What You Really Need to Know About Skydiving

Skydiving came from the recesses of necessity, as people need an escape route when an aircraft suddenly becomes unfit or unsafe to continue flying, or when it cannot land safely. It was conceptualized from a stunt done during 1797 when a crazy Frenchman by the name of Andre Jacques Farnerin jumped out of a hot-air-balloon and landed unscathed.

Obviously, this brought in a multitude of new possibilities into the table. Emergency safety in aircrafts has been improved and the US military even used it as a strategy that helped them win World War 2, especially in the European theater. With necessity established and good to go, people turned their attention to leisure.

Initial Public Outcry

Of course, it comes as no surprise that people would be moaning about the dangers of jumping out of an airplane that is thousands of feet above sea level. While doing so with the plane threatening to crash onto the earth like an impromptu meteorite, they all got squeamish with doing so out of a perfectly good one. Surely, they never saw the potential that skydiving could bring onto the table.

Soon enough, it was proven that it was safe beyond any shadow of a doubt. Statistics show that only one in every one hundred thousand jumps go wrong and such circumstances are evidently rare. In comparison to other activities, skydiving is surprisingly safer.

Financial Misconceptions

Most people would think that skydiving is a luxury that is only accessible to the wealthy. While this is not entirely a fallacy due to the cost of equipment used for skydiving, not everyone who skydives is rich. There are charity organizations set up to let people skydive without expense at all. Also, sponsors can be called upon to fund an event where you can skydive for charity as well. As expenses may be grand, skydiving doesn’t have to be aristocratic at all. It is definitely available for those with both the desire and the heart to do it.

Health Concerns

There are also health concerns regarding skydiving for each individual. Surely, there is no way that a sick person can skydive, right? Well, that may be true, but for only conditions that would definitely be affected from such an adrenaline-pumping activity. An epileptic, for example, would not be fit for a jump at all. On the other hand, an asthmatic can partake as long as he/she can keep it under control with medication. If you are one of those with medical conditions and you want to skydive, obtain an authentic medical certificate from your physician before participating in such an activity.

World Achievements

There are a lot of trivia when it comes to skydiving, and some of them are quite amazing indeed. For example, there was an event held in Thailand back in 2006 where 400 people from 312 countries jumped from 23,000 feet in a flower-like formation for around a minute and a half. There’s also one of the oldest world records in skydiving, which is the longest skydiving jump in history.

Joseph Kittinger’s extraordinary jump lasted for over four minutes from a height of 102,800 feet, which is quite unbelievable. The record, as of this writing, still stands and is one of the most amazing feats in skydiving history.

Skydiving is an activity where people jump off from an airplane at high altitude before landing on the ground. While many consider this an extreme sport, it is also used by the military for various purposes.

In sports, parachuting is the term used for skydiving. Here, a group of people jump from an aircraft and perform various aerial maneuvers before landing. While they are airborne, a group of judges watch what they do and score them accordingly. The team that garners the most points wins.

In the military, skydiving was a backup system to save airmen who have to evacuate their aircraft. But years later, this was soon replaced with ejection seats. This did not stop the military from maximizing its potential because they soon realized that this is one way to drop troops quickly into a battle zone.

During the Second World War, airborne troops were dropped behind military lines. This practice is still being done today not only by the regular army but also by specialized units. Outside the military, wildfire fighters are deployed into a remote site if that is the only way in the fire zone.

The history of sky diving dates goes back to the 18th century because this was done by Andre Jacques Garnerin who jumped from this air balloon with a parachute.

To make skydiving safe for those who jump, the gear they use is checked on a regular basis before they board and exit the aircraft. If the first parachute fails, a backup parachute is deployed and sometimes the person does not have to do anything if this is deployed automatically once it reaches a certain altitude.

Skydivers have to be physically fit, attend classes and be certified before they can go on a jump. For people who just want to try it, they can enlist the services of a skydiving company who will assign someone to do it with them.

