What would you do?

[fly4jumps 0]

Hypothetical Situation: (this didn't happen yet)

You jump at whatever experince level you're at, at whatever dropzone you jump at and out of any plane you want. Jump goes well, then you pull. Nice soft opening. Canopy is square, stable, slider is down AND you can steer it.

The catch? You're looking at your pilot chute infront of your canopy and you are flying backwards.


Land it? or go to your Reserve? Why? Under what circumstances or experince level would you change your mind?

[skycamefalling 0]

I would cutaway no matter what experience level I was at. I would not want to feel how that type of landing that would be. I am sure it is probably possible to land. But at a high enough altitude, it sure seems like it would be fun to fly backwards.

Speedracer~I predict that Michael Jackson will rise from the dead.
And that a giant radioactive duck will emerge from the ocean and eat Baltimore.

[AggieDave 6]

Quite a few people have landed intentionally hooked up backwards and accidentally hooked up backwards main canopies. Some have been quite successful, some less than so.

Personally, I would probably chop it, but then again, I'm loaded over 2.7 and if I'm going backwards, it could get "sporty." If I was loaded under 2, then I would probably land it. That's just me, though.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[wildcard451 0]

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Quite a few people have landed intentionally hooked up backwards and accidentally hooked up backwards main canopies. Some have been quite successful, some less than so.

Personally, I would probably chop it, but then again, I'm loaded over 2.7 and if I'm going backwards, it could get "sporty." If I was loaded under 2, then I would probably land it. That's just me, though.

I'm @ 2.25, and probably am thinking the same as you.

[airtwardo 6]

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Quite a few people have landed intentionally hooked up backwards and accidentally hooked up backwards main canopies. Some have been quite successful, some less than so.

Personally, I would probably chop it, but then again, I'm loaded over 2.7 and if I'm going backwards, it could get "sporty." If I was loaded under 2, then I would probably land it. That's just me, though.

What if it's your RESERVE?

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[AggieDave 6]

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Quite a few people have landed intentionally hooked up backwards and accidentally hooked up backwards main canopies. Some have been quite successful, some less than so.

Personally, I would probably chop it, but then again, I'm loaded over 2.7 and if I'm going backwards, it could get "sporty." If I was loaded under 2, then I would probably land it. That's just me, though.

What if it's your RESERVE?

The reserve is easy, its a 176, so I could easily fly it backwards to where my rigger is standing so I can kick his a$$!

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[airtwardo 6]

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Quite a few people have landed intentionally hooked up backwards and accidentally hooked up backwards main canopies. Some have been quite successful, some less than so.

Personally, I would probably chop it, but then again, I'm loaded over 2.7 and if I'm going backwards, it could get "sporty." If I was loaded under 2, then I would probably land it. That's just me, though.

What if it's your RESERVE?

The reserve is easy, its a 176, so I could easily fly it backwards to where my rigger is standing so I can kick his a$$!

176...that's about the size on my reserve SLIDER!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[faulknerwn 36]

I gotta say - talking about landing backwards is WAY easier than doing it. A few years back, I was bored one summer afternoon, and i have a rig with extra 3-rings and we hooked up a 375 square foot canopy to it. I thought forwards, turned out backwards.

I landed that one. Really light wing loading obviously :-) Trying to fly that thing backwards was so challenging that I swore I would never do it on a "regular" main.

A few years later, opened up and had my Triathlon 99 hooked up backwards.. Oops! Didn't blink an eye in chopping that sucker..

Flying a canopy backwards is WAY WAY WAY more difficult than one might think. I seem to remember a fatality at the freefall convention back in the late 90's - a guy tried to land a 170ish square foot canopy backwards (accidently hooked up wrong) and managed to kill himself..

If you think you can land it backwards - find someone who has a rig you can hook up a third canopy to and try flying it around backwards at altitude.. Its way harder than one might think...

[airtwardo 6]

We use to do backwards CReW at Elsinore years ago, once you get the hang of everything...it's really not that hard.

~on a slow canopy!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Andy9o8 0]

You guys are such wusses. On my first 50 or so jumps I landed the canopy going backwards.

[faulknerwn 36]

My student days I was 110 lbs jumping the "small" rig - a 250! I landed backwards too. I must say its far easier if pulling the right toggle still goes right and left goes left!

[mjosparky 3]

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We use to do backwards CReW at Elsinore years ago, once you get the hang of everything...it's really not that hard.

~on a slow canopy!

Here is some information on BCRW.

Sparky

http://crwdog.servebeer.com/CRWdog/Backwards.html#12

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[popsjumper 2]

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You guys are such wusses. On my first 50 or so jumps I landed the canopy going backwards.

And, I imagine, a few sideways too!

Should we even mention oscillating?

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[flashvortx 0]

Here's a crappy video of someone landing backwards. It's at the end. Apparently when you land backwards, the canopy doesn't flare itself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxBwM5rH7sc

[timmyfitz 0]

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I must say its far easier if pulling the right toggle still goes right and left goes left!

