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Would you have the guts to skydive?

doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

Gronk jumped out of a plane today, would you have the guts to do it?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IvuvX8nzTcA&pp=ygUPZ3Jvbmsgc2t5ZGl2aW5n

Comments

  • LandrysFedoraLandrysFedora Posts: 1,965 ✭✭✭✭✭

    No thanks. I'll take a pass!

  • tommyrusty7tommyrusty7 Posts: 2,008 ✭✭✭✭

    The only reason to jump out of a plane is because it's going to crash.
    You are just stupid to do it otherwise !

  • streeterstreeter Posts: 4,312 ✭✭✭✭✭

    If people were meant to fly, God would have given us wings.

    Have a nice day
  • stevekstevek Posts: 28,695 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I've got the brains not to.

  • GroceryRackPackGroceryRackPack Posts: 2,879 ✭✭✭✭✭

    One of my north east coast guys wants me to jump out of an aircraft vessel with him…

    I said to him, Hell To The No On That One…

    Ok, fellow forum members….here’s some my fears in no particular order…

    I don’t do heights…

    I don’t do snakes…

    I don’t do automatic car washes…

    and thinking now...

    Would you have the guts to skydive? If there would be some Cool Unopened Racks floating around in the sky to chase down; then I'd make the jump... :)

  • Basebal21Basebal21 Posts: 3,046 ✭✭✭✭

    I probably wouldnt enjoy it, but if I was going to do it I would feel much better with military guys that do it for a living than some random guy on a beach somewhere.

    Missouri 14 OSU 3

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 12, 2023 6:07PM

    I've been rock climbing many times in Colorado with my uncle, just small stuff, nothing too high, he is a retired airline pilot, was in the Air Force, and he's been skydiving many times. Anyway, he's tried to get me to do it and I always politely decline, rock climbing is about as high as I care to go. I just don't trust a parachute, because if it malfunctions somehow, that's a bad ending.

  • GroceryRackPackGroceryRackPack Posts: 2,879 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I’ve been thinking again…

    Would you have the guts to skydive?

    Only if Reagan, Carter, Nixon and LBJ were in the plane with me on our jump… :)

  • BLUEJAYWAYBLUEJAYWAY Posts: 8,608 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @doubledragon said:
    I've been rock climbing many times in Colorado with my uncle, just small stuff, nothing too high, he is a retired airline pilot, was in the Air Force, and he's been skydiving many times. Anyway, he's tried to get me to do it and I always politely decline, rock climbing is about as high as I care to go. I just don't trust a parachute, because if it malfunctions somehow, that's a bad ending.

    There are 2 chutes so that would lessen your odds of failure.

    Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
  • BLUEJAYWAYBLUEJAYWAY Posts: 8,608 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I might try it if I was 100 years old with nothing to lose and nothing to live for.

    Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
  • stevekstevek Posts: 28,695 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @GroceryRackPack said:
    I’ve been thinking again…

    Would you have the guts to skydive?

    Only if Reagan, Carter, Nixon and LBJ were in the plane with me on our jump… :)

    IE: Point Break

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @BLUEJAYWAY said:

    @doubledragon said:
    I've been rock climbing many times in Colorado with my uncle, just small stuff, nothing too high, he is a retired airline pilot, was in the Air Force, and he's been skydiving many times. Anyway, he's tried to get me to do it and I always politely decline, rock climbing is about as high as I care to go. I just don't trust a parachute, because if it malfunctions somehow, that's a bad ending.

    There are 2 chutes so that would lessen your odds of failure.

    Not good enough, I want 50 backup chutes!

  • Basebal21Basebal21 Posts: 3,046 ✭✭✭✭

    @stevek said:

    @GroceryRackPack said:
    I’ve been thinking again…

    Would you have the guts to skydive?

    Only if Reagan, Carter, Nixon and LBJ were in the plane with me on our jump… :)

    IE: Point Break

    Underrated movies. One of the few where the remake was actually good as well.

    Missouri 14 OSU 3

  • stevekstevek Posts: 28,695 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Basebal21 said:

    @stevek said:

    @GroceryRackPack said:
    I’ve been thinking again…

    Would you have the guts to skydive?

    Only if Reagan, Carter, Nixon and LBJ were in the plane with me on our jump… :)

    IE: Point Break

    Underrated movies. One of the few where the remake was actually good as well.

