THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, MAY 5, 1978
Page 3
Low injury rate
arachutists learn to jump safely
1 It takes about two and a half min
utes to reach the ground when a
[parachutist jumps from an aircraft at
2,500 feet, falling at a rate of approx-
limately 13 to 15 feet per second,
■his is the dangerous aspect of
■arachuting because the jumper has
little time to think before landing.
K The American Parachute Center
tin Gatesville makes it possible for
Texas A&M University students to
llearn the art of parachuting.
■ The center, 120 miles from Col-
llege Station, holds classes for be-
Iginners as well as advanced stu-
Bents, and is the jumping site of the
A&M Sport Parachute Club.
I The 25-member A&M club,
which is affiliated with the U.S.
Parachute Association, has been es-
examples of emergency maneuvers.
Anderson, of the A&M parachute
club, felt that this was very helpful
because it gave him a preview of
what the jump would be like.
Students are taught to recognize
two types of malfunctions, the high
speed and low speed. At either of
these speeds, a total malfunction
may occur. This means the
parachute does not come out of its
pack closure.
The partial malfunction causes
the parachute not to open com
pletely. The horseshoe is a partial
malfunction in which the parachute
does not unfold completely because
the jumper’s hand or foot becomes
tangled in some part of it.
The total serious injury rate was
about 3 percent. Half of these were
experienced jumpers that exceeded
parachuting. The five hour class is
set up to make sure that everyone
gets the same routine and sufficient
“Our accident rate is probably lower
here than anywhere else” said David
Regenthal, jumpmaster and part owner
of the Gatesville school
Some CIA working areas
have‘hazardous conditions’
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Spy work
can be dangerous, but not in tbe
way you might think.
The Occupational Safety and
Health Administration, in a re
port released Wednesday, has
chided the CIA for allowing “un
safe and unhealthful conditions’
in its working areas.
The report said CIA safety
personnel are being trained in
such things as bomb disposal and
opening letter bombs rather than
in making sure employees do not
trip over things or are not ex
posed to hazardous fumes.
OSHA inspectors visited CIA
headquarters in Langley, Va., as
well as secret locations, and
found hazardous conditions such
as improper storage of flammable
liquids, excessive noise, lack of
exit signs and use of carbon tet
rachloride, a known cancer-
causing agent, without regard to
employee exposure levels.
“You ask yourself why you have de
cided to jump out of an airplane with
only a parachute on your back,” said
David Anderson, a member of the A<LrM
Sport Parachute Club.
tablished for two years.
Beginning parachutists often feel
uneasy before taking the first jump.
As he time draws near, a quiet
nervousness comes over you. You
ask yourself why you have decided
to jump out of an airplane with only
a parachute on your back, said
David Anderson, a member of the
A&M Sport Parachute Club.
I “But once you jump, the adrena
lin takes over and you lose the
fright. Landing is an indescribable
feeling because you realize that you
■ave actually accomplished
parachuting,” said Anderson.
E The American Parachute Center’s
classes consist of four major di
visions. The first, canopy control,
Bmiliarizes students with the actual
flarachute rigging.
B The second division includes air-
Rraft procedures. Students are
taught to exit from the aircraft and
to spot, which means dropping at a
(tortain time and landing on target.
By the U.S. Parachute Associa-
10n s doctrine, parachuting should
not be done in winds exceeding 10
mph,” said John Moyer, jumpmas
ter at the Gatesville school. “The
students are taught to check their
| canopy, orientate themselves with
the surroundings, and make sure
phat the target is in front of them
nnce optside the aircraft.”
I Thede are three types of maneu-
Ivers which the beginning
parachutist must learn. In the hold
ing maneuver, the jumper turns
into the wind to decrease his for
ward movement. The running ma-
leuver teaches the jumper to face
Bhe target and “run with the wind.
“Crabbing” refers to a maneuver
combining both running and hold
ing which causes the jumper to
Imove back and forth across the
iwindline.
I A third section of the class deals
Iwith malfunctions and reserve ac
tivations. A malfunction means that
something is wrong with the
parachute, making it unsafe for the
jumper to descend. In the classroom
ach student is suspended in the air
n an actual harness. This method
lllows the instructor to explain the
bnctions of the harness and to give
Some types of low speed malfunc
tions are the line over, in which the
line attached to the parachute be
comes caught over the top of the
canopy. Another such malfunction is
the blown panel, in which the mate
rial in the parachute is faulty and the
pressure causes it to fall apart. Mal
functions should be determined by
the time the jumper reaches 1800
feet so that emergency procedures
can be taken immediately.
The Gatesville Center instructors
have begun using radios which are
attached to the beginner’s gear to
instruct him in emergency and ap
proach procedures. Another alter
native is the ground arrow, which
tells the jumper which direction to
point his canopy.
The last division of the class deals
with landing falls and emergency
procedures, one of the most impor
tant aspects. “Our accident rate is
probably lower here than anywhere
else, said David Regenthal,
jumpmaster and part owner of the
Gatesville school. In the past two
years only eight jumps have re
sulted in injuries. Last year out of
125 students jumping for the first
time, there were only four injuries.
their personal limitations.
Regenthal said he believed that if
these persons had followed instruc
tions more carefully, there would
have been no problem. “Most new
comers want to learn and since they
are apprehensive about jumping
tend to be more careful,” said Re
genthal.
Students are taught to turn the
parachute into the wind at 200 feet
and hold that position until landing.
An exception to this rule is when the
jumper is in danger of striking an
obstacle, in which case the canopy
should be turned in a 90 degree
angle away from the danger area.
“Students are taught to avoid
these situations ahead of time by
maneuvering tbe canopy away from
any danger areas,” said Moyer. For
example, the jumper should keep
his feet and knees together with legs
bent and his hands folded under his
arms to pass through obstacles such
as trees. The five points of contact
upon landing are the balls of the
feet, calves, thigh, buttocks and
shoulder, in that order.
Once jump school classes are
completed, students are required to
take a written test over the material.
They can then begin working to
ward a variety of parachute licenses.
There are four types of licenses in
parachuting which are given out by
the USPA. These are A, B, C, and
D, where D is the most qualified
and A is the least. To achieve an A
license the jumper must go up in
the aircraft without a jumpmaster,
pack his own parachute, and have at
least 25 free falls. For a B license the
requirement is 50 free falls. The C
license requires 100 and the D
license requires 200. A jumpmaster
must have at least a C license and
have passed a jumpmaster course.
“I feel that we are one of the
safest operations going,” said Re
genthal. “We have taken steps to
make people aware of the dangers of
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time to learn the essential steps ol
parachuting.”
The instructors warn the students
during training that 90 percent of
the injuries occur upon landing.
About 80 percent of these usually
involve damage to the lower limbs.
The philosophy of the Gatesville
school is to give more time to actual
procedure than to packing rigs. This
gives the newcomer less additional
worry of packing the parachute him
self. When the instructors see that a
student has a problem, they give
him increased attention and retrain
those that are weak in certain areas.
When bad weather occurs, the stu
dents are given a refresher course
over previous lessons before going
on to others.
The A&M Sport Parachute Club,
which eventually hopes to put to
gether a team for competition, holds
it meetings every other Thursday in
the MSC. Membership fees for the
club are $10 for 12 months.
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