ParachutingSo you are a geek and a man. Are you a real man?One of the passages of 'manhood' is parachuting.Definitely a rush and life-enhancing.Lot of stress on heart and involuntary SCREAMING.Suggest:martial arts may be useful training.Martial Arts Story:Teacher shows class to balance on one foot and kick in air.Everyone does it well and is calm.He takes everyone up the mountain to the peak.Just imagine doing the same thing.If you lose your balance, you will fall to your death.***http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090323161223.htmScienceDaily (Mar. 30, 2009)*What makes parachuting dangerous?It might be thought that it is the risk that the parachute won’t open, butin a dissertation he is defending at Umeå University in Sweden on March 27, AntonWestman shows that carelessness or lack of skill in controlling your body or yourparachute through the air is considerably more dangerous.In both skydiving (jumping from aircraft) and BASE jumping (from stationaryobjects), instability in free fall is a fatal risk factor. Jumping from anairplane into the wind rushing by feels roughly like diving into a swift currentof water, and there is a risk that beginners will lose control and start tumblingaround in the new environment, which can lead to unstable activation of theparachute with subsequent tangling of its lines and even late parachuteactivation.When you jump from the ledge of a cliff, it’s not as windy, but this can infact be a danger, since for the first few seconds you don’t get any help fromrushing wind to control your body and straighten up if you should fall forward andstart tumbling around. Just as in skydiving, there is a risk of unstable or lateparachute activation. An extra risk factor in BASE jumping is that a wingparachute can open in such a way that it steers you toward the object you jumpedfrom.The fatality risk in Swedish skydiving between 1994 and 2003 was roughly onedeath per one hundred thousand jumps. The fatality risk in BASE jumping appears tobe about 60-90 times as great as in skydiving, and the dissertation urges jumpersto be cautious in pursuing this activity.Wing parachutes are formed in different ways for different types ofparachuting. BASE parachutes are constructed for landing at low speeds indifficult terrain, whereas certain types of wing parachutes for skydiving aredesigned for opposite reasons, for flying and landing at speeds of over 100 km perhour, roughly like small sailplanes made of cloth. They place great demands onthe judgment and skill of the parachutist. The dissertation shows that manyinjuries are a result of “pilot error” on the part of the jumper. Besidesmiscalculated landings, collisions between wing parachutes have also led toinjuries and deaths.Further fatal and non-fatal risks are described in the dissertation, withsuggestions for dealing with each. Injury prone body parts include legs, feet,the spine, and shoulder joints. Beginners run a greater risk of getting hurt, butthe most serious injuries are described among the most experienced jumpers. Aninterview study describes the views of a number of parachutists regarding the riskof injury and their motives for pursuing the sport. What stand out are depictionsof its recreational value, of “having fun,” as a main reason.Adapted from materials provided by Vetenskapsrådet (The Swedish Research Council),via AlphaGalileo.
Leave a Comment