Calling any Speed Skydivers

[joephus 0]

With the introduction of Speed Skydiving to the USPA nationals next year, I've started working on seeing how fast I can go. It's seems there is very limited technical information on the discipline since its so small, and all the information I'm finding here and on some other forums is a decade old or older. I'm wondering if anyone on these boards might have any information on what type of containers current speed competitors are using and what (if any) safety modifications they might be using compared to standard container configurations. I learned on a recent run that my Javelin, while free fly friendly, does not like flying at those speeds. Since I like my limbs attached to my body I need to buy a new container, and just wonder what competitors are currently using.

Also, I'm wondering what competitors are doing for exit order while training. I've been treating these jumps like a solo-free fly jump and exiting after larger free fly groups. However, I've noticed recently I'm opening at the same time, or even before groups that have left before me. I'm maintaining adequate horizontal separation, but I'm wondering if leaving in a different exit order might be more desirable. Any information from folks that currently competes would be greatly appreciated.

[Amazon 7]

joephus

With the introduction of Speed Skydiving to the USPA nationals next year, I've started working on seeing how fast I can go. It's seems there is very limited technical information on the discipline since its so small, and all the information I'm finding here and on some other forums is a decade old or older. I'm wondering if anyone on these boards might have any information on what type of containers current speed competitors are using and what (if any) safety modifications they might be using compared to standard container configurations. I learned on a recent run that my Javelin, while free fly friendly, does not like flying at those speeds. Since I like my limbs attached to my body I need to buy a new container, and just wonder what competitors are currently using.

Also, I'm wondering what competitors are doing for exit order while training. I've been treating these jumps like a solo-free fly jump and exiting after larger free fly groups. However, I've noticed recently I'm opening at the same time, or even before groups that have left before me. I'm maintaining adequate horizontal separation, but I'm wondering if leaving in a different exit order might be more desirable. Any information from folks that currently competes would be greatly appreciated.

Take a peek around on http://www.speedskydiving.eu

And may the G force be with you!!

[joephus 0]

Amazon

Take a peek around on http://www.speedskydiving.eu

And may the G force be with you!!

Yeah, I looked around their website and it doesn't really have much information that would address my specific questions. BUT, I asked the same questions VIA the contact us form on their website and Arnold got back to me rather quickly.

Apparently, no one is really doing anything special, like stiffer tuck tabs or anything on containers. As for exit order, they are recommending speed skydivers go first unless there is an 8 way or larger RW group on the load with strong uppers. Good info to know! :)

[Amazon 7]

joephus

***
Take a peek around on http://www.speedskydiving.eu

And may the G force be with you!!

Yeah, I looked around their website and it doesn't really have much information that would address my specific questions. BUT, I asked the same questions VIA the contact us form on their website and Arnold got back to me rather quickly.

Apparently, no one is really doing anything special, like stiffer tuck tabs or anything on containers. As for exit order, they are recommending speed skydivers go first unless there is an 8 way or larger RW group on the load with strong uppers. Good info to know! :)

You can talk to Kelly Farrington at Velocity about the mods he made to my rigs. He does have a bit of experience with the two he built for me and they did make the rig that fell from the edge of space as well. I like the risers being protected the way they are.

Mine seemed to work well :)

Oh and the rules specify normal skydiving gear.. no lead.. no pointy helmets etc. You do want a full face helmet and to be on the safe side you want to make sure it is snug and the visor is taped down with gaffers tape. Getting unstable at over 200 MPH can do strange things to gear. I would also suggest two protracks inside the helmet to let you know when to pull out of the dive at the bottom of the measured kilometer at 5500 ft.
Do not throw your arms out at high speed... move to slow down by slowly moving to a track to bleed off the speed... set alarm two at 3500 where you should have slowed down to bet big and stable and deploy... 3rd alarm... your hard deck.

[jumpwally 0]

anyone know the current speed record ?

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[Amazon 7]

jumpwally

anyone know the current speed record ?

Marco Wiederkehr .... 531.42 KPH

http://gssdb.speedskydiving.eu/hall_of_fame.php?links=off

[jumpwally 0]

= mph....

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[Hellis 0]

jumpwally

= mph....

I know... Imperial units makes me cry too
But it's 330.21 mph

[Rick 67]

Is that you at #60

You can't be drunk all day if you don't start early!

[Amazon 7]

Rick

Is that you at #60

Yes Dear

[Arvoitus 1]

jumpwally

= mph....

You can use google to do conversions.

Your rights end where my feelings begin.

[jumpwally 0]

why,,,when i have you guys,,,

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[joephus 0]

Amazon

You can talk to Kelly Farrington at Velocity about the mods he made to my rigs. He does have a bit of experience with the two he built for me and they did make the rig that fell from the edge of space as well. I like the risers being protected the way they are.

