Skydiving – A Few Interesting Facts
A constantly evolving sport is parachuting. They certainly know how exhilarating experience it is who have tasted the thrill that comes by undergoing a bird like free fall. Once you have experienced or even watched it live, you would always feel fascinated by this very exciting stunt of skydiving. As for information related to either the history of skydiving or the learning of this skill, there are scores of websites offering you all latest developments in this field. Skydiving industry has grown amazingly rich during the last two decades in its equipments and training and techniques.
That’s why the number of skydivers is increasing at a rapid pace. But parachuting or skydiving is not just a great fun being performed as a recreational activity or as a competitive sport. The skill is also utilized by military forces all over the world and for that purpose there goes a trend of establishing parachuting staff these days. It’s a wonderful source of delivering soldiers to the battlefield causing a deadly shock for the enemy.
Skydiving, as is obvious from its name, involves high level risk, therefore, it does take a few lives every year. Experience and talent do have their weight; however, despite wonderful skills coupled with deep insight into variety of dangers involved in the activity, casualties do take place worldwide every now and then. In US alone, about 30 skydivers are killed each year, and several people are hurt too. There is approximately one death for every 100,000 jumps when you look at the statistics in the field a bit closely.
In the countries where parachuting is performed most professionally, it’s mandatory for skydivers to carry two parachutes so that the reserve parachute could be activated in the event of failing to activate the main canopy. Skydivers are advised to inspect this reserve parachute sporadically and re-pack it whether it’s being used or not. A lot of skydivers now use an automatic activation device called AAD that opens the set aside parachute at a safe height when needed.
Skydiving becomes precarious a job when you are overconfident. Injuries occur even under a fully functional parachute because the skydiver performed risky drills or made a miscalculation while flying their canopy. Plunge or swooping is also a difficult stage when you are gliding parallel to the ground while landing. Hence, advanced discipline is needed at this very crucial point, or you would end up falling on the ground exposing your body to incurable injuries.