There are thousands of sky divers in the US and the number is still growing because there are over 400 skydiving centers scattered all across the country. Some are open all year round, seven days a week while there are some that are only open on weekends. This really depends on the weather conditions and the discretion of those who run it.

Although there is no minimum age for skydiving, most skydiving centers require the individual to be at least 18 years of age. You can still jump even if you are 60 years old as long as you are not epileptic, have heart ailments or obese.

Skydiving is a safe activity despite the fact that you travel at a high speed before finally landing on the ground. On average 35 out of two million people who jump are killed each year. The cause of death is carelessness while very rare is it caused by equipment failure.

This is why it is important for skydivers both amateur and professionals to be trained very well in the use of their equipment. After jumping a few times with someone and taking ground classes, you may soon want to try this on your own.

Before you can do that, you have to sign a legally binding assumption of risk agreement which means that despite the risks involved in jumping from a plane, you are still willing to do so and not holding the skydiving center responsible should something happen.

To make the string of hearts, you will need 5 wooden heart cut-outs approximately three inches wide, a drill with an eighth inch bit and a quarter inch bit, a small amount of raffia, two yards of 1 -1/2 inch wide soft ribbon, two large wooden beads, and acrylic paints in the colors you want.  The ribbon and the beads should match the color scheme you desire.  Plaid ribbons are particularly effective.  The string of hearts has five hearts side by side tied together with small raffia bows.  The first and last hearts have the wide ribbon strung through a hole on each side and a bead strung on the ribbon.  The ribbon is knotted at the very ends, making a loop of ribbon on each end which can fit over a nail for hanging.

The first step in making the wooden handicraft is to drill a small hole on each side of the hearts.   The two outside holes are made with the quarter inch bit, and the other holes are made with the 1/8 inch bit.  Now paint the hearts with the acrylic paint in the colors you desire.  Acrylic paints are the small bottles of craft paint that are sold in 2-ounce bottles in a wide variety of colors.  They can sometimes be purchased very inexpensively.  Tempera paint will work if you can’t get acrylic paints.  Another idea is to spray paint them, especially if you want to use a metallic color.

When the paint is dry, tie the hearts together with the raffia.  To do this, cut four 10-inch lengths of raffia.  Thread the raffia down into one hole and up through the hole on the next heart so that they lay side by side.  The raffia should be tied in a neat bow on the top of the arrangement.  Do the same between the rest of the hearts so that all the small raffia bows are on top.  Trim the raffia ends if necessary.

Through each of the outside holes, thread one of the ribbons.  Pull the ribbon through until the ends are even.  Thread the large bead over both ends and slip it up close to the heart.  Trim the ends of the ribbon decoratively and knot them.  Repeat the process on the other side to complete the wooden handicraft.  Now hang the string of hearts wherever desired for a cheerful decoration.  A wooden handicraft like this makes a nice gift for someone special.

How to Build a Simple Treasure Chest

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Whether for the little pirate, or for your own safe storage, a simple wooden treasure chest can be built in an afternoon with some common tools and inexpensive lumber. Here are some steps to show you how it’s done.