    I liked it as well.

    I didn't realize there was a remake? I'll have to check it out.

  • BLUEJAYWAYBLUEJAYWAY Posts: 8,608 ✭✭✭✭✭

    There's an old W.C. Fields line in one of his old movies. When asked do you worry if your chute does not open? No, it's the last 10 feet that will kill you.

    Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
  • Basebal21Basebal21 Posts: 3,046 ✭✭✭✭

    @stevek said:

    @Basebal21 said:

    @stevek said:

    @GroceryRackPack said:
    I’ve been thinking again…

    Would you have the guts to skydive?

    Only if Reagan, Carter, Nixon and LBJ were in the plane with me on our jump… :)

    IE: Point Break

    Underrated movies. One of the few where the remake was actually good as well.

    I liked it as well.

    I didn't realize there was a remake? I'll have to check it out.

    It was mid 2010s for the remake that was more extreme sports related. I enjoyed that one as well and would say its worth watching. Theres a couple of the remakes I liked with that, Judge Dredd and the Robocop.

    Missouri 14 OSU 3

  • thisistheshowthisistheshow Posts: 9,386 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @doubledragon said:

    @BLUEJAYWAY said:

    @doubledragon said:
    I've been rock climbing many times in Colorado with my uncle, just small stuff, nothing too high, he is a retired airline pilot, was in the Air Force, and he's been skydiving many times. Anyway, he's tried to get me to do it and I always politely decline, rock climbing is about as high as I care to go. I just don't trust a parachute, because if it malfunctions somehow, that's a bad ending.

    There are 2 chutes so that would lessen your odds of failure.

    Not good enough, I want 50 backup chutes!

    https://youtu.be/m-BS5csupRc?feature=shared

  • stevekstevek Posts: 28,695 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Basebal21 said:

    @stevek said:

    @Basebal21 said:

    @stevek said:

    @GroceryRackPack said:
    I’ve been thinking again…

    Would you have the guts to skydive?

    Only if Reagan, Carter, Nixon and LBJ were in the plane with me on our jump… :)

    IE: Point Break

    Underrated movies. One of the few where the remake was actually good as well.

    I liked it as well.

    I didn't realize there was a remake? I'll have to check it out.

    It was mid 2010s for the remake that was more extreme sports related. I enjoyed that one as well and would say its worth watching. Theres a couple of the remakes I liked with that, Judge Dredd and the Robocop.

    There was some pretty good chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Lori Petty. I wouldn't have minded seeing a continuation story. I realize Reeves quit when he threw his badge in the ocean. But that could have easily been rectified in the beginning of the new movie. They could be married, Petty say joins the FBI, and any number of adventure plots could be written about that.

    I'd be sure a good number of screenplays were submitted to the Hollywood studio in that regard. But for whatever reasons, it couldn't be brought together.

  • Basebal21Basebal21 Posts: 3,046 ✭✭✭✭

    @stevek said:

    @Basebal21 said:

    @stevek said:

    @Basebal21 said:

    @stevek said:

    @GroceryRackPack said:
    I’ve been thinking again…

    Would you have the guts to skydive?

    Only if Reagan, Carter, Nixon and LBJ were in the plane with me on our jump… :)

    IE: Point Break

    Underrated movies. One of the few where the remake was actually good as well.

    I liked it as well.

    I didn't realize there was a remake? I'll have to check it out.

    It was mid 2010s for the remake that was more extreme sports related. I enjoyed that one as well and would say its worth watching. Theres a couple of the remakes I liked with that, Judge Dredd and the Robocop.

    There was some pretty good chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Lori Petty. I wouldn't have minded seeing a continuation story. I realize Reeves quit when he threw his badge in the ocean. But that could have easily been rectified in the beginning of the new movie. They could be married, Petty say joins the FBI, and any number of adventure plots could be written about that.

    I'd be sure a good number of screenplays were submitted to the Hollywood studio in that regard. But for whatever reasons, it couldn't be brought together.

    A part 2 definitely could have been good with it. Its not like Reeves stopped making movies. I havent seen it in a while but the remake kind of just ignores the original and follows the same script with more things like free climbing a mountain and using wing suits.

