Skydive Kansas | RESOURCES

As you might imagine, I am on the phone quite a bit, answering frequently asked and not so frequently asked questions about skydiving. One very valid question I get not as often as you might imagine is, "How safe is skydiving?" Amazingly, most people just don't ask about the safety aspect, the qualifications of the dropzone or their instructor, or our overall safety record. I can't figure out if callers are uncomfortable with the question, or if they just don't think of asking. (I welcome and appreciate the question, as it signifies someone is taking this experience seriously and wants good information.) More in the forefront of their mind is price, location, availability... regardless of whether or not they ask the question, I think in the back of their mind is safety.

So, I'll answer that question here. Keep in mind this is an opinion and interpretation, and everyone has their own connotation of the word "safe"...

According to Dictionary.com the denotation of the word safe is:

safe
–adjective
1. secure from liability to harm, injury, danger, or risk: a safe place.
2. free from hurt, injury, danger, or risk: to arrive safe and sound.
3. involving little or no risk of mishap, error, etc.: a safe estimate.
4. dependable or trustworthy: a safe guide.
5. careful to avoid danger or controversy: a safe player; a safe play.

According to this, it's not safe to take a bath... you might slip and fall. It's not safe to cross the street... you might get hit by a car. HOWEVER, it's how we apply risk management that allows us to effectively determine if we are willing to take a risk. What we gain by our risky action outweighs the consequences we fear. We learn what can reduce our risk, like looking both ways before crossing the street.

And it is about fear... which is just an emotional reaction to a perceived danger. That danger does not have to be real or actually detrimental for us to experience that fear. An acute awareness of our own feelings and history of perception, coupled with a hunger for real information, is the key to effective risk management decisions. Fear can debilitate us, make us feel trapped, helpless; it squelches creative solutions. However, fear can also excite us, make us feel alive. Our ability to perform despite fear is a greater indicator of success than the absence of fear.

There is a common fallacy about skydiving: that one mistake will cause death. While that might be possible in extreme rare cases, that is far from the norm. Fortunately thanks to all those before us, we can now enjoy fantastic technology that layers protection against equipment failure and operator error. A skydiver can make mistakes and experience no ill effect, or may only experience recoverable injury.

How Safe? But what statistics are there to compare the risks? The following information was compiled from:
United States Parachute Association, National Safety Council, and Center for Disease Control's Division of Vital Statistics. These stats indicate you are 46 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle accident than die from making your first jump. A licensed skydiver who jumps regularly is four times more likely to be murdered than to die while skydiving. (What about this humorous stat: 90% of statistics are made up.)

Irrespective of what any statistics say, you are jumping out of a perfectly good airplane and have a planet hurled at your face at 120 mph. You sign a waiver that is a Release of Liability and Assumption of Risk. Skydiving in an inherently dangerous sport. You and your instructor may be injured or killed as a result of your participation. However, you can greatly reduce your risk by taking your training seriously. Like many activities that are considered "high risk," what you may encounter on a skydive is well known and controllable. With our excellent gear and excellent instruction, coupled with your proper attention and attitude, skydiving can be a manageable risk.