Works the same way going backwards. Pull with your right hand, turn right. Pull with your left hand, turn left.

[pilotdave 0]

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I must say its far easier if pulling the right toggle still goes right and left goes left!

Works the same way going backwards. Pull with your right hand, turn right. Pull with your left hand, turn left.

They'll feel opposite. If you're being pushed backwards by a strong wind, pulling with your left hand will make you face to the left. If your canopy is connected backwards, pulling with your left hand will make you face to the right.

Dave

[faulknerwn 36]

It sounds easy but on the jump on the 375 I know I tried switching the toggles, twisting in the harness ( kept accidentally untwisting ) and heck I eve flew upside down for a bit :). No technique worked better for me than keeping the toggles in the standard hand.

I would never have guessed it was that hard till I tried it!

I have done backwards crw too on a lightning 113 but that was on an intentional cutaway rig and I didn't land that main.

[popsjumper 2]

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I must say its far easier if pulling the right toggle still goes right and left goes left!

Works the same way going backwards. Pull with your right hand, turn right. Pull with your left hand, turn left.

They'll feel opposite. If you're being pushed backwards by a strong wind, pulling with your left hand will make you face to the left. If your canopy is connected backwards, pulling with your left hand will make you face to the right.

Dave

I'm having a hard time picturing this.

-Canopy connected properly, pushed back by wind:
I pull left, I go left. I don't get the "facing" part.

-Canopy connected backwards, pushed back by wind:
I pull left, I go left. I don't get the "facing" part.

-Canopy connected backwards, body moving backwards:
I pull left, I go left. I don't get the "facing" part.

Maybe it's the left/right stuff. I tend to think "this way" and "that way".


Ooooo, Oooo...maybe it's this:
If it's on backwards turning left will make your body seem like it's going to the right because of the the canopy swings you out from under it in that direction.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

"facing" means just what it says... the direction that the person's face is pointed.

With a correctly rigged canopy if I pull the right toggle the canopy turns that way AND my face turns that way.

With a backwards canopy, if I pull the canopies right toggle (on my left side), the canopy turns to its right and I am now facing toward the LEFT of the canopys previous path.

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[Calvin19 0]

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Hypothetical Situation: (this didn't happen yet)

You jump at whatever experince level you're at, at whatever dropzone you jump at and out of any plane you want. Jump goes well, then you pull. Nice soft opening. Canopy is square, stable, slider is down AND you can steer it.

The catch? You're looking at your pilot chute infront of your canopy and you are flying backwards.


Land it? or go to your Reserve? Why? Under what circumstances or experince level would you change your mind?

I fly a JVX79 for high pulls and a Safire 149 for wingsuit. pretty much the only jumping I do. So, if I was at 1500' on the safire after WS opening, cut it away. if anything is weird on the 79 at all I would cut it away. if for some reason I opened at 3k on the 149, I might try to land it backwards. I'm 150lbs.

-SPACE-

[JohnMitchell 14]

It's like backing a car. It seems natural to me, but my youngest daughter took about an hour of instruction driving backwards before she got competent enough to pass her driving test.

Like anything, it's a learned skill.

With that said, I'd probably chop, esp. on a low wind day, because I can't run backwards very fast.

[Fast 0]

Yeah- I'd get rid of it cause of how highly loaded I am. If I was jumping something bigger I might try and figure it out.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[petejones45 0]

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Hypothetical Situation: (this didn't happen yet)

You jump at whatever experince level you're at, at whatever dropzone you jump at and out of any plane you want. Jump goes well, then you pull. Nice soft opening. Canopy is square, stable, slider is down AND you can steer it.

The catch? You're looking at your pilot chute infront of your canopy and you are flying backwards.


Land it? or go to your Reserve? Why? Under what circumstances or experince level would you change your mind?

i would turn my self so the canopy was in a half twist but i was facing the direction the canopy was flying, that way i could fly it down using riser inputs until about 200 then land it backwards.

Look out for the freefly team, Smelly Peppers. Once we get a couple years more experience we will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future! BLUES!

[Calvin19 0]

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i would turn my self so the canopy was in a half twist but i was facing the direction the canopy was flying, that way i could fly it down using riser inputs until about 200 then land it backwards.

pretty not good idea IMNSHO, that is a low change. get good at flying it backwards, practice even flare, and reverse PLF. (it is different).

[pchapman 261]

I've long wondered about grabbing risers and giving oneself a 180 twist (to face forward), plus a 360 twist (so the 180 twist doesn't suddenly torque itself out), and landing that way.

The risers will be crossed in front of one's face and there's still some untwisting torque that makes using toggles a bit awkward, but one can reach above the twists to use them.

Haven't tried it on anything smaller. The only time I landed like that was with a big 200 sq ft canopy. The canopy was attached the right way, but there were twists in the risers that wouldn't come out because a main canopy was wrapped around them. (A little CRW oopsie.) I was able to reach above the crap to get the toggles.