Tracking from formation

[DSE 3]

I'm confused. Based on the Titusville thread in Incidents:
When you go low on a formation and either don't believe you can float up, or for whatever reason, is tracking away immediately the best course regardless of altitude? Or staying around the formation, and tracking off when the formation breaks a better practice?

Similar question; we have a person at our DZ that never tries to re-dock if the formation funnels, and tracks off immediately regardless of altitude. Basically, if the formation (usually BFR's) falls apart, they don't want to try getting in or reforming regardless of altitude.
Twice, there have been situations of this person being very close to others upon deployment.

What is best in either of these situations?

[DougH 270]

If I was a regular jumper at the DZ I would try to my fullest to get him or her grounded unless they changed their bad habits.

I move out from under the formation, and try my ass off the get up to them. I wait till the break off alt. we previously decided on to start my track so the other jumpers can have a better idea in the direction I tracked in, and then I suck it down.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[SuperGirl 0]

I should probably shut up because I don't have that many jumps so I'm not really entitled to give any advice... but let me just state what they taught me as a student:
if you go below the formation, you're supposed to keep eye contact with the others till around break-off altitude
otherwise, if you track away, then you only confuse the other people in the formation, because they won't know where you are any more when it's time to break off and they risk tracking towards you

[NWFlyer 2]

Good discussion in this thread that was recently resurrected (yes, there's also a lot of annoying bitchiness in there, too, but if you ignore it there's good info to be had). Gets into the pros and cons of sticking around vs. bailing.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[billvon 2,397]

>is tracking away immediately the best course regardless of altitude?
>Or staying around the formation, and tracking off when the formation
>breaks a better practice?

1) Talk to the organizer before the jump and come up with a plan.

2) USUALLY (this is NOT a rule) on multi-group jump runs the rule is to stick with the formation to breakoff, then track off with them. Why? Two reasons. One, if you start tracking at 10,000 feet, you may run into the next group. Two, if everyone sees where you are at breakoff, they can avoid you. If they don't see you, they can't avoid you.

Rarely on larger loads, where there are no other groups to deal with, the plan will be to start tracking after you're low for ten seconds or whatever. When this happens, generally the rule is to track as long as you can and as hard as you can and do not open above 2200 feet.

But again, this is a question best asked of the organizer before the jump.

>we have a person at our DZ that never tries to re-dock if the formation
> funnels, and tracks off immediately regardless of altitude.

The problem with this is . . .

>Twice, there have been situations of this person being very close to others
>upon deployment.

I would talk to him before the next jump and make it clear what the plan for the group was.

[DSE 3]

Thank you Bill. Your answer is as close to conclusive as I'll get. It'll have to fall to someone else to speak with him, each time I've tried to talk to him about anything, whether it's packing or doing an instant 180 on deployment ("I'm clearing my airspace") his stock answer has been "I was taught differently in the Army."

[fmmobley 0]

Another excellent thread on the subject is found here...

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1779381;search_string=low%20on%20formation;#1779381

... Marion

[popsjumper 2]

Quote

...his stock answer has been "I was taught differently in the Army."

Oooooo...my stock reply would be, "Then get yourself re-trained and if not, then go back to the Army. You're not jumping with me anymore."

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

[slotperfect 7]

Quote

"I was taught differently in the Army."

LOL!

Well, this Army guy learned early (and has taught many times over since then), the same discipline that has already been mentioned earlier in the thread:

-If you're under the formation, get out from under it.
-Hang out in the vicinity of your slot and try to recover, keeping an eye on the formation.
-Break off at your assigned altitude and in your assigned direction.
-Everyone will know where you are in the sky during breakoff and you will not stray into the breakoff airspace of another group from the same pass.

Arrive Safely

John

[MakeItHappen 15]

Quote

-Break off at your assigned altitude and in your assigned direction.

This is true if you are above or in the formation or on final approach.

When you are low, break off with the first wave and track until their assigned pull altitude.
Going low means you become part of the first wave BO team.

.

.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[tbrown 26]

Quote

I should probably shut up because I don't have that many jumps so I'm not really entitled to give any advice... but let me just state what they taught me as a student:
if you go below the formation, you're supposed to keep eye contact with the others till around break-off altitude
otherwise, if you track away, then you only confuse the other people in the formation, because they won't know where you are any more when it's time to break off and they risk tracking towards you

SG: First, welcome to the Forums !

Second, you have good instructors and they're teaching you the right way to handle this situation.

Finally, thanks for contributing, especially considering the harebraned advice we often see from people with many more jumps than you.

Live & learn, stay safe and enjoy your new sport. We do.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[kkeenan 13]

Quote

[..., this Army guy learned early (and has taught many times over since then), the same discipline that has already been mentioned earlier in the thread:

Do they teach a lot of RW in the Army ??

_____________________________________
Dude, you are so awesome...
Can I be on your ash jump ?

[mdrejhon 8]

During Canada Big Way 2006 practice jumps, Guy Wright taught me something valuable: The chain reaction of falling low because you're trying to look up at the formation. It's easy to fall low if you lift your head up too much (as if to stare up at the formation). That's because your head is blocking less air and you start to fall faster and dearching won't work as well. And you fall faster and faster as you try to look up more and more. Chain reaction!

Even if slightly low, the moment you feel you need to look upwards, instead immediately get a little bit horizontal separation away from formation to get better visibility, turn 90 degrees and then keep your head down sideways staring at the formation to the side, to make your head as big as possible in the airflow (while still keeping eye on formation) while falling as slow as you can. You'll lift up magically. Talk to organizer about recommendations as well.

I caught up after an accidental early exit (misunderstood exit count) where I exited 1.5 seconds before the cameraflyer!