Mine seemed to work well :)

Oh and the rules specify normal skydiving gear.. no lead.. no pointy helmets etc. You do want a full face helmet and to be on the safe side you want to make sure it is snug and the visor is taped down with gaffers tape. Getting unstable at over 200 MPH can do strange things to gear. I would also suggest two protracks inside the helmet to let you know when to pull out of the dive at the bottom of the measured kilometer at 5500 ft.
Do not throw your arms out at high speed... move to slow down by slowly moving to a track to bleed off the speed... set alarm two at 3500 where you should have slowed down to bet big and stable and deploy... 3rd alarm... your hard deck.

Thanks for the info! Yeah I got put into contact with Kelly via another friend, and he mentioned the rigs he's done in the past for speed (I guess they were yours!). I definitely think it looks like the route I want to go.

I'm going to need a different helmet as well. I have a full face Revolve, and the ratchet system keeps it in place pretty well even when I've gotten unstable. However, after I reach a certain speed, air just comes shooting up underneath my chin and directly into my right eyeball. It's hard enough that it has pushed my sun glasses off my face half way through the run. Any helmets you've found to work better than others?

Thanks again!

[Amazon 7]

joephus

***

You can talk to Kelly Farrington at Velocity about the mods he made to my rigs. He does have a bit of experience with the two he built for me and they did make the rig that fell from the edge of space as well. I like the risers being protected the way they are.

Mine seemed to work well :)

Oh and the rules specify normal skydiving gear.. no lead.. no pointy helmets etc. You do want a full face helmet and to be on the safe side you want to make sure it is snug and the visor is taped down with gaffers tape. Getting unstable at over 200 MPH can do strange things to gear. I would also suggest two protracks inside the helmet to let you know when to pull out of the dive at the bottom of the measured kilometer at 5500 ft.
Do not throw your arms out at high speed... move to slow down by slowly moving to a track to bleed off the speed... set alarm two at 3500 where you should have slowed down to bet big and stable and deploy... 3rd alarm... your hard deck.

Thanks for the info! Yeah I got put into contact with Kelly via another friend, and he mentioned the rigs he's done in the past for speed (I guess they were yours!). I definitely think it looks like the route I want to go.

I'm going to need a different helmet as well. I have a full face Revolve, and the ratchet system keeps it in place pretty well even when I've gotten unstable. However, after I reach a certain speed, air just comes shooting up underneath my chin and directly into my right eyeball. It's hard enough that it has pushed my sun glasses off my face half way through the run. Any helmets you've found to work better than others?

Thanks again!

I tried a Havoc but I did not like the rattling with the ratchet system on it an then I used a FreeZR from Paratec. it has a very stiff and thick faceplate. You have to make sure the faceplate is attached firmly and is stiff enough on whatever brand you decide on. Some of the faceplates will blow off on some brands that are ok for normal RW and that is no fun. Most of the competitors also tape the faceplate in place as well. On mine the chin strap was a bit too forward for my liking so I added a second one and always felt it was very secure after that. trust me when I say when you do get unstable the first time over 250 MPH.... and the wind is trying to rip it off your head you will appreciate a good snug fit as well as a good tight chin strap.

[Woofie 0]

Deployment method: How about a pull-out with a secure BOC handle, instead of a throw out with a floppy handle sticking out the side. A premature deployment at those speeds can't be good...

[Amazon 7]

Woofie

Deployment method: How about a pull-out with a secure BOC handle, instead of a throw out with a floppy handle sticking out the side. A premature deployment at those speeds can't be good...

I have seen both... Mine was a very tight BOC pouch with a Kazer pilot chute with the leather hackey... I made sure to pack the PC deep in the pouch and never had an issue with that coming out to play till I pulled.. the BOC is in an area out of the airflow for the most part...

The possibility of a premmie is there though no matter how much you try to minimize that possibility.
If you are going to embrace speed diving you will have to accept that risk. You are doing shit that is outside the normal envelope of the sport. A speed dive.. no matter how many you do is not just another skydive.

Chris Martin also talked me into getting an r-Max reserve... just another attempt to minimize risk should a deployment at higher speed happen with the hopes that I MIGHT survive the deployment busted up but alive with something possibly land able.

[Arvoitus 1]

Amazon

***anyone know the current speed record ?

Marco Wiederkehr .... 531.42 KPH

http://gssdb.speedskydiving.eu/hall_of_fame.php?links=off

Why isn't there a cut of speed on that list? I've done tandems that were fast enough to be on that list.

Your rights end where my feelings begin.

