Are you afraid of flying your canopy?

[Broke 0]

Do you enjoy your canopy flight as much as you free fall, or do you simply see it as a means to an end of your skydive so that you can get back up again to do another jump?

I personally enjoy flying my canopy, and if one were to watch me you can see that I am always practicing with it at altitude.

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Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[hukturn 0]

I love my canopy. Always have. My wife is not the same. She never really liked flying a canopy. But, I think I made it worse when I packed her a spinner that she didn't get cutaway until about 800'.

[Broke 0]

You know sometimes I think it is interesting when you hear someone talking about how they still get the heebees from their canopy, and then the next breath they are talking about downsizing.

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Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[AFFI 0]

I haven't though about it???

Guess I will have to vote, "What do you mean"?

[hukturn 0]

Yup. But, I guess the flipside is if theyget down faster they have to endure the ride less...right?!?

[Broke 0]

It is just that some people seem to think of canopy control as secondary to the rest of the skydive, but in my opinion it is quite possibly the most important part of the skydive. Especially the landing.

I have talked to some people who are afraid to try new things with their canopies. Flat turns, Braked turns, Flare Turns, using risers as inputs.

There is so much to canopy flight that a lot of people don't care to look at.

You have people who don't really think about canopy flight, and as such they just stick with the mentality of don't turn below XYZ feet. While I know one should not do agressive turns low, sometimes it may be necessary to do an avoidance manuver.

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Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[skybytch 259]

I see canopy flight as a way to make freefall repeatable but that doesn't mean I'm afraid of flying my canopy.

What I'm afraid of is the people who let their canopies fly them...

[AFFI 0]

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It is just that some people seem to think of canopy control as secondary to the rest of the skydive, but in my opinion it is quite possibly the most important part of the skydive. Especially the landing.

While I know one should not do agressive turns low, sometimes it may be necessary to do an avoidance manuver.

Canopy control is the second most important priority in surviving a freefall from an airplane, getting an open parachute is the first.

Making aggressive turns low to the ground is NEVER a good idea.
“Avoidance” maneuvers - as in turns to take evasive action low to the ground should not be aggressive but rather controlled, and methodical planed out maneuvers that utilize good form and finesse, not aggression.
It would be a better idea to fly into most obstacles rather than turn aggressively when low to the ground. I witnessed a fiend die after (gently) pulling a toggle down to the number one position at 100’ to avoid a tree. He should have taken the tree…

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[jakee 1,254]

The body of your post is a completely different subject to your title and poll.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[Broke 0]

I was taught very early on If you don't fly over it you can't land on it, and if you don't fly toward it you can't hit it. It has worked for me so far, so I think I'll keep up with it.

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Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[Broke 0]

Would it have been better if I had used these words instead. Is your experiance during canopy flight usually enjoyable, or are you filled with terror from the moment you canopy opens to the monent you feet touch mother earth?

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Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[airtwardo 6]

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Would it have been better if I had used these words instead. Is your experiance during canopy flight usually enjoyable, or are you filled with terror from the moment you canopy opens to the monent you feet touch mother earth?

I remember a couple hundred years ago, jumping a T-10 and realizing nuthin' but the itty bitty strings were keeping me from falling...

Gear fear...what rush!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[chrismgtis 0]

I fly canopy more than freefall because I pull high so often. I'm as comfortable under canopy as I am walking back to the hangar.

Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033
Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

[AFFI 0]

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I was taught very early on If you don't fly over it you can't land on it, and if you don't fly toward it you can't hit it. It has worked for me so far, so I think I'll keep up with it.

If it is keeping you unhurt, then that is good enough while you train until you learn more.

What are your jump numbers and time in the sport?

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[jakee 1,254]

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Would it have been better if I had used these words instead. Is your experiance during canopy flight usually enjoyable, or are you filled with terror from the moment you canopy opens to the monent you feet touch mother earth?

Better, but you're still equating two different things. Not being afraid of canopy flight doesn't mean you really enjoy it.

You do the same thing replying to AFFI. He says "Low avoidance manouvers shouldn't be aggressive" and you say "I was always taught not to fly towards objects" (paraphrased). Two very different things.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[Spizzzarko 0]

Nope. Freefall sucks. That is what tunnels are for. The sky is for canopy flight.

[simplyputsi 0]

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or are you filled with terror from the moment you canopy opens to the monent you feet touch mother earth?

