Page 4-Friday, June 5, 1981-The Michigan Daily

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Flying and
parachuting;
not just for
daredevils

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By DAN OBERROTMAN
While most students tend to keep to
the ground for their summer
recreation, some take to the air. Both
the University Skydivers and the
University's affiliated Michigan
Flyers offer "soaring" opportunities
to first time participants.
Although many people avoid
skydiving believing it to be less than
safe, Harold Lang, owner of Tecumseh
Parachuting Service, disagrees. "The
only way you can possibly get hurt in
parachuting is if you hurt yourself. If
you listen to the instructor, and just do
the bare basics of parachuting, you'll
survive," he said.
ACCORDING TO Lang, in 2500 static
line jumps at his site last year, and 400
so far this year, there were no
problems. In a static line jump the
parachutist doesn't have to pull a rip
cord since the parachute opens
automatically. A beginning student's
first five jumps are static line.
On the third, fourth, and fifth jumps
the parachuter pulls a dummy rip cord.
On the sixth jump, after answering ten
questions pertinent to "free fall," the
jumper pulls his own rip cordrand ex-
periences a few moments of free fall.
On each subsequent jump the
parachutist increases his free fall time.
"FREE FALL is like flying without.
an airplane," said veteran jumper Bob
Domeier, member and former

president of the University club. "You
can do everything a bird can do except
climb."
In the first five jumps there is vir-
tually no free fall, but many jumpers
agree that the jump does not become
boring once the parachute opens. "It's
beautiful," commented one jumper.
Beginning jumpers fall for about two
minutes with the chute open. Advanced
jumpers do "canopy relative" work,
where people sit on each others'
parachutes in the air, falling for about
six minutes.
AT THE TECUMSEH site, those af-
filiated with the University can use
club-owned equipment, which includes
several safety features, such as a
reserve chute with a device designed to
automatically release the chute if the
jumper is travelling greater than 60
feet per second at 1000 feet.
In addition, novice jumpers are
equipped with a radio allowing an ex-
perienced person on the ground to relay
instructions to a jumper having
problems.
Before the first jump, students are
required to take part in about five hours
of instruction taughttby Lang, who said
he has taught more than 10,000 studen-
ts. This instruction covers the parts of
the main parachute, how to use the
reserve, canopy control, and emergen-
cy, landing, and exiting procedures.
See SKYDIVE, Page 13

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Falling to earth
A diver somersaults off the diving board at Fuller pool while another
anxiously awaits her turn. Fuller pool is reknowned for its large, spacious
sun deck.
%0
~I ~ l t, C k~S, ' b. te r)
2 1 S the State or
Ne0 t S
$1 .00 OFF
(Except Wednesdays)
THE PURCHASE PRICE OF A
PIZZA WITH THIS COUPON
(EXPIRES 6/15/81)
VIDEO and PINBALL GAMES
LOWEST EVERY DAY BEER PRICES IN TOWN!
MON & THURS-PITCHER NIGHTS
TUES & FRI-VODKA NIGHTS
WED- PRICE PIZZA NIGHT
(thru6/15)
COCKTAILS-WINES-PIZZAS
SANDWICHES-SALADS
DAILY SPECIALS 7 Days A Week.
Served from 11 am-Till?

4

Pedaling your way
through the summer

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BY JULIE BARTH
Bicycle riding is on the rise, accor-
ding to Brad Wright of the Student
Bicycle Shop in Ann Arbor, for com-
muting as well as for recreation.
"There are so many good roads (for
bike riding). On Saturday or Sunday
there are more bikes than cars on
Huron River Drive," he said.
Himself an avid bicycling fan, Wright
recently covered 120 miles on his bike
one Saturday. Some of the bike routes
he recommends are Gallup Park,
Huron River Drive, and an especially
scenic route running from Scio Church
Road to Zeeb Road and back to Huron
River Road - a good 20-mile loop for a
beginner.
MANY CYCLISTS enjoy these river
routes because of their light flow of
traffic and their meandering along with
the foliage-banked Huron. In addition,
Huron River Drive leads right to both
Delhi and Dexter-Huron Metro
Parks, and, continuing further on some
different roads, to the area northwest of
Ann Arbor where there's an abundance

of lakes.
Though the city does have some of-
ficially designated bike routes, many of
the roads have little, if any, shoulders
on them. But, often because of the light
traffic, theseroutesare fine for cycling.
Wright believes bike riders are
becoming more safety conscious, and
as a result, bicycling has become a
safer sport. The growing popularity of
bicycle helmets and the new Ann Arbor
city ordinances requiring licenses and
proper lights on bicycles are in-
dications of this trend, he said.
FOR RIDING in traffic, Wright offers
the following suggestions:
Q Don't ride at night without a light
and reflector
Q Stay as far to the right-hand side
of the road as you safely can
Q Always use the left-turn lane to
turn left in order to avoid crossing two
lines of traffic
U Remember that bicyclists are sub-
ject to the same traffic regulations as
moving vehicles

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