Steps

1. Plan the size of your chest. The one built in this project is 11 inches wide, 9 inches tall (excluding the top) and 16 inches long (28 x 23 x 41 cm).
2. Gather the lumber you will use. Here, we used 1 X 10 (19 mm × 235 mm) scrap maple lumber which had been stained and lacquered, then thrown in a construction site dumpster. For the size in the illustrations, an eight foot (2.4 m) long board and some odd scraps were used.
3. Set up a table to do the assembly on. Two saw horses and a sheet of plywood works fine, but a heavy workbench would be better.
4. Get the tools out, making sure the circular saw has a sharp blade. There are some rabbets[1] to cut for joining the corners, and a sharp blade will make this process much easier.
5. Mark your lumber for the cuts. Here, the end pieces are cut 8 3/8 inches (21.3 cm), to the short point, with each end cut on a 7 degree angle so the sides of the chest will be slanted. Mark each cut on one piece of lumber, then cut them carefully. Use the first piece as a pattern to cut the second, or measure and mark it exactly, if you prefer.
6. Cut your side boards, making each cut square (a 90 degree angle). Make sure one end of the board is square, then measure 16 inches (40.6 cm). Make your mark, then scribe a straight line across the board using a framing square. Cut these carefully, as well.
7. Mark the rabbet cuts for the side boards to join the ends. You can use the end boards to scribe the cuts as shown in the photo, or measure 3/4 of an inch (1.9 cm) and square this line. Cut 2/3 of the thickness of the lumber deep. Here, we are using a nominal one by board, 3/4 inch (1.9 cm) thick, so we set the saw to cut 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) deep.
8. Set the board on end , holding it in a vise or clamped to the work table, and cut 3/4 of an inch (1.9 cm) deep across the end, 1/2 of an inch (1.25 cm) back from the finished side.
9. Join the end boards to the side boards. We used a carpenter’s grade hot melt wood glue, but these joints may be nailed or screwed, or fastened with conventional wood glue. Make sure all edges are flush and true, and try to keep the corners as square as possible. A jig will help if you are having difficulty aligning and squaring the pieces.
10. Measure the opening at the bottom of your box. Using the dimensions of the chest shown, the bottom will be 14 1/2 inches (36.8 cm) by 7 inches (17.8 cm), but checking the actual assembled size will provide a better fit. Cut the bottom out of a piece of your lumber, the size you have measured, with the saw blade set on a 7 degree bevel on the long sides so it fits the tapered sides of your chest.
11. Install the bottom into your box. If it is cut correctly, you may need to tap it into place, since the tapered edges will seat firmly into the bottom.
12. Lay the box on its edge, and mark a line 3/8 of an inch (.95 cm) below the top, and cut around the box, 3/8 inch deep. Cut 3/8 inch deep around the top of the box, 3/8 inch from the outside edge. This will form a recess for the lid to set down on, creating a somewhat better seat for the lid to set in
13. Mark two pieces of lumber the width of the chest long, here, 10 1/4 inches (26 cm). If you are using wide lumber, as in the photos, you can rip it in half to reduce waste. Mark a radius from the edge to form the curved shape of the top of the chest. Here, we used the lid from a five gallon bucket, which provided an ideal curve with little effort.
14. Cut the radius on the first piece, using a jigsaw or coping saw, then mark the second, using the first as a pattern. These two pieces should be as closely matched as possible to make fitting the finished lid easier.
15. Cut a rabbet, 3/8 inch (.95 cm) wide and deep in the bottom of the lid ends. Here, a vise or clamp is very helpful, since the stock you are cutting is almost impossible to hold safely while you cut. When the two ends are cut and rabbeted, you can temporarily attach them to the chest to make fitting the lid slats more simple. Here, again, hot melt glue makes this quick and simple.
16. Rip strips of lumber 1/4 inch (.6 cm) thick. Make sure they are at least as long as the length of the chest, but ripping longer boards and then cutting several to length from each rip will save time.
17. Cut the strips the same length as the sides of your chest. If you have attached the lid ends to the top of the chest box, you can simply scribe them in place. Glue these, starting on each side and the center of the top, to keep the assembly square and true. Fit the edges as tightly as possible, but because of the radius of the lid, you can expect a noticeable gap unless you choose to bevel each piece individually. You can leave these strips overhanging each end slightly by cutting them 1/4 inch (.6 cm) long, then after attaching them, the ends can be sanded flush.
18. Attach enough strips to wrap the lid, forming a complete cover, then add an additional strip on the front and rear edges to attach hardware to. Clean up the edges, light sand the surfaces, and bevel corners and other features that may produce splinters or leave a sharp edge.
19. Rip two very thin strips to overlay on the lid ends. These will act as bands, and help secure the lid slats to the box, but for all practical purposes, they are ornamental. Test fit these strips and scribe the ends, then cut them to length. Make sure they are sufficiently thin and limber to bend the radius of your lid without splitting or cracking. Attach them with glue or tacks.
20. Sand all the corners and edges of your chest and lid. If you want to stain or paint the chest, now is the time to do it, before the hardware (hinges, handles, and the hasp) is installed.
21. Finish the wood, depending on your preference. Since this project was started with stained hardwood, and no matching stain was available, brown spray paint was used to blend the colors of the original stain, giving a pretty good finish.
22. Attach the hardware. Here, antiqued cabinet hinges and pull handles were used to add to the rustic effect. The hardware can be attached with the hotmelt glue so it can be test fitted, or you can simply attach it with the screws provided in the set you buy. Be sure to check the operation of hinges before completing installation, since if they are not correctly aligned, they will likely bind or cause the lid to fit crookedly.

