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I had a cousin who was a serious parachute specialist in the US Army. My understanding is that he only jumped when it was part of the job. I used to knew a yo

I had a cousin who was a serious parachute specialist in the US Army. My understanding is that he only jumped when it was part of the job. I used to knew a young woman whose family owned & operated a skydiving center. Once she was decently over 25 (fully adult judgment, supposedly), she never jumped again.

jeffbee 3y ago
I don't think this knowledge is obscure. "Sky sports" are one of the few things that make a person practically uninsurable, along with scuba diving, motorcycle racing, and private aviation.
- patch_cable 3y ago
  Not sure about the others, but I have had no problem getting life insurance as a private pilot. Some companies won’t touch it, but plenty will.
  - bombcar 3y ago
    It's a matter of risk balancing. A private pilot is more likely to die in a private plane crash, but also more likely to be able to afford paying for insurance. What insurers don't like is someone who throws off their "books" unexpectedly.
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago
  I dive and fly. My life insurance is still cheaper than a smoker’s.
  - jeffbee 3y ago
    [flagged]
- mlyle 3y ago
  > make a person practically uninsurable, along with scuba diving, [...] and private aviation. I don't know about motorcycle racing, but scuba and private aviation are plenty insurable. $1M 20 year term life goes for ~$100/mo if you're a younger pilot. There will be a somewhat smaller set of insurers to choose from, and a couple of outliers who try to charge you way more.
- FireBeyond 3y ago
  My life insurance has no issue with me being a firefighter, or sky diving, as long as I don't combine the two and do smokejumping.
  - Scoundreller 3y ago
    What about fire and skydiving? https://youtu.be/VyV_tjIw-YQ?t=255 https://youtu.be/VyV_tjIw-YQ?t=255
- throwaway2037 3y ago
  I don't agree with your comment about scuba diving. Not to be a shill, but I always use World Nomads Travel Insurance when I travel for scuba diving. It is simple to apply online and pay with a credit card. They have two levels of travel insurance: one for low risk activities, and another for higher risk activities, such as scuba diving.
michaelt 3y ago
That's kinda the norm for dangerous sports, isn't it? Motorbikes are dangerous; people often die riding. For many people the risks exceeds the rewards, and they choose not to ride. Other people have a greater appetite for risk, and choose to live until they die. I myself refuse to strap on ice skates (or rollerblades) having had 20 titanium screws put into my arm after falling on the ice. But I knew the risk I was getting into when I got onto the ice.
- amluto 3y ago
  I wish it was more socially acceptable to ice skate recreationally with safety gear. Falling on the ice hurts. Falling on the ice if you’re dressed like you’re playing hockey is considerably less unpleasant.
  - giantg2 3y ago
    "I wish it was more socially acceptable to ice skate recreationally with safety gear." I can't remember a time when looking stupid stopped me from doing something. Perhaps that's just my natural state.
  - DowagerDave 3y ago
    "Core" gear like helmets and knee/wrist pads seems totally acceptable now. "Extreme" biking/skateboarding (outside of street bmx & skating) has largely adopted safety gear too.
  - bartonfink 3y ago
    I give you permission.
  - jpgvm 3y ago
    I wear figure skating protection when I'm skating recreationally, because the padding is slim it's basically imperceptible unless you are looking for it. Though in addition I also wear snowboarding wrist guards which aren't a common piece of safety attire on the ice but I just can't risk my wrists. With gloves on they aren't that noticeable either though, just looks like I'm wearing long gloves from a distance.
giantg2 3y ago
Most of the military jumpers have worn out backs, knees, etc from all the extra weight. Even if they wanted to jump for fun, they basically can't. At least that's for the guys I know.
- bell-cot 3y ago
  > from all the extra weight. It ain't just the weight. Military jump situations are seldom optimized for joint safely - jumping at night, landing on rough terrain, etc. And neither military culture nor hostile defending forces encourage a "if you think you might have injured a joint, then remain in place and signal for medical attention..." approach. (My cousin served from the later 70's to early 10's, mostly in the 5th Special Forces Group. Plenty of action, but rather tight lipped on details - as he should be.)
- longerthoughts 3y ago
  Not sure when the people you know were jumping but I've heard a few older (non-military) guys at drop zones complain about shoulder, back and hip issues from harder openings with the rigs they used in the '90s and early '00s. Parachutes are typically sized according to weight to manage rate of descent, so the extra weight shouldn't be an issue. Given the context I wonder if the military just calibrates around faster rate of descent because it's risky to stay in the air too long.
  - giantg2 3y ago
    The extra weight is a factor in the harder openings. There are multiple different rigs even today, so I'm not sure if it's specific to one or another.
    - longerthoughts 3y ago
      ah true, openings would still be harder - bigger canopy only saves you on landings
  - 0_____0 3y ago
    That's exactly right.

