Square Wheels wrote:
On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:42:18 -0500, CWO4 Dave Mann wrote:

Tri-Pacer wrote:
"
I just don't understand people who jump out of perfectly good airplanes...


Try it---you'll like it. :-)

Cheers:

Paul
N1431A
KPLU




Yes you will.



I have 163 military static line jumps and 250+ free fall civilian hops.
It's fun and the folks you jump with are a very interesting cross
section of society.

Cheers,

Dave

Just curious: roughly how many /military/ people die in simple training or
practice jumps (non-combat or test flights) per year? Not many, I'd guess.

Civilian 'for-fun' jumpers do not have a particularly good record.



There are very few military fatalities when occur during parachute
operations. Combat, of course , is a different story. However, even
the 300 foot night jump made by the 75th Rangers in Panama (too low to
open a reserve) was an accident free jump with the exception of a couple
of soldiers who were wounded by enemy fire after then arrived on the
ground. Military jumps are usually from either 500 or 600 feet to
simulate tactical conditions, which provides about 3 seconds to deploy a
reserve. The T7 reserve system now has an automatic deployment
capability and the jumper no longer must "help" the canopy to deploy
after pulling the rip cord. The main chute, of course, is static line
deployed. Actual combat jumps are done from an altitude of from 300
feet to 600 feet depending upon weather, hours of daylight or darkness
and the possibility of hostile fire from the ground during the
deployment. Only a few major jumps -- all of which were made during
World War Two -- were done in the actual face of enemy troops on the
ground and thus there were many casualties of soldiers who were wounded
or killed by enemies on the ground shooting them while they were in the
air. Of course both the Germans and the Japanese made it a habit of
shooting at parachutists who were escaping from downed aircraft also --
a commentary on their deliberate failure in observation of various
customs of war.

Free fall parachuting is employed in the military by Special Operations
personnel. Usually the HALO (High Altitude, Low Opening) method is
used. HALO jumpers may deploy from aircraft as high in altitude at
60,000+ feet and have not only highly maneuverable parafoils but also
high altitude life support equipment. The combat jumps made during
Desert Storm and the present conflict have all been HALO by Special
Operations Operators. Remember that a HALO from 60,000 feet using a B52
aircraft and deployment from the forward bomb bay, will allow a jumper
to travel some 200 miles "cross country" before grounding. Using GPS
and other guidance technology, a HALO team can deploy over the Gulf and
land inside a patio garden in Tehran, Iran in a matter of an hour or so
of "flying" time.

I can confidently state that there are very few (maybe one or two)
fatalities from military jumps per year and the US Army has a record of
going several years in a row without serious injury or death. There are
always minor jump injuries, particularly when you jump with a full
equipment load of some 120 lbs but seeing a jump where there are either
major malfunctions or failures is rare. Double failures are almost
never seen. Although I have personally been in a stick where a jumper's
main failed then partially deployed, and then when he deployed his
reserve it became entangled. He should have actuated his Capewell
Releases and cut away the main before deploying the reserve, but he was
on the ground before he figured that out. He broke both legs and was
off jump status for some 10 months before returning. I saw infrequent
but spectacular heavy equipment drop failures, including one on the
Maurey Dropzone at Ft Bragg where we were on the ground and then watched
three 100-foot chutes deploy, become intertwined and then roman candle.
If anything the 2-1/2 ton truck which was under the chutes went even
faster to the ground. It made a hole some 25 feet across and 10 feet
deep and suffice it to say that truck went off to Property Disposal Yard
in pieces. It was way cool to see it, however, and we all cheered and
danced around like idiots when it happened until the First Sergeant came
over and gave us all 100 pushups for acting the fool.

Parachute packing by US Army Parachute Riggers is a separate and unique
career field within the US Army. Riggers are elite members of the
Quartermaster Corps and are, without a doubt, the best Riggers on the
planet. The process of packing is very complex and in the military
takes place under rigorous and very strict procedures. Riggers then
jump randomly selected chutes from a big pile in the middle of the
hanger floor, just like we did when marching through to collect our
gear. Reserves in one pile and mains in another pile. No pack is
allowed to have any special identification marks so that one looks just
like the other.

Civilian parachuting is held to a different standard, although one which
is supposed to be a rigorous and exacting as the FAA rules require.
However, I have seen people pack their own chutes and when I gently and
politely asked them if they had checked "so and so" I got a blank look.
After I pointed out the error they usually said something like "Gee,
Sure glad we found that". Those folks are the statistics and quite
frankly they were one of a couple of reasons I stopped jumping. Getting
on a lift with guys and gals who were careless wasn't my idea of fun. I
would say that probably 95% of all sport parachutists are safety
conscious and a deadly serious when it comes to their equipment and to
their Relative Work during the fall, but there are always a few
statistics who make an bad impact upon the whole sport (pun intended).

I could go on, but think you got the picture.

Cheers,

Dave