Don't much like the plane ride...

[vonSanta 0]

Especially the first 1000 feet or so. The fear of skydiving has subsided into anticipation/butterflies in tummy/nervousness, but now I worry about the plane ride instead.

If I am in the rear of the C-182 and anything happens, I'm SOL. Am usually amongst the last out since I'm a freeflier, so that position is almost standard for me.

Edit: it's no claustrophobia. Have no problems going into tight spaces when I wreck dive. It's the thought of not being able to get out in time if something happens. Of not being able to influence the outcome.
Don't fancy turbulence too much either. And there are gliders at the DZ where I jump.

Once above 6000 I can relax - I have a chance of getting out.

Others say they have no worries about the ride to alt, leaving me to feel a bit like a sissy. Surely there are other skydivers who think it'd suck to be a skydiver and if one has to go, then die because the plane crashed?

Santa Von GrossenArsch
I only come in one flavour
ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

[Push 0]

I've been told that the easiest way to get out of a C182 if you're in the back is to kick out the windows in the top of the plane. If you gotta go, you gotta go.

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[freakydiver 0]

Filing that one away for use.

Thanks.

-- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

[reACTed 0]

-Try to relax (hmm obvious maybe)
-Think of the fact that above 1500ft, if anything happens you can get out
-Think of happy things
-Ask the pilot to turn on the radio on the ride up
-Play paper, stone and scissors with a fellow skydiver
-Caress the plane before you enter it and say sweet words to it, it's your friend
- I wanted to paste some cessna 182 statistics but maybe that isn't a good idea

I don't feel very anxious on the ride up anymore, I always think: When it's my time, it's my time anyways...

krek wak wou o_0

[AggieDave 6]

I've been in a 182 crash, you may not be as SOL as you think.

Not all 182s have the rear facing windows, that's only the 182 wide bodies.

Basically, try not to worry about it, if you worry about it, the worry will consume you and ruin your dive.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Some of us are pilots as well as skydivers. So I don't buy into this "all airplanes are dangerous" crap. If the airplane was so dangerous, why is it, that the pilot is able to get that puppy onto the ground in order to make the next load. Sure certain aspects of flight are dangerous, but you won't convince me (or likely any other pilot) that skydiving is safer than flying an airplane.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[usedtajump 1]

I always thought the airplane ride was the most dangerous part of the skydive. I can sit here and off the top of my head, think of nine jump planes in 20 years of skydiving, that I've regularly jumped out of, that have crashed and five of them involved involved fatalities. I'm sure there were others but can't think of them at the moment. Luckily, I wasn't on any them.

The older I get the less I care who I piss off.

[bch7773 0]

Quote

I've been told that the easiest way to get out of a C182 if you're in the back is to kick out the windows in the top of the plane. If you gotta go, you gotta go.

Yeah, but three feet behind that window is the tail. Seems to me that youd have a pretty good chance of hitting it. The person who told you that may have been referring to if you need to get out of the plane after its crashed and its on fire or something.

MB 3528, RB 1182

[gremlin 0]

Go to a different dz and try a bigger aircraft. At least that way you would know if it were the aircraft or the flying itself which you didn't like.

I'm drunk, you're drunk, lets go back to mine....

[freakydiver 0]

All I can say is - let me out at the top please!

-- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

[mofo554 0]

I've never been in a C182 with windows on top....

[Push 0]

If it comes to kicking windows out, it's safe to assume that an orderly jumprun is out of the question. This means that the plane is diving hard and you have a couple of seconds left to live. I'll take my chances.

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[Push 0]

The DZ I started jumping at used wide-body C182s, they had the windows. My current DZ has a normal C182 with no windows. I didn't mean that as a general rule to use in every emergency, just something to think about as everyone are jamming the door and the plane is at 1000' diving hard.

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[freakydiver 0]

Completely. If we are diving, and the people in the way don't seem to be moving - see ya later window.

-- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

[vonSanta 0]

Ah well it's not that I'm terrified about the ride to alt - I just don't like it much especially when we're low.