jeffbee 3y ago

I don't think this knowledge is obscure. "Sky sports" are one of the few things that make a person practically uninsurable, along with scuba diving, motorcycle racing, and private aviation.

patch_cable 3y ago
Not sure about the others, but I have had no problem getting life insurance as a private pilot. Some companies won’t touch it, but plenty will.
- bombcar 3y ago
  It's a matter of risk balancing. A private pilot is more likely to die in a private plane crash, but also more likely to be able to afford paying for insurance. What insurers don't like is someone who throws off their "books" unexpectedly.
JumpCrisscross 3y ago
I dive and fly. My life insurance is still cheaper than a smoker’s.
- jeffbee 3y ago
  [flagged]
mlyle 3y ago
> make a person practically uninsurable, along with scuba diving, [...] and private aviation. I don't know about motorcycle racing, but scuba and private aviation are plenty insurable. $1M 20 year term life goes for ~$100/mo if you're a younger pilot. There will be a somewhat smaller set of insurers to choose from, and a couple of outliers who try to charge you way more.
FireBeyond 3y ago
My life insurance has no issue with me being a firefighter, or sky diving, as long as I don't combine the two and do smokejumping.
- Scoundreller 3y ago
  What about fire and skydiving? https://youtu.be/VyV_tjIw-YQ?t=255 https://youtu.be/VyV_tjIw-YQ?t=255
throwaway2037 3y ago
I don't agree with your comment about scuba diving. Not to be a shill, but I always use World Nomads Travel Insurance when I travel for scuba diving. It is simple to apply online and pay with a credit card. They have two levels of travel insurance: one for low risk activities, and another for higher risk activities, such as scuba diving.

michaelt 3y ago

That's kinda the norm for dangerous sports, isn't it? Motorbikes are dangerous; people often die riding. For many people the risks exceeds the rewards, and they choose not to ride. Other people have a greater appetite for risk, and choose to live until they die. I myself refuse to strap on ice skates (or rollerblades) having had 20 titanium screws put into my arm after falling on the ice. But I knew the risk I was getting into when I got onto the ice.

amluto 3y ago
I wish it was more socially acceptable to ice skate recreationally with safety gear. Falling on the ice hurts. Falling on the ice if you’re dressed like you’re playing hockey is considerably less unpleasant.
- giantg2 3y ago
  "I wish it was more socially acceptable to ice skate recreationally with safety gear." I can't remember a time when looking stupid stopped me from doing something. Perhaps that's just my natural state.
- DowagerDave 3y ago
  "Core" gear like helmets and knee/wrist pads seems totally acceptable now. "Extreme" biking/skateboarding (outside of street bmx & skating) has largely adopted safety gear too.
- bartonfink 3y ago
  I give you permission.
- jpgvm 3y ago
  I wear figure skating protection when I'm skating recreationally, because the padding is slim it's basically imperceptible unless you are looking for it. Though in addition I also wear snowboarding wrist guards which aren't a common piece of safety attire on the ice but I just can't risk my wrists. With gloves on they aren't that noticeable either though, just looks like I'm wearing long gloves from a distance.

giantg2 3y ago

Most of the military jumpers have worn out backs, knees, etc from all the extra weight. Even if they wanted to jump for fun, they basically can't. At least that's for the guys I know.

bell-cot 3y ago
> from all the extra weight. It ain't just the weight. Military jump situations are seldom optimized for joint safely - jumping at night, landing on rough terrain, etc. And neither military culture nor hostile defending forces encourage a "if you think you might have injured a joint, then remain in place and signal for medical attention..." approach. (My cousin served from the later 70's to early 10's, mostly in the 5th Special Forces Group. Plenty of action, but rather tight lipped on details - as he should be.)
longerthoughts 3y ago
Not sure when the people you know were jumping but I've heard a few older (non-military) guys at drop zones complain about shoulder, back and hip issues from harder openings with the rigs they used in the '90s and early '00s. Parachutes are typically sized according to weight to manage rate of descent, so the extra weight shouldn't be an issue. Given the context I wonder if the military just calibrates around faster rate of descent because it's risky to stay in the air too long.
- giantg2 3y ago
  The extra weight is a factor in the harder openings. There are multiple different rigs even today, so I'm not sure if it's specific to one or another.
  - longerthoughts 3y ago
    ah true, openings would still be harder - bigger canopy only saves you on landings
- 0_____0 3y ago
  That's exactly right.