People are afraid of skydiving mainly because there are a lot of myths related to it in the popular culture. These several inaccuracies that have been propagated are the biggest reason for skydiving fear. Here are four of these myths along with the real explanation. Myth 1: During free fall you can't breathe Fact: Breathing during free fall is possible, contrary to the way people tend to think. If breathing wouldn't be possible the skydiver wouldn't be able to open the parachute because they would be unconscious. Myth 2: A conversation can be held during free fall. Fact: This might be doable in movies but it is strictly Hollywood. The reality is that while free falling you can't hear anything because the wind screaming through your ears is too loud. Trying to have a conversation in that conditions is impossible. Myth 3: Holding on to someone that has a parachute is possible, if you don't have one yourself. Fact: This is indeed a movie miracle and is 99% likely not to happen. This kind of stunts have been pulled off but again that is almost impossible and that is because of the forces that are at work when the parachute opens. Myth 4: You can free fall for five minutes Fact: The cruise height of an airplane is at about 10,000 - 12,000 feet and that means about 40 seconds of free fall before opening the parachute. A five minutes fall requires a height of about 60,000 feet and you would need extra oxygen. Myth 5: My parachute will not open Fact: There are a lot of natural fears about your parachute failing to open but this has been take care of with all modern parachutes because they are now fitted with a device that will deploy the parachute automatically in case you fail to do that yourself. The device is called Automatic Activation Device, or AAD. The most common reasons for skydiving deaths and injuries, and that is 92%, are mistakes in judgement and procedure. This means that if you are well prepared for the jump and do everything right for the time it takes to get to the ground then you'll enjoy 60 seconds of exhilarating free fall and live to tell the tale. |
