So you want to become and airline pilot?
Like many before, you have dreamed of climbing into your shiny Boeing 747 Jumbo and flying the world all from the relative comforts of your cockpit. You have also likely dreamed of exotic locales and attractive flight attendants. Is this forms part of your dream of becoming a commercial pilot you may be severely disappointed.
Due to the recent shake up in the airline industry the golden age of senior captains earning 200k plus per year and working 12 days per month have practically disappeared. The abhorrent reality is that now most Captains earn in the sub 100k range and are working and flying more duty hours than ever before. They also live on par poverty wages accumulating the appropriate experience level to even reach that lofty point of their career. The unfortunate truth is the path to the becoming a professional pilot is now a rough one.
The good news is that there are still many opportunities for the people that have the drive and determination to forge a career in this difficult field. I am therefore writing this article to give you the basics of what you should know before making a decision on an aviation career.
What First?
Ok, you have obviously just made the well intentioned decision to forge ahead with your commercial pilot training and you're not exactly sure where to start. The first piece of advice that I will give you is to attend a college and study a degree in something other than aviation.
The reason I advise this is that, in the future, you may need to fall upon that skill set when times become tough in aviation and you need to seek work elsewhere. You will find that you regret the fact that you lack a non-aviation related degree if you choose to eventually seek work outside of aviation.
Now, if you absolutely can not stay away from aviation and must eat, sleep, and breathe it, I then recommend that you choose an aviation related college such as the University Of North Dakota (UND). There are other aviation schools around that bill themselves as the `Harvard of the skies'. Do not buy into this marketing hoopla, the plain truth is that all the Major airlines just want to see a degree from somewhere. It is irrelevant which university that you went to. So save yourself some money and seek the cheapest degree you can get (this will be a common theme in your aviation career).
Many people will tell you to skip school and go straight to a small regional airline where no degree is required. This can be an advantage in that you would be senior to someone who waited to finish school but the reality is that to move on to any Major airline you will need a four year degree. So suck it up and finish college before moving on to pilot training.
Flight Training
So you have your 4 year degree and now you're ready to take the first step in your career. The first thing you need to do is slow down and make the following choices VERY carefully. There are literally hundreds of flight schools out there that cater to training budding commercial pilots all with their pros and cons.
You need to be aware that these schools will basically tell you anything to get you in the door and to empty your pockets. Flight training is extremely expensive and the signing up of new students is competitive so spend your money wisely. The bottom line is don't believe the marketing hoopla.
It's important you understand that yet again it is completely irrelevant where you gain your ratings and endorsements. It makes no difference to the people doing the hiring as to what flight school you attended. Having said that some of the larger academy type operations do enjoy a close relationship with the hiring airlines but I do not believe that this accounts for their large differences in prices.
As a new pilot you should really consider your local FBO (Fixed base Operator) for your private pilot's license. This gives you the cheapest option for training whilst giving you the time to find out if you REALLY like flying.
Whichever direction you choose to head you will need the following basic ratings to make you hirable:
PPL - Private Pilots License Instrument Rating ComASEL - Commercial Aircraft Single Engine Land ME - Multi Engine Rating
You should also consider getting your CFI's which allows you to fly as a flight instructor and to build the hours you need to make your next move.
CFI - Certificated Flight Instructor CFII - Certificated Flight Instructor Instrument MEI - Multi Engine Instructor
Now that you have completed the above ratings at the minimum cost, hopefully, you will be ready to be hired as a CFI. This gives you the option to earn a little bit of money whilst gaining some experience and flight time.
Most schools will generally hire from the pool of CFI's that they have trained on property but this is not always a given. The best advice I can give you is to treat your flight training as a 90 day interview if you hope to work there afterwards.
You will need to accumulate approximately 1000 hours TT (Total Time) and 100 ME (Multi Engine Time) to be competitive to the make the next step to a regional airline. Although, currently the regional airlines are hiring people with as little as 600 hrs TT.
The important thing to understand is that you will NOT be working for Delta or United at this point. Your first step in the chain is as a First Officer for a regional/commuter airline. To make your next move you will need to stay at your current regional and upgrade to Captain and start logging PIC (Pilot in Command) time.
To be competitive for a major airline you will need to accumulate 1000hrs of Turbine (JET) PIC. This is the very minimum level of experience that most major airlines require currently. In fact there are so many pilots applying to the majors that to be competitive you would need approximately 2000hrs PIC. At that point you can start trying your luck with the NWA, Delta, AA, United, and US Airways.
