From: grx1512@uoft02.utoledo.edu (Dale Southard Jr.)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: AAD Question
Date: 6 Apr 92 20:46:14 EST
Organization: University of Toledo, Computer Services


In article <11981@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu>, bonitz@madrone.eecs.ucdavis.edu (Bob Bonitz) writes:
> In article <1992Apr5.212008.6853@uoft02.utoledo.edu> grx1512@uoft02.utoledo.edu (Dale Southard Jr.) writes:
>>
>>	"THERE ARE NO GOOD REASONS FOR NOT WEARING AN AAD"
>>
> This is a rather extreme statement.  It is also unsubstantiated.  There 
> are pros and cons to any system and it is up to each jumper to evaluate 
> them and decide for himself or herself.  Premature firings of AADs can be 
> a problem whether one is doing RW, CRW, style, freestyle, etc.  The 
> question is how reliable are AADs; especially, when used by the general 
> skydiving community.  

OK, I'll bite (again).

Of course one can invision situations where an AAD pre-me could pose a
hazard.  I can also just as easily apply that same reasoning as being a
good reason to jump without a reserve at all (I have seen more pre-me's
result from non-AAD causes than I have from AAD's). I can also invision 
malfunctions in which I would be better served with a round reserve than my 
current square.  Likewise for piggback reserves and 3-rings (hell, I still 
know a jumper that swears by R-3's -- though thankfully he doesn't jump much).
As Bob eluded to, it is the net effect on safety that should interest us.

Yes of course we've all HEARD that AAD's are finicky things that are
going off all of the time.  Of course the fact that I have never seen nor
heard from a first-hand source of a true pre-me (defined as the AAD activating
the reserve at say 4000' when actually set for 1500') despite having seen
well over 1000 FF jumps with AADs AND the fact that I have never had an
AAD pre-me despite having done approx 250 chamber-tests on them tends to
leads me to the conclusion that they are fairly reliable :-)  Considering
the # of fatalties that might be prevented each year by AADs, I can't
seriously consider AAD's increasing the fatality rate. But then again,
there are (well paid) scientists who still insist that smoking does not
cause lung cancer, so I'll keep an open mind :-)
 
Notice that I am NOT saying that having it ACTIVE all the time is a good
idea -- anyone doing CRW with an active AAD should seek medical counseling :-)
(And in fact was the reason, as I outlined in my initial post, that my
current rig doesn't have one -- but my next rig might)

Of course, as pointed out, most fatalities could just as well have been
prevented with the use of a brain.  So, WHY WEREN'T THEY PREVENTED??
Are we that lax as instructors that we allow  25-35 brainless jumpers to 
learn to skydive each year?  Do you think that THEY thought that they were 
going to loose track of time and altitude?  Or is the way that they lose
track of time and altitude different from the way we do?  Of course, as Bob's
point was, it is up to the individual to evaluate the safety/necessity of 
equipment for his/herself. My point is, people die skydiving,  mostly due 
(at all experience levels) to lack of time for reserve inflation.  Spending 
$1200 on a box is cheap compared to being the only one missing when everyone's 
have'n a beer in the church parking lot.  It is worth thinking about no matter
what your experence level is.

-- 
Dale Southard Jr.                                 Sr. Rigger
University of Toledo                             AFF/I   SL/I
grx1512@uoft02.utoledo.edu                          D-11216
Department of Chemistry -- "Just another skydiving grad student."