There is no question that there is a much greater element of risk in these operations. You cannot control the jumpers and fly the aircraft. You have to trust that they will manage themselves and each other. And then there is the "**** happens" factor, and there is just so much more **** that can happen compared to more commonplace op's.
"Protect your pins and handles when moving about the aircraft" is what they train. It is drilled into you. And yet, after not a terribly long career as an active skydiver and jumpmaster, I have seen more than once containers accidentally opened in aircraft. Depending on the severity of the mess, most of the time these jumpers are moved as far from the door as possible and told to ride back with the aircraft. Very rarely I have seen containers reclosed by other jumpers.
The most scared I've ever been was on a Twotter load. I was last out with the last group, which meant I was having fun playing copilot. We sat, respectful of the CG, until the group ahead of us departed and, as we stood up and walked to the rear of the aircraft, I saw someone's pilot chute dragging on the floor behind them. I grabbed that person but he thought I was just taking grips for the exit and actually fought me to the door! At the moment he reached the door I saw the pilot chute flash by and I center punched him right out of the aircraft. Everything cleared the tail, the rest of us had an improvised formation dive, and he took a really long time to come down from 12,000 ft. Nobody had seen what was happening except me, including the dolt with the loose pilot chute.
Protecting pins and handles has to be next-level with helicopters. There is no corner to send someone to, no room to fix their ****, and the large openings are all too close to loose pilot chutes, bridles and canopies.
The opposite of this is, of course, balloons. Send your laundry over the side of the basket if you want
