Skydiving in Seattle
 

My 20th anniversary is coming up next month. I thought I would try to kill several birds with one stone. I've always been afraid of heights, but do enjoy flying (as long as I don't have to do the "U" in GUMPS check ;)). So I was up last night thinking about something I could do with my husband other than taking the Clipper to Victoria.

Has anyone done any skydiving? Any recommendations in the Seattle area? There is an outfit in Bremerton. Does anybody know it? I would only be interested in one jump, nothing more. Thanks for any insights.

I fly the 182 for a mom 'n pop outfit in South Carolina, which won't help you over there very much, but I assure you everyone who tries a tandem jump has great fun. They get a 30 minute lecture by our tandem master, then we take them up and drop them out while a team member snaps a few freefall shots. It's a little expensive for one hour of action but the "I did it here's a picture" aspect appeals. I have never seen anyone get sick. A few have to be pried away from the door. Most come back later for a static line jump and further training. Great idea!

fairly sure they do it in snohomish too.

Gulp. 30 minute lecture is all? Don't I get to practice jumping off a ladder or something?

You haven't seen anyone get sick. It's obvious you have never met me! :)

I go out to Snohomish Airport when I am in town and watch them jump tandem with "new" jumpers. Looks like a professional outfit and everone seems to have a great time. :)

Snohomish
 

I skydived at Snohomish and was very confident of their training program. You do get to jump off a few boxes into he sand. Training is breif but adiquate.

When the door opens and the jumpmaster motions to you to come into position that is when you know the real meaning of scared sh**less. Don't look down !!

SkyHigh

I am not sure what the FAA regs are on tandem training, but if there is a reg for the passengers I would be surprised because it takes no skill whatsoever to ride along. The lecture is informational than anything else. It helps people visualize what they will be doing. I have heard the landings and jumps are usually better for tandems where the rider was given no lecture at all.

At my DZ, if you are capable of producing a good arch when leaving the plane, you can skydive. For Tandem skydives, there is basically no skill needed, the tandem master is attached to you and can deploy and land the parachute, and if you are both knocked out, there is an AAD computer to deploy for you. Its safe and fun! Go on youtube and look at some skydive videos people have posted, it will give you an idea of what a tandem skydive is like.

The one at the Bremerton Airport isn't the one that I would go to. I have heard that the one at the Olympia airport has a great safety record. Also, I have heard good things about Snohomish as well.

Thanks everyone! I'm going to check out the Snohomish outfit. My husband is now telling me that he'd rather not jump out of an airplane, tandem or otherwise. I think he's wimping out. Anybody here want to jump with me? :)

Hey Vagabond!

There is a place in Shelton too.....don't know how it is but I'm always dodging jumpers when I'm flying out there. :)

BTW, how is your training going? I start my instrument/commercial next week.

MHM

MHM, so good to hear from you! Instrument/commercial next week, eh? You are far and away ahead of me; I've been busy holding hearings instead.

Let's see if you, me and Paul can skydive. I'll jump out of a plane .... after you two go first. ;)

[QUOTE=11Fan;163960][COLOR=#000080]Never grasped the logic of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.

This is what I'm thinking!!!!!! I dunno, maybe one day, but something better be wrong with the airplane!

O ye of little faith!

I was somewhat concerned when I first started flying jumpers when they would open the door on jump run and the airplane would yaw around as the guys released their grip on the right strut and fell off. There is also a big forward CG shift when this happens. You are sitting in there with no more than a loose grasp on a seatbelt which I doubt would hold you in if there was a serious bank or pitch. But after ten or so of these you realize the danger is less than riding along in a typical car. It's just a lot of speed, height, and noise to get used to. Especially noise, the sound of air rushing past the airplane at 150 mph is deafening.

I still get a rise out of doing a 60 degree bank to the right at 115 mph- you can look straight down from two miles up at the ground way below you coming up through the plexiglas. There again it is just the appearance of danger, as the g force pinning you to your seat at that angle would remove any possibility of falling down through the door, but it looks cool. One of the planes has a speed brake, it drops like a rock.

Ok, that's it, I don't think I'll be skydiving anytime soon.

This happened today in Montana. My sympathies to their families.

MARION, Mont. — A plane crash killed five members of a group of skydivers Saturday in northwestern Montana, the Flathead County sheriff said.

The crash happened late Saturday morning in a field about 30 miles southwest of Kalispell, in an area known as Lost Prairie, Sheriff Mike Meehan said. The Federal Aviation Administration in Seattle said the plane went down shortly after takeoff, then burned.

The pilot of the Cessna 182 operated by Skydive Lost Prairie was carrying two skydiving instructors and two trainees to jumps, said Michael Morrill, a manager of the company. He said the plane took off in good weather.

He said the pilot began working for Sky Dive Lost Prairie about 10 days ago and was experienced, with more than 500 hours of flying time. He had a commercial rating, Morrill said.

The skydivers were heading off to tandem jumps in which trainees are attached to instructors, who control the parachute that carries both people to the ground, Morrill said. The parachutists were to fly for about 30 minutes, free fall for 30 seconds or so and then have a 5-minute "canopy ride" to the ground, Morrill said.

Skydiving is a relatively small sport in the state, with perhaps 60 or 70 people who are experienced jumpers, said Tina Sanders of Skydive Montana, another business that offers jumps. She said the aficionados are a close-knit group and another skydiver called her about 15 minutes after the crash happened.

Vagabond, first of all, Congratulations on your 20th!:) I'd love to, but I'm afraid of heights. Seriously. My bride did it a about 20 years ago in Issaquah and I couldn't even look up to watch her.
fbh

Mine too. It's a terrible tragedy.

Although this does not indicate the cause to be tied with the skydiving, it probably was and I would wager fuel starvation. Just speculating, but since it is desirable to carry only enough fuel for a single, 40 minute jumping run, refueling is a fussy business. At my operation we add just enough fuel to do a single run, 9 or 14 gallons depending on height of jump, plus a 30 minute reserve. It does happen in many thousands of missions in the country a weary pilot will takeoff without remembering to fuel up as the task can be repeated so many times in a day, not catch it before becoming airborne, not have fuel in reserve to return to the airport, plus have no place to put down on soft ground. That's a lot of if's, but it happens.

A smart, experienced skydiver will look up and check the wing gages even if they trust the pilot.

I do not have the list of facts with me but I occasionally research accident rates for skydiving and they are low as a sport. Fuel starvation and entanglement with the aircraft are the biggest causes, followed by parachute failure, but accidents are surprisingly rare. Maybe ten deaths per year. This across hundreds of skydiving outfits performing thousands of runs per year apiece. It is not a dangerous sport; the old adage driving is more dangerous than flying still applies.

I hope you will do some research to satisfy yourself of this and reconsider coming for a tandem jump on your next anniversary. It really is a great activity. Gather more information to allay your fears.

I saw this tag painted on the tail of an airplane yesterday if memory serves:
"By avoiding risks we may not lose our life but we shall accept risks so we shall not lose life itself."

Yeee-haaa!
 

The Air Force had to train us for parachute landings, but thought "why wear out or risk an airplane?" So they had us face into the wind with a couple guys holding the canopy open, tied our harness to a jeep bumper with a long rope, gunned the engine, and said "RUN!!" :p

fbh, I'd like to meet your wife! I think she and I have a lot in common. If you guys are ever in Seattle, maybe we can go jumping together.

Cubdriver, I haven't quite given up on the idea yet. Just need to find a block of time to do it.

tom, the Air Force and I are like oil and vinegar. I will never get very far there, assuming it even wants someone like me, which I know it doesn't.

I would think about it if the price was right and I wasn't on a trip...