Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!tekig7!tekig5!karlm
From: karlm@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM (Karl W Maerz)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: rec.skydiving FAQ sheet
Message-ID: <2312@tekig7.MAP.TEK.COM>
Date: 26 Jun 91 21:06:45 GMT
References: <35970@mimsy.umd.edu>
Sender: news@tekig7.MAP.TEK.COM
Reply-To: karlm@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM (Karl W Maerz)
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.
Lines: 59

>-	How do you breathe in freefall?
>	------------------------------
>
>This falls into the realm of urban folklore.  The atmospheric pressure
>drops from ~15 psi at sea level to 11 psi at 12000 feet, which is more
>than adequate for normal activity.  However, do to the high speed of
>terminal freefall (and much higher speeds in vertical freefall dives) most
>jumpers will hyperventilate in the plane just prior to exit and hold
>their breath until opening.  (The "kiss pass" was accidentally invented 
>when a jumper had the wind knocked out of him during a funnel on an 
>early attempt at RW in the late '60s.  Another jumper realized what 
>happened and went to the rescue.  He docked on the injured jumper 
>and performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until pull time.
>Other jumpers on the load misinterpretted what they had witnessed and
>the rest is history.)
>
>This same urban legend claims that D.B. Cooper was unaware of the 
>dangers of breathing in freefall.  His head exploded when he opened 
>his mouth to try, scattering the $200,000 ransom money across three area 
>codes in the Cascades.  This is why there were no further airline 
>hijackings utilizing this method to elude the authorities.


Where are the smiley faces???  This is a joke -- right?

I made about 50 jumps before even thinking about this.  Then, a whufo
friend of mine asked the question, "Wow, like, how do you *breathe*,
dude?"  I thought about it a minute and replied "I dunno, I guess I
just do it.  There are a lot of subjects that don't get much priority
in my conscious mind when I'm skydiving -- breathing is one of 'em."

So, I tried an experiment.  Got a friend to cruise down the freeway
at ~80mph and I stuck my head out the passenger window.  Not quite
the same thing but, what the heck, I'm pushing through a slipstream
at roughly 2/3 the velocity of freefall.  Ought to be a good test.
At first my throat tightened up and I really couldn't breathe.  But
then I consciously loosened up and took a breath, and then proceeded
to breathe just fine -- no problem.

I have never known a jumper to consciously hyperventilate (at least
not in a jump craft or while sober) nor to hold his/her breath during 
a jump.  Cute story about the kiss pass.  I personally think it
originated as a way for lecherous skydiving old-farts to have a
plausible excuse for swapping tongues with good looking student
freefall babes.

DB Cooper probably got his lights knocked out when he stepped into
a ~300mph(?) slipstream.  Nobody has repeated this because the
tail doors on these planes can no longer be opened in-flight (and
some airlines are somewhat leary of boarding passengers whose
carry-on luggage consists of a parachute).  :)

You made up everything in this section, right?...

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| Karl Maerz               | Tektronix, Inc.       |                          |
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