I gather skydiving is, as was said, more dangerous than flying. But when pilots go into the plane, they have *control*. When I go in, there's not a whole lot I can do if something happens.

Never was much of a control freak I thought.

Might be my inexperience talking too. Only got 56 jumps. 25 of 'em are from twin engine planes (Islander, Nomad). I actually like the Cessna-182.

I'll just use this as an excuse to get more jumps :). Thanks for input.

So you're saying that you're not a wee bit apprehensive about the ride up? Damn, no only am I now a control freak - I'm a sissy too

Santa Von GrossenArsch
I only come in one flavour
ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

[freakydiver 0]

Nah - I just try not to think of it cuz it scares me too to be honest with you...

I concentrate on how I'm going to make my upcoming jump better than the last!

Blue ones...

-- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

[Patman 0]

As both a skydiver and a pilot, the fact remains that the first 800 feet of the climb out is the most danger you should experience in the trip to altitude. That said, the pilots of our jump planes, be it large or small, have taken many hours of training on what to do in case something goes wrong. We all read about the planes that crash with injuries and/or fatalities, but what about the ones that land without incident? I'm sure there are quite a few jump planes that have had to set down in fields and roads that we have no reports on. Skydive Aggieland had a 182 go down on take off this past spring, and due to the pilots training and reactions everyone walked away with a story to tell. These airplanes don't just fall out of the sky when the motors quit, they glide. If you're really that nervous about it, talk to an instructor about a first lesson or at least sitting in on a ground school. Education could take away most of your fear. A little is normal, but to worry about it will keep you from the most important thing in skydiving, HAVING FUN!!!

Don't tell me I can't! I already know that! Haven't you seen my x-rays?

[champu 1]

yeah, the first thousand feet are sometimes a little edgy. But I have quite a bit of faith in our pilot.

Usually I kinda zone out thinking about my jump once we start our taxi. when I snap out of it we're at 6000'

that or I like it when one of the tandom videographers passes me their helmet if I'm by the door to get a shot of the take off

[Kramer 0]

Von-

I'm with ya man, I've only made five jumps, but my least favorite part of every one of them is the plane ride up. My first jump was my first ride in a small plane, when my JM told me to "Get out", I smiled and said "gladly", and got the hell outta there.

I gotta agree with whoever it was that said "if it is my time, it's my time". I've learned to just chill out on the ride up and worry more about focusing on my jump.

-Kramer

The FAKE KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMER!!!!!!!!!

[themitchyone 0]

What freaks me out is not the ride up, but it's the last minute rush (the jump run I think it's called) when my instructors have me put on my goggles, etc. and the door slides open. I always feel rushed. I'm like whoa, wait...is my gear on ok...am I really ready?? But anyway, I've been in lotsa planes and any plane ride with a parachute on the back seems better than one without. Going over the jump in my mind seems much more important than worrying about the plane crashing anyway.

"If the Bible has taught us nothing else, and it hasn't, it's that girls should stick to girl's sports such as hot oil wrestling and foxy boxing." - Homer Simpson

[cjam 0]

I reckon the most that jumpers can do to improve their safety in the plane is to make sure the pilot isn't under too much pressure to get going. If he/she holds while taxiing then just assume it's for a good reason, they are probably listening to someone on the radio so don't ask them what the hold up is, don't ask why they are using the runway that requires the longest taxi, they will have a reason, just because the other pilot takes off downwind doesn't neccesarily mean they are a better pilot, maybe they just like gambling with your life more.Also, make a point of not talking to the pilot below 500feet even if you reeaally reeaally do want the vent opened, it can wait 20 seconds until those trees at the end of the runway are behind you.
Next time you're having a beer with the pilot ask him/her what the options are for engine failure after take off for each of the runways, you'll probably find they know exactly where the suitable paddocks etc are and know what they are going to do in that eventuality....if they look blankly at you and say "engine what after take-off?" then don't fly with that pilot! laters, cjam