With the advent of the bucket list craze, more and more people have committed to stepping out not just from their comfort zones but from their safety zones. This accounts for the popularity of certain kinds of extreme sports, like skydiving. Before you embark on this perilous enterprise, however, you should first be equipped with a trusty gizmo called a safety parachute.
The term extreme sports has been hackneyed so much that it is subsumed under definitional gray areas. Theres big wave surfing and base jumping, which we acknowledge to be dangerous and off the top. But theres also snorkeling which some people say with a knowing nod is an extreme sport. Anyway, for the purpose of this discussion, well define the aforementioned term as an activity in which one can die anytime given a niggling accident or mistake.
However you look at it, though, skydiving is qualified as such. Imagine jumping from an aircraft or airship at more than ten thousand feet above ground, only deploying a parachute at about five hundred feet or so. This parachute is a dome shaped equipment tailored from light and strong fabric, maybe silk or nylon. It operates by the rules of physics, lowering ones terminal velocity and increasing aerodynamic lift to ensure a safe landing.
Parachutes were invented about a century ago, but innovators continually devise ways to improve their function and safety features. Now, you might ask whether parachuting is already a mortality free activity. Well, the answer is no. After all, nothing is completely risk free in this world. People die from commonplace causes every day, like falling down the stairs. What do you expect from skydiving.
Therefore, there is no assurance that parachuting is a risk free sport. Thats another way of saying that no one particularly fancies the mortality rate. For instance, injuries occur at one in one thousand, and fatalities stand at one in a hundred thousand.
However, youd still want to take into account all the nuts and bolts. You can easily be that one in one hundred thousand who fulfills the statistics. The probabilities may be mitigated if you undergo the required training and implement the required practices and equipment.
First time solo parachutists are required to undergo four to eight hours of ground training. And even after then they may opt for a tandem jump, in which they are strapped to an experienced instructor, who opens the parachute and deals with possible emergencies. All must carry with them a reserve parachute, which is personally inspected and packed by a certified rigger.
Specified attire and gears are required. This includes jumpsuits that protect the skin from corrosive conditions above, footwear that prevent ankle twists, helmets that absorb considerable shock, goggles that protect eyes from stinging winds and debris, and gloves, only if the wearer is comfortable. Reserve parachutes are absolutely and unconditionally important. They are periodically inspected and meticulously packed by a certified professional. The most important development, however, is the automatic activation device, or AAD. This tiny, portable computer calculates your free fall rate and optimum height. If the main parachute is still not opened at the predetermined altitude, it automatically deploys the reserve one.
The fact that fatalities are usually attributed to jumper errors is very telling. No matter the advances made in safety and equipment, they will all be for naught if jumpers dont take heed of basic training and instructions. Even if things take a turn for the worse, at least you can take comfort of the fact that you will be remembered as someone brave, rather than someone stupid.
The term extreme sports has been hackneyed so much that it is subsumed under definitional gray areas. Theres big wave surfing and base jumping, which we acknowledge to be dangerous and off the top. But theres also snorkeling which some people say with a knowing nod is an extreme sport. Anyway, for the purpose of this discussion, well define the aforementioned term as an activity in which one can die anytime given a niggling accident or mistake.
However you look at it, though, skydiving is qualified as such. Imagine jumping from an aircraft or airship at more than ten thousand feet above ground, only deploying a parachute at about five hundred feet or so. This parachute is a dome shaped equipment tailored from light and strong fabric, maybe silk or nylon. It operates by the rules of physics, lowering ones terminal velocity and increasing aerodynamic lift to ensure a safe landing.
Parachutes were invented about a century ago, but innovators continually devise ways to improve their function and safety features. Now, you might ask whether parachuting is already a mortality free activity. Well, the answer is no. After all, nothing is completely risk free in this world. People die from commonplace causes every day, like falling down the stairs. What do you expect from skydiving.
Therefore, there is no assurance that parachuting is a risk free sport. Thats another way of saying that no one particularly fancies the mortality rate. For instance, injuries occur at one in one thousand, and fatalities stand at one in a hundred thousand.
However, youd still want to take into account all the nuts and bolts. You can easily be that one in one hundred thousand who fulfills the statistics. The probabilities may be mitigated if you undergo the required training and implement the required practices and equipment.
First time solo parachutists are required to undergo four to eight hours of ground training. And even after then they may opt for a tandem jump, in which they are strapped to an experienced instructor, who opens the parachute and deals with possible emergencies. All must carry with them a reserve parachute, which is personally inspected and packed by a certified rigger.
Specified attire and gears are required. This includes jumpsuits that protect the skin from corrosive conditions above, footwear that prevent ankle twists, helmets that absorb considerable shock, goggles that protect eyes from stinging winds and debris, and gloves, only if the wearer is comfortable. Reserve parachutes are absolutely and unconditionally important. They are periodically inspected and meticulously packed by a certified professional. The most important development, however, is the automatic activation device, or AAD. This tiny, portable computer calculates your free fall rate and optimum height. If the main parachute is still not opened at the predetermined altitude, it automatically deploys the reserve one.
The fact that fatalities are usually attributed to jumper errors is very telling. No matter the advances made in safety and equipment, they will all be for naught if jumpers dont take heed of basic training and instructions. Even if things take a turn for the worse, at least you can take comfort of the fact that you will be remembered as someone brave, rather than someone stupid.
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