0
jnjusticar

Student Nav 220 to Spectre 190?

Recommended Posts

I have my A license and am off the Nav 220. I didn't have any problems landing it standing up and I invested in a Spectre 190 after talking to a few people and reading a lot of reviews on it. My wing load will be 1.1 to 1. I have a canopy control course scheduled for my B license coming up soon. I've noticed a lot of people when I looked at some forums use a braked approach to land. Is this common while learning a canopy like a Spectre? Seems a little strange to come in braked but I wanted some opinions on this. I guess my big question would be is the flare power absolutely so much different that you need to come in braked?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I started jumping Spectre 190 around jump 25, with WL of 1.0, down from a Nav 240 and jumped it mostly until I got my licence (Danish, at jump 40). I would definitely not recommend braking approach as a rule, Spectre already has relatively little flare compared to a newer 9-cell, so bleeding off more airspeed is going to put you in an uncomfortable spot where you don't have enough to work with. That said, it has a very forgiving flare, so you will be able to stand it up in most circumstances, once you get used to the timing, which is quite different from the 9-cell Nav (as a 7-cell, Spectre sinks a bit faster and has its flare start deeper in the control range, which results in the whole flare being "compressed" into a relatively small portion of the toggle range).
"Skydivers are highly emotional people. They get all excited about their magical black box full of mysterious life saving forces."

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
That's what I figured from the majority of the literature I have read. I was just confused as to why some were doing a braked landing considering the physics behind flight. I spoke to some people at my DZ about it last week who know me and they said it should be fine as well but I forgot to ask them about the little bit of stuff I was seeing with braked landings.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Are you sure you didn't misread something?
You've probably read about a break and surge method, something some folks and many TI are using to increase their flare power, making their landings softer.
You basically flare during your final, then let your arms up, the canopy picks up speed and if timed correctly this speed can be used to get a better flare and results in a softer landing.
So exactly the opposite to what you where thinking...
Don't try this without coaching!

There are certain canopy drills that also include landing while flying in half brakes. Though a very helpfull skill to have mastered it is meant as an emergency drill and not for normal landings.
-------------------------------------------------------

To absent friends

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
USPA teaches the braked approach during the student progression and it is also taught during various canopy courses.

Not flown all the way to the ground, obviously, but up high. A requirement for the USPA B license is a canopy control course...I think the OP was talking about that.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
My understanding is that braked landing practice is recommended to help one develop the skills and feel comfortable executing a braked landing if a braked landing is necessary (e.g. if a flat turn is executed, perhaps to avoid an obstacle, and there is not enough altitude to go back to full flight), and not as general practice.
Or am I missing something?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0