Reality Check
Okay so we have covered the basics of what you need to start and progress in your airline career. Unfortunately, all of this is much easier said than done. Learning to fly is an extremely expensive proposition and you can expect to spend in excess of 30k on your flight ratings and endorsements. There are indeed finance options available to help put you through training but you will find that CFI and FO wages are almost not enough to cover the monthly payments.
It's important to realize at this point that the average pay currently for a 1st year first office at a regional airline is around the 20k mark. That's right people; one of the guys sitting up front is almost being paid minimum wage. These dedicated professionals struggle to survive on those wages and you can expect to be no different. Until you upgrade to captain you will barely be making subsistence wages. This is really something to consider before entering the regional airlines. Can you survive on those wages for 2 or 3 years until you upgrade to captain?
Having given you the bleak conditions of the industry it's also fair to say that some people do extremely well from flying. Pilots represent about the top 3% of wage earners nationally and some still earn in excess of 150k. Do remember though that this is a cyclical industry and you need to be prepared for the worst happening and you being forced to leave aviation, hence the degree in another skill set.
All in all this is a great job but a terrible career. The majority of us fly because we love it and wouldn't give it up in a second. I hope that this has given you a little peak at the hardships and rewards that commercial pilots face.
About the Author
AskCyberSteve specialises in providing relevent information and content. We pride ourselves upon providing you the How To Guide or information you need.
http://www.articles-hub.com/index.php?article=105769&highlite=climbing,articles
Thursday, March 1, 2007
The Bose Aviation Headset X
Pilots face unique challenges when in the air in different types of aircraft and so they need innovative aviation headsets that are designed to meet these requirements to deliver an unmatched combination of full spectrum noise reduction as well as comfort and clear sound. A product that provides such features is the Bose aviation headset X which has unique Bose acoustic technology that make this lightweight item ideally suited for the special circumstances under which pilots operate.
This product may provide pilots with at least forty hours of performance using just two AA alkaline batteries to power it. The best feedback regarding this product comes from the pilots themselves who cannot praise it enough. The pilot rightly expects high performance from his equipment and though there are many noise reduction headsets available, they require large ear cups as well as considerable headband force that make it rather cumbersome for use over extended periods of time.
Therefore it became necessary to have an aviation headset like the TriPort headset to enable the user to have smaller as well as more comfortable aviation headsets that deliver the complete noise reduction spectrum.
Noise Canceling Headset Circuitry and More
In addition, the Bose Acoustic Noise Canceling headset circuitry keeps track of the sound at the ear and is able to identify unwanted noise and in turn creates an out-of-phase signal to lessen such unwanted noises. With its active equalization circuitry it is able to deliver full sound that is clear and has the improved intelligibility of radio as well as intercom audio.
According to some tests conducted by the US Air Force, the Acoustic Noise Canceling headsets were able to achieve intelligibility scores of 95 percent at 115db. One would be well advised to try out the Bose Aviation headset X and choose the configuration that best fits individual flight needs.
Salient features include the Triport acoustic headphone structure that produce rich audio performances and the Acoustic Noise Canceling headset circuitry that gives improved intelligibility that greatly reduces the continuous roar of flying; thus letting the pilot concentrate better. Also included is the AdaptiSense headset circuitry that has sophisticated electronics to keep track of power demand as well as be able to instantaneously adjust voltage and so ensure greatest possible battery life. It also has a shut off feature that can detect when the headset is no longer in use and which causes all the electronics to be turned off in order to preserve battery life longer.
Source: http://www.a1articles.com
This product may provide pilots with at least forty hours of performance using just two AA alkaline batteries to power it. The best feedback regarding this product comes from the pilots themselves who cannot praise it enough. The pilot rightly expects high performance from his equipment and though there are many noise reduction headsets available, they require large ear cups as well as considerable headband force that make it rather cumbersome for use over extended periods of time.
Therefore it became necessary to have an aviation headset like the TriPort headset to enable the user to have smaller as well as more comfortable aviation headsets that deliver the complete noise reduction spectrum.
Noise Canceling Headset Circuitry and More
In addition, the Bose Acoustic Noise Canceling headset circuitry keeps track of the sound at the ear and is able to identify unwanted noise and in turn creates an out-of-phase signal to lessen such unwanted noises. With its active equalization circuitry it is able to deliver full sound that is clear and has the improved intelligibility of radio as well as intercom audio.