[hoipex99 0]

Arvoitus

******anyone know the current speed record ?

Marco Wiederkehr .... 531.42 KPH

http://gssdb.speedskydiving.eu/hall_of_fame.php?links=off

Why isn't there a cut of speed on that list? I've done tandems that were fast enough to be on that list.


For sure a lot of tandems and freefly jumps were and will be faster,but thats the competiton list were everyone is listed who took part in an official SpeedSkydiving event.Some of slowest ones (at least the ones I know on the list)were mostly people who wanted to give it a try just for fun.

[Amazon 7]

hoipex99

*********anyone know the current speed record ?

Marco Wiederkehr .... 531.42 KPH

http://gssdb.speedskydiving.eu/hall_of_fame.php?links=off

Why isn't there a cut of speed on that list? I've done tandems that were fast enough to be on that list.


For sure a lot of tandems and freefly jumps were and will be faster,but thats the competiton list were everyone is listed who took part in an official SpeedSkydiving event.Some of slowest ones (at least the ones I know on the list)were mostly people who wanted to give it a try just for fun.

Pretty much.

Its a small discipline and lots of rules but we would love to have anyone come to an event and see just how fast you can go while conforming to the rules with the official measuring devices .

[Woofie 0]

Arvoitus

Why isn't there a cut of speed on that list? I've done tandems that were fast enough to be on that list.

I read through the rules just to see what it is all about. There was something about qualifying rounds, where you have to prove you can do at least 180 mph to get into the official competition.

And the speed is an average between 9k feet and 6k feet. So you have to attain that high speed relatively quickly after exit, and then maintain that high speed for 3,000', or about 7-8 seconds. You can't just reach a peak speed for one brief second and then use that for your score.

I've played around a little with this, and stability is a problem when you're going that fast. You have to leave your hands out a little, and/or your legs spread, to control your orientation and stay stable. But that produces drag and robs you of speed. If you pull everything in as streamlined as you can get, you gain speed briefly, but loose stability and start wobbling, which robs you of speed. So there's a fine balance between speed and stability.

I'd like to know how these 300 mph guys do it... The photos showed one guy in a tight jump suit that looked like it was made out of some really slick material.

Seems like big folks would have an advantage. Or would they? Is it possible for a 120 lb. girl to do 300 mph, just like a 220 lb. male?

And if not, then wouldn't they create classifications based upon body weight, so that the 120 lb. girl could compete for top speed with people her own size?

[joephus 0]

Woofie

Deployment method: How about a pull-out with a secure BOC handle, instead of a throw out with a floppy handle sticking out the side. A premature deployment at those speeds can't be good...

Yeah I switched over to a pull-out with Velcro added to the tuck tab for the pud. I know I've traded one set of potential problems for another, but I feel the potential problems with a pull out system is the better of the two.

[Amazon 7]

Woofie

***Why isn't there a cut of speed on that list? I've done tandems that were fast enough to be on that list.

I read through the rules just to see what it is all about. There was something about qualifying rounds, where you have to prove you can do at least 180 mph to get into the official competition.

And the speed is an average between 9k feet and 6k feet. So you have to attain that high speed relatively quickly after exit, and then maintain that high speed for 3,000', or about 7-8 seconds. You can't just reach a peak speed for one brief second and then use that for your score. Actually you are accelerating from the time you leave the aircraft till you reach the bottom of the measured KM.... IF you can maintain stability. It is a function of learning to balance on the very top of your head... good neck muscles help so that the pressure does not push your head around. We take an average of your speed from 2 protracks of the speed within the measured KM and from an average of BOTH protrackws....... IF they are within the allowed variation between them... if not within the posted allowable deviation then the jump is declared out of bounds. That happens when you get unstable and there is a pressure differential from one protrack to the other. All of that information is loaded into JUMP TRACK and is correlated there.

I've played around a little with this, and stability is a problem when you're going that fast. You have to leave your hands out a little, and/or your legs spread, to control your orientation and stay stable. But that produces drag and robs you of speed. If you pull everything in as streamlined as you can get, you gain speed briefly, but loose stability and start wobbling, which robs you of speed. So there's a fine balance between speed and stability. Yes.. yes there is... and the guys at the top of the list practice a LOT.
I'd like to know how these 300 mph guys do it... The photos showed one guy in a tight jump suit that looked like it was made out of some really slick material. It is and seriously.. some of them.. no names mind you REALLLY squeeze a lot of guy into a small suit.. me... I preferred a tight suit with booties.. NOT an RW suit with bumpers... DUUUUDE the flapping grippers hurt like hell at those speeds. The booties... thin of a badminton bird... It helps with stability and I used my feet to control my dive

Seems like big folks would have an advantage. Or would they? Is it possible for a 120 lb. girl to do 300 mph, just like a 220 lb. male? We do to a point.. its all about aerodynamics. I am at a big disadvantage compared to the male competitors as I am NOT as aerodynamic ( ok those of you who know me can snicker a bit) The American Male record holder... Stan.... is not heavy at all but is tall and pretty thin.

