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Skydiving is a safe sport if it is accurately conducted; technologies are well tested, equipment are technologically advanced and training/teaching methods are fail-safe. Skydiving is an aeronautical sport subject to aeronautical law and standard, aeronautical technologies, aeronautical process etc. etc. and like that…nothing is by chance. As any human activity is not exempt from risks.
No, we don’t. What we see in the video is an optical illusion due to fact that person who opens the canopy reduce his descent speed, while person who is shooting maintains his speed.
Yes, we can. Also if speed is high (usually about 200km/h and in specific positions it can be higher) it is possible to breath regularly. Altitude doesn’t create any problems/difficulties because we don’t remain at high altitude long time. We climb quickly and just arrived at jump altitude the free fall starts. Italian law says that skydiver must have oxygen continuous availability for jumps over FL150 with independence enough to descend at FL150 with canopy inflated.
Scuola Paracadutismo Lucca climb with a Pilatus Porter PC6, that takes 15 minutes to reach jump level.
During skydiving course, each student learns to pack main canopy. Each canopy is usually packaged by user. Packing a canopy is easier of what we expect, but it is a procedure that must be done with attention and competence. While packing, students are continually assisted by an instructor who helps and control them with aim of obtain ability/competence needed. Reserve canopy (or as known “emergency canopy”) can be maintened and pack only by people with adequate license and only in specific Canopies Verification and Packing Center (CVRP), authorized by National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC). Reserve canopy, according to italian law, must be packaged by an authorized person during 180 days before jump ( each 180 days, also if it hasn’t been used, it must be opened, verified and packaged).
No, he isn’t; he is stupid! The so-called “delayed opening” took place until 35 years ago. If you open canopy low the skydiving school can stop your activitity. The law is clear about that and safety is our first thing. It is absolutely not safe to open your canopy low, to have few seconds more in freefall and exposes yourself to worthless risk and also to be a bad example. An individual skydiver must open his/her main canopy not lower than 750 meters and a tandem instructor must open main canopy up to 1200 meters (canopy opening finished!). Most of skydivers usually opens canopy 200-300 meters above minimum level expected.
No, they aren’t. Silk was used in wartime and it was used to build round canopy. Today fabric used are technologically advanced. We use synthetic fabric zero porosity (airproof), kevlar, spectra, vectran and drop-forged steel or particular alloy for metalic part who are exposed to high stresses. Canopies have an electronic device that uses pyrotechnics systems to open reserve canopy without any action of the skydiver, if he exceed given fly parameters (speed and altitude).
Absolutely. Today skydivers uses only wing canopy (square parachute); this type of canopy is really a wing (like that of a airplane) who has driving control with whom the skydiver can direct and slow down it. Canopy has a own speed of horizontal progress (in the high performance type it is also more than 13 m/sec) that can be slowed using driving control and you can land with horizontal and vertical speed close to zero. In Scuola Paracadutismo Lucca reserve canopies are wing canopies) therefore the driving characteristic are similar to main canopy.
Canopy is an “aeronautic machine” and if you use it and you maintain it according to builder recommendation and regulation, it brokes rarely. When a canopy has a damage cause is always an inappropriate usage or an inappropriate or inadequate maintenance.
Reserve canopies must be inspected, maintened and packaged in 120 or 180 days before every jump (it means that canopy must be packaged every 4 or 6 months if you jump regularly); for tandem canopies whole system must be checked every 25 jumps.
In very rare case of main canopy malfunctioning (canopy cannot open completely or it can open non correctly) some methods to solve problem are provided. Each equipment has a second canopy, the reserve canopy, and skydiver is trained to use appropriated procedure to solve the malfunctioning. In sport skydiving is very frequent (it is mandatory in tandem equipments and in students equipments) use of an auxiliary automatic opening device. In Italy, reserve canopy must be wing profile (gliding canopy) or in any case directional type. All our canopies have a gliding reserve canopy. All skydivers in our school must use a automatic device to open the reserve canopy in case of need.
