Student question: What to do when flying in clouds?

[Anonthemouse 0]

I did my 2nd solo 2 days ago. I opened at 4000 ft, and bam! Clouds everywhere beneath me at 3000ft... I really had no idea what to do. I knew there wasn't anyone close to me since I was the last solo out and I deployed a bit higher, but I still kept an eye out for others.

Once I got into these clouds I lost all sense of direction. I just did some slow turns to stay in place. No idea where I was! When I got out I was right above the dropzone, lucky me! I found all the other jumpers and landed safely.

What should you do once you fly into a cloud and can't avoid it? I was glad there was no one around, but that's not always the case.

I am bad at this sport because I play by the rules.

[chuckakers 369]

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I did my 2nd solo 2 days ago. I opened at 4000 ft, and bam! Clouds everywhere beneath me at 3000ft... I really had no idea what to do. I knew there wasn't anyone close to me since I was the last solo out and I deployed a bit higher, but I still kept an eye out for others.

Once I got into these clouds I lost all sense of direction. I just did some slow turns to stay in place. No idea where I was! When I got out I was right above the dropzone, lucky me! I found all the other jumpers and landed safely.

What should you do once you fly into a cloud and can't avoid it? I was glad there was no one around, but that's not always the case.

Might want to get with an instructor on this one. Preferably the one that put you out on that jump.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[niwotskydiver 0]

Eat them theyteast like watermelon

[popsjumper 2]

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....I opened at 4000 ft, and bam! Clouds everywhere beneath me at 3000ft... I really had no idea what to do. ....I just did some slow turns to stay in place.

You did the right thing....we teach slow right-hand turns. Yelling and whistling wouldn't hurt either. They should have taught you that already during your training.... before your solos.

Take note though. Some schools teach (and only God knows why) to just fly a straight line through the cloud. Think about your situation....would you have been over the DZ had you been flying a straight line through the clouds? Nope.

On top of that....you left the plane not being able to tell where you were? You may want to read the SIM to get some basic safety information under your belt.

I know it was scary the first time....I remember my first encounter with industrial haze.

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

[Sky_doggy 0]

I am new to the sport, but what I can tell you is that if you look out the door and you don't like what you see then its okay to ride the airplane down again. I have once and I will do it again without hesitation.

Be safe and have fun.

[davelepka 4]

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I opened at 4000 ft, and bam! Clouds everywhere beneath me at 3000ft...

Those clouds were there 45 seconds beforehand as well, when you exited the plane. There was no 'bam' of any kind, either you didn't look or didn't consider them before you left the aircraft.

A good rule of thumb at this stage is to not leave the plane unless you can see the ground and the DZ before you exit. Not being able to see either one may comprimise your safety and ability to navigate under canopy.

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I just did some slow turns to stay in place

It's a good thought, but you're not exactly 'staying in place'. Keep in mind that each 360 you make is half into the wind, and half with the wind. So making slow spirals is actually flying ovals in the sky with your position sliding downwind with every rotation.

Think about it, the last solo out should have been well upwind of the DZ, yet you came out of the clouds right over top. The wind was blowing you back the whole time you were doing circles in the cloud.

Making those turns is probably the best comprimise, but it's a comprimise. Like I said, you're not staying in one place, and not sure where you're going. At the same time, there's no guarantee that you won't have a collision in the clouds due to the lack of visibility.

Like most things in skydiving, the best plan is prevention. Be aware of your surroundings and the weather conditons for the day. There were clouds all over the sky when you boarded the aircraft, and in that case you should have planned to check the spot and visibility before you exit.

In an otter or similar, you can scoot up next to the door in front of the group or jumper leaving before you, and poke your head out just after the group before them leaves. You can check the situation while the group or jumper before you is climbing out or counting down the exit seperation time. Even if you have to pull your head back in for them to leave, you can get half of the checking done before hand, and the other half after they leave while you count down the exit seperation.

It was your second solo, so you get some slack for that, but not much. Moving forward you have to realize that on weather days there will be a go/no-go decision to be made, and it's up to you. Be it the winds or the look of the clouds from the ground that keeps you from boarding the plane, or the clouds/visibility from the door that keeps you from exiting, it's your call from now on. Don't be a sheep, and just follow the crowd, make the best choice for yourself and don't second guess it.

[Anonthemouse 0]

It was indeed too cloudy and I think the best thing to do would've been to ride back in the plane, but other 'noobs' were jumping too. As an idiot I just followed in line and didn't even think about riding this one out. I did spot, and I did see the dropzone. I got too distracted to notice I was heading for a big cloud. Once I noticed (and it got trough my mind that clouds are bad to be in) I wanted to track away, but it was close to pull time.

I have not heard the word "cloud" once during groundschool. The sky was clear enough to jump when we got on the plane. I'm going to have a word with my instructor about this for sure.

I am bad at this sport because I play by the rules.

[fencebuster 7]

If you are a student, a USPA rated coach or instructor was (or should have been) supervising you and should have been spotting to make sure you were getting out in an appropriate place. Please have a conversation with your supervising instructor to let him or her know what happened.

Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208
AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I
MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger
Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

[hchunter614 0]

You don't mention what country you jump in so most posters are assuming you jump in the US. In the US we are under VFR (visual flight rules) which means you legally are not allowed to fly into or through a cloud and must adhere to certain cloud clearances.

If you jump in another country the cloud restrictions are likely different than in the US. Talk to your instructors.

Either way, by the time you get to solo jumps you should have learned about cloud clearances (if they apply to your country) and what to do if you do get into a cloud.

