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Dangerousmind86

GROUND LAUNCHING CHUTE?

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Mmm Never used a sled but a 20knot breeze and a steep slope/ cliff could get it happening. Earliest canopy I saw soared was a stratostar . 25 knots was almost a minimum to get it off the ground.

Recently I've picked up on a guy who is working on a parasail that can be dumped from freefall. Hope he gets it right.
Stay up all day stuff.
:)

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Mmm Never used a sled but a 20knot breeze and a steep slope/ cliff could get it happening. Earliest canopy I saw soared was a stratostar . 25 knots was almost a minimum to get it off the ground.

Recently I've picked up on a guy who is working on a parasail that can be dumped from freefall. Hope he gets it right.
Stay up all day stuff.
:)



Sled ride was just a euphamism for a downhill run with no flying ascent, no actual sleds involved, (yea I know ski's are popular for speed-flying etc.).

I assume you don't actually mean parasail. I love the deployable PG idea but AFAIK it's already been tried for military HAHO applications (G-9 for example). I'd guess it's sub terminal static line direct bag but I don't know. As an aside I was looking for a link on Atair's site and I found this:

http://www.atairaerospace.com/parachutes/7up/

Which I'm pretty sure was developed by the Independence guys as a PG rescue system:

http://www.independence-world.com/internet/nav/d9d/d9d18a44-1130-701b-e592-67b482058468.htm

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Is ground launching the same thing as Paragliding?



It is the same in that you are foot launching a canopy, the equipment and objectives are very different.

Put simply, paragliding is about getting high, going far and maybe doing acro moves (depending on taste).

Ground launching is about staying low, going fast and skimming the terrain.



"Speed Flying" is a paragliding discipline that encompasses staying low, going fast and skimming the terrain. It is not a sport to be taken lightly and is not for inxperienced paragliding pilots or skydivers.

http://www.speed-flying.com/

This has come full-circle since the early days of PG.

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[I love the deployable PG idea but AFAIK it's already been tried for military HAHO applications (G-9 for example). I'd guess it's sub terminal static line direct bag but I don't know.

Check out the website from Nervures, the french paraglider manufacturer... www.nervures.com/html/fr/index.php?page=14 (unfortunately the english version of the site is less complete than the french version...
scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

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>More recently they have moved into designs specifically for "speed flying" which the PG community generally calls blade running etc.

Precicely and that is where the paragliders are behind in the technology, look at a Nano and compare it to a GLX then look at a ordanary paraglider and then a Nano. does tha nano look like t paraglider as you know then or does it look like a high aspect ratio parachute?

I was not talking about paragliding as whole and I was not saying paragliders are inferior to parachutes.

speed flying is behing ground launching in wing technology but is rapidly catching up as more people do it!

Jim Never claimed to invent the sport and if you read his website it clearly states that. He along with others moved to regulating it a sport and creating competitions etc, he did in fact put the sport on the map.

An a quick question, Is speed flying really only considered a winter sport(with skis) because from what i can see it is?
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

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I see this as much more of an issue of the details of what kind of flying you choose to optimize a canopy for, but maybe you have a point on the design side.

Others did make that claim, and from here:

http://www.jimslaton.com/index.html

"Created new mountain sport "

But I guess that could mean many things. Bottom line is he's done more for his sport than most of us ever will so kudos to him. I just like to remember where it all really started.

The attached image of David Barish taken in 1965 may seem eerily familiar. Here's a bit of history you can find online "He [David Barish] tested his new wing shape by self-launching, and was so excited by its possibilities that he set off round the ski resorts of the USA demonstrating his newly found summer sport."

WOW, a newfound summer sport in 1965!!!
Meh, who gives a shit about history eh?

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From an interview with Barish:

"At that time, slope soaring, was just for fun. We didn’t know that it might be possible to soar in thermals or dynamic wind. We just pushed the sport as being a fun way to race downhill. We raced down the ski slopes, skimming the ground, rarely more than thirty metres up."

Wow, couldn't have happened in 1965/1966!!!! I mean skydivers were still jumping rounds back then so the advent of anyone piloting anything cloth downhill must have been 40 years away.

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Hi birds,
The Ski M 12 fucking rocks and is really fun to fly. I load it at 1.9 and a 90° hook turn => + 150 ft . I use it too for acro and mountaining because it is launchable by foot ( without wind too ), light , fast (so summit wind proof ) and fly very stable in turbulence . I plan a freestyle and freeriding movie as soon as the swoop pond will open ;).Feel free to PM me if you need more infos about the canopy or coaching.
blue skies
Chris
PS : Speed-flying , Groundlaunching and swooping are dangerous and need good skills even with the Ski M 12 .

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Hi dorbie,

Actually, some folks on the east coast where running down ski slopes with their ParaCommanders back in the 60's. Not much glide angle but they did get airborne.

Jerry



Good for them, when I was a kid I used to bunny hop downhill with my parka over my head on windy days, does that count?

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I've often fantasized about climbing up some peak, here in Montana, and ground launching and then landing in the valley thousands of feet below.

I'm glad people on here are trying to discourage knuckleheads like me from trying such a thing. After looking into this more I'm beginning to realize I might not survive such an adventure. Thanks for the imput....Steve1

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Hey Chris

I think you are absolutely right. Most people relate anything you can do in skydiving as to how many jumps you have - this is an important factor but it does determine how good you are.