Tips

• Using antiqued hardware and fasteners will give the treasure chest a more authentic appearance. Brass furniture upholstery tacks can be used for embellishment if you like.
• For a more elegant chest, the inside can be wrapped with faux leather or soft fabric.
• A table saw and band saw, as well as a router and edger would make this project easier and more exact, but we are using the tools available, and do not expect the finished project to be furniture quality construction.
• Using a wood type hot melt glue makes assembly much easier than conventional fasteners. After all parts are assembled, small finish nails or wood screws can be added.

Warnings

• When making difficult cuts, such as rabbets, the board should be securely held in place, and hands must be kept clear of the saw blade.
• Always follow safe practices when using power tools, including eye protection, and use a respirator when cutting or sanding wood or spray painting if you are sensitive to these airborn particles.
• If making this for a child, add a hinge that doesn’t allow it to slam shut on little fingers.

Things You’ll Need

• Power tools.
• Work table.
• Lumber, as described in steps.
• Fasteners or glue.
• Measuring and squaring tools.
• Sander (optional).

Related wikiHows

• How to Use a Circular Saw
• How to Build a Porch Swing

Sources and Citations

1. ? http://woodworking.about.com/od/joinery/p/Rabbets.htm

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Build a Simple Treasure Chest. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Many people listen to music as a favorite past time.  There is much you can learn about any style of music.  You can learn composers, famous melodies, and all about performers past and present.  You can develop sophisticated tastes in jazz or classical music or collect a large assortment of CD’s.  Music makes a great past time hobby.

A lot of people love animals.  Pets of all sorts can become your hobby.  Perhaps you enjoy watching birds.  If you have trouble finding them in the trees to watch, maybe you’d like to get a pair of canaries, a budgie, or a cockatiel.  People who live in the country sometimes become interested in raising ornamental chickens, pigeons, or pheasants.  It is very interesting to watch a mother bird take care of a nest of young chicks.  Perhaps you can even raise some prize winners!

Dogs make a great hobby, too.  Walking and enjoying a pet dog is one thing, but breeding and raising show dogs is something else entirely.  Show dogs may require a bit of an investment, but many puppies are free.  There is also the aspect of training a dog in obedience.  Dogs give a lot of love back to their owners, too, so if you start a past time hobby of caring for a dog, you will never be lonely.  However, dogs require quite a bit of work and attention, especially when they are being trained, so keeping dogs is not for everyone.

Bicycles can become your favorite past time.  Hobby bicyclists are becoming more and more common to see cycling along lesser traveled highways seeing the countryside up close and personal.  Bicycling requires a helmet and suitable clothes as well as a small tool kit for roadside repairs.  Or maybe you would enjoy cycling on a smaller scale, simply taking fun rides with your family.  The choice is yours.

The world is full of interesting things to learn and do.  Don’t merely sit back and watch TV.  Get interested in a past time hobby.  It’s good for your mind.  In fact, it might even keep you from going senile in your old age, if you stay active in a past time hobby.  And it’s a good example to our kids and grandkids if we spend our time doing something meaningful.