It is very unlikely that it happens. Reserve canopy, harness and all parts are periodically inspected, mainteined and packaged by qualified people who works in a Canopies Verification and Packing Center certified by National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) or by people who have corresponding qualification. If it is right used and emergency procedure are right, it is like to infallible. If it happens the consequences could be very seriuos.
Yes, they do. There are local, national and international competitions. Many competitive disciplines exist in sport skydiving: Accuracy landing, Formation skydiving, Style, Free Fly, Skysurf, Canopy Relative Work, Canopy Piloting, etc). Sport skydiving is a sport with big prospective that must develop: many disciplines are borning or they are changing now. Italy is the top in many disciplines: we have Champions who were first in the world. Sport skydiving in Italy is not well sponsored by media.
No, it does not. Sport skydiving is an aeronautic activity regulated by Transport Minister in Italy. Sport skydiving techniques, procedures, laws and equipment respect aeronautic law (and the international standard in aeronautic matter) provided for Authority that regulate civil aviation (such a F.A.A. in USA and E.N.A.C. in Italy) or in same case military aviation (for example some standard that define canopy parts such as ribbon/strip/band/tape or other components). Bunjee Jumping doesn’t have a regulation, a standard or any procedures approved by an approved Authority. In Italy the qualifications that permit to practice sport skydiving are aeronautic qualifications, like airplane or helicopter pilots; these qualifications are subject to law of achievement, maintenance and check provided for the National Civil Aviation Authority.
Sensation felt are different, in skydiving we fly, we don’t have sensation of fall, but we have sensation of floating in the air and modifying body position respect of aerodynamic flow and redirecting the same flow, we can move and create evolutions limited only by fantasy and time in free fall (from 4300 meters varies between 40 and 65 seconds). In bungee jumping…we only fall during few seconds and we bounce joined to the elastic.
Yes, we can. Skydiving activity, included tandems activity, occurs during all the year: also during winter. Lucca Skydiving School is in Tuscany in a zone with a good weather during the year. Skydiving is a sport that can be performed during all the year and each season has its good aspects (when it is cold view is usually better and more beautiful, whereas when it is hot temperature is better but there is usually haze).
NNo, it isn’t. That was right if you used a round canopy, but if you use a wing profile canopy vertical landing speed is very low, it is lower than a three meters jump. Landing is usually equivalent to a jump down from a table; the difference is the horizontal speed: in any case, using wing profile slowdown brake, reduced speed . Canopies used during students course have size and performance that permit to reduce speed also if you are not very able. Modern high performance canopies, used by expert skydivers, suppose that skydivers have a good sensibility of driving: these canopies due to extreme responsiveness and their own speed due to drawing, material and wing load must be drived with care. This type of canopies permit to land slowly, but if you use them in a wrong way you can have a hard landing. All canopies have driving control that allow skydiver to direct and slow down canopy to obtain a soft landing.
When the school is open anyone can come and attend jump activity. Anyone can look at canopies fly, video’s jumps, landing and packing procedure. Staff will be helpful answering your questions and explaining you skydiving activity. Visit our School and spending some moments in a particular location watching at an exciting activity!
Skydiving takes place during all the year, each saturdays, sundays and public holiday, except for exceptional situation.
Lucca Skydiving School is in Tuscany, inside Lucca-Tassignano Airport, close A11 “Firenze-Mare” highway, Capannori exit. School is in a key position, 5 km from Lucca, 20 minutes driving from Pistoia, 30 minutes driving from Florence, Pisa and Massa Carrara, 40 minutes driving from Livorno and 1 hour driving from Grosseto. The good weather condition makes Lucca Skydiving School the perfect place in Tuscany where practice Skydiving or try a tandem jump. School is near highway A11 and A12 and that is good also to reach our School from other regions. You can find a map IN THE CONTACT SECTION.