According to some tests conducted by the US Air Force, the Acoustic Noise Canceling headsets were able to achieve intelligibility scores of 95 percent at 115db. One would be well advised to try out the Bose Aviation headset X and choose the configuration that best fits individual flight needs.
Salient features include the Triport acoustic headphone structure that produce rich audio performances and the Acoustic Noise Canceling headset circuitry that gives improved intelligibility that greatly reduces the continuous roar of flying; thus letting the pilot concentrate better. Also included is the AdaptiSense headset circuitry that has sophisticated electronics to keep track of power demand as well as be able to instantaneously adjust voltage and so ensure greatest possible battery life. It also has a shut off feature that can detect when the headset is no longer in use and which causes all the electronics to be turned off in order to preserve battery life longer.
Source: http://www.a1articles.com
Rome Airport Transportation
These days Rome airport authorities are debating about the possibilities to build a new airport in Rome. At the moment Rome has three airports: Fiumicino, for International flights, Ciampino, for low-cost companies, and the City airport (Aeroporto dell Urbe). The last one is ormally used as military airport as well as training center for the Italian pilots of Rome.
In these months the passenger traffic at Ciampino airport increased and the city needs also to move part of the low cost air traffic from Ciampino to Fiumicino.
Three are the projects for the future of the Rome airports:
1. Ciampino airport is overloaded;
2. Fiumicino airport can be extended with a new terminal C, with the possibility to host more low-cost European aircrafts.
3. The City airport (Aeroporto dell Urbe) located in the north of Rome will be transformed into a business travel airport.
Originally the city airport was inaugurated in 1928 and until World War II it was the major airport of the civil aviation in Italy. Until it was bombed in 1943 it had several buildings used for the airport management and a pilot training school. The city airport has a great potential but it needs infrastructures and investments of around 10 Million USD. This airport will be better connected to the city of Rome with a new road that will reach in 15 minutes the Vatican City.
The Italian government is also thinking to move the traffic of the state aircrafts to the city airport.
On the discussion table organized by the local government of Rome, there is the deal of how low cost company can pay less if they land at Fiumicino airport and also the study of the pollution impact based on the European environment parameters.
Source: http://www.a1articles.com
In these months the passenger traffic at Ciampino airport increased and the city needs also to move part of the low cost air traffic from Ciampino to Fiumicino.
Three are the projects for the future of the Rome airports:
1. Ciampino airport is overloaded;
2. Fiumicino airport can be extended with a new terminal C, with the possibility to host more low-cost European aircrafts.
3. The City airport (Aeroporto dell Urbe) located in the north of Rome will be transformed into a business travel airport.
Originally the city airport was inaugurated in 1928 and until World War II it was the major airport of the civil aviation in Italy. Until it was bombed in 1943 it had several buildings used for the airport management and a pilot training school. The city airport has a great potential but it needs infrastructures and investments of around 10 Million USD. This airport will be better connected to the city of Rome with a new road that will reach in 15 minutes the Vatican City.
The Italian government is also thinking to move the traffic of the state aircrafts to the city airport.
On the discussion table organized by the local government of Rome, there is the deal of how low cost company can pay less if they land at Fiumicino airport and also the study of the pollution impact based on the European environment parameters.
Source: http://www.a1articles.com
Advantages when flying by Private Jet Charter
Private Jet Charter?the freedom of aviation?differs from the schedules transportation in many ways, but the basic things that customers love to point-out while choosing air charter services are: efficiency of the service, privacy while travelling, and flexibility of time schedule.
The best thing, though, remains the flexibility of time?in today's world, almost all the walks of life are time-conscious, and nobody wants to waste the time in downtime of changing the planes and getting late due to the scheduled flights from one place to another. This is where private air charter services present the best part of their service: you are free to choose your own time and the breaks that you want to take in your journey.
Choosing a Private Jet Charter Service Provider
While choosing a private jet charter service, a few questions always linger in the minds of customers. Some of them include, query about competitive rates, contingency planning, organizing all the logistics of a trip, and how to get the customer to their destination in the wee hours of the morning if the weather does not permit the flight during other time?these questions sound obvious but they are necessary and important in order to gauge the credibility of the private air charter service company.
