Best way to guage no wind landings

[regulator 0]

Well on my 50th skydive I was coming in on final and was planning on having my feet skid across the top of the grass and then run out my the rest of my landing like I did on jump #49. Well my left foot hit a small hill or divot...it got tucked under hard and after rolling over once to twice I came to rest and when I stood up I felt like I had pulled a muscle in my left leg. I was able to walk fine...just couldnt go as fast as normal because when I put all the weight on my left leg I had to shorten my stride a bit. So my question is what's the best way to guage the no wind landing...for me I usually look up and down several times to see if I am close to the level of the treeline and start my flair once I am equal to the treeline. I'm not saying this is right or wrong...I just want to know from more experienced people how they judge their flair's on no-wind days.

Thanks in advance

Paul

[jonstark 8]

Experience is the best/only teacher. You just got a dose.

jon

[AggieDave 6]

Typically, in my experience coaching people in canopy control, when their ground speed is a little higher than usual (no wind landings for example), people are too excited to get their feet on the ground. Then, once their feet are on the ground, the flare stroke stops and they stop flying their canopy. That and people tend to flare higher than they should when they are landing in no wind. This is due to looking more down then out and getting excited about the canopy's ground speed.

Remember to finish your flare completely and evenly, get the most your canopy will give you. Talk to a couple of folks around your DZ and see if you can find someone to video your landings for you. Seeing it for yourself will really drive home these points. Most folks don't realize that they are failing to complete the flare stroke and/or are flaring at the wrong height in varying conditions.

Good luck!

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[mchamp 1]

With more experience I suppose you just begin to get "the feel" for it? Also canopy courses definitely aid in judging the proper time/way to feel for it and flare.

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[rehmwa 2]

Quote

Experience is the best/only teacher. You just got a dose.

and then Dave says

Quote

Remember to finish your flare completely and evenly, get the most your canopy will give you.

not much to add here

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[tfelber 0]

I second/third what Dave mentions... Don't stop flying your canopy until it stops flying. Hold that flare. If you have to let off the flare, say you flared too high and realize it. Be gentle... And then flare the rest of the way and hold it.

[regulator 0]

Theres going to be a basic canopy course at spaceland in the upcoming months. I will definately plan on being there...In my opinion you can't get enough information about how to safely fly your canopy and land it.

[AggieDave 6]

Is that the course that Kurt and DJ are putting on? If so, go to it, its a good course taught by knowledgeable and experienced canopy pilots.

If you can't make their course, get with me and we can try to get you in my next non-private/open course.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[regulator 0]

DJ Just sent me a link so I plan on getting signed up and reserving my slot. Thanks again for the help.

[pchapman 261]

Judging the flare height based on trees, windsocks, and other objects further off might be a backup for a student whose radio is out, but one certainly wants to get away from that later.

The depth perception issue comes up when dealing with flare problems. While there is a lot of technique to be learned, it is tougher for someone who for whatever reason doesn't have their depth perception and sense of movement as finely tuned to the kind of distances and speeds involved. Everyone learns from experience, but for flare heights, that can only work if one can perceive altitudes and speeds consistently.

AggieDave is right. Keep working the toggles until the landing is finished. If you need to, think to yourself "fly! fly! fly!" right to that point. So many people turn off Flight Mode in their brain too early, when they haven't even touched the ground, or have just touched but have speed left. They unfortunately switch entirely to modes like Reach for the Ground or Run Like Crazy, while the arms do unhelpful things -- like not finishing the flare, lifting back up, or stabbing down on the low side.

One could say that flare height on no wind days should be gauged exactly the same as on other days, by looking forward and slightly down roughly along the path one is going. (If descending near vertically, one would look up somewhat from the flight path, but that's another situation and another discussion.)

Getting the flare height right, however, is a little more critical when there's no wind. One has to be able to ignore the ground whipping by quicker and not lose focus on the relationship between the altitude left and one's flare. The same goes for downwinders.

I find that flaring is a matter of experience based on feedback between what one does with the brakes and what one sees and feels, taking into account past flares. So a sample train of thought might be, "...height looks right compared to previous good landings, hands are coming down, no that's not changing the flight path enough, move hands faster, OK, I can see I'm planing out, feeling the speed dropping, feeling the upwards acceleration and swing forward. Now leave hands where they are for a moment, not dropping too fast now, but still 2 ft to go vertically, a bit high, sinking at a moderate speed, keep that going as I'm running out of energy and need to get the altitude down to almost nothing within a couple seconds, OK, the ground is close now, move hands down more, fully planed out now at 6 inches, keep flying - don't forget the arms, finish the flare completely, arms are coming all the way down, dropping feet are down for a slight skid, slowing down, finish running it out, stop, drop the canopy..."

Don't know if that can help anyone, but I wonder if novices sometimes aren't sure what they should be thinking of during the flare.

[ridestrong 1]

Judging on where to start your flare based on any objects other than the ground its self seems like a bad idea at any level of experience. I have heard most say that you should be watching the ground below, or rather, just ahead of you and use that to judge when to start your flare... regardless of wind conditions.

*I am not afraid of dying... I am afraid of missing life.*
----Disclaimer: I don't know shit about skydiving.----

[theonlyski 3]

FWIW: I generally use the altitude that I feel I could kick someone in the head to start the first stage of my flare, keep it level and finish it off when the canopy wants to stop.

On no wind days, if Im coming in a little hotter than usual, its not completely uncommon for me to pop up a couple feet, but still level off and stop around the same height.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
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