    For some reason a bunch of those movies in that early 90s time frame never got a second one and then got a remake years later. Even with Top Gun 30 years was way to long to wait for the second. Was a good movie as well but that could have easily been a series that had 3 or 4 movies

    Missouri 14 OSU 3

  • Steven59Steven59 Posts: 8,456 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Just not seeing the fun in skydiving...................

    "When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"

  • DrBusterDrBuster Posts: 5,351 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Was talking about this yesterday at the bar for games with the Gronk jump. Neighbors b-day is next week and I mentioned it, him and his girl might go.

    I've been 6x. If I wasn't busted up and in better shape I'd go again, anytime.

    The line in point break is truth: 100% pure adrenaline.

    First time I went, didn't sleep for 3 days and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much non stop.

  • craig44craig44 Posts: 11,020 ✭✭✭✭✭

    when I was younger, I certainly would have tried it. I used to have a bit of a streak in me. Fast forward 25 years...

    now, ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!! I am not into my old duffer years yet, but I have smartened up in middle age. I have 2 kids, wife, house, etc. I cant afford to go throwing myself out of airplanes anymore.

    I tell my kids that I take the YOLO strategy now. You know, you only live once----so you need to be very very careful in whatever you do! My kids say, "dad, that is not what YOLO means..."

    George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.

  • MCMLVToppsMCMLVTopps Posts: 4,792 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Well, I'm kinda in the minority here. I was in Korea, and my sergeant (who was my boss), happened to be a key figure in the local sky diving club. After several conversations, I decided to check it out. Well, I guess one does not skydive without a skydiving suit, so I got one. It was white, with some cool patches, I wish I still had it.

    There was a minimum of "training" to teach you how to fall when you land, they're called PLFs, Parachute Landing Falls. Well, they day came, and somehow the Army allowed this group to use a deHavilland Beaver...like you see a ton of times with floats flying in and around Alaska. Single engine, kinda crampy, but held 4 divers. For those reading this that are familiar with military rank, I was a Pvt E-2 at the time, and I actually sat directly across from a Lieutenant General, yes, 3 star general!! I had to kinda hold his knees and those 9 stars were maybe a foot or so away from me, 3 on each lapel, and 3 on his helmet. It was pretty surreal to say the least, but he was just like one of the guys, very earthy.

    So, at 2.8k feet, the pilot slowed the engine and I was sitting in the doorway with my feet in the little step used to get into the plane. I had my left hand on the wing strut and there was a rip cord from my chute and attached to a floor "anchor". The deal here was that as soon as you jump, it opens the chute in a few seconds.

    At some point Sergeant Peck, my boss, told me when he slapped my shoulder to try and reach out with my right hand to the strut....can't do that, but you kinda end up with both arms spread apart and you're off to the races. The initial feeling was holy shit, you definitely know you're falling, but the chute opens pretty quickly and I gotta say, the view was very cool. Closer to the ground, I tried to remember how to land, but I landed with a stiff right leg and right into the ground...6 weeks of hospitalization for a "traumatic right knee". It was a thrill, but would not do it again, a lot of stuff has to go right, and if any one of them fails, you are gonna get your ticket punched. Stupid? Maybe, but it was a helluva thrill. I was 19 at the time.

  • craig44craig44 Posts: 11,020 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MCMLVTopps thank you for that story. I can imagine that was a pretty intense plane ride. and jump!!

    On a side note, my Grandfather was in the Army during Korea. He was trained as a tank gunner. You guys were a tough-as-nails generation. I can definitely say that!!! He is gone now, but some of his stories...

    George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.

  • MCMLVToppsMCMLVTopps Posts: 4,792 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Craig 44...Your Grandfather comment brought up a memory...kinda cool, so I thought I'd share it.

    I was in Korea from 63-64, seems like Ancient times. I was assigned to a Data Processing Unit, if you're old enough to remember punch card days of IBM machines, that was us. We were mostly E2-E4s, except for the sergeant mentioned above, and one other. So, we had a very unique "specialty". First, let me say that you get to Korea in those days either by troop ship, like 18 days over the Pacific or you got lucky and flew. I had the troop ship, no fun. You also return home the same way, BUT, the draftees always got screwed and filled the boat allocations first, almost none of them flew home. We had a monthly data sheet with names or returnees and their "allocation" that had to be input into IBM cards.

