Would you jump from a perfectly good airplane?

Did it many times, I was a Paratrooper in the Army for four years.

It was fun, had a great time, and now I really have no desire to do it again. I prefer to pilot the plane...though my wife does want to do it and I am going to get her a jump for her birthday this year.
 
20 yrs ago my girlfriend and I flew down to Skydive Carolina in Chester SC for a one day lesson and solo static line jump. We trained, we jumped, and we lived. Unfortunately, Kim landed on her butt right in the middle of the runway but luckily was not injured. I did a perfect stand-up landing right in the middle of the little pea gravel pit. Beginners luck probably, but I havn't felt the need to do it again since then.
Incindently, it was acutally a relief to get out of that ratty-ass C182 jump plane. However, the jump school was top notch and if they are still around, I recommend them.
 
Fast n' Furious said:
Tandem jump? Is that when two jumpers exit the aircraft simultaneously almost guaranteeing a tangled mass of parachutes, suspension lines, risers, equipment lowering lines and personal equipment? :dunno:
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No a tandem jump is one parachute, 2 harness. The jump instructor is behind.

I haven't done it. Like Lance, I considered it when I started wearing a parachute but never did it. I decided if I was going to break an ankle I'd want to have a good reason for it.

One of my successful private pilot students is an avid jumper, and he wears a T-shirt that says "There's no such thing as a perfectly good airplane".

Joe
 
Ed Guthrie said:
At various points in my past I tossed skydivers for Chambersburg, PA and Smith Mountain Lake, VA/Swan Creek, NC. Folks at the later operation once offered me a free tandem jump (the instructor offered to comp the jump, the chute packer offered to comp the repack, and another skydiver offered me his rig).

I declined.
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Besides, who would then fly the plane back to the airport if you jumped? :dunno: :D
 
I would...and I have! One of the best things I've ever done.

I echo what others have said. If you've seen the jump plane at most drop zones...you wouldn't call it "perfectly good".
 
Areeda said:
No a tandem jump is one parachute, 2 harness. The jump instructor is behind.

I haven't done it. Like Lance, I considered it when I started wearing a parachute but never did it. I decided if I was going to break an ankle I'd want to have a good reason for it.

One of my successful private pilot students is an avid jumper, and he wears a T-shirt that says "There's no such thing as a perfectly good airplane".

Joe
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Back in the day it was really important to have a good stagger of jumpers out of the troop doors of the C-141 especially when doing a mass exit over a confined DZ. Simultaneous exits often caused two folks to meet up in space in what we happily called "a tandem jump". Sometimes it worked out well...sometimes...not so much.
 
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A tandem jump is when you have the instructor clipped on to your back, and the parachute is attached to him/her. They will typically let you pull the rip cord, but if you don't, they'll give it a yank for you.
 
FlyNE said:
If you've seen the jump plane at most drop zones...you wouldn't call it "perfectly good".
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That's why the pilot was wearing a chute too...

After my jump the people at the school offered me a chance to fly the jump planes. I politely declined since I already had plenty of C-206 time, the place was an hour and a half drive from my home and they were offering the huge sum of $5 per load. Then there were the planes...
 
my FBO maintains a local jump plane. came in on annual with reports of a small crack in the engine mount. pulled the engine off and the mount fell off. only thing holding it together was the engine attach bolt. yikes!!!
 
woodstock said:
... Would you jump out of a perfectly good airplane?
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Me? No. My wife LOVED it.

A good friend and former pilot once gave me the definitive answer: "I don't want my first time to be when I absoulute positively have to." He was taking some aerobatic training at the time.
 
When Uncle Sam stopped paying me to be ready to jump out of an airplane, I stopped jumping out of airplanes (and helicopters too).
 
I had 2 folks jump out of the helicopter I was flying once - they had parachutes and intended to do so.

The one time I jumped out of an airplane, it was not a 'perfectly good airplane'. The scariest part was the ride to 12K so I could jump out - though I remember it more like falling out - no jumping involved.

After the plane landed, the pilot gave me the nickname that has followed me since:

Screamer
 
It's definitely worth doing once, and tandem is the simplest way to go. Even if you don't get hooked, it's a feeling like no other, and no one can really describe it to you. If you do it, get video! By the next day, even though you know it was cool, you really won't remember the details.

Dan (ex-tandem master, I / AFF-I / senior rigger / video / etc.)
 
It really shook me up....in a positive way. I was not right for 48 hours but had a grin a mile wide for days after.
Its not for everyone. It can also be hard to decide.
You can go to the http://dropzone.com website and log onto the forums, learn about it, ask questions, review the accident stats - basically become more informed and 'manage the risk', just like airplanes.
 
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