States (whether by USPA or non-USPA members and students)
2) all skydiving activities (jumps/fatalities) in the United States and abroad by USPA members

I suspect what they report on is closer to #1 than #2, though they probably miss out on some of the activities at non-GM dropzones, and even some of the activities at GM dropzones; any number's going to be an estimate at best and relies on the reporting of the membership.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[tombuch 0]

Quote

I'd be curious to know whether the numbers the USPA reports are consistent as to whether they are attempting to give an accurate report of ...

1) all skydiving activities (jumps/fatalities) in the United States (whether by USPA or non-USPA members and students)
2) all skydiving activities (jumps/fatalities) in the United States and abroad by USPA members

As I understand it, they report all skydiving fatalities they know about within the United States, including student jumps and non-members. They try to identify fatalities at non-group member drop zones as best they can, and as far as I can tell they capture all of those. They try to report fatalities that follow an accident, such as a long hospitalization that ends in death, and I think they do a good job on that rare event.

They do NOT tabulate fatalities of USPA members outside of the United States, so a foreign jumper who buys a membership for his two week visit to Perris Valley will not be counted as a fatality if he dies in Europe several months later. Likewise, a United States citizen who is spending a week at the Herc boogie and dies, will not be tabulated in the USPA data, although if his death was especially boneheaded or public he might get still a mention in the annual report, and the death would probably be covered in at least Skydiving Magazine. They also do not tabulate BASE fatalities, even if the jumper is a USPA member.

The number of members is the number of members at a fixed point in time, so it includes student members, but not students who are not members.

I believe the total number of jumps is derived from membership renewals, and in past years has been reported as an absolute number, but this year seems to be a rounded number.

As to your original question about USPA efforts to be consistent and accurate, I believe they are working to do that, but the problems with data make it impossible to create an absolute statistic that says one out of every X jumpers dies, or one out of every X-thousand jumps results in a fatality. The data is good enough, and consistent enough, to give us year-to-year analysis, and a general sense of risk and risk management, but given limitation in collection can't be pinpoint accurate.

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[Pulse 0]

Quote

In reviewing the data for the past few years. It appears that most of the death rates with skydiving actually are people with over 200 plus jumps. While some years ago it was inexperienced jumpers, this trend has changed.

Experienced jumpers have always held the majority of fatalities.

"Any language where the unassuming word fly signifies an annoying insect, a means of travel, and a critical part of a gentleman's apparel is clearly asking to be mangled."

[JohnMitchell 16]

Quote

Experienced jumpers have always held the majority of fatalities.

25-30 years ago, fatalities were about 50% students and novices. The common refrain was "time in sport:1 day, cause of death:impact." Widespread use of AADs and RSLs, along with better training, has improved the lot of the student jumper since then.

I hope the spike of canopy control deaths is safely behind us. Possibly Darwin has finished weeding his garden and surviving is once more the goal of sport jumpers.

[Pulse 0]

Quote

Quote

Experienced jumpers have always held the majority of fatalities.

25-30 years ago, fatalities were about 50% students and novices. The common refrain was "time in sport:1 day, cause of death:impact." Widespread use of AADs and RSLs, along with better training, has improved the lot of the student jumper since then.

I hope the spike of canopy control deaths is safely behind us. Possibly Darwin has finished weeding his garden and surviving is once more the goal of sport jumpers.

Hehe, I guess we have different ideas of 'some years ago'. I was going back about 15-20, now I'm with ya.

I can't say it's over. All it takes is the next major change in equipment or the next fad. I still see too many novices jumping way too small of canopies. I still see 'experienced' jumpers uttering, "You'll want something smaller".

As for AAD's, I think the best part there is, as I say, we can talk to the corpse. Those who for all practical purposes should be dead can now tell us about their experience. Why they bounced, and that kind of storytelling is priceless.

"Any language where the unassuming word fly signifies an annoying insect, a means of travel, and a critical part of a gentleman's apparel is clearly asking to be mangled."