skydiver51

Did I say any where in the post it was my main worry?? My MAIN worry is more fellow skydivers getting killed this year from HP turns and swoops who shouldn't be doing them. You and everyone else who do HP turns and swoops or don't do them can make what I post look and sound how ever you want but it doesn't help the people who will kill themselves from lack of experience or training in HP turns and swoops. If you really want to stop more regulation on the sport then train your energy on more education and training for the people who will be doing HP truns and swoops without the knowledge, not my post which are nothing more than a call for support to push for the training.

Here's my black ChowChow Buddyboy.

This is a very good idea. Talk to your videographer at your dz and see it he would do a packing tape. I do video where night jumps jumps sometimes and if wanted me to do a packing tape for training I would be happy to. I like do videos and editing and wold make the tape very low priced to make it affordable for the students (they are already putting out big bucks to get in the sky any way).To me visual aid is better than written aid. But i've always been that way.

Well I can this thread on low turns has turned in to the same discussion as most others have. The only thing everyone can agree on is to disagree. I didn't say low turns should be stoped all together. No I don't to low or high performance turns. Understand them, well I know they will kill you if you don't know what your doing. I have watched the swooping contest at WFFC. Beyond that I don't care to know any more about it. But from the reaction I have seen just from this thread not much will be done to prevent more skydivers from being killed from low turns this year. As others have stated some forms of educating skydivers is out there already and it doesn't seem to be doing much. So I think I will back off the subject and pray for the ones we lose this year.

I am only wishing for this sport to survive not for controls from outside the sport. Controls from the FAA or Federal Government won't come from the agencies alone but from pressure from people outside the sport like families, airport owners, ect. and the more reports in the news informing the general public about skydivers dieing from preventable accidents the more likely controls will happen. I don't swoop and never will. If some one wants to then that's up to them. I just feel we ALL better do something very soon to show we are doing something about the deaths. Having something in place is better than nothing. Some people will continue to disregard safty measures and kill them selves but we can lower the numbers significantly.

That's very sad when this year has already started out with a low turn death. (not that this skydiver wasn't experienced or wasn't educated in low turns) The sport needs something to lower the number of deaths that will happen this year. People have stated we don't need to police the sport in this issue or we don't need to force some kind of controls. If educating everyone isn't helping then required regulation will be the next step. Continued deaths without attempts to control the cause will eliminate the sport all together.

I have posted this before. I quit jumping back in '73 when I got married the first time with 68 jumps that I made before meeting my wife. She decided that we needed insurance more than I needed to skydive. So to save the marrage I quit. We divirced in '97 after 23 yrs. and the first thing I did after that was start jumping again. Then I met my present wife (who is the MOST understanding woman I have met) that met me at the DZ, which was half way between where we lived, for the first time. I told her then I would not quit jumping again. Meaning we would have to find a way to work it into our relationship. She felt she could live with me jumping. Now this part won't happen with every relationship. She doesn't jump to this day but likes to be at the DZ as much as I do. She has run manifest at two different DZs. She loves being around the sport. I think it's mostly because the skydivers she has met have made her feel like one of them. She goes to the DZ even on days i'm sick and can't jump because she feels she is needed there to help run things. She doesn't get paid to run manifest she just likes being a part of the DZ. May be if you can get your SO involved in some way her would help your relationship.

How do you tell the reporters to describe that a skydiver dies from a low trun (other than to miss an obstruction) under a good canopy that could have put him/her on the ground safely, to where people won't look at our sport with a questionable frame of mind???

I'm not an instructor so I can't say the best way to educate. Maybe each DZ should set up an instructional course on CC that is for everyone. Maybe require it for those who want to swoop. Maybe require it be logged in the log book they attend the training. Maybe require it before they jump at their DZ. I feel EVERYONE needs to make a definite effort this year to get something in place, what ever that may be, because something is better than nothing and may save a life

COME ON PEOPLE!!! The subject of this thread is about low turns. Whether skydiving is safe or not is something that every skydiver needs to know but please put it in another thread. More than one subject in a thread clouds the discussion on the original subject and confuses people.

No not yet. But I WILL make a point to write as many letters to any and everyone, in the USPA, this year, as I can. Also I will encourage everyone to do the same. We haven't had a death at our DZ. I pray that when we do it isn't due to something that could have been avoided. I realize people do what they can every year to promote safety. This year I would like to see those same people get more people envolved in not only being safe but to encourage other people to be safe.

OK, i've seen this discussion on many threads. So I would like to get this thread back on the subject I had in mind. Low Turns That Are Intentional. I as well as others realize low turns are done to miss objects in the path of someone on approach to landing. What I would like to see is someone or some organization to address is Low Intentional Turns. Since the USPA seems to condone Intentional Low Turns then we (all skydivers) need to ensure USPA does something THIS year to address the problem. Whether it's the low number jumpers or experienced jumpers (this past year alone several have died by miss judgment of altitude or mistakes like dropping a toggle) deaths of this nature need to be stopped completely or lowered WAY down.

I should have stressed action instead of talk, because that is what I was thinking. Ture skydiving isn't a safe sport. It has been made safer with the addition of AADs, three ring cut away, and other safety features. But the main issue is people getting killed under open and fully functioning canopies that could have put them on the ground safely. People outside the sport can't comprehend why this is happening and when the people who can end this sport in a heart beat thank this they will soon say enough is enough and our sport will be history. I guess my question is who decides what will be done to stop or cut way down on the accidents???

"Statistically, it's a very safe sport. But when you see accidents happen that could have been prevented, that's when it's time to talk about it." This was taken from a news report about the Gold Coast accident New Years eve. I don't swoop and I have around 650 jumps but I feel the same way as the person that make this comment. If ONLY one person dies from a preventable accident something SHOULD be done to prevent them. In my opinion not enough is being done. This is VERY bad press for our sport!!!

I have to stay sober till 12:01 per my bosses orders. Last year I hit the floor around 10:30.

I'm not sure how long he lived here and I may be getting him mixed up with Leon Russell who I'm SURE is from Tulsa. Thanks for the back ground on Don Williams. I sure liked his music.

It's directed towards people who will eventually say "this ain't fun or exciting any more." To me that's burnout.

Good to see ya still in the air Jimbo. I don't think I can match the 22 yrs you have now. I missed out on 23 yrs in my first marriage.

weeelllll, yeah.

I agree. It doesn't mean we go to garage sales to buy rigs and go jump them. I think she was being very witty with her remark.

Do you have enough addiction to last time old age says "that's enough". At 52 and 7 yrs in the sport I know it will take old age to stop me. Probably into my 60's.

Well, for 52 yrs old I don't look THAT bad (wife runs outa the run laughing her ass off) but I will only show the pic if you beg.

I like almost all music but I grew up on country. Rap is about the only thing I can't listen to much of BUT it's music and if that's all that's playing I can get in to it.

Hey if being Goth you have to be pasty white i'm there!!!! Want to see my nekkid 600th pic??

Don Williams is from my home town area here, Tulsa Oklahoma!!!