When getting started at paper crafts, it is easy to spend a lot of money!  Go easy at first until you know what sort of paper craft products you are likely to use.  For instance, you may find that you love using stickers in scrapbooks, but rarely use your rubber stamps.  If this is the case, you would be better off spending more on stickers and less on rubber stamps for your paper crafts.

Almost everyone has at least some of their photographs stored somewhere in a shoe box.  Scrapbooks are a great way to get those photos out where people can enjoy them.  You will need a loose leaf binder, some plastic page protectors, and some colored card stock for starters.  Many paper crafts experts insist on only archival quality materials.  Check the labels as you buy.  Most paper products, even the cheaper ones, are labeled “acid-free,” which means that it shouldn’t fade or otherwise deteriorate if stored for a long time.  Sunlight will bleach almost anything, but your paper crafts should not be out in the sunlight very often.

To start a scrapbook you have several options.  You can select photos that all relate to one event, such as a trip or a child’s participation in sports.  This type of scrapbook will be short, but can be designed around a theme.  This is a good choice if your photos are not in a jumble.  If they are, then you may wish to choose 3 or 4 photos around a general theme, and change the theme for each page.  You may want to include some 2 page spreads in your scrapbook.

Attach your photos to the card stock with double-sided tape squares or a glues tick.  Then it’s time to decorate the page with stickers, paper shapes, or rubber stamped designs.  In addition, you can use a colored gel pen to write dates, names, and other highlights about the activities in the pictures.

Other items are available in paper crafts stores.  These includes die cuts, which are pieces of paper already cut into shapes and objects.  There are also special scissors that cut paper with an interesting edge.  A pair of the type called “deckle” scissors is very useful for making elegant looking scrapbook pages, greeting cards, and other paper crafts.  If you also have an old pair of pinking shears that are too dull to cut fabric, you can use those for cutting out shapes and photos.

Many paper crafts enthusiasts begin with scrap booking, but then branch out to making their own greeting cards.  Greeting cards may or may not have an original poem written on the inside.  A simple “Happy Birthday,” “Get Well Soon,” or even just “Hi!” is enough to brighten someone’s day, so don’t worry about not being a good enough writer to make your own greeting cards.  Rubber stamps often make beautiful greeting cards.  You can even attach small ribbons, beads, and other items to hand made cards.  A handmade card is sure to please anyone, whether they are interested in paper crafts or not.

The person with an art collectible hobby will probably find his or her own favorite artists whose works they appreciate. They can choose to focus on one particular artist, either past or present, or they can choose from the works of many artists. On the other hand, they may collect art and art objects around a theme they enjoy, such as cigars, wild animals, or piano music.

One may think of an art collector as a rich person who has the money to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on an original Van Gogh. A person of more modest means can collect art too, however. Post cards are a good place to start. Most art museum gift shops offer high quality, glossy postcards printed with some of their more notable acquisitions. By buying those cards one really appreciates, anyone can have an art collection.

Ebay is a good source of art collectibles whatever type of art or collectible you fancy. In fact, if you are just starting out, the choices and options can be overwhelming! Just remember that you can sell your own belongings as well as buying those of others. This should make the impact on the budget a little less powerful. Other ideas for inexpensively collecting art collectibles are scouring flea markets, thrift shops, and garage sales. You never know what treasure someone else may be getting rid of.

One nice thing about art collectibles is that artists can be found in every part of the world. The art collector should scout the local art shows, museums, and artist’s hangouts to find out just what sort of talent can be had less expensively and close to home. Because of the local flavor of some artwork, art collectibles make good travel souvenirs. For instance, the artist Linda Barnicott specializes in paintings of scenes, buildings, and landmarks found around Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Similarly, collectors can find local artist almost everywhere.

An art collectible hobby will keep you interested in life and give you a home filled with art masterpieces as well. If you enjoy pretty and interesting things around you, consider starting an art collectible hobby today.