An experience broker can always help in these issues and get you the best private air charter services that are safe, economic, and have credible schedule time. The credentials of an operator are important factors is determining whether he is good or not?you should not hesitate to review the operator's operating certificate, safety record, and insurance policy, and past customer's satisfaction remarks, if available.
Another point while choosing private air charter service provider is to visit the physical place where the operator is located. Meeting with the people is the key to determine what level of service they would provide to you, if you hire them. Websites and virtual presence can't showcase their true credential as much as you can gauge by visiting their place in person. Pricing and payment option should also be checked, as apart from the basic fee, there are some surcharges and taxes levied on the prices, which you should know beforehand in order to avoid any confusion. You should also find out the mode of payment, which is most suitable to you, and to check whether the private air charter service provider deems it acceptable or not?
Once you are sure on these points, you are almost ready to make your final decision?choosing the best-suited and affordable private air charter service for your immediate or regular needs!
For more information about Jet Charter, please visit http://www.charter-private-jet.net
Source: http://www.a1articles.com
The best thing, though, remains the flexibility of time?in today's world, almost all the walks of life are time-conscious, and nobody wants to waste the time in downtime of changing the planes and getting late due to the scheduled flights from one place to another. This is where private air charter services present the best part of their service: you are free to choose your own time and the breaks that you want to take in your journey.
Choosing a Private Jet Charter Service Provider
While choosing a private jet charter service, a few questions always linger in the minds of customers. Some of them include, query about competitive rates, contingency planning, organizing all the logistics of a trip, and how to get the customer to their destination in the wee hours of the morning if the weather does not permit the flight during other time?these questions sound obvious but they are necessary and important in order to gauge the credibility of the private air charter service company.
An experience broker can always help in these issues and get you the best private air charter services that are safe, economic, and have credible schedule time. The credentials of an operator are important factors is determining whether he is good or not?you should not hesitate to review the operator's operating certificate, safety record, and insurance policy, and past customer's satisfaction remarks, if available.
Another point while choosing private air charter service provider is to visit the physical place where the operator is located. Meeting with the people is the key to determine what level of service they would provide to you, if you hire them. Websites and virtual presence can't showcase their true credential as much as you can gauge by visiting their place in person. Pricing and payment option should also be checked, as apart from the basic fee, there are some surcharges and taxes levied on the prices, which you should know beforehand in order to avoid any confusion. You should also find out the mode of payment, which is most suitable to you, and to check whether the private air charter service provider deems it acceptable or not?
Once you are sure on these points, you are almost ready to make your final decision?choosing the best-suited and affordable private air charter service for your immediate or regular needs!
For more information about Jet Charter, please visit http://www.charter-private-jet.net
Source: http://www.a1articles.com
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Holiday Travel Tips; Planning Ahead
| Air travel is expensive. But I’m not telling you something you don’t already know. There are many ways to save money on air travel – some of them will save you a little, some will save you a lot. Before you book your next trip, see if any of these money savings tips are options for you. • Consider flying out of another airport. Sometimes the nearest airport does not have the best rates. Checking the rates at one or two of the next nearest airports may yield better airfare rates than the airport that is closest to you. It may be worth it to travel an extra hour to the airport to save hundreds of dollars. • If you have a trip planned for the future, but you aren’t ready to order your tickets yet, sign up for e-mail alerts from all of the airlines that fly from the airport(s) near you to your destination. You never know when an airline may be running a special to your exact destination. • If you are ready to order your tickets, order them as far in advance as possible. The cheapest airfares sell out quickly. The closer to the flight you buy your tickets; the more expensive the tickets are likely to be. This is especially true around the holidays. • If you are booking travel during the holidays, consider flying on the holiday itself. The days prior to a holiday, airfares can be the highest they are all year. If you can fly on the day of the holiday, you can get some of the lowest airfares of the year. If you do decide to book on the holiday, try to book as early in the day as possible in case there are any delays so you don’t miss the holiday festivities once you get to your destination. • If you are phoning the airline directly for your tickets, ask for the cheapest fare, not just the fare for coach. There may be a cheaper fare in a better seat, but you’ll never know if you don’t ask. • Fly on the off days. