Sky Diving
Group member ( Obaid and Haji )
Introduction
Skydiving is one of the most dangerous and intriguing sports or activities. In sky diving, the participants go high in the air, hundreds or even thousands of meters, and then fall back to the earth through gravity. The free fall from several hundred meters is the best part of the exercise and essentially forms the best part of the sky diving experience. After the free fall part, the participants are expected to slow down their fall by using either of two devices: a parachute or a wing suit.
History
Skydiving began in around 1797. Aeronaut
Andre- Jacques Garnerin used a canvas canopy- like equipment to replace the
modern parachute and a small basket to sit in. These were tethered under a hot
air balloon, and some distance into the balloon flight, the aeronaut would open
up his chute. Parachuting was later developed for military purposes. However,
the original uses for skydiving and parachuting did not have anything to do
with battles. The main reason was to find a way to reach people in an airborne
emergency. In this respect, people who developed problems in a hot air balloons
and aircraft's would need help delivered to them, and the best method was
through parachuting. The use of parachuting as means to deliver soldiers into a
battlefield and areas that are unreachable by foot or vehicles started much
later. The activity was later developed to be a competition and finally sport.
Ascension
As there are options in choosing the
best descending methods, there is also the option of choosing the best
ascending method. The most common method, which is not necessarily the best, is
using an airplane. For the sake of the cost cutting and the availability of
resources, the most common medium for sky divers is usually a propeller driven
airplane. However, skydivers have jumped from a myriad of places. For instance,
there are major world events that bring hundreds of skydivers together to
perform synchronized jumps. In these events, the divers get the opportunity to
perform jumps from helicopters, Boeing 727s and even hot air balloons as part
of the festivities. In other places, the most daring of skydivers will attempt
dangerous endeavors by diving or jumping from very tall buildings, cliffs and
even bridges too (Popular Science, 1929, p.29).
The Dive
When the jumpers dive and leave the vehicle of ascension, the sky
divers experience a forward throw. This is the continued ‘flight’ forwards
while also experiencing the effect of gravity for a few seconds. The gravity
will assist in a downward movement while the plane’s momentum will offer forward
momentum. This is not the case in other stationery means or medium of height.
For instance, a tall building or a hot air balloon will not have the forwards
movement since they are stationary (or very slow, for hot air balloon). In
free fall part, skydivers generally lack the falling experience. This is because
their bodies will resist the air at very high speeds. The speeds could at times
reach above about 80 km/h (50 mph), and thus it provides some feeling
of weight and direction (Dropzone, 2013). The divers at some point can
manipulate the shape of their bodies in free fall. As such a diver can turn,
generate a forwards motion and even a backwards motion and sometimes lift
upwards. However, these directional alterations will be in relation to the
other jumpers and not the ground. All this time, the diver will be getting
closer to the ground (Popular Science, 1929). These activities make
the most interesting aspect of skydiving.
The Descent
Of the choices between a wing suit and a
parachute, the wing suit is probably more dangerous and harder to use. A wing suit
is basically a suit that has its arms and legs joined using a flap of clothing.
The space between the legs too is also joined so that the when the wearer
spreads his arms and legs, he can easily resist gravity and either glide in the
air of float. However, very few people know how to handle a wing suit and the
wing suit is not available in many regions of the world (Red bull, 2012). Similarly, sky diving is not as expensive as it
should be in the world. For the descent, most people use and recommend the use
of a parachute. This has resulted to sky diving earning the alternative name,
or the synonym parachuting. However, in other countries, there is no option of
which equipment to use, because of poor or scarce training and trainers on the
variety. There countries strictly train participants on the use of parachutes
only.
The Dangers of
Skydiving
There are many avenues and opportunities
for danger in skydiving. It is essentially a dangerous activity in itself.
