digitalamnesia 0 #1 December 16, 2004 I was woundering (please forgive my newbe-ness ) what is the highest safe alltitude you can jump from? And what is the highest you have jumped from? ------------------------------------------------------- if you wanna see the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuteless 1 #2 December 16, 2004 Highest jumped from 36,916 ft.........2 1/2 minute freefall..it was safe as long as oxygen was used, and other requirements met. What are you referring to as "safe to jump from"? Bill Cole D-41 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,107 #3 December 16, 2004 >what is the highest safe alltitude you can jump from? Jumps from 102,000 feet have been made with a pressure suit. Safe limit for a normal skydive is around 15,000 feet. With onboard oxygen, around 22,000. With bailout oxygen, up to 40,000. Using bailout oxygen adds another level of risk, so I don't know if you would call it safe - but it's done pretty regularly. >And what is the highest you have jumped from? 26,000 feet. Edited to add - Highest without O2 - 17,500 (14K AGL jump at Lost Prairie - I was pretty hypoxic) Lowest exit skydiving - 1700 Lowest jump - 230 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piisfish 140 #4 December 16, 2004 my highest 6070m AGL, ground was around 400m MSL which is around 21'350 ft MSLscissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dumpster 0 #5 December 16, 2004 My highest do far - around 16,500 MSL or so without oxy. Lowest - 3,200. Easy Does It Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjosparky 4 #6 December 16, 2004 QuoteI was woundering (please forgive my newbe-ness ) what is the highest safe alltitude you can jump from? And what is the highest you have jumped from? The highest safe altitude would be about 3 feet. Jumping from airplanes can be hazardous to you health. But you can mitigate the danger, to some degree, at all altitudes by following accepted and proven safety practices. Highest I have jumped is 30,000 feet, several times. SparkyMy idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bch7773 0 #7 December 16, 2004 my highest was from 23k MB 3528, RB 1182 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladyskydiver 0 #8 December 16, 2004 To date, my highest was from 18,000. Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YahooLV 0 #9 December 16, 2004 I'm not so sure about the 3 foot limit for safe jumping. AS we all know, things can get a bit dicey just before landing. I'm so DAMN happy to be back in the air!http://www.curtisglennphotography.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superman32 0 #10 December 17, 2004 Lowest Altitude -- About 3 ft Learning to PLF during the ground school Inveniam Viam aut Faciam I'm back biatches! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #11 December 17, 2004 Anything under 3-4 feet is safe if you're jumping onto grass or something. Over concrete, maybe 2 feet. I don't know if any skydive is really "safe". I've jumped from 18,500. Wish we'd had oxygen. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tdog 0 #12 December 17, 2004 QuoteI've jumped from 18,500. Wish we'd had oxygen. This is a recurring theme, that caught me off guard. The airport/dz I am jumping at has an elevation of 5052 feet. Or normal exit altitude is just under 18K above sea level to make a 12-13K jump. I wonder, how much does your normal "base line" altitude adjust your tolerance for hypoxia, and how long does it take to establish a base line? In other words: 1) If my bed I sleep in every night is at 5,296' (which it is) - and I get in a plane to 18K the next morning - will I likely suffer the same hypoxia as someone who lives at sea level and goes up to 18K above their DZ? I.E. The net change in altitude vs. total altitude? 2) If I travel to sea level and am there for, lets say, 24 hours before I jump, will I have a higher tolerance for altitude than some of the locals? How long before my tolerance “wears off”? 3) If a friend visits me from sea level, and has only been here for, lets say, 24 hours, and then gets in a plane to 18K, will he suffer greater hypoxia? How long before my friend gets “more tolerance”? Perhaps off topic of the thread, but still worth discussing since someone might get the impression they can jump something they can't w/out O2 by this thread. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #13 December 17, 2004 Living at high altitude gives you an advantage. At 5000 feet, you've got 80% the oxygen than at sea level. You're more acclimatized. I don't know how quickly you lose it when you go lower. Two factors are heart size and hemaglobin levels, and I don't think they change rapidly. I also don't think 24 hours is enough to acclimatize much, but I really don't know. Any mountaineering experts out there? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nate_1979 9 #14 December 17, 2004 My highest is 15,500 feet AGL, (aprox 16,000 MSL) .. My lowest jump was last sunday 2,800 feet AGL.. FGF #??? I miss the sky... There are 10 types of people in the world... those who understand binary and those who don't. