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Nightingale

Flag Jump Question

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I wasn't sure whether to put this here, in a skydiving forum, or in Bonfire, so I figured I'd play it safe and put it in Speaker's corner and the mods can move it if necessary.

I was always taught that it was disrespectful to allow the American flag to touch the ground (at least on purpose), and the Flag Code indicates that the flag should not touch anything beneath it, like the ground, though contrary to popular belief, you don't have to burn it, just pick it up.

Every flag jump I've seen ends up with the flag lying on the grass. Has there been some kind of exception made for parachute jumps?

I love watching the flag jumps. They're awesome, and beautiful, and there's something wonderful about watching the flag sail through the air, but I cringe when I see the flag hit the ground.

Just curious about the thoughts of others.

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The purpose built flags are actually same color and design arrangement but Banner scale. Technically not a flag.

Some Teams (Fastrax being one) have Congressional Decrees or Proclamations stating that the banner-flag may touch the ground and be picked up quickly for safety reasons, a 7800' flag with appropriate weight is a bit tough to catch.

When Dana Bowman Jumps his Banner-Flag his narration even has this explanation in it.

Matt
An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

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The purpose built flags are actually same color and design arrangement but Banner scale. Technically not a flag.

Some Teams (Fastrax being one) have Congressional Decrees or Proclamations stating that the banner-flag may touch the ground and be picked up quickly for safety reasons, a 7800' flag with appropriate weight is a bit tough to catch.

When Dana Bowman Jumps his Banner-Flag his narration even has this explanation in it.

Matt




Thanks!

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For our demo team, the flags are flown from flag lines above the jumper. So, ground crew can usually catch the flags before they even hit the ground. If it does hit the ground, the crew picks it up as quickly as possible. When the jumpers stage their gear afterward, they make sure the whole rig gets right into the gear bag so it doesn't get dumped on the ground.
See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus

Shut Up & Jump!

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The American Legion will also issue a certificate declaring the flag as a banner, thereby technically making it a "non-flag" for demo purposes only.
I've heard of a few demo teams doing this and making clear during the audio portion of the demo.

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I wasn't sure whether to put this here, in a skydiving forum, or in Bonfire, so I figured I'd play it safe and put it in Speaker's corner and the mods can move it if necessary.

I was always taught that it was disrespectful to allow the American flag to touch the ground (at least on purpose), and the Flag Code indicates that the flag should not touch anything beneath it, like the ground, though contrary to popular belief, you don't have to burn it, just pick it up.

Every flag jump I've seen ends up with the flag lying on the grass. Has there been some kind of exception made for parachute jumps?

I love watching the flag jumps. They're awesome, and beautiful, and there's something wonderful about watching the flag sail through the air, but I cringe when I see the flag hit the ground.

Just curious about the thoughts of others.



Jumped with the Liberty Parachute Team 1990-93. We assemble a ground crew on site for the large flags. They rarely catch the flag but retrieve it quickly. Never any problems with the spectators.

The grief I have experienced is when we have to pack and rig the flag for the next jump. You have to lay it on the ground. I've had a few passersby get testy. A polite explanation usually calms the passions.
Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

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. . . a 7800' flag with appropriate weight is a bit tough to catch.



7800' flag?

Maybe square footage, so about 100' X 78'?
" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

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This is what I've done for demos (American Legion cert). Learned about it here on DZ.com.
With the weight on a a suspended flag, it's simply too dangerous (IMO) to ask anyone to attempt to catch it.
The larger flag in this image has 18 lbs of shot sewn into the leading edge, and the lower flag has an 8lb weight hanging from it. This could seriously hurt someone.
Matt, isn't the weight on the large Fastrax flag around 80lbs?

In my limited number of flag-bearing demo jumps, an explanation goes a long way to demonstrating that you're respecting the flag as much as possible in the given circumstances, IMO.
At the end of this video you get an idea of how fast the flag might be moving.

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