Apr 9, 2004, 6:42 PM
Post #1 of 7
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On breakaway, what do you do?
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Scenario is you're out jumping with one or a couple of others, doing your thing. Suddenly you see the others wave off, go on belly (or stay there if you're flat flying) and track away with their arses on fire.
I do take into account that sometimes people break off at a higher than agreed alti (or it was just miscommunicated somehow)
Be honest
Me, my alti awareness isn't absolute, but it's there, so if people break away unexpectedly I tend to go "uhm, wtf?" while turning away and checking alti. I then track, expecting the others to have the intention of pulling at the end of their track, so I don't wanna be in the way in case there's a malfunction.
Is this bad/good?
(This post was edited by vonSanta on Apr 9, 2004, 6:44 PM)
Apr 9, 2004, 7:34 PM
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Re: [vonSanta] On breakaway, what do you do?
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As Hazard said,
I do the same, track away, but before deploying (since I'll be at a higher alti) I always check for possible people above and below. Just in case. Any way, I always check for other people around before deploying.
Apr 9, 2004, 9:36 PM
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Re: [FrenchyDiver] On breakaway, what do you do?
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Well, FIRST i check that none is above, crucial doing freefly, then go flat, turn&track... I corked on one of my early FF jumps, and seeing the video by the guy who missed me in standup by maybe 3 feet burned that into to my mind.
Apr 11, 2004, 9:10 AM
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Re: [Chrisky] On breakaway, what do you do?
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Well, FIRST i check that none is above, crucial doing freefly, then go flat, turn&track... I corked on one of my early FF jumps, and seeing the video by the guy who missed me in standup by maybe 3 feet burned that into to my mind.
Do you check by ways of a quick barrel roll or just by looking up over your left and right shoulders? I do the latter. Come to think of it, there might be a blind spot by doing this, but peripheral vision is quite extensive.
Apr 11, 2004, 10:34 PM
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Re: [vonSanta] On breakaway, what do you do?
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The problem with the barrel roll is that you have to go flat first, corking up. Which is why it is important to check without decelerating (going belly to earth) first.
So from a head-up position you simply look up and around, from headdown the transition to a flat track with barrel roll is usually less abrupt (can't really give feedback because i'm just learning headdown an do max. 2ways). So from headup there is no blind spot, and a barrel roll in the track following the abandoned Headdown position should do the trick.
On a "normal" RW dive, there shouldn't be anyone overhead (ideally...), and there is no vertical slowdown (or at least not as dramatic as in freeflying) during the separation. So a look over the shoulders could be enough, still a barrel roll would be better, as it eliminates the blind spot. No need for that if all participants were level and tracked away into different directions though.
It is important to always make a safe separation part of each dives' briefing.
(This post was edited by Chrisky on Apr 11, 2004, 10:40 PM)
Apr 12, 2004, 6:39 AM
Post #7 of 7
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Re: [vonSanta] On breakaway, what do you do?
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The rate at which I look at the ground and my altimeter increases as I approach breakoff altitude. I am usually paying more attention to altitude than the skydive at that point.
If my indicators show me at the agreed breakoff altitude, I'm gone. If people want to make one more point, it's going to be a missing-man formation, since I'm history.
If someone leaves early, I may take the last grip before going. If it works out to be just a little high, may just leave then myself.
Avoiding the temptation to suck it down has saved my ass on more than one occasion, and I know (knew) people who pitched just a little too low.
It is my policy to stay the hell out of the basement, and it has served me well.
29 /
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), and there is no vertical slowdown (or at least not as dramatic as in freeflying) during the separation. So a look over the shoulders could be enough, still a barrel roll would be better, as it eliminates the blind spot. No need for that if all participants were level and tracked away into different directions though. 
