What will you do?

When restrictions ease up DZs will begin to open. But social distancing is still going to be recommended. As a sport jumper will you be breaking social distancing and getting in the airplane or will you decide it's not worth the risk? Note, I am only looking for yes/no in the poll. If you are on the fence feel free to say so in a comment.

I dont know that this forum will get you the best average as most people post on social media, not here. Based on all the discussion I've seen, most skydivers would jump in a heartbeat if they had the chance. Some DZs already started reopening and in the coming few weeks I suspect most DZs will be open if the government allows them to.

NOT in Tenn. in a PAC for 38.00     Sometimes you have to accept loss and move on... 

To stay on topic, I live every third day at the firehouse, running ambulance calls...  LEARN BASIC DECON PRINCIPLES if you intend to put yourself in harms way. Wear an APPROVED N95 mask. Make one EPIC jump, and pack that shit at home!  Go about it smartly... 

If the situation is still severe enough, if the infection rates are still high enough, if it's still bad enough that social distancing is still highly recommended, then no. 

I'm not going to get that close to that many people for that long 'just for fun.' 

MAYBE if it's people that I know have been well isolated, only 4 of us in a 182, maybe.

However, several of the folks I regularly jump with are working in essential fields, interacting with numerous people daily, clearly at higher risk. A couple of them are being very casual about their behaviors. Getting close, no mask, just not taking it all that seriously. A couple others work in hospital settings (not actual health care workers, but at the facility). 
I wouldn't want to be on a plane with those people. 

And, on 'the other side of the coin', if hospitals are still dealing with a lot of Covid patients, even if they aren't at capacity, I wouldn't want to risk a jump. 
The reality is that getting badly hurt is possible on any jump. 
Risking ending up in a hospital with a lot of sick people (and potentially sick health care workers) 'just for fun' is not a risk I'm willing to take.

As I've heard it said to people who are thinking about taking a break from jumping for whatever reason:

The sky will be there. 

I think I'll wait until the world is a bit less dangerous before I add the risk of jumping back into the equation. 

Note: This is my opinion and evaluation of the situation. Others will have different opinions and evaluations. As long as they are based in science & reality, they are entitled to them and I won't argue.

If they are saying "I wanna jump!! This is all a hoax!!!", then to hell with them and their idiocy.

48 minutes ago, wolfriverjoe said:

If the situation is still severe enough, if the infection rates are still high enough, if it's still bad enough that social distancing is still highly recommended, then no. 
 

Well that's going to be well into 2021 just FYI. I am pretty sure the CDC's recommendations for social distancing are now a semi-permanent thing. 

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t believe the virus is real, but there are many people who feel the risk is not high to them, they don’t care, or they are otherwise more motivated by external factors (e.g. making money). Usually the phrase is something to the extent of ‘well just how long are we supposed to stay home?” That is a valid question, but also we’re not even really that far into this thing. Stay at home orders have only been in effect for around five weeks in most areas so it hasn’t even really been that long yet. The only thing that is clear is the USA is on track to become the most infected, most hit, most poorly performing country in the world with Covid. We already lead the world in infected cases and deaths by a far margin and by the end of next month we may have the highest rate per capata of infected people. No matter how you look at it, the United States is getting completely handed. We are in dead last place in this race.

I think what we saw early on was people saying, ok the risk is real so we can deal with staying at home for a bit. But now after a bit people (largely small businesses) are getting strapped for cash , they are bored sitting at home and so now we have a situation where making money is more important than saving lives. So it went from 'lets all stay at home for safety' to 'ah, it's not actually that bad we need to get businesses back open'. Even though when you look at the numbers, the hard data clearly shows there are hundreds of times more infected roaming around right now than there was when we first closed down. There are also many, many people who straight-up minimize the risk. They just genuinely believe the risk is marginal and it's not something to be concerned with. That's quite common.

I'm a no because, even if social distancing were possible on a skydive, and other recommendations could be followed (and I am skeptical about this), once I start packing, there is basically zero chance I won't touch my face. I can't imagine the hangar/packing area could possibly be sanitized enough for me to feel OK about that probability.

I replied yes, but I am really more on the fence.

The truth is that where I live and where I jump, the infection rate is quite low.  As such, violating social distancing rules for a few jumps (but not nearly as many as I hoped to do otherwise) wouldn't be that much of a risk.  

Except, I suspect there is a very good chance that my part of the state opens long before the more populous areas. That leads me to believe that we'll have a huge influx of jumpers crossing the mountains to jump, and likely bringing the virus over with them.  So, I would jump with local jumpers from the area, but certainly not with visiting jumpers whose DZs aren't yet open.

Side note: Skydiving aside, the possibility of visitors bring the virus to my area already scares me since I live in a small but popular tourist town that is likely to be swarmed with people once restrictions are lifted.

Wednesday is jump day from the 206.