Thats like saying football players with the most games under their belts are the best. What about some of the newbies that come in and are on fire?

I only have 190 jumps and have gone GL. You have the right approach. Make sure you are comfortable with your canopy (glides, flat turns, stall points, rear riser techniques etc) and research how objects influnce wind currents etc.

With your attitude I'm sure you will make an excellent ground lancher.

Sunny skies

Alexis[email]

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Any recommendations on the size or make of chute I should use to get aquainted with ground launching? I'm 200 pounds with clothes on. What wing loading would be best? Thanks for any available info! --Andy--



to give my .02 about the original question. find a canopy that has an open nose, relatively flat glide, and is something you can land in very unforgiving terrain. The 1st 2 things are kind of easy to nail down, something like a sabre is great for GLing while a crossfire isn't as good. coincidently the canopies that have a reputation for opening hard make great GLing canopies due to their fast inflation rate, while those that snivel forever (ie crossfire) are harder to GL because they require more air to be ramed into the canopy at a faster rate. the hardest part of GLing is getting the canopy over your head, so practice kiting the canopy in various winds to see what is actually happening with the canopy.

the size of the canopy is also difficult and depends on multiple factors: wind, wind direction, slope, suspended weight, ect.

personally i have found that in no wind and light head wind a 135 sabre is ideal if i have a somewhat steep slope. but as the winds pick up i might go to something smaller. and personally i have found that anything bigger than a 150 is pretty hard to launch because usually i would launch that in no wind situation but it's soo hard to inflate due to so much fabric that the 135 is actually better. with all my GL crap on i'm about 200#'s

one last thing to consider. unless your at the GLC in cali or you have a landing area very similar you will be landing in some pretty "interesting" terrain. i'm talking rocks, boulders, trees, sticker bushes, animals, cravases (i've had experience with that one), and so on. so bring some protective gear and get ready to get beat up pretty good.

again, this is just from my experience so take it with a grain of salt.

be safe...stu
Slip Stream Air Sports
Do not go softly, do not go quietly, never back down


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Tomorrow Im going to the local dealer to look at a chute Im planning to GL, if I purchase it. Its an old thing, so I just get some experience without ruining my skydiving-gear.

Its a 220, I think a Sabre (1). ITs big, I know, but its very forgiving. Its an old student-parachute. Would you say this is stupid of me?

Ive never GL before, and only have 65 jumps. I know its not much, but Im going to be very, very carefull and finding open spaces with nice landing-zones. Maybe even snow. I just want the experience of getting the chute over your head and maybe take-off for a couple of seconds..
A skydiver's famous last words:
- Hey! Hold my beer, and watch this...!
- If that guy can do it, so can I...!
- In 9 out of 10 this will work out just fine. Don't worry about it...!

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Beware too old a canopy for GL. Higher porosity is a bad thing and can lead to problems like going parachutal on launch. With limited experience especially you want to make sure your wing is difficult to stall or will recover quickly if you suddenly load it before it is generating full lift (something you will do especially in the beginning, even some experienced ground launch pilots never master this). Older more porous wings are known to cause problems in this area and for a new GL pilot I'd say it is a serious safety concern IF it's too old. Being out of trim is also more critical for flight close to the terrain IMHO, so approach this purchase like your life depends on it.

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Its a 220 PD Navigator. Not Sabre, as I first said.. I dont know how old it is, but it is no more than 10 years at the most, since the model was released in -98. The bottom and side-walls are F-111, but the top 0p. Aint that somewhat good, beacause its easier to fill at launch?

Its a grounded chute for skydiving, cause someone landed it in a tree this summer and it got some holes in it. It is reairable, but my club thinks the chute is not worth it. The one in my local dealer, who is a rigger, means it would hold for GL, since you dont get the opening shock. He has never done GL before, so thats hwy I also ask here..
A skydiver's famous last words:
- Hey! Hold my beer, and watch this...!
- If that guy can do it, so can I...!
- In 9 out of 10 this will work out just fine. Don't worry about it...!

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I thought this started with you looking for a skydiving canopy you could GL with too? Doesn't this just add to your expenses even if it's cheap?

Get a porosity check on the top skin at least, & make sure it's in resonable trim.

Nobody can offer an opinion online better than folks who've seen it.

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Yes, I do look for a canopy I can GL with (even though Im not thred-starter..)

The canopy wouldnt have been too bad, if it wasnbt for that the holes where bigger and far more than both me and the rigger at my local dealer first thought.. The chute wasnt more than 4-5 years, and I know how it flyes, since I flew such in my studentperiod. But because the holes wherent what we first reconned, Im not going to buy it...

So still looking for something cheap and flyable..

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Get a porosity check on the top skin at least, & make sure it's in resonable trim.



Im planning on kiting and testing, the canopy I end up with, at first. Wouldnt that be enough for checking its in reasonable trim?
A skydiver's famous last words:
- Hey! Hold my beer, and watch this...!
- If that guy can do it, so can I...!
- In 9 out of 10 this will work out just fine. Don't worry about it...!

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Im planning on kiting and testing, the canopy I end up with, at first. Wouldnt that be enough for checking its in reasonable trim?



No.

You need to get a line trim chart from PD and measure the lines.



You mean that actually having it up in the air wont make me feel if it flyes pretty normal?
A skydiver's famous last words:
- Hey! Hold my beer, and watch this...!
- If that guy can do it, so can I...!
- In 9 out of 10 this will work out just fine. Don't worry about it...!

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