Indoor Skydiving: Skydiving Statistics - What's it All About?

Skydiving, like all other adventure sports, has its share of accidents and fatalities. There is no adventure without any inherent risks. But with the development of modern protective gear for this adventure sport, the probability of risk has been reduced considerably. Nowadays, there are indoor facilities for beginner skydivers. They can learn the basic aspects of the adventure sport and then venture out to the open skies. As a result of these improvements, skydiving statistics dealing with the accidents and fatalities provide a brighter picture now.

Skydiving instructors often say that the risk associated with the sport can be minimized if one stays within the prescribed limits and follows the instructions carefully. A majority of the accidents are caused by the recklessness of the divers and the malfunctioning of the diving equipment. But the technological advances in manufacturing diving gear have more or less eliminated the malfunctioning of the equipment. So, the skydiving statistics look impressive in terms of low risk compared with the statistics of some other adventure sports.

The following is an oft-quoted skydiving statistics that is excerpted from the sixth edition of the famous book, Parachuting: A Skydiver' Handbook, written by Dan Poynter. In 1987, from about 110000 people participated in skydiving, 29 people were killed. It is estimated that each participant made an average of about 200 jumps per year. That means the rate of accident deaths in skydiving is one in 3800 divers. Or it can be put as one in every 76000 jumps. This is a statistics taken about 20 years earlier. It is quite logical to conclude that the accident rate and fatality rate would be considerably reduced because of the technological advances made in manufacturing diving gear at present.

In another survey, the fatality rates of other activities were compared with that of skydiving. It was found that the fatality rates of other, more regular incidents such as highway accidents (43990 people), drowning (1171 people), and airline accidents (1399 people) were much higher than that of skydiving. But one has to keep in mind that a very large number of people undertake the activities such as road travel and air travel. So the number of fatalities will naturally be higher. But what one needs to understand from the skydiving statistics is that the fatality rate of skydiving is not frighteningly high.

Other than the technological advances, another factor plays an important role in brightening the skydiving statistics. Since this is known as an extremely adventurous sport, the participants exhibit extreme care and caution while indulging in the sport. They train and practice well and religiously carry out the instructions. These days, it can be safely declare that if one dives carefully and follows the instructions correctly, there is near-zero chances of an accident occurring in skydiving.

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Indoor Skydiving: Possible Accidents While Sky Dive

A skydiving accident can be caused by a variety of factors, but some more common causes include collisions between jumpers, difficulty during landing, and malfunctioning equipment. Despite the prevalent myth that equipment problems are the biggest culprits for causing accidents, operator error is actually the root cause the majority of the time.

Collisions are often the result of parachute canopies deploying too close together. Many landing difficulties are attributable to skydivers overestimating how much time they have to complete turns and other maneuvers, or landing near obstacles. A few landing fatalities involve drowning related to landing in water. Equipment malfunctions rarely involve failure of the parachute or reserve to deploy, as may be a common belief, but more often involve lines that become entangled.

Another misconception about a skydiving accident may be that novices are most often the victims of accidents, but students are actually rarely involved in accidents. More experienced jumpers who try maneuvers requiring a high level of skill are more likely to experience a parachuting accident. Accidents took the lives of 21 people in 2004, down from 25 in 2003, 33 in 2002, and 35 in 2001, some of which may have did a jump without parachute.

A comparison of the statistics regarding skydiving fatalities with fatality statistics from sports that may be considered less risky, such as scuba diving, shows that parachuting actually poses less of a risk than most people perceive. For example, according to reports, approximately 30 out of 100,000 skydiving participants are killed in the United States each year. This rate compares to 47 out of 100,000 for scuba diving, 50 out 100,000 for mountain climbing, and 67 out of 100,000 for hot air ballooning. So don't let safety fears scare you from making that first skydive.

On an interesting note, history includes a few cases of people who have survived a jump without parachute from very high altitudes. Some notable survivors of these jumps were airmen from World War II. One fighter pilot was forced to jump from his bomber plane when it came under enemy fire in France. He fell 20,000 feet, crashed through a skylight on the roof of a train station, sustained severe injuries, and eventually recovered. Other scenarios involved airmen leaving their planes for the same reason and falling anywhere from 18,000 to 22,000 feet and surviving because their fall was broken by trees and snow drifts.

Andrew Caxton is a consultant who writes on many consumer topics like the above article at [http://www.skydiving-parachuting-guide.com]. For additional information regarding Skydive or parachutes go his skydiving lessons [http://www.skydiving-parachuting-guide.com/learn-how-to-skydive.html] article

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Indoor Skydiving: Where to Skydive in Oregon

The breathtaking scenery of Oregon includes oceans, mountains, and deserts. The seas of the Pacific Ocean dance across beaches of beautiful white sand; the mountains: majestic peaks dancing with the hues of the horizon; the desert: a parched, yet inviting, parcel that longs for your interest. Of these spectacles, an unlikely addition enlists attention; far above the horizon, a minuscule spec draws the eye. A bird....a plane? An insane fanatic that has abandoned a perfectly good aircraft? Bingo!! While not completely insane, skydivers have taken to the air in droves to experience the scenery at a never before seen viewpoint. Oregon from the sky has prove to be an ever inviting objective for skydiving fanatics and mere admirers alike.

Over the years, five major skydiving centers have emerged in Oregon: Eugene Skydivers, Central Oregon Skysports, Skydive Eagle Creek, Skydive Oregon, Inc. and Wright Brothers Skydiving.

• Eugene Skydivers, offering tandem, AFF, and static line jumping, this facility does not boast many of the commercial amenities as others, but provides lower costs as a result of this.
• Central Oregon Sky Sports, providing an incredible view of the Cascade Mountains, offers tandem and static line jumping. This site also focuses on the basics and does not offer many amenities.
• Skydive Eagle Creek, offering tandem and static line jumping, is one of the less known drop zones in Oregon. Although it does offer some additional amenities, such as a pool, this facility is a little less popular than its counterparts.
• Skydive Oregon, Inc. is an incredibly prevalent drop zone. Offering tandem and AFF, this facility is known for constantly having planes in the air and having some of the most exceptional planes in the industry.
• Wright Brothers Skydiving, offering tandem and static line jumping, also offers all the basics in a skydiving drop zone. Although there is no pool or bar, this facility is held in the best regard as being one of the best in the business.

No matter your experience level, you owe it to yourself to experience the breathtaking beauty of the Oregon countryside. While ground level is impressive, it is nothing to compare with a bird's eye view.

Andrew Caxton is a reliable journalist who has published more articles on this issue for http://www.skydiving-parachuting-guide.com He provides tips and advice about sky diving as well as on the best drop zones for your first skydive lessons

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