# Oops. Name one essential piece of equipment for skydiving. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 8, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-name-one-essential-piece-of-equipment-for-skydiving/452197 "2008-06-08T03:11:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-name-one-essential-piece-of-equipment-for-skydiving/452197/61 "2008-06-10T16:02:47Z")
[QUOTE=Xema] Normal openings rarely feel extreme - IMO they mostly seem rather gentle. Some Googling suggests the typical peak deceleration is something like 4.5G. But I’m skeptical that you could expect to retain a hold on someone through that. [/QUOTE] Decellerating from 180fps to 20fps in about 2 seconds is only 2.5G average (I’m sure it’s not perfectly uniform though). With a really smooth opening and if you were able to wrap your arms and legs through another persons harness I think it’d work, but that’s under ideal “lab” conditions. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-name-one-essential-piece-of-equipment-for-skydiving/452197/62 "2008-06-11T08:05:06Z")
[QUOTE=Muffin] Video of a fellow jumping out of a plane and then being harnessed by another person wearing a parachute: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDBrdl2sZWs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDBrdl2sZWs) [/QUOTE] Since no one else will say it, I will: Holy Shit!!! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-name-one-essential-piece-of-equipment-for-skydiving/452197/63 "2008-06-11T11:16:49Z")
[QUOTE=Muffin] Video of a fellow jumping out of a plane and then being harnessed by another person wearing a parachute: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDBrdl2sZWs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDBrdl2sZWs) [/QUOTE] I wonder how many times they tried that till it worked? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-name-one-essential-piece-of-equipment-for-skydiving/452197/64 "2008-06-11T11:34:09Z")
“Now don’t get mad, Travis, but it seems there’s been a little mix-up. I thought that Frank was bringing your parachute and he thought I was bringing it…” ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-name-one-essential-piece-of-equipment-for-skydiving/452197/65 "2008-06-11T16:36:48Z")
[QUOTE=Sublight] I don’t see it on Youtube anymore, but there was a similar incident about ten years back in (I seem to recall) North Carolina. An experienced diver went up just to shoot video in the plane and without thinking followed the divers out the door when they jumped. In the video (from his helmet cam), you see him filming everyone free-falling as if nothing was wrong. Only after the others pull their cords (and he presumably reaches for where his cord would be) do you see him suddenly look down at himself and start whipping around in a panic. He didn’t survive the fall, although the tape did. [/QUOTE] Yeah - we were living in North Carolina when that happened. He was an experienced skydiver and IIRC the theory was he just got caught up in the hubbub and forgot his equipment. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-name-one-essential-piece-of-equipment-for-skydiving/452197/66 "2008-06-12T03:35:05Z")
[QUOTE=Muffin] I had the great displeasure of being properly strapped into a seat that then slid back on the floor rails and tossed me out the door, still strapped to the seat. Fortunately, this occured as the plane started to taxi, so only a few bumps and scrapes resulted. [/QUOTE] Reminds me of an old Bill Cosby joke: So, I was in a helicopter once and the rotor came off; the whole rotor! I asked the pilot, “What happens now?” and he said, “Well, nothing, because we’re still on the ground. But _next_ time . . .” ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-name-one-essential-piece-of-equipment-for-skydiving/452197/67 "2008-06-12T14:36:16Z")
I see a new X-TREME sport here, parachute-less plane jumping. If you survive you’ll have so much cred, you’ll be doing Slim Jim commercials until you’re 80. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-name-one-essential-piece-of-equipment-for-skydiving/452197/68 "2008-06-12T14:59:16Z")
[QUOTE=DesertDog] Reminds me of an old Bill Cosby joke: So, I was in a helicopter once and the rotor came off; the whole rotor! I asked the pilot, “What happens now?” and he said, “Well, nothing, because we’re still on the ground. But _next_ time . . .” [/QUOTE] Reminds me of a Ron White joke. > [@](#): > > The guy sittin’ next to me [on the plane] was goin’ nuts. Apparently he had _a lot_ to live for. He says to me, “What if one of the engines dies? How far will the other one take us?” > > “All the way to the scene of the crash.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-name-one-essential-piece-of-equipment-for-skydiving/452197.md?page=3)