12 hours ago, timski said:

NOT in Tenn. in a PAC for 38.00     Sometimes you have to accept loss and move on... 

To stay on topic, I live every third day at the firehouse, running ambulance calls...  LEARN BASIC DECON PRINCIPLES if you intend to put yourself in harms way. Wear an APPROVED N95 mask. Make one EPIC jump, and pack that shit at home!  Go about it smartly... 

If the only reason to wear it is to engage in a recreational activity, that is a huge waste of PPE which could be better employed in the healthcare sector.

Side question: Will it even survive freefall or do 'you' plan to take it off just before exit?

15 hours ago, betzilla said:

I'm a no because, even if social distancing were possible on a skydive, and other recommendations could be followed (and I am skeptical about this), once I start packing, there is basically zero chance I won't touch my face. I can't imagine the hangar/packing area could possibly be sanitized enough for me to feel OK about that probability.

Spot on. Of course, just like normal times in Skydiving our living large, mad skilz, I gotta get mine going for it does not include worrying about the pilot. That too might need revisiting in the new normal.

18 hours ago, wolfriverjoe said:

If the situation is still severe enough, if the infection rates are still high enough, if it's still bad enough that social distancing is still highly recommended, then no. 

I'm not going to get that close to that many people for that long 'just for fun.' 

MAYBE if it's people that I know have been well isolated, only 4 of us in a 182, maybe.

However, several of the folks I regularly jump with are working in essential fields, interacting with numerous people daily, clearly at higher risk. A couple of them are being very casual about their behaviors. Getting close, no mask, just not taking it all that seriously. A couple others work in hospital settings (not actual health care workers, but at the facility). 
I wouldn't want to be on a plane with those people. 

And, on 'the other side of the coin', if hospitals are still dealing with a lot of Covid patients, even if they aren't at capacity, I wouldn't want to risk a jump. 
The reality is that getting badly hurt is possible on any jump. 
Risking ending up in a hospital with a lot of sick people (and potentially sick health care workers) 'just for fun' is not a risk I'm willing to take.

As I've heard it said to people who are thinking about taking a break from jumping for whatever reason:

The sky will be there. 

I think I'll wait until the world is a bit less dangerous before I add the risk of jumping back into the equation. 

Note: This is my opinion and evaluation of the situation. Others will have different opinions and evaluations. As long as they are based in science & reality, they are entitled to them and I won't argue.

If they are saying "I wanna jump!! This is all a hoax!!!", then to hell with them and their idiocy.

Apparently he's an out of work jump pilot who said he'd take "any job you've got." He does have his mask and gloves on though.

10 minutes ago, JoeWeber said:

Apparently he's an out of work jump pilot who said he'd take "any job you've got."

There are going to be a lot of pilots of all types in that position for quite a while I suspect.

On 4/27/2020 at 9:21 PM, ColoradoJones said:

Wednesday is jump day from the 206.

Let us know how that goes. How many on the aircraft and how busy the DZ is. And the general vibe.

Several DZs announced they will be opening this weekend or within a few weeks. 

On 4/27/2020 at 2:00 PM, timski said:

NOT in Tenn. in a PAC for 38.00     Sometimes you have to accept loss and move on... 

To stay on topic, I live every third day at the firehouse, running ambulance calls...  LEARN BASIC DECON PRINCIPLES if you intend to put yourself in harms way. Wear an APPROVED N95 mask. Make one EPIC jump, and pack that shit at home!  Go about it smartly... 

This is a comment from an article on avweb.com about passengers required to wear face masks.  It may not be all that safe to wear a mask at altitude in an aircraft.

"Using a mask (especially the N95 ones) require breathing in a lot more CO2 than you would be normally without the mask."

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/jetblue-to-require-passenger-face-masks/#comment-6318

Matt W. April 28, 2020 at 7:10 pm

14 hours ago, Bigfalls said:

This is a comment from an article on avweb.com about passengers required to wear face masks.  It may not be all that safe to wear a mask at altitude in an aircraft.

"Using a mask (especially the N95 ones) require breathing in a lot more CO2 than you would be normally without the mask."

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/jetblue-to-require-passenger-face-masks/#comment-6318

Matt W. April 28, 2020 at 7:10 pm

Not sure about any filters, but the pressurized planes I have flown have outflow valves located in the aft part of plane. Cabin air is replaced many times per minute when in flight. Not familiar with Boeing or Airbus pressurization systems.