    It became crystal clear to "us" that we had ENORMOUS power in messing with or helping people fly home, or not. As memory serves, if you were a "1 punch" in column 63, you drew a flight, if you had a "2" punch in column 63, you had a very long boat ride home. All we had to do was take the original IBM card (all the inputting was done by Korean ladies who worked there), dupe it in a machine up to column 63 and make the change, toss the original, then reinsert the new card into the stack and presto, magic happened.

    Perhaps you can see where this is going...as we got to know guys in the compound and they became our buddies, amazingly, when it was their time to rotate back to the states, they got a "1" punched out in colum 63, regardless of whether you had been drafted or not. If you were a jerk, you got a guaranteed "2" punched out. We had it so made!!! The postal guys would bring us our mail day or night, the finance guys always made sure we got paid properly, the admin guys were great, so they all flew home, as did we, regardless of draftee enlistee or whatever, the roster was never challenged.

    I'll never forget one guy who was in the Honor Guard platoon, he was a smart ass and acted like he was better than us with all his spit and polish BS, and while the memory is not clear, he gave some crap to "one of the guys" and that was his poison pill...he saw a lot of the Pacific on the way home, his mail was rerouted to Europe, and his finance records were "accidentally" messed up. God, it was so, so cool !!! I grin as I remember how fun it was. Such great guys !!! Yes, I flew home.

    Never doubt or underestimate the power of the grunt!

  • DrBusterDrBuster Posts: 5,351 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 13, 2023 9:22AM

    My last jump was fun.

    Classmate of mine from UGA, she bounced from CNN and decided to join the navy to fly F-14s. Was down at Pensacola. I drove my jeep down there for a long weekend for a visit. Spent a day on the naval base there in the OC shooting pool and having her drive my jeep all over the base. Got up close with the Blue Angel jets.

    Next day we went to the Flor/Bama drop zone. She wasn't going to jump but when the pilot heard she was in flight school he offered her co-pilot seat in the king air we were jumping out of and she took it.

    We're going up and everyone was a regular except for us. One of the girls asked if I was nervous, said no and told her this would be jump 6. The guy I was tandom with asked if I wanted to mess around. I said hell yes.

    We got out last of ~20 people or so with a couple other guys. Drop out backwards and do 3 barrel rolls before flatenning out. Sky, plane, ground, gulf of mexico x3. Once we were out the pilot dive bombed the king air to match us. Was cool to see.

    The 2 guys that went when I did, we met up in air and locked hands for a 3 person formation. Did a couple circles and then everyone let go, turned a different way, and went a dropping. I was supposed to pull the chute but forgot, we got a little extra drop until about 2-3000 feet. Got a nice chute ride with that view of the gulf.

    Landed. Hopped in the jeep and went drinking with a bunch of her navy peeps. Was awesome.

  • craig44craig44 Posts: 11,020 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MCMLVTopps, thank you for telling us that story. I really enjoyed reading it. I most certainly would not have messed with you had I been in Korea then!!!

    George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.

  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,199 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Nope

  • GroceryRackPackGroceryRackPack Posts: 2,879 ✭✭✭✭✭

  • stevekstevek Posts: 28,695 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I agree if it was combat, I'd have no problem parachuting in to take out the enemy.

  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,199 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @stevek said:
    I agree if it was combat, I'd have no problem parachuting in to take out the enemy.

    That is a completely different set of circumstances and yes I'd be right next to you

  • MCMLVToppsMCMLVTopps Posts: 4,792 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @craig44 said:
    @MCMLVTopps, thank you for telling us that story. I really enjoyed reading it. I most certainly would not have messed with you had I been in Korea then!!!

    Just to be clear, as memory serves, we only messed with one Enlisted guy in the Honor Guard and one Major. We did a lot of guys a HUGE favor with almost no effort, I'd say at least 50. We were all happy go lucky guys, all stuck in a place we really didn't want to be, discovered a tiny loop hole in the system, and made the best of it. It was a long 13 months, and just like returning from Nam, the sight of seeing California again was impossible to describe. It's the little things in the military that you are deprived from having, that when you get them back again, it gives you a new perspective and appreciation on life.

    BTW, everybody on the boards would have flown home, easy peasy. B)B)

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,839 ✭✭✭✭✭

    No. Why jump out of a perfectly good airplane?

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
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