horizontal speed on tracking

[jbettingen 0]

i just wondered what horizontal speed while tracking can be reached on an ordinary jump (no wing suit, no tracking pants) ? there have been very differing statements in the post so far.

just curious

br

[Zeppo 0]

I've heard it's possible to get a 1:1 ratio with a good flat track...so if that's true...120mph

What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

[Scoop 0]

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I've heard it's possible to get a 1:1 ratio with a good flat track...so if that's true...120mph

Wouldn't a theoretical ratio of 1:1 mean you would actually achieve 60 mph horizontal and 60 mph vertical? Or am I confused

[Zeppo 0]

1:1 means that for every foot you go down, you travel horizontally the same distance (1 foot)

My parachute has a glide ratio of around 4:1. For every 4 feet forward it goes, it drops 1 foot.

Perhaps someone else can explain better...

What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

[Scoop 0]

I understand that I just wondered what a truer reading would be. I assumed you wouldnt remain at 120 mph +- if in a track as gravity is constant. To achieve 120 mph horizontal and vertical it would have had to have doubled in strength wouldn't it?

Wheres a physicist when you need one? Or better still somene with data

[JohnMitchell 14]

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I've heard it's possible to get a 1:1 ratio with a good flat track...so if that's true...120mph

As you track efficiently, you create lift with your body, and your rate of descent drops into the 80s or maybe high 70s. Your forward speed would be somewhere in that range too, if you're truly achieving 1:1 glide ratio.

A really good track will let you fall much slower and stay in freefall longer. It's fun to leave with a group, track above them in circles and watch them drop away.

[Zeppo 0]

lol, data would be good, but if the ratio is indeed 1:1 then his horizontal speed would be 120mph.

Logically, just because you're now tracking, doesn't mean that you're falling slower (well...maybe a little, depending on the track). You're still falling at the same speed. The only way for you to actually slow down, is to increase the wind resistance on your body, and tracking doesn't do that.

Anyone have any data, or perhaps very good visual information watching people track?

What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

[Zeppo 0]

Hey...the whole lift thing...completely forgot about that little bit.

Thanks John

What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

[jakee 1,254]

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lol, data would be good, but if the ratio is indeed 1:1 then his horizontal speed would be 120mph.

Read what JohnMitchell wrote above. the most efficient flat tracks have much lower vertical speeds, so 1:1 glide ratio flat tracks would be looking at horizontal speeds more in the mid 80's.

That said, someone going into a track with a large amount of vertical speed, say a hd freeflyer or speed skydiver, could probably convert that into insanely high horizontal speeds.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[jakee 1,254]

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The only way for you to actually slow down, is to increase the wind resistance on your body, and tracking doesn't do that.

Then you aren't tracking properly

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[crazyboy 0]

Check this out:

http://www.trackingderby.com

If your parachute fails to open, remember you have the rest of your live to fix it.

[JohnMitchell 14]

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The only way for you to actually slow down, is to increase the wind resistance on your body, and tracking doesn't do that.

Then you aren't tracking properly

No kidding, a lot of people don't track properly.

Diving at the ground is not tracking.

[billvon 2,380]

120mph AIRSPEED gives you v*sin(x) vertical speed and v*cos(x) horizontal speed. So a 120mph max track at 45 degrees would give you an 85mph fall rate, an 85mph horizontal speed.

>To achieve 120 mph horizontal and vertical it would have had to have
>doubled in strength wouldn't it?

?? Speed skydivers go much faster without skydiving on Jupiter. It's all about controlling drag and lift.

(BTW to previous poster - no skydiving canopies I know of get a 4:1 glide.)

[NewGuy2005 51]

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A really good track will let you fall much slower and stay in freefall longer. It's fun to leave with a group, track above them in circles and watch them drop away.

That's interesting. I'm new to tracking and have only made 2 "tracking dives." On both of them I pulled out of my track to check my altitude and found that I was much higher than I expected to be. Of course it could all be in my mind.

[Zeppo 0]

Goes to show ya that a noob like me doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

[jakee 1,254]

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[Laugh][Laugh] No kidding, a lot of people don't track properly.

Diving at the ground is not tracking.[Tongue]

But it does have it's uses every now and then

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[Scoop 0]

Cheers for clearing that up Bill

[simplyputsi 0]

I did an estimate once using the time of freefall and the distance I covered on the ground given references and I came up with I belive 120-140 if memory serves.

Of course I do believe there was a good wind at my back for 5 thousand feet of that dive.

I said estimate, don't reem me!!!

Skymama's #2 stalker -

[JohnMitchell 14]

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.(BTW to previous poster - no skydiving canopies I know of get a 4:1 glide.)

They do if you downsize fast enough.

[d123 1]

Sorry for the offtopic but does anybody knows what happen with para filte? Did they close down? Their website is not working anymore. www.paraflite.com
They used to have a canopy called Intruder with 4:1 ratio for HAHO missions. They had some cool graphs for gliding ratio vs toggle input. I only have the graphs for PARIS . I really wanted to have a canopy like that that can give to a noob soft landings but after I discovered that is for HAHO I began to doubt that I'll ever be able to fly it. I've attached the graphs for PARIS. Wouldn't be nice if we could have more graphs like that
P.S. I think Paris is more like a glider than a parachute it has high aspect ratio ...

Lock, Dock and Two Smoking Barrelrolls!

[johnski 0]

someone who is good at math should be abel to work this out;
I did a tracking race once when we got out 4 miles(so the pilot said, pre GSP days) from the DZ at 8,000 or and I had just passed the DZ at opening hight of 2500.
So if ya good at math work it out and if it is to fast then my memory is a crappy as my math

[jakee 1,254]

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someone who is good at math should be abel to work this out;
I did a tracking race once when we got out 4 miles(so the pilot said, pre GSP days) from the DZ at 8,000 or and I had just passed the DZ at opening hight of 2500.
So if ya good at math work it out and if it is to fast then my memory is a crappy as my math

We'd have to know either your delay or average vert speed to get your horizontal speed.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[darkwing 4]

I find it extraordinarily hard to believe that a good track can have a glide ratio greater than about 0.5. The aerodynamics of a body sucks. I'd probably believe wind tunnel data from a well-funded wind tunnel study of ski jumpers, but I'd want to look the experimental details over very carefully.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[kallend 1,620]

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I find it extraordinarily hard to believe that a good track can have a glide ratio greater than about 0.5. The aerodynamics of a body sucks. I'd probably believe wind tunnel data from a well-funded wind tunnel study of ski jumpers, but I'd want to look the experimental details over very carefully.

We are not all the same shape as you

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[mbondvegas 0]

Just check out the tracking derby link above. Plenty of people can go well beyond 0.5 to 1. 1 to 1 is common. In fact...the top non-WS tracker (Luc Maisin) is getting up to 1.5 to 1. Pretty sick and also probably taking advantage of good tailwind conditions...but he consistently is above 1 to 1.

- - -
I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.