Getting Behind

[Hooknswoop 19]

Flying a parachute require that you have at least a bit of a plan. You cannot decide which direction you want to face for landing at 50-feet and expect that it will happen.
The knowledge of how much altitude is required to complete a turn and return to stable flight is one of the key elements of making your plan. Another element is the ratio of how much ground you can cover for how much altitude lost. You cannot form a plan to land somewhere if you have no idea how far the canopy will or won’t fly.
You also need to understand how the canopy will respond to small, medium, and large toggle input (1 or both), rear risers, etc.
When you plan your flight path, you knowingly or unknowingly take all these (and more i.e. environment, traffic, etc.) into account. Usually this results in a drama-free flight and landing.
If you do not yet have a good understanding of how your canopy responds to different inputs, you are vulnerable to not being able to change the plan quickly enough once you realize it is not working. In other words, the opportunity to change the plan and still be successful has already passed by the time you realize your plan is failing.
When you can plan just enough that you are one unforeseen change away from failing, you will still have good, injury-free flights and landings. The danger is hidden, until you recognize your plan is going to fail, attempt to fix it after the opportunity to fix has already passed. The result is panic and usually, making the situation worse. Getting behind the point to make fixes or respond to changes in your plan means you have no options.
The question, “How do I bleed of altitude if I am high on my final approach” perfectly demonstrates they were behind on their plan. If they were high on their final, they were high on their base leg, and didn’t realize it. They were high on their downwind leg, and didn’t realize it. They started their pattern too high and didn’t realize it. That were too high only become apparent when they got on their final approach, where it is too late to fix.
How does a skydiver evaluate if they “have a good understanding of how your canopy responds to different inputs”? How can a skydiver estimate they are at 50% of where they should be if they don’t know where 100% is?
Bill Von Novak’s article, “Downsizing Checklist” is a good place to start. A qualified canopy coach and formal course is another resource. You must be brutally honest with yourself and admit you are not as good as you think you are. We rarely are.

Derek V