Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!ucbvax!f15.n233.z1.fidonet.org!SKYDIVE
From: SKYDIVE@f15.n233.z1.fidonet.org (SKYDIVE)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: A FAQ?
Message-ID: <2658.27D77EB9@ehsnet.fidonet.org>
Date: 5 Mar 91 23:14:36 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Lines: 78

Reply-to: Dave.Appel@p30.f30.n231.z1.fidonet.org (Dave Appel)
Fido-To: bill king

In a message to Skydive <03 Mar 91 17:30> uiucuxc!eniac.seas.upenn. wrote:

 ui> I;m thinking of learning skydiving this summer and would like more
 ui> info. Do you have a FAQ (Frequently-Asked-Questions) in this newsgroup
 
THREE OF THREE
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                    Parachutes & Associates, Inc.
                     Frankfort Municipal Airport
              State Road 28 West, Frankfort, IN  46041
                            (317)654-6188

                             Directions:

Parachutes & Associates is only 45 minutes from Indianapolis.  Take
Interstate-65 North to the Frankfort Exit, #158.  Go East towards
Frankfort on Route 28 about 5 miles.  Airport is on the right.  Go to
the trailer at the back of the airport.

          Questions most often asked by student skydivers:

What if the chute doesn't open?
     Parachutes don't always open.  That's why the law requires that
we carry two.  If the main canopy fails, we pull an emergency handle
which releases the faulty main and activates the specially packed
reserve in less than three seconds.  USPA estimates the malfunction
rate at approximately 1 in every 700 jumps.

How hard will I land?
     With square parachutes, you can control both the forward speed
and the rate of descent of the parachute.  When your timing becomes
perfect, you can land tip-toe soft.  At first though, it is about
like hopping off the hood of your car.  Most of our beginners make
"stand-up" landings on the first or second try.

How am I attached to the Instructor on a Tandem Jump?
     Your harness snaps securely to the front of the instructor's
harness at four points - two at the shoulders, and two at the hips.
(Each fastener can withstand a 2500 pound load.)  In freefall, the
instructor is above you.  Under canopy, he is behind you.

Will I use the gliding square parachutes?
     Yes!  Our student canopies are all modern ram-air, (or square)
parachutes built for maneuverability and soft landings.  The Tandem
canopy is a specially designed extra large ram-air parachute, built
for two people.

Does it hurt when the parachute opens?
     Not at all.  Except for an occasional pinch by your harness,
opening-shock is no big deal.  In fact, square parachutes can be
packed different ways, depending on how crisp the jumper wants the
opening shock to be.

Do you really go up when it opens?
     No.  That's an illusion created when the cameraman keeps falling
while filming a parachute opening.

What does it feel like?
     Freefall is windy and loud, and feels more like floating or
flying than falling.  The parachute ride is quiet and peaceful with a
spectacular view like nothing you have seen before.

Is it really scary?
     That depends on you.  If you believe it will be scary, it
probably will be.  It is definitely exciting.  Most first-time
jumpers say without hesitation, "Skydiving is the most exciting thing
I have ever done!"


--- XRS! 4.00
--- eecp 1.45 LM2 

 * Origin: The Drop Zone, Dave Appel, 1:231/250.3 (Quick 1:231/30.30)
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