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ZigZagMarquis

When Dust Devils Attack

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Meh . . . I'd rather they be the huge ones like that. It makes the decision to stand down for a few loads easier and if you can see it, you should be able to void it most of the time.

It's the ones you -can't- see that scare the crap out of me.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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Doesn't help! At a small SW MI DZ with trees and fields around a dust devil picked up a friend of mine on landing and took him for a very serious ride. Only brused because of quick cutway first or second time he hit the ground.

Not as common but they can happen anywhere.
I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

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> Was this shot on saturday?

Probably.

I was teaching on Sat, and I took the class outside to see landings and dust devils. For a while nothing happened. Then a big one lifted off near the canal and came roaring through. "That's a dust devil," I explained, and told them how to see them and avoid them.

"Do you get them a lot?" one student asked.

"In the summer, yes, but it's generally not too hard to avoid them."

Just then another one lifted off in the same location. About 30 seconds later another one fired up. Then one came through from the ultralight park. Then another one from the student area.

"OK, this is a little unusual. Normally they stop."

I had to get out of there before they jumped to go to a skydiver's wedding, so I didn't get to see if they jumped or not. I doubt it.

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I saw a dust devil off in the distance while at Perris in 2003. Nothing unusual for that part of the country.

What blew my mind was the big one that hit the Pell City, AL DZ back in the late 90's! A load was climbing at the time during a boogie and this huge dust devil, carrying tree branches and other debris, came roaring up the road towards the parking lot and went right through it. It took 5 guys hanging onto a rigid framed canopy (for shade) to keep it from flying off!

A couple of windshields got smashed in the lot from debris, and another framed canopy blew off the ground and landed in a twisted heap 100 yards away. Thankfully it was over before the skydivers started coming down under canopy.
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

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Was this shot on saturday? If so I was in the bomb shelter giggling and being glad I wasnt under canopy. :P



Yeah, that looks like the one on Saturday. I was in the packing area, turning my back to the dust. A foreign jumper asked 'where all this dirt was coming from' and we had to laugh. Your in Perris in the 'summer', man! That's what's here! :D

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

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Aww Man.. throw it back and let it grow.. that was just a baby:P

I can remember some there at Perris, seeing the dust from them in front of me when I opened at 2500 ft, that put me into instant avoidance mode

I think CLownBurner referred to those as "WRATH OF GOD" dust devils;)

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Yep, the last time I was at Perris which was just about a month ago, the entire landing area was just one big dust devil on and off all afternoon. It kinda sucked. I dragged my crap all the way out to Cali to make one jump :S. Oh well ... I grounded myself, took myself to the Bomb Shelter and ordered myself some tasty margaritas and watched the other crazy people jump even though there were dust devils that looked like that over half the landing area.

Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires."

Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

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I was told as a student to look for flying debris like plastic bags while under canopy. And if I smell poop theres probably one very close by. Gotta love Perris. :D



When I was in Peris for Nationals, during 4way, I opened and saw this thing flipping end over end at 2000 ft. I flew over to it, and it was a sheet of plywood. My team could have easily hit that in freefall. Could you imagine what that would do to you in freefall? A human body doing 120 mph hitting a sheet of plywood. OUCH!


Ray
Small and fast what every girl dreams of!

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I was told as a student to look for flying debris like plastic bags while under canopy. And if I smell poop theres probably one very close by. Gotta love Perris. :D



When I was in Peris for Nationals, during 4way, I opened and saw this thing flipping end over end at 2000 ft. I flew over to it, and it was a sheet of plywood. My team could have easily hit that in freefall. Could you imagine what that would do to you in freefall? A human body doing 120 mph hitting a sheet of plywood. OUCH!


If Chuck Norris was in freefall and coming up on that plywood sheet, he would do a round-house kick and smash the shit out of it. :P
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

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I was told as a student to look for flying debris like plastic bags while under canopy. And if I smell poop theres probably one very close by. Gotta love Perris. :D



When I was in Peris for Nationals, during 4way, I opened and saw this thing flipping end over end at 2000 ft. I flew over to it, and it was a sheet of plywood. My team could have easily hit that in freefall. Could you imagine what that would do to you in freefall? A human body doing 120 mph hitting a sheet of plywood. OUCH!


That cant be good for your gear. ;)

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When I was jumping with "Air Trash" in Perris, they told me to look for hang gliders and if they are out, chances are good that dust devils are lurking because the hang gliders use the thermals or updrafts or something to climb. All I can say was with what I saw, it was enough for me to want to fly in the tunnel instead. :o

Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires."

Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

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I've been jumping at Perris for about six years and, last sat. was one of the worst days for dust devels I've ever seen. Wasn't even that hot. Never did make a jump that day.

Just kept saying to myself, "The only thing worse than being on the ground, wishing you were in the air. Is, being in the air and, wishing you were on the ground".

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This was the first time I have jumped in Perris (was there for the P3 Big Way Camp) and stuck well to the middle of the dirt field Saturday so I would have a chance to see the Dust Devils coming. No issues on any landings but saw one person get dropped by a Stealth Devil rolling through the grass landing area.

Made me nostalgic for Lost Prairie!

Major Dad
CSPA D-579

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This was the first time I have jumped in Perris (was there for the P3 Big Way Camp) and stuck well to the middle of the dirt field Saturday so I would have a chance to see the Dust Devils coming. No issues on any landings but saw one person get dropped by a Stealth Devil rolling through the grass landing area.

Made me nostalgic for Lost Prairie!



Is that who got picked up in the ambulance? I saw them on the ground but didn't see them fall, I was wondering what had happened.:S

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Yeah, cause you see hang gliders around Perris all the time... :D



Well, we -do- occasionally see a paraglider and there's always those powered parachutes that like to fly out east of the apex.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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