h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.h2g2.com/A458723

This is my humble submission about the process of skydiving and training to become a licensed jumper. I'm fairly sure it's all accurate, seeing as how most of it is experience. There's already a skydiving entry, but it's a bit one-sided against 'those crazy people who jump out of perfectly good aircraft', and doesn't have any specific information about the sport and how to go about making your first jump. I think this is needed to balance the scales....

I'd like to hear from any skydiving researchers especially, to find out if my experience is fairly representative of first jumps in general. That's my main concern, but any criticism would be useful.

Marc

I'm impressed with this one, Marc. I've never actually been skydiving, myself, although I spent a long time with a skydiving crowd in Broken Hill in 1994, who taught me a bit about the pursuit..

I'm very impressed with the additions to the existing article, although I'm not completely sure in what context to recommend this one. I suspect what's likely to happen is a conglomerate entry, but I'll have to do a bit mroe checkiong before I could predict that with any assurance!

Right, I'm off to check the original entry...!

Sounds good... I'll keep my fingers crossed! But not for very long, because that makes it hard to do things like typre oer fgo to the barhrookkm,.

NMarc

Just dropping in to say, "hello," and make sure nobody forgot about me and my little article... well, hello!

Marc

Just dropping in to say, "hello," and make sure nobody forgot about me and my little article... well, hello!

Marc

Whoops! I really didn't do that on purpose. My internet is being terribly cruel at the moment...

Marc

Well I'm gonna bring this one to the top again, in the hopes that someone will look at it. I'd really like to see this in the Edited guide, I think it's some of my better work...

Maybe if I bitch and moan a lot, people'll pay attention to me... yeah, that's a good idea...

Ahem...
hope you didn't go fishing, so to speak (see http://www.h2g2.com/A487253).

There /is/ an edited entry, OK, and procedures for these circumstances have not yet been set up. But this one is also well-written, ready for the Guide as it stands. Moreover, this one supercedes the older one in every respect.

Apart from that, I think it's a shame for the community to have neglected your posting and the entry for so long.

nice entry... maybe i'll actually try skydiving at some point.


then again, maybe not.

You... you read my article? Thank you! Thank you, and a very merry Christmas to you! Merry Christmas to all! Hahahaaa!

May ask the same question back on you? How many entries have you read? How many times commented? How many times said 'not super, not bad, next one, please' ?

merry Xmas!

As a fellow skydiver, I must say your article is very good. I have done both the Static line course (2 jumps) and the AFF course. I am far from being considered an experienced skydiver. I have obtained my "A" license, and have developed a deep craving for the the sky.

I feel that as good as your article is, it can definitely do with some further info regarding AFF, as many people do not choose this route (which I consider much more preferable to static line) as they do not know about it, or know very little.

Much can also be said regarding the safety of the sport with regards to helpful devices such as the cypres for example.

Let me know what you think.

Bossel- While I do regularly read submitted articles, I admit I usually neglect to post on them. I guess I'm leaving out the important part, huh...

Vanora- The reason there's not much about the AFF course is that everything I know about it is in the article... it's not offered anywhere I've been, and therefore my knowledge is a bit thin. But that's a good idea about the different safety mechanisms... I'll do that tomorrow...

Perhaps you make it a joint effort? You can share the work, AND share the glory...

That's fine with me, if ya want to write up an AFF section.

erm, I was thinking of Vanora
I'm of the kind who sees no great deal in jumping out of perfectly performing aircraft

well I was implying that Vanora do it, but I guess I was a bit ambiguous...

But you should try it sometime... it changes your whole outlook on life, really... you know, "A speeding ticket? What's the big deal about driving fast, I jump out of airplanes." and that sort of thing...

I seem to be seeing it the other way round...

What's the trick of jumping with a parachute, checked over and over again, no nerds around, time of day and weather chosen accordingly to the purpose and all that.
Compare that to driving in Germany (nerds, fog, night)... I'm still looking for a big bumper sticker reading 'I survived Munich-Hamburg on a friday afternoon in november!'

Yes, perhaps I should go looking for a safe thing to do!

The trick is convincing yourself that it is worth leaping out of a perfectly good aeroplane. Do that and everything will become quite clear (And we can stop calling you a Whuffo ).

Everyone have a great Christmas.

Marc, I will speak to you next week!