willard

The pressure at 13k is much more than 1/8 atmosphere. One would need to climb to app. 47k to get that kind of drop. The press at 13k msl (standard day) is closer to 9 psi, or roughly 3/5 sea level.

"... but why would someone want to jump out of a perfectly good boat?? " Gotta love it!

The cabin of the aircraft could be safely pressurized to sea level, however this would require the flight to be flown at a lower altitude than normal thereby decreasing cruise speed and efficiency. The problem isn't the pressure inside the cabin, but in the pressure differential between cabin and the surrounding environment. Don't know much about diving, though. I swim like a brick full of holes!

Ya'll are making this way to complicated. A good pilot is one who uses his superior judgement to avoid situations where he has to use his superior skills. The best pilots I know, including the instructors who taught me, were flat out boring to ride with. Nothing exciting ever happened.

I wish you the best on a speedy recovery! Don't rush the healing process, though. Each person heals at a different rate. Twnety years ago I could take a hard fall and get right back up. Now I have to take the time to groan, cuss, and take a nap before I even think about it.

*** "Did the x-ray look anything like NUMBER1.JPG and NUMBER2.JPG (attached)?" Since it happened back in '89, and I'm clueless as to reading an X-ray, I can't really say if the pics look the same. Luckily it healed up just fine with no lingering effects. Lesson learned: If it still hurts after a few weeks, it's probably not just a pulled muscle

Once had a compression fracture of my spine from a racing accident. Three times it was X-rayed, nobody saw it. Pain was constant but tolerable with non-prescription meds. After a few months it was back to normal. I didn't know what caused the pain until ten years later when it finally showed up on X-rays taken for a separate incident. The Dr. said it's not unusual, that sometimes the fracture is so clean it doesn't show up until it heals, then they can see the difference in the bone density. Take care of that leg and hope you feel better soon!

I believe you can find the answer to your question at www.faa.gov Browse the regulations especially parts 61.13 thru 61.16

Just starting to skydive myself with the intent of a BASE jump or two someday, so I have no experience in this sport to go on. I did, however, spend almost 15 years in a sport where I lost several good friends and had the misfortune to watch a couple of them die in front of me. When something like that happens you just take a step back, ask yourself if the rewards are worth the risk, and go from there. If they are then you say a prayer for the departed, drink a toast to them and move on without dwelling over it. If not, then maybe it's best to take some time off. In a sport that prides itself on free choice and individualism nobody can critique you for choosing either path. I hope this helps in some way, and I also hope you are never faced with the situation you mentioned.

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear." Mark Twain (1835 - 1910) "Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared." Eddie Rickenbacker

The last 30+ years have seen a lot of change in technology. What in 1974 seemed to be nothing more than a flight of fancy and "Buck Rogers" tech is today's reality. Motor vehicle powerplant design has not been left behind in the technology race. Where we once felt that there was no sustitute for cubic inches when seeking performance gains we now know that is not the case. F1 engines prove that point, making 750 hp with a 2.5 liter naturally aspirated engine. We, as consumers, had a choice to make. But being the egomaniacs we all are we chose speed and accelleration over fuel economy. The infamous Hemi Barracuda would struggle to keep it's reputation intact when matched against the avarage sedan coming out of the dealers lots these days. And that's just on a drag strip. Put them head-to-head in accelleration, braking, and handling and there would be no contest. Don't blame the manufacturers. They are only following good business sense by providing what the consumers want. Several have tried in the past to shift the focus to cars that get above average fuel economy only to find themselves treading water trying to survive. As a final thought, I was passed on the highway a few weeks ago by a Ford Expedition. I was cruising at 70 in my Ford Focus, he passed me doing 80-85. I couldn't help but notice the sticker on the rear of that beast as he drove away...."No Drilling In The Arctic".