[Anonthemouse 0]

I'm starting to feel like I got rushed trough AFF. I even made a list of questions, including the spotting, cloud clearness and supervision. It's like they just say "okay, you're on your own. This is how you jump. Keep track of your logbook and come back to
me after a couple of solo's, and ask questions if you have them"... I just feel like I'm missing out a lot of basics, so I ain't jumping before I know how to properly jump without these situations happening to me anymore!

I jump in europe by the way, The Netherlands.
And keep in mind that I only just got started and have just 9 jumps, I am not nearly experienced enough to judge wether to jump or not.

I am bad at this sport because I play by the rules.

[chemfx 0]

I am new to the sport, but what I can tell you is that if you look out the door and you don't like what you see then its okay to ride the airplane down again. I have ONCE and I will do it again without hesitation.

Be safe and have fun. ***

u buy beer?

[alexafox 0]

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What should you do once you fly into a cloud and can't avoid it? I was glad there was no one around, but that's not always the case.

I'm fairly new as well and this came up early in my training as we had a few cloudy days...

In Australia (or at my dropzone at least) the rule is to do gentle right hand turns. That way if there are other people in the cloud as well you're all doing the same thing and being pushed in the same direction.

This also avoids too much drift away from the DZ. There will be a bit of drift depending on wind speed but it's far less likely that you'll end up being 11kms away if you were to fly a straight line down wind. (That actually happened to someone at my DZ.)

Best bet though for your dropzone is to ask your isntructors... I've been in situations where we've intended on jumping through a big gap in the clouds but missed... Rather than saying 'just don't go in cloud' I think it's better to know best practices if somehow you do end up there...

Hope that's a little helpful..Blue ones!

I refuse to accept a mediocre life...

facebook.com/chutefirst
chutefirstapparel.com

[dragon2 0]

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I'm starting to feel like I got rushed trough AFF. I even made a list of questions, including the spotting, cloud clearness and supervision. It's like they just say "okay, you're on your own. This is how you jump. Keep track of your logbook and come back to
me after a couple of solo's, and ask questions if you have them"... I just feel like I'm missing out a lot of basics, so I ain't jumping before I know how to properly jump without these situations happening to me anymore!

I jump in europe by the way, The Netherlands.
And keep in mind that I only just got started and have just 9 jumps, I am not nearly experienced enough to judge wether to jump or not.

Spotting is covered a little bit in AFF here, but continues up to your A license. If you do not have your A license, you are NOT responsible for spotting yourself, you should have a I, HI or experienced jumper with at least a B license as your jumpmaster. You are not allowed to jump all by yourself without a jumpmaster in the plane present until you have your A license.

If you do head into a cloud in freefall, do not track away from it unless that was part of your jump plan already. Do you know which way to go in tracking? So that you do not end up in other people/group's airspace? Or end up landing out, a village away?

Basically, you shouldn't go through a cloud in freefall as that isn't allowed. You prevent going through clouds in freefall by spotting (together with your JM). Do not try to fix the situation in freefall, just fall straight down as planned.

Under canopy, do not fly into a cloud if there is a way to prevent it. Again, you shouldn't get put in a situation like that especially as a student, but stuff happens.... Remember clouds can have some hard edges (ie, the glider planes at Teuge hang out just underneath clouds, they don't come up to freefall hight often, but you can encounter them under canopy on a regular basis) so they should be avoided if in any way possible.

I suggest you read up a bit here, here and here.

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[Anonthemouse 0]

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Spotting is covered a little bit in AFF here, but continues up to your A license. If you do not have your A license, you are NOT responsible for spotting yourself, you should have a I, HI or experienced jumper with at least a B license as your jumpmaster. You are not allowed to jump all by yourself without a jumpmaster in the plane present until you have your A license.

If you do head into a cloud in freefall, do not track away from it unless that was part of your jump plan already. Do you know which way to go in tracking? So that you do not end up in other people/group's airspace? Or end up landing out, a village away?

Basically, you shouldn't go through a cloud in freefall as that isn't allowed. You prevent going through clouds in freefall by spotting (together with your JM). Do not try to fix the situation in freefall, just fall straight down as planned.

Under canopy, do not fly into a cloud if there is a way to prevent it. Again, you shouldn't get put in a situation like that especially as a student, but stuff happens.... Remember clouds can have some hard edges (ie, the glider planes at Teuge hang out just underneath clouds, they don't come up to freefall hight often, but you can encounter them under canopy on a regular basis) so they should be avoided if in any way possible.

I suggest you read up a bit here, here and here.

Then why did they even let me jump alone twice? I have not even been taught to spot properly! Are they just not following up the rules or what?

Again, I'll have to ask all this to them, I don't think anyone else can help me since no one here really knows about my current situation. Where do you jump, Dragon?

Oh, and about these links, I just read all of these (oh well, MOST of these) yesterday. I'm now sure I'm not getting back on that plane before I have everything straight.

I am bad at this sport because I play by the rules.

[dragon2 0]

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Are they just not following up the rules or what?

That.

But now that you know this particular rule, you know not to get on a plane anymore without having had your JM pointed out to you.

I jump at Teuge, BTW.

edit:
Just found your vid, see you did your AFF at Teuge. I find it very weird that you ended up with no JM. Anyway, go have a talk with John/Opa about all this.

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[Anonthemouse 0]

Martijn is my main instructor, and I'm calling him ASAP to get this right. I'm going to the DZ on saturday so I hope to see them both there.

And now you're here, why do they call him 'Opa' anyway?

I am bad at this sport because I play by the rules.

[Lukske 0]

Just keep turning, the first time that happend to me i landed in a field full of sheep..... i had to yell at them to scare them away...

Do or do not, there is no try