Noticing other jumpers

[mamajumps 0]

While talking to my boyfriend last night (D licensed jumper 500+ jumps /coach) I told him one of the biggest fears / concerns that I have about jumping is that I dont "see" other people in the air with me. I mean obviously if Im doing a 4 way or a jump with other people, I see them, but Im talking about people who exit before or after me. I see them once were under canopy, but not in freefall. He told me it comes with time and that he had at least 100 jumps before he even knew where he was in the sky. I want to be the safest jumper that I can be, and I probably should have addressed this sooner, but my ex used to always run me into the ground with what he called "stupid questions". When I deploy I always give a good wave off, but it bothers me so much, that if I can't be last out (which is next to never) im very nervous about jumping. Is this a legitimate worry / concern or am I putting too much into this?

[airtwardo 6]

I putting too much into this?

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No...awareness is a good thing!

Remember there is a reason for the way we perform exit spacing, and it's important that we all work together for the safety of everyone in the sky.

That being said, shit does happen and your doing a GOOD wave off also helps minimise the risk to an extent, which is another thing in your favor.

As far as 'seeing' other jumpers from other groups...a little 'fighter pilot' trick I've found that seems to help is to consciously relax your eye focus to take in the whole big picture and scan the sky...your eyes should be able to pick up the movement of objects around you, and focus in on the object.

To practice and train your eyes, look around for other aircraft on the ride to altitude...

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

[BIGUN 1,106]

Well, you obviously feel comfortable with us by now to know that we don't think anyone trying to be a safer skydiver asks, "stupid questions." Ask away. Like you, we want everyone around us to be safe. Perhaps you and your boyfriend should download Professor Kallend's, "Downloadable freefall modeling program" from http://www.iit.edu/~kallend/skydive/ and play around with it.

What you will find is that if everyone exits in the proper order with the proper time/speed/distance, your group "should" only have to worry about their separation. The more knowledge you gain about exit separation, the more comfortable you'll become with not only ensuring your own safety, but the safety of others.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[pilotdave 0]

The biggest threat to you is the people in your own group. Don't waste your time looking for other groups in freefall. You WON'T be able to see all of them... in fact, it will be rare to see any of them. If you know where everybody in your own group is (all the way through opening), watch out below you while you track for other people below you, and everybody uses a good time between exits, you'll be fine.

Under canopy, try to find as many people as possible and try to know ahead of time who you might be sharing the sky with. If someone in your group has a tiny canopy, chances are you'll never have to worry about that person because they'll descend so much faster than you. But a tandem camera flyer with a tiny canopy might be exiting much after you, pulling higher, and zooming past you under canopy. That's the kind of thing to be looking out for high above you under canopy.

Dave

[BillyVance 34]

The best thing you can do to minimize the chances of running into people from other groups is by tracking away from the jumprun direction, if you know it consciously, as close to 90 degrees off it as you safely can, based on your own group's actions.

If the separation time between groups is adequate, there really shouldn't be problems, but you never know. Always be alert.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[tombuch 0]

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Don't waste your time looking for other groups in freefall. You WON'T be able to see all of them... in fact, it will be rare to see any of them.

Good advice for the original poster who has about 75 jumps, but experienced jumpers can and should do more.

As we gain experience we should also gain awareness. After a while it becomes pretty easy to know the direction of the jumprun throughout the skydive and to keep a casual scan going along the line of flight. When you get to break-off and opening altitudes that casual scan should become a concentrated scan that will often pick-up the group before and after you. Knowing where they are before you dump will help you avoid them once the canopy opens, and throughout the canopy flight.

As I said, this isn't something a beginner should be worried about, but as we gain experience we should be actively targeting personal growth, and this is one place to make improvements.

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[Broke 0]

Didn't you tell me once that your ex is an instructor of some sort?

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[mamajumps 0]

Yep...

Tandem and AFF/I...

[DanG 1]

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The best thing you can do to minimize the chances of running into people from other groups is by tracking away from the jumprun direction, if you know it consciously, as close to 90 degrees off it as you safely can, based on your own group's actions.

For groups larger than two is is very difficult to avoid having someone track either generally up jumprun, or generally down jumprun. Separation with people in your own group is more important than separation with other groups. At 75 jumps, the OP should concentrate on turning 180 from the center of their own group and tracking straight.

That being said, Tom is right on as usual about keeping the direction of jumprun and location of other groups in the back of your mind. You still need to ensure adequate separation from your own group, but you can do things to minimize issues with other groups. For instance, if breakoff puts me tracking up jumprun, I will often not track as far as if I were tracking perpendicular. I don't recommend that to newer jumpers since they usually have enough to think about, but I find it can work for me.

- Dan G