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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 20 general entries.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Skydiving
Pilot chute.. A pilot chute is released which acts as a mini-parachute. The pilot chute catches air and pulls out the parachute which opens and unfolds as it catches air, a 10-20 second process.
| What is the most common form of body flight while skydiving? | Skydiving 101
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Arch at hips.. Some refer to this position as belly to earth. The most stable, and first lesson in freefalling technique, is to arch at the hips. Essentially making a U shape with your body, having the waist as the bottom of the U. Head down and sit flying are other styles of freefall, but are not practiced until one can fly stable while belly to earth.
| What should a skydiver do when the parachute does not function? | Skydiving 101
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Deploy the reserve parachute.. Although malfunctions are rare, there are inevitable times when the main parachute must be released if it cannot be landed safely. A reserve parachute should be deployed in such a case. With such great risks within the sport, redundancy is quite neccesary; hence the requirement of a second parachute.
| In the United States, who regulates and oversees skydiving safety? | Skydiving 101
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USPA.. The United States Parachute Association oversees skydiving in the USA. Contact them or do some research, you may be surprised to see how safe it is and how many safeguards are in place to keep each skydiver out of harm's way from the "craziness" that is commonly associated with the sport.
| How many people died from a skydiving injury in 2006? | Skydiving 101
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21.. This number is incredilby low when compared to the number of jumps made that same year was more than 2.2 million. This percentage has been relatively the same for quite some time. According to the incident reports the majority of those 21 deaths were from experienced skydivers doing things that they should not have been. More info and the incident reports can be found at USPA.org.
Any of these.. There are many types of airplanes used for skydiving. If ever given the chance, take a ride on a Super King Air. It's by far the fastest plane used in the sport and makes the ride to altitude extremely fun.
| What should a skydiver do when a soft landing may not be possible? | Skydiving 101
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Parachute Landing Fall.. A parachute landing fall, or PLF, should be performed if landing may not go as planned. To perform a PLF, the skydiver should place their feet together, bend their knees slightly, and roll over to one side upon touching the ground. This will move the weight of the fall over most the skydiver's body.
No, but your body changes position.. Although pictures, and even some video, give that illusion, you continue to fall. Your fall rate is slowed so dramatically that your body moves to a stand up (feet down) position.
All of these. (Fly around and choose your landing area., Land softly., Land sideways and backwards.). Squares, or rectangular canopies offer the ability to fly around wherever you guide them. Depending on the wind direction and speed, you can find yourself flying sideways and even backwards, but you don't generally want to jump if the winds are too high. A soft landing is always possible with good training and a little experience.
All of them are safe and I can't wait to try one of them! (Accelerated Free Fall, Static Line, Tandem). A tandem jump will have you strapped tightly to a certified instructor. Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) will have you spending some time doing classroom style training then jumping on your own with two jumpmasters holding onto you. When doing a static line jump, your parachute is opened for you as you exit the airplane. Blue Skies!
| A parachute is comprised of a top skin, bottom skin, and a number of "cells" or areas in between. How many cells may inflate to create a parachute? | Skydiving 102
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Either. Modern day parachutes will have either 7 or 9 cells which inflate and fly much like an airplane wing. In the old days, parachutes were round in shape and had little to no control by the pilot.
Shoes, Helmet, Altimeter, & Goggles. It is amazing, but sometimes, these items are easily forgotten when hurrying to get on the aircraft. Shoes are needed for landing, you never know when you might have to land where the ground may not be as soft as a grassy field. A helmet is required by USPA. It may seem silly, but rules are in place for a reason. You will need an altimeter to know how high up from the ground you are throughout the fall. Finally, you need goggles in order to keep your eyes open as you free fall.
| You need to keep your chest strap and leg straps connected, but loose prior to getting on the aircraft? | Skydiving 102
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False. Your three straps, 2 leg and 1 chest, should be connected and cinched tight prior to getting on any aircraft. Essentially, you should be prepared to jump out early if given the order by the pilot in an emergency.
| After getting on the aircraft, what is the first thing you should do? | Skydiving 102
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Fasten your seat belt. Always fasten your seat belt. This is a rule set forth by the United States Parachute Association. Basically, you need to be kept from being thrown about in an emergency. Pilots can land malfunctioning aircraft, but they may not be the softest landings you encounter. The seat belt will keep you from being thrown about, which is safer than trying to bail out of the craft without enough altitude.
| Uh oh, the engine on the aircraft died. What should you do? | Skydiving 102
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Do as you are told by the pilot. Jump pilots are trained professionals. They know if they can land a disabled aircraft. Always do as you are told by the pilot. By jumping out of a disabled aircraft, you may make the situation even worse for the pilot. With sufficient altitude, more than likely he/she will give the order to exit the aircraft, but you may be told to sit tight and buckle down. If so, do as you as you are told, it may save your life.
| Okay, it's time to jump. The door is open and you are acting as if you are not afraid. Whoosh, out you go. What is the first 200 feet of your free fall referred to as? | Skydiving 102
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The hill. The hill is the beginning of the free fall once you first exit the aircraft. In this area, you are moving forward with the momentum of the aircraft as well as falling downwards. After clearing this area, you are falling down faster than you are moving forward.
| At what altitude would you normally open your parachute? | Skydiving 102
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3500-2500 feet. Beginning skydivers are taught to begin the opening sequence no lower than 3500 feet. Rules allow for skydivers to open lower as they progress through their license progression, 2500 feet being the lowest recommended opening altitude.
All of these (Squares, Ram air parachutes, Canopies). Although they are more rectangular in shape, the word square is often used by older guys who are more familiar with "rounds". The parachute, or canopy, is referred to as ram air since it flies forward through the air, much like the wing of an aircraft.
| An AAD, or Automatic Activation Device, is meant to do what? | Skydiving 102
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Open the reserve parachute when you cannot. A great insurance policy for any skydiver is an AAD. There are a few different brands, but they all do the same thing. They will open the reserve if you cannot. Imagine being unconscious, not realizing how close you are to the ground, or not being able to reach or pull your ripcord or pilot chute. It reads altitude and fall rate and will cut the reserve pull cable if you are falling too fast and/or are too close to the ground.
| Which animal is a common name of aircraft used for skydiving? | Skydiving 102
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Otter. The DeHavilland Twin Otter is one of the most popular jump ships currently used. In fact, it's so popular that they are being produced again after a 25 hiatus.
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