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Newbie question on brakes

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Hi, as students we are taught first thing you do after checking the canopy is good is release brakes and do a controllability check, but from reading posts here it seems more experienced jumpers sometimes/often (?) elect to leave brakes stowed for a while ... why is this?
Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

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Not able to comment on the reason some do it but I feel that at our level it would be a bad idea. I'd like to know that my canopy is good with the brakes unstowed at as high an altitude as possible.

1500' is not the place to be finding out something is wrong after releasing your toggles ...

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Don't confuse yourself with some of the things we do in our after opening routines. We actually do pop our brakes pretty soon after opening and we too need to determine if we have a fully controllable canopy just as you need to do the same. Here's my after opening sequence (assuming I do not need to worry about colliding with another canopy):

1) I turn my canopy (using my rear risers) so that I'm flying towards the LZ.

2) I loosen my chest strap all the way (my canopy flies better this way).

3) I collapse my slider and tuck it behind my neck (don't need the extra drag).

4) Then I pop my brakes and do a controllability check.


Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

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Stowed breaks are set to half breaks which is a pretty good setting for getting a shallower glide path and thus a longer range. So some people don't release their breaks till they enter their landing patern at 1000-500ft as this may allow them to get back from a long spot.

This is a dangerous and inadvisable practice, bourne out of lazyness, which has led to the death of people who were experianced enough to know better.

We do a controllability check after opening at arround 3k because if it highlights a problem we have plenty of altitude to sort it or switch to our reserve. If we delay to 500ft before we release our breaks we may find that same simple problem causes our death as we no longer have the altitude to deal with it.

If a longer range is required to get back from a long spot, it is advisable to use manually inputted half breaks or rear riser input. Now whilst this means people might actually have to use the muscles in their arms just a tiny bit more, it may well mean they don't die. I know which choice I'd take.

Don't let lazyness kill you.

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>experienced jumpers sometimes/often (?) elect to leave brakes stowed for a while . . .

That's to slow down the canopy. Often experienced jumpers have stuff to do (unzip a wingsuit, remove booties, stow a slider etc) that takes their attention away from what's going on around them. During those times, it's safer to be moving more slowly so you don't catch up to people (or descend) quite so fast.

Even when doing this it's important to:

1) check your canopy after you open (I once had a lineover and didn't know it until I released the brakes and started flying back!)

2) release your brakes above your decision altitude, so if they stick or something you still have the option to cut away.

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Thanks guys... Phillbo don't worry not planning on trying it. Just saw in one thread discussions about unstowing brakes at hard deck... semed a bit dicey to me...



One of the biggest reasons not to delay unstowing brakes is that if a problem develops at this stage, you need to correct it before it turns into a serious problem, i.e. too low to cutaway or not enough time to set up for landing under your reserve. People with hundreds and thousands of jumps are able to deal with such problems much more quickly than a newer jumper. There is a very good reason your instructors taught you as they did. You may wish to ask your instructor if you can see how your canopy reacts to rear riser input with brakes stowed, as it will be considerably different than with them unstowed, but be sure to ask your instructor before hand.



I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

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Wow, I never knew that the breaks where at 50% when stowed, that explains a lot. Today I was doing my rear $ front riser manuvers for my A license. The toggles where stowed, that explains why the front risers were taking all the muscle I could muscle. This thread made it so clear. Thanks guys I knew there was a reason I came here and it wasn't just to see hot skydiving chicks! ;)


JAMES

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Hi, as students we are taught first thing you do after checking the canopy is good is release brakes and do a controllability check, but from reading posts here it seems more experienced jumpers sometimes/often (?) elect to leave brakes stowed for a while ... why is this?



you shouldnt do this.. even if you were an experianced jumper with 2000 jumps... look for square, stable and STEERABLE. after deployment..

reason im saying this is because i had a good freind, he was doing a tandam vid. we were on a long spot. he left his brakes stowed in order to make it all the way back. well he made it.. at 800ft he unstowed the toggles to land in the landing area right below him. as soon as he unstowed the toggles the entire canopy collapsed and he fell and hit HARD. he is in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. if he had just checked to see if it was steerable, he would have chopped and and gone to reserve...there was a large tear on the topskin that he couldnt see across the two center cells...

there is a reason why your taught square stable steerable...

i ALWAYS do..

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I'm sure your friend could confirm this now, but there are better ways to get back from a long spot without leaving your brakes set. Flying your rears or even your toggles will get pretty much the same result. And even if you do have a bad spot. Pick and landing area by 1k and stick to it.


Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

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