Launching a Hybrid

[flyhi 24]

Anyone have any suggestions on how to launch a hybrid that does not start off with everyone on their belly? Some of the hangers and head-downers can't do the belly flying thing and have little time/money/opportunity to learn.

Have launched one belly flyer with a hanger, and had others try and dock. Worked okay (I gave it a 72, Dick), but it was falling so fast that other belly flyers could not get in. Ended up with a hanger and two head-downers before the belly flyer started oscillating so badly the hanger fell off and the b.f. corked.

Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

[brabzzz 0]

http://www.skydivebristoluni.com

The drop down video on the front page (well, the first few seconds) has a '4 ways star with two hangers' launch from a Let. We did a similar launch off the ramp of a An72, but that was much easier!

From what i remember, just lauch the star as on any other jump with the (preferably petite) hangers squashed in there somewhere too.

LOL, maybe someone who can articulate that a bit better (or actually understands what they're talking about) will post!

edit: looking at it again, it look like the 2 hangers leglocked each other. The weight off the bottom of the star kinda induces stability, so it's probably a case of deathgrips until it settles.

Not sure it's even practicle to lauch anything bigger. It would be easier to teach the freaks to bellyfly...

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Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club
www.skydivebristoluni.com

[dharma1976 0]

well you can start by telling those freefliers taht belly flying is a part of freeflying

other than that you can launch a six way or 8 way from most doors if you plan it right

we usually launch a 3-4way and then have everyone come down to it

Cheers

Dave

http://www.skyjunky.com

CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing.

[nbblood 0]

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Anyone have any suggestions on how to launch a hybrid that does not start off with everyone on their belly? Some of the hangers and head-downers can't do the belly flying thing and have little time/money/opportunity to learn.

That's just flat ass embarassing! Freeflying should include flying on all axes, including belly. Tell them to learn, it'll do them a world of good. They don't need to be Airspeed, but basic belly skills are fundamentals. And a hybrid only requires, basic belly skills as far as hangers and stingers go.

Blues,
Nathan

If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

[Reginald 0]

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Anyone have any suggestions on how to launch a hybrid that does not start off with everyone on their belly? Some of the hangers and head-downers can't do the belly flying thing and have little time/money/opportunity to learn.

That's just flat ass embarassing! Freeflying should include flying on all axes, including belly. Tell them to learn, it'll do them a world of good. They don't need to be Airspeed, but basic belly skills are fundamentals. And a hybrid only requires, basic belly skills as far as hangers and stingers go.

I gotta agree! How sad someone can't dive to a formation. How the heck did these people get a license much less learn head down?

Honestly, I have the same problem with some FF'ers at my DZ. I laughed at them too.

"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP

[brierebecca 0]

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Anyone have any suggestions on how to launch a hybrid that does not start off with everyone on their belly? Some of the hangers and head-downers can't do the belly flying thing and have little time/money/opportunity to learn.

Oy. I used to be one of those freeflyers. Then, after not getting into a couple belly formations, I made sure to devote at least a jump or two a weekend to it. I was swooping down to belly formations within 20 jumps or so. It really doesn't take much to learn.

If you have freeflyers who can't devote a jump or two a weekend to learning how to belly fly down to a formation, then IMO they are not current enough to be standing underneath that formation. If they are current and not willing to put the jump time in, then they deserve not to get there.

It's also been my experience that launching bases bigger than three people is much harder than launching a base and having the hangers swoop down. If you have more than a few freeflyers on a bigger base it tends to go headdown.

Just my two cents.

Brie

"Ive seen you hump air, hump the floor of the plane, and hump legs. You now have a new nickname: "Black Humper of Death"--yardhippie

[dharma1976 0]

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Anyone have any suggestions on how to launch a hybrid that does not start off with everyone on their belly? Some of the hangers and head-downers can't do the belly flying thing and have little time/money/opportunity to learn.

Oy. I used to be one of those freeflyers. Then, after not getting into a couple belly formations, I made sure to devote at least a jump or two a weekend to it. I was swooping down to belly formations within 20 jumps or so. It really doesn't take much to learn.

If you have freeflyers who can't devote a jump or two a weekend to learning how to belly fly down to a formation, then IMO they are not current enough to be standing underneath that formation. If they are current and not willing to put the jump time in, then they deserve not to get there.

It's also been my experience that launching bases bigger than three people is much harder than launching a base and having the hangers swoop down. If you have more than a few freeflyers on a bigger base it tends to go headdown.

Just my two cents.

Brie

see thats sad

I have not dedicated much time to belly flying, but I can sure as hell launch a 4 way fairly easily

and I can swoop my self down to a formation quickly too

and I have like maybe 40 belly jumps not including student status

Dave

http://www.skyjunky.com

CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing.