First, the ascension is an individual risk. The plane could crash, or the
person could fall from the cliff or building top at any time resulting to
instant death. Secondly, the descent and/ or the fall have many instances where
it could go wrong. For instance, the parachute could get stuck and refuse to
open (Centurion, 2013). This could result
in a free fall all the way to the ground. As such, the person could suffer from
shock before he hits the ground and even death from the impact on the ground.
Sometimes, the parachute may launch and open successfully. However, the person
could have difficulty to control it due to poor skill or other faulty features
of the parachute. This could have several devastating eventualities. Among
these, there is a collision with an object on the ground such as buildings or
trees resulting to injuries and even fatalities
(Webmaster 2010).
Other dangers could have natural causes
such as poor weather conditions. Poor weather conditions essentially cause poor
visibility and the divers end up colliding with objects, and do not realize who
close the ground is, they end up launching the chute too late. However, it is
possible to completely avoid these conditions altogether.
Diving at Night
Skydiving or parachuting is not always
done during the day. Professional and divers with experience sometimes jump at
night. However, the rules and regulations around the weather requirements
remain the same. There other regulations that should be followed with regards
to safety at night. For instance, more equipment is used than the daytime
jumps. Additionally, the law (at least in the United States of America)
requires the skydiver to have at least a B-License which is an advanced
skydiving license. Prior to the jumps, the jumping teams will hold a meeting
with the local safety officials. This meeting should cover directions as to who
will be responsible for what roles during the jumps. A lighted altimeter
(preferably one enabled- audio altimeter) is necessary. Skydivers are also
required to take lights such as flashlights up with them. This is to ensure
that they can check their canopies to ensure that they have properly deployed.
Secondly, they need to ensure that they are visible to other skydivers, and
even aircraft. According to FAA regulations, jumpers and skydivers jumping at
night should wear a light that is visible for at least three miles (or
5 km) in every direction (United States
Parachute Association, 2013).
Conclusion
Apart from the fact that people jump for sporting and
adventure purposes, there are events skydiving events that are held for the
sake of raising funds for specific causes. For instance, in Arizona, more than
one hundred and fifty women jumped from a plane in order to raise money for
their organization, in support of women empowerment and cancer treatment (The Arizona
Republic, 2009). The event attracted women from more than thirty countries. Other
than this, people form skydiving groups to break records and some for the sense
of adventure. Skydiving, as a sport (an international sport), began in 1952.
However, it is generally a recreational activity in many parts of the world,
and a competitive sport specifically in the first world countries. The other
positive uses include the use as a deployment mechanism of military personnel
and occasionally, airborne rescue operations. For recreational purposes, a
skydiving centre is opened up as a commercial operation spot or a club. For
ease of access to ascension vehicles, it will be usually located at an airport
and allows for individual and groups of skydivers up for a fee.
Reference
Centurion, B. (2013). Is Skydiving Dangerous?
Retrieved November 21, 2013, from Elsbee: http://eslbee.com/zone/benjamin_centurion/inquiry.htm
Dropzone. (2013). Skydiving. Retrieved November 21,
2013, from Dropzone.com: http://www.dropzone.com/
Popular Science. (1929, November). Made 500 Parachute Jumps. Popular
Science Monthly , p. 65.
Popular Science. (1929, September). Parachute Jumper Leaps
135 Feet from Bridge. Popular Science Monthly , p. 59.
Redbull. (2012, May 24). 'Wingman' completes world's first
sky dive without a parachute. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from
Redbull.com: http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Article/Wingman-completes-worlds-first-skydive-without-a-parachute-021243213346445
The Arizona Republic. (2009, September 30). 181 women
break skydiving record. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from The Arizona
Republic.
United States Parachute Association. (2013). Skydiving
Safety. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from USPA:
http://www.uspa.org/AboutSkydiving/SkydivingSafety/tabid/526/Default.aspx
Webmaster. (2010, December 30). Parachutist Online.
Retrieved November 22, 2013, from
http://parachutistonline.com/feature/safest-year%E2%80%94-2009-fatality-summary