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and sometimes Saturday are considered the off days (unless it’s around a holiday). If you can fly to and from your destination on those days, you are much more likely to get cheaper flights. • Check out the fares on red-eye flights. Those flights don’t sell out as quickly as other flights and therefore may have less expensive fares. Sure, if money were no object, the red-eye probably wouldn’t be your first choice, but then again you may sleep your way through the whole flight. That’s always a good way to spend a flight. And if you combine flying on the off days with flying a red-eye on an off day, you may get a real deal. • Do your homework by comparing rates on the different websites. Travelocity, Priceline, Expedia, Orbitz, Cheap Tickets and many other websites have discounted airline tickets as well as discounts on hotels, car rentals, and other things related to travel. Take the time to check out the rates for each website each time you book your travel. • While you are doing your homework, don’t forget to check out the airline’s websites. Sometimes the airline’s websites have even better deals than the discount sites. All this homework takes some time, but it will pay off in the end with big savings. • Go outside your comfort zone. You may be used to always flying the same big airline, but if you consider one of the newer smaller airlines, you may be surprised at the savings you can grab. • Before you book your tickets, make sure that the price you have includes all fees and taxes. If you’re not getting the full price of the tickets including fees and taxes, you may not actually be booking the least expensive airfare. Now that you’ve saved money on your airfare, there are some things that you can do to help save money in other areas of your flight. • Find out what the maximum luggage weight is for the airline you are traveling, and make sure you don’t exceed it. If you check in luggage that is over the weight limit, the airline can charge you a fee for each bag that is over the limit. • If you are driving to the airport, plan to leave early enough so that you can park at one of the off site parking facilities that are close to the airport. • If you’ve got a college age niece or nephew, next door neighbor or someone in that age range who lives nearby ask them to drive you to and from the airport. You can pay them $25 each way and save a bundle on airport parking, and get door to door service to the airport. • Take your own snacks. If your airline does serve food, they may charge for it, and chances are it won’t be very good. You also won’t be tempted to pay the high price for the snacks you buy at the concessions after security because you’ll already have what you’ll need on the plane. • Same goes for your reading materials. Bring your own that you already have at home instead of buying them from the airport stores. A flight is the perfect time to read that book you’ve been meaning to read. | ||
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| About Author | ||
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| This article can also be found here http://dailytravelair.com/great-tips-for-saving-on-holiday-travel/ | ||
Charter Flights – Then and Now
In the sixties after deregulation, European charter flights grew massively offering cheaper flights to destinations such as Spain. Charter flights became low cost high load. Things are definitely looking up (pardon the pun) for the charter flight industry.
Aviation back in the day had to work extremely hard to get their custom. They would offer a half hour flight over London to convince passengers to take a flight on one of their new international air routes.
In this regulated industry, charter flights were a way of grouping passengers with a similar interest to fly to their destination. At this time you would have to belong to a travel club in order to obtain a cheap ticket. The club would charter an aircraft and take the members to their destination. You could only get a ticket through the club the airline would not sell these tickets to the general public.
In the sixties after deregulation, European charter flights grew massively offering cheaper flights to destinations such as Spain. Charter flights became low cost high load. Profits soared in the UK and so did peoples willingness to travel abroad. At this time though, to be able to sell a charter flight you would need to include accommodation as well. Many operators got round the regulations by providing accommodation that was never used by their passengers. This changed when the number of homes bought abroad increased and self catering holidays became available, this created a demand for seat only flights and the requirement to provide accommodation with a flight ended.
Now getting a ticket for a charter flight couldn’t be easier, try www.flightsdirect.com. You can get a charter flight to almost anywhere in the world and you can even book your flights online on the web. Things are definitely looking up (pardon the pun) for the charter flight industry.
About Author
I am reasonably new to the travel industry though find the subject very interesting. I am sure that I can bring something new to the table from the other industries I have worked in. See an example of the type of site I am working on now at: http://www.flightsdirect.com
http://www.1888articles.com/charter-flights-then-and-now-0gn5nc6049.html
Aviation back in the day had to work extremely hard to get their custom. They would offer a half hour flight over London to convince passengers to take a flight on one of their new international air routes.
In this regulated industry, charter flights were a way of grouping passengers with a similar interest to fly to their destination. At this time you would have to belong to a travel club in order to obtain a cheap ticket. The club would charter an aircraft and take the members to their destination. You could only get a ticket through the club the airline would not sell these tickets to the general public.