Per my company’s procedure I was wearing a mask when my charter passengers showed and during loading of baggage. Now I am far from being in top physical shape so after loading several typical charter passenger bags I felt a little “light” headed and took mask off and waited to catch my breath. Using a mask (especially the N95 ones) require breathing in a lot more CO2 than you would be normally without the mask. I found out on Google that this is a training method some athletes use to simulate a higher altitude for their competitions, giving them an edge in any competitions they participate in. Not trying to be offensive to any flight attendant, I have seen my share of those flight attendants (male or female) who are in just the same physical condition as myself or worse. Imagine one loading several passenger carryons then passing out from lack of O2 due to the mask. How about using a mask at cruise altitude (most airliner cabin altitudes are from 6000 to 8000 ft). The effects of higher altitude will magnify any hypoxia effects along with anyone who smokes. How fast can you take the mask off so you can put on supplemental O2 in a pressurization failure? This possible emergency was discussed at my company and procedure is once in the cockpit the mask comes off, period. With the FAA emphasis on pilots not having a beard when flying pressurized airplanes kind of makes me think the SAFO referred in this article is a cop out. Why does the FAA just come out and say without proper training wearing any face covering is not safe for flight crews? These same issues have been discussed at the 2 drop zones that I fly jumpers at. I will not fly skydivers if they wear any mask covering their faces during the climb to altitude. Sorry about the long response but there has not been anyone thinking about the issues that come up with N95 mask use in airplane cabins whether pressurized or not.

SUPER valid. Take a balloon in stead! But seriously, the NEW world is going to look different. On the bright side, LOTS of room for thinkers/innovators to make some money out there...  

On 4/28/2020 at 2:42 AM, Baksteen said:

If the only reason to wear it is to engage in a recreational activity, that is a huge waste of PPE which could be better employed in the healthcare sector.

Side question: Will it even survive freefall or do 'you' plan to take it off just before exit?

Don't talk to me about waste, PPE and the "health care sector".  Too close to home  ...  

On 4/28/2020 at 8:22 PM, gowlerk said:

Let us know how that goes. How many on the aircraft and how busy the DZ is. And the general vibe.

Turns out the 206 had ads-b issues so we were in the 182.  3 or 4 per run, visors down or open as little as possible, some wore masks while others didnt.  Overall the vibe was "relief".  We were all ready to jump and very much needed the air bath to cleanse our souls!

It was somewhat busy, not packed (small DZ on a private airfield anyway), not the busiest i have seen it, but busier than it has been on many days.  This DZ doesnt have a lot of fun jumpers on a daily basis since its small and only an hour from a DZ with two twin otters and a king air ... but we had about 12 fun jumpers taking laps in the 182 most of the day which is very solid for this DZ with no tandems. They were also fielding lots of calls and taking tandem reservations.  They were the first to open in the state as far as i am aware and have stayed busy since they opened on Monday. 

I will be back there soon. 

On 4/26/2020 at 3:43 PM, gowlerk said:

When restrictions ease up DZs will begin to open. But social distancing is still going to be recommended. As a sport jumper will you be breaking social distancing and getting in the airplane or will you decide it's not worth the risk? Note, I am only looking for yes/no in the poll. If you are on the fence feel free to say so in a comment.

Basic pandemic reopening benchmark;

Two weeks no new infections and no deaths due to pandemic (COCID-19)

look at the reports from;

Erin Bromage-biologist 

Article :

Virus spread.The risk - know them  - avoid them.

it will blow everyone’s mind!!! 

3 hours ago, kaiser said:

Basic pandemic reopening benchmark;

Two weeks no new infections and no deaths due to pandemic (COCID-19)

look at the reports from;

Erin Bromage-biologist 

Article :

Virus spread.The risk - know them  - avoid them.

it will blow everyone’s mind!!! 

interesting article,

pack outdoors, on your own dedicated mat, appropriately spaced.

only 15mins exposure in the well ventilated plane, spray disinfected between loads, jumpers too.

when's kit on call?  

disclaimer: may contain confirmation bias

17 hours ago, kaiser said:

Basic pandemic reopening benchmark;

Two weeks no new infections and no deaths due to pandemic (COCID-19)

 

If that's your benchmark, then I guess you're done with the sport because that will not happen. Covid is not going away. It's here to stay permanently. Even if a vaccine is developed, a lot of people wont take it so there will still be people getting infected. Also, if a vaccine is developed, it might not actually make you immune. The flu vaccine only moderately reduces your chances of getting the flu. It absolutely does not grant immunity. I doubt we're ever going to get down to zero new infections per day for two weeks in an entire state. Most likely Covid will just end up becoming as common as the seasonal flu and the vaccine for it will be included in the flu shot.

In Germany wenn have a few DZ reopening with quite straight restrictions:

Previous registration to ensure enough space for evryone at the DZ

No tandems, no students

Maximum 80% usage of seats in aircraft

Wear Medical mouth protection ans gloves while at the DZ (packing, hanging around, boarding, even in the aircraft until exit)

No cameras (not sure if thats a "poitical" Thing to make sure noone is going to share smth on social media) 

Today I was at a DZ that was operating a caravan with maximum 10ppl per load.... Overall the vibe was relaxed but attentive