And if not, then wouldn't they create classifications based upon body weight, so that the 120 lb. girl could compete for top speed with people her own size?

There is a male and female portion for each competition.. and the largest people are not always the fastest.

[Woofie 0]

Quote

Seems like big folks would have an advantage. Or would they? Is it possible for a 120 lb. girl to do 300 mph, just like a 220 lb. male?

We do to a point.. its all about aerodynamics. I am at a big disadvantage compared to the male competitors as I am NOT as aerodynamic ( ok those of you who know me can snicker a bit) The American Male record holder... Stan.... is not heavy at all but is tall and pretty thin.

And if not, then wouldn't they create classifications based upon body weight, so that the 120 lb. girl could compete for top speed with people her own size?

There is a male and female portion for each competition.. and the largest people are not always the fastest.

Okay, so I guess it's about packing a lot of mass into the smallest wind profile possible? A 5'2" fat guy at 220 lbs. would probably create more wind drag and fall slower than a 6'2" tall guy at the same weight. Like a baseball versus an arrow. Break out the corsets!

OH, and since you seem to know something about this - where do you get a mount to attach a Pro-track to your hip, like they do in competition? I've always just left it in the earpiece of my helmet. I wonder if the hip location gives a higher/lower air speed reading? Might was well do it like in competition, so you're seeing the same thing in practice which the judges will see.

Do they use the TAS true air speed or SAS skydiver air speed setting?

[Amazon 7]

Woofie

Quote

Seems like big folks would have an advantage. Or would they? Is it possible for a 120 lb. girl to do 300 mph, just like a 220 lb. male?

We do to a point.. its all about aerodynamics. I am at a big disadvantage compared to the male competitors as I am NOT as aerodynamic ( ok those of you who know me can snicker a bit) The American Male record holder... Stan.... is not heavy at all but is tall and pretty thin.

And if not, then wouldn't they create classifications based upon body weight, so that the 120 lb. girl could compete for top speed with people her own size?

There is a male and female portion for each competition.. and the largest people are not always the fastest.

Okay, so I guess it's about packing a lot of mass into the smallest wind profile possible? A 5'2" fat guy at 220 lbs. would probably create more wind drag and fall slower than a 6'2" tall guy at the same weight. Like a baseball versus an arrow. Break out the corsets!

OH, and since you seem to know something about this - where do you get a mount to attach a Pro-track to your hip? I've always just left it in the earpiece of my helmet. I wonder if the hip location gives a higher/lower air speed reading?

Do they use the TAS true air speed or SAS skydiver air speed setting?

I had two small pouches sewn near the bottom outside of the container where there would be a good clean airflow. They had a mesh face to allow unrestricted airflow. Many of the comps people will zip tie a protrack mount to each side of the rig on the laterals.
http://www.speedskydiving.eu/files/ISSAWorldSeriesRules2014.pdf
I believe we used TAS... its been a few years since I grounded myself and I have started to have some CRS.

[Woofie 0]

What's "CRS"?

For a hip mount I was thinking of some kind of wide velcro gizmo that would hold the Pro-track to the junction of the main lift web and the leg straps. I'd want something easily removable, so that the Pro-track can go back in the helmet for other kinds of dives for the altitude warning beeps. And I don't like the idea of not having that on a speed dive. Seems to me you need them especially more for a speed dive, because your head is locked rigid looking down, and you don't want to move it to do a visual look at an altimeter, as that would mess up your position and cost you speed. Hmm...

It occurs to me it would also be nice to have some technical instructions on how the judges look at the Pro-Track data to determine the average speed over the specific 1,000 meters. All I've ever done is look at the graph the Pro-Track produces. I suppose there's many lines of raw data behind that, which they need to filter to extract the specific ones in the range of the speed run, and then export to excel or something to get the average. Sheesh. You would need to be a computer geek. But competitors would need to know that to understand how their practice jumps would be measured in competition...

Taking my thinking on this subject even further, a serious competitor would need:
- 3 Pro-Tracks: 1 for each hip like in competition, and one for the helmet for safety altitude alerts.
- A laptop computer to take to the DZ with him, upon which to download the Pro-Track data after each jump.
- A computer geek to download the data from the Pro-track to the computer.
- A statistician to process and analyze the data to know how you're doing.

This is getting expensive, and I see an entourage...