[Stumpy 256]

Do what brabzzz said - it works a treat. but yes, make the hangers leglock otherwise they tend to get flicked out. This actually seemed to make the star easier to launch for one of the 4-ways i tried it with, kinda like a badminton shutllecock!

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[champu 1]

One thing about launching hybrids I've found is people usually underestimate the skill required of the people flying belly in the base. This usually involves tossing a couple newbies who just want to be on a hybrid but can't freefly yet into the base.

launching a two way with one hanger is actually pretty easy. I've found the best way to do that is to have the two belly flyers be one in one out, shoulders squared off to the door, in about the middle of the door, and have the hanger in front of them in the door, on the outside, head-jamming and holding on to chest straps.

with a six-way it's two belly flyers outside, the two hangers crouched down, and two belly flyers all the way inside the plane. The keys this introduces is that the inside belly flyers have got to be ON IT on "go", or they will eat the floor of the plane on the way out. To help them do this, the two crouched down hangers cannot jump up AT ALL on "go", they have to essentially slip off the plane.

The things that both these have in common is that the belly flyers have to have high grips, present really well, and be able to work out the twists and level issues that are going to be introduced on exit. The hanger(s) have to be sure to either stay in a ball for a second or two, or if they want to punch it out right away, make sure they stand directly into the relative wind. If you punch it out and start backsliding in your stand you're going to tear the base apart or go over the top on the hill.

[jheadley 0]

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I gotta agree! How sad someone can't dive to a formation. How the heck did these people get a license much less learn head down?

Honestly, I have the same problem with some FF'ers at my DZ. I laughed at them too.

What's really sad/scary is that not only do these people have licenses, some also have instructional ratings!

I once met a freeflyer who's first belly jumps since getting his A license (~500 jumps) were the evaluation dives at a coach's course. He failed one eval dive (how he actually passed the other one I'll never know) and I said I'd help him do practice jumps to prepare for another one. It's pretty sad when you're pretending to be a student and you have to give hand signals to your coach to stop his backsliding, potato chipping, instability, etc. He ended up getting his coach rating. Fortunately he was one of those people who only wanted it so he could get his tandem rating, so thankfully he'll probably never do a real coach jump.

I really respect the freeflyers who understand that being a good skydiver is about flying well in all orientations. I can't stand it when you meet those guys who say belly flying is only for students and old farts. That also goes the other way too. How can you consider yourself a good skydiver if all you can do is belly fly?

[brabzzz 0]

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I can't stand it when you meet those guys who say belly flying is only for students and old farts.
?

...but it is!

That, however, is no excuse for not being good and capable at it. Same goes for accuracy. Definitely a POPS discipline, but it is pretty damn cool to be able to land within 6 inches of where you want, and it is shomething we should all be able to do and willing to learn.

Can't agree more with the fact that knowingly being shite at FS is a bit of a sad attitude.

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Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club
www.skydivebristoluni.com

[Trent 0]

What all of these guys said!

Part of getting a license is learning to dock, dive to a formation, and hold still. If you can't do that as a "freeflyer"... you SHOULD be embarrassed.

Launching a hybrid isn't all that hard, but if a freeflyer can't fly to a belly base... they probably shouldn't be doing a hybrid in the first place. If something goes wrong... it becomes a belly jump and everyone should be able to safely handle AT LEAST that.

Oh, hello again!

[Zipp0 1]

Well, first you need the nitrous oxide fill tank and associated ground equipment. Then you need to assemble the motor with the proper HTPB rubber motor fuel grain.

Oh wait.... you are talking about something completely different....

Sorry.

Zipp0

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Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down.

[darkwing 4]

I have launched a 3-way of 2 sitters and one belly (me) from an Otter by having the two sitters outside (facing in), and me inside with a legstrap of each in my hand. This worked quite easily, but I think (modestly) that the inside flyer slot is the tricky one. I have an unfortunate ability to fall fast, one that I have acquired at the dinner table in recent years.

Just as for any piece launch, it is all about timing and presentation (and being a good flyer when the timing and presentation aren't quite right).

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[gemini 0]

This is good info. I have launched a 2 way (1 belly 1 FF), a 3 way (2 belly 1 FF), and a 4 way with 2 each without any trouble. We have tried having the FF inside and outside and doesn't seem to make much diff to a good FFr.

For our 16 way we launched an 8 way stairstep and had the FF'rs in rear and front float, and diving. Like Trent and others have said, the FF'rs need to be multidimensional flyers.

Blues,

Jim