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob.dino 1 #15 December 17, 2004 You do acclimatise. I don't have data to hand, but folk who live high in the Andes typically have significantly larger lungs and hearts to cope with the altitude. Hunting down research related to soccer matches played in La Paz, Bolivia (c. 3500m above sea level) could provide some of the information you're looking for. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jib 0 #16 December 17, 2004 While there is added risk with carrying oxygen, I wouldn't consider that unsafe; so, around 30k is safe enough for me. Personally, I've done 23k. I wasn't inclined to get up early to do 30k or spend the cash for the extra 7k. -------------------------------------------------- the depth of his depravity sickens me. -- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Unstable 9 #17 December 17, 2004 Quote Safe limit for a normal skydive is around 15,000 feet. I agree Here - It seems that any higher than 15,000 feet is just too much of a risk without oxygen in the aircraft. Correct me if I am wrong, but technically shouldn't any jump above 14,000 feet msl require oxygen on the way up? It would seem to me that most DZO's and pilots will take a jumper to 15,000 feet agl without thinking much of it - 15k agl doesn't seem to be a very big problem - unless you start running into different types of airspace...=========Shaun ========== Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheenster303 0 #18 December 17, 2004 15,000 feet is the highest for me and 4,000 feet is the lowest.I'm so funny I crack my head open! P.M.S. #102 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #19 December 17, 2004 QuoteHighest without O2 - 17,500 (14K AGL jump at Lost Prairie - I was pretty hypoxic) Gee and on some loads we even got Extra Altitude That is kinda a mixed blessing as my fingers are getting tingly Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjosparky 4 #20 December 17, 2004 QuoteWhile there is added risk with carrying oxygen, I wouldn't consider that unsafe; so, around 30k is safe enough for me. Personally, I've done 23k. I wasn't inclined to get up early to do 30k or spend the cash for the extra 7k. At 30,000 feet MSL you can up dead in a hurry and not even know it. At 20,000 feet your Time of useful consciousness (effective performance time) is measured in minutes. (5-12) At 30,000 feet your Time of useful consciousness is measured in seconds. (45-75) And these times were developed with the body at rest. With mild activity they can be cut in half. A jump from high altitude, 20,000 to 40,000 feet MSL, is not just another skydive with extra freefall. SparkyMy idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vt1977 0 #21 December 17, 2004 Highest without oxygen: 17,500' (a night jump - hypoxic in the dark in sub freezing temperatures is a really bad idea!) Highest with oxygen: 23,000' Lowest: 1,700' Vicki Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydived19006 4 #22 December 17, 2004 Highest was the typical Mullins 23k or so. Interesting one, I was doing tandems at a multiple plane boogie out of a King Air. More than once the pilot informed me (tandems sat back to the panel in the copilot seat in that King Air) that we were going to have to “wait” for traffic, which in a King Air means more altitude. I had a 110lb woman, and being August decided to do the tandem in T shirt and shorts, same that she was wearing, on this one I looked at the altimeter in the plane as jumpers were leaving, 18,300 MSL (I don’t think he was a very experienced jump pilot)! My thoughts as I scoot to the door ‘shit’, “I’m glad I don’t smoke”, “wonder if my passenger smokes, hope she don’t go out on me”. I wasn’t feeling hypoxic at all; time spent up there was really short. Tandem went really well, but in freefall I was thinking “what a waste of perfectly good altitude”, almost 12k freefall on a tandem!Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
digitalamnesia 0 #23 December 17, 2004 wow! thanks for the input guys and gals. there is some interesting stuff here. lol about the 'safe is 3 feet' post, that tickled me! to be honest im not actually sure what i meant by 'safe' becasuse it is safe to go above 15, 000 ft with oxygen, but its not safe without oxygen. ive learnt a couple of things in this topic and im greatfull for your replys. ------------------------------------------------------- if you wanna see the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #24 December 17, 2004 I have done a couple of tandems from 19,000' without oxygen or drogues. Students were pretty hypoxic, so I had to carry them the length of a Dornier 228. They were really relaxed in freefall. That was back in the days when I thought a 20 kilometer run was a good way to clear a hang-over on a Sunday morning. In retrospect, jumping from 19,000' without oxygen was not very bright. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