I'm sorry this is sort of a peeve of mine. I know a few people who in my opinion are scared of their canopy. Those people have been hurt, and maybe it was because of that.
People who are afraid of their canopy scare me. Someone said it earlier, the canopy is flying them not them flying the canopy.

I've never been scared of a canopy that i've been under. It's there to save my life and it's also a wing. I want to fly that wing, test it, see what it can do. That way when it does something wrong, or I need it to do something I can choose the correct path.

If someone is afraid of the canopy ride, what are they going to do when the shit hits the fan with it??

Skymama's #2 stalker -

[kelpdiver 2]

I'm only afraid of crashing my canopy!

More seriously, I don't like getting bounced around in wind sheer at a place like Elisnore. The 1500-2500 range can be a bit exciting.

Sunset HnP at full altitude is a different matter alltogether.

[Broke 0]

Hmm... I think I am connecting some dots in my head that I am not connecting in my posts. Sometimes my head has a lot of things bouncing around all at once. Also maybe I am excited because I have finnally got my own rig together. Also I implore people to correct me. I can be a loudmouth asshole sometimes, but as long as you make a valid point as to why something I am saying is wrong I am more than willing to listen.

I am connecting dots from various conversations I have had with people, as well as things I have seen.

There is a corolation between people who are afraid of canopy flight and those who choose not to learn to fly their canopy as clost to the top of their performance threshold as possible. So in my head I hav connected dots that makes me assume that people who don't like to play under canopy are afraid of the canopy flight.

Now am I saying that we should always use our front risers on approach? Fuck no, but should we be afraid to even touch them? Should we intentionally fly through spots where we can predict turbulance to be? Not if we want to be in this sport a long time, but we should be able to know how to fly through turbulance and not leave a brown streak in our underware.

As for avoidance manuvers, yes if we need to avoid obsticles in our paths we should make corrections as gingerly as possible. Now my earlier quote, "If you don't fly over it..." basically brings the mental game into play here. If we can visualise where we are, and where we want to be, as well as visualise our path to get there then we will be a lot less likely to have to avoid an obstical. Does that mean that it will eleminate unforseen circumstances? No not really.

As for now I will say I am not afraid to try new things with my canopy. In all actuality I enjoy it very very much. Do I know everything about my canopy? Nope not yet. Do I want to learn more about my canopy? Heck Yes! For now I have printed off some of the articles about canopy control, as well as some canopy drills. I am also looking forward to the day that my copy of, "The parachute and it's pilot," By Brian Germain comes to me in the mail. Also I am very much looking forward to any lectures on canopy control that will be given at a DZ near my location. Furthermore I cannot wait to get into a canopy control class. I hear that Brian Germain's class focuses more on the mental aspects of canopy flight, whereas Scott Miller's class focuses on a lot of the hands on of canopy flight.

I hope this clears some stuff up.

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Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[Nasemann 0]

I never really paid much attention to my canopy for the first 100 jumps. For me the FF was the most important thing. But after whitnessing a couple of accidents I signed in for a canopy handling course and after those few days of training, I realized how much valuable time I've lost by not paying enough attention regarding my canopy skills @ every jump.
This course gave me so much, I wish I would have been assigned to it automatically after receiving my skydiving license.

[cjsgrlsx3 0]

I'm not sure afraid is the word. Am I uneasy because it is the one thing I have been unable to prepare myself for. The tunnel helped with my flying. But the canopy is just so unfamiliar to me. I have taken a canopy course with Brian Germaine, it helped but it's all hands on.

[SLIDER 0]

I love flying my Canopy - If there were no more freefall I would still jump and fly my canopy - I do hop and pops all day long when the clouds are low and we can't get anything up high.

Some people just use their canopy as a means to get to the ground after freefall, and that's cool - but my canopy ride is more that half of my skydive.

"there's a fine line between hobby and mental illness"

[Booster_MPS 0]

Love it!

Nothing like being on the first load of the day and flying it down from 11K!

[Beatnik 2]

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Is your experiance during canopy flight usually enjoyable, or are you filled with terror from the moment you canopy opens to the monent you feet touch mother earth?

It all depends on what canopy and how many jumps I got on it. Modern gear doesn't strike fear in me like the gear I jump more regularly.

My para-sled starts the fear flowing right at packing and stops after landing. Nothing quite like 5 cells of manliness above your head to make you realize what flying is all about.

[diablopilot 2]

I've probably got 800+ hop and pops.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.