Slow flight fall rate

[bluesilver30 0]

Hi. The other day i was flying in a pattern to the lz behind someone that just got off of AFF. the wind was fairly still at around 15 or so, and he was playing downwind and setting up for a straight in approach. because of the layout of the dz (highway nearby) and some of his previous maneuvers i saw him doing (spiral down) i didn't want to cut in front and get in a blind spot and risk a collision. i started higher and back, but i had a faster fall rate. in my position i felt it was safer to follow his approach which, as you probably assumed, landed us downwind of the lz.

my question is, will applying breaks and getting into slow flight lower your fall rate? this would have kept me above the other jumper and prevented any risk of collision if i moved into a better landing position. i'm thinking it will, and i know it makes your approach steeper. just wanted to confirm this. thanks!

[phoenixlpr 0]

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my question is, will applying breaks and getting into slow flight lower your fall rate? this would have kept me above the other jumper and prevented any risk of collision if i moved into a better landing position.

Positive. It can, but depends on the amount of brakes to use. Minimum forward speed and minimum descent rate are not in the same point. If you go from Full flight to near stall, you go minimum descent rate in the middle.

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i'm thinking it will, and i know it makes your approach steeper.

Applying brakes does not can your absolute glide, but if you descent rate is lower, you are exposed to winds longer, so you would drift more by the winds. Flying upwind your glide would be steeper, flying downwind your glide would be flatter.

[bluesilver30 0]

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Applying brakes does not can your absolute glide, but if you descent rate is lower, you are exposed to winds longer, so you would drift more by the winds. Flying upwind your glide would be steeper, flying downwind your glide would be flatter.

interesting. so slow flying with the wind, will that give you your best glide rate (assuming the winds are strong enough to push you enough to compete with full flight)?

[AggieDave 6]

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Flying upwind your glide would be steeper, flying downwind your glide would be flatter.

This is simply not correct.

Your perception of your glide appears to be different, due to the speeds and distances you're able to fly to across the ground; however, this doesn't mean that your glide changes due to the wind.

You can change your glide with various inputs, but it is independent of consistent and non-turbulent winds.

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[phoenixlpr 0]

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This is simply not correct.

Then define glide.

If it distance covered from certain altitude my explanation stands.

[blackout 0]

I agree your glide over the ground would be steeper flying into the wind however, your glide ratio as air speed versus decent would maintain the same in most cases.

So flying into high winds you will lose more alti per amount of distance of the ground flown

[damion75 0]

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i was flying in a pattern to the lz behind someone that just got off of AFF. the wind was fairly still at around 15 or so, and he was playing downwind and setting up for a straight in approach.

The lesson that I would recommend you take away from this is not to play downwind of the DZ. Play upwind and then at your planned start altitude, move into a prepared landing pattern, during which you will at some stage (winds permitting) end up slightly downwind of your planned landing point.

The planning of the canopy flight often takes second place to the planning of the freefall skydive and it really shouldn't. Most canopy control courses deal with the planning of an effective landing pattern and it is a great place to start.

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[Martini 0]

Not intending to be picky but the term "fall rate" implies freefall velocity. Under canopy "descent rate" is more commonly used to describe the vertical component. Helps to avoid confusing people like me.

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