In the sixties after deregulation, European charter flights grew massively offering cheaper flights to destinations such as Spain. Charter flights became low cost high load. Profits soared in the UK and so did peoples willingness to travel abroad. At this time though, to be able to sell a charter flight you would need to include accommodation as well. Many operators got round the regulations by providing accommodation that was never used by their passengers. This changed when the number of homes bought abroad increased and self catering holidays became available, this created a demand for seat only flights and the requirement to provide accommodation with a flight ended.
Now getting a ticket for a charter flight couldn’t be easier, try www.flightsdirect.com. You can get a charter flight to almost anywhere in the world and you can even book your flights online on the web. Things are definitely looking up (pardon the pun) for the charter flight industry.
About Author
I am reasonably new to the travel industry though find the subject very interesting. I am sure that I can bring something new to the table from the other industries I have worked in. See an example of the type of site I am working on now at: http://www.flightsdirect.com
http://www.1888articles.com/charter-flights-then-and-now-0gn5nc6049.html
Skydiving Accident Prevention and Training
The danger in skydiving has decreased noticeably over the years. One detail that shocks a lot of non-skydivers is that most skydiving losses are attributed to jumper mistakes. From time to time such errors are made while dealing with an otherwise small mid-air crisis, and even on occasion, while flying underneath a fully-inflated parachute. Hardly ever is it actually a case of a correctly maintained, packed & deployed parachute failing to open.
If a skydiver experiences a malfunction of his main parachute, then foolishly waits too long before initiating his reserve deployment sequence, his perfectly good reserve parachute may never have time to fully inflate before impact. If this happens, it certainly can be said that his parachute failed to open.
This is not to suggest that properly operated modern parachute equipment never independently fails. It most certainly can, and sometimes does. However, seldom are such failures the random & comprehensive equipment failures the "parachute failed to open" lines suggests.
In fact, a good number skydiving accidents could have been easily prevented, and few cannot be traced back to some serious human blunder.
In recent years, advanced canopy designs have led to many fatalities associated with daring maneuvers known as "hook turns" and "swoops". As with flying high performance aircraft, the risks associated with these kinds of crowd-pleasing, show-off maneuvers are great.
If a jumper misjudges the altitude at which the final diving turn is initiated, or begins leveling-off for their landing too late, the jumper may impact the ground while the canopy is still diving at a very high rate of speed. This is often fatal, and has left the skydiving community often bemoaning the ironies of a skydiver dying under a perfectly good parachute. Many skydive centers have wisely banned the practice of low hook turns.
This type of fatality can also occur when a jumper mistakenly turns his or her canopy too sharply, too low to the ground -- as when maneuvering to avoid an impending collision with another canopy* or ground structure. (*another avoidable scenario is mid-air collisions between skydivers flying under canopy)
In an effort to reduce these kinds of avoidable accidents, student training centers have re-written their training syllabus to include more intensive canopy piloting techniques.
James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest.
http://www.airports-worldwide.com/articles/article007.html
If a skydiver experiences a malfunction of his main parachute, then foolishly waits too long before initiating his reserve deployment sequence, his perfectly good reserve parachute may never have time to fully inflate before impact. If this happens, it certainly can be said that his parachute failed to open.
This is not to suggest that properly operated modern parachute equipment never independently fails. It most certainly can, and sometimes does. However, seldom are such failures the random & comprehensive equipment failures the "parachute failed to open" lines suggests.
In fact, a good number skydiving accidents could have been easily prevented, and few cannot be traced back to some serious human blunder.
In recent years, advanced canopy designs have led to many fatalities associated with daring maneuvers known as "hook turns" and "swoops". As with flying high performance aircraft, the risks associated with these kinds of crowd-pleasing, show-off maneuvers are great.
If a jumper misjudges the altitude at which the final diving turn is initiated, or begins leveling-off for their landing too late, the jumper may impact the ground while the canopy is still diving at a very high rate of speed. This is often fatal, and has left the skydiving community often bemoaning the ironies of a skydiver dying under a perfectly good parachute. Many skydive centers have wisely banned the practice of low hook turns.
This type of fatality can also occur when a jumper mistakenly turns his or her canopy too sharply, too low to the ground -- as when maneuvering to avoid an impending collision with another canopy* or ground structure. (*another avoidable scenario is mid-air collisions between skydivers flying under canopy)
In an effort to reduce these kinds of avoidable accidents, student training centers have re-written their training syllabus to include more intensive canopy piloting techniques.
James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest.
http://www.airports-worldwide.com/articles/article007.html
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