billvon 2,435 #1 January 29, 2004 Wednesday On Wednesday morning we moved on to 200 ways. I moved to the right trail plane, where a chunk of the base and two wackers would exit. Fallrates for the base started out slow, and Tony gave his usual "you gotta speed it up, guys" lecture. Much of the problem was due to the slow fall rates of the first days; people in the 3 way and 5 way lines were putting on drag to stay with the (slow at first) base. They were getting to the point where the base 18 was falling fast but would get lifted by the 3-way lines when they dock. Even if people dock with no momentum and exert no pressure on the base, docking alone can lift up the base a bit due to their wakes interacting. That meant that the outer parts of the base (3-way and 5-way lines) had to make sure to dock and drop a bit _below_ the base to counteract that tendency. The way to ensure this is to use the right sight picture; people docking have to see bellies, not backpacks. And that meant reducing drag and/or adding lead. We made three jumps altogether, which makes for a pretty easy pace with packing, dirt diving and the usual preparation (adding lead, eating, drinking water etc.) We had some base funnels right out the door, but got a bit better on each dive. On jump 2 we had a scary exit; we got the off-oxygen signal early and were off O2 for about a minute before exit. By the time I exited I had lost color vision and was getting serious tunnel vision. I got near my slot and hovered until I could see well again, then flew in and took grips. Not suprisingly, that base didn't complete. On the last jump of the day we came to within 1 of the base completing, which was a nice way to end the day. Thursday Today we continued with the 200-ways. Our team (team 1) had the 'final' base and four of the wackers; the other team had six of the wackers docking on a temporary alpha-team base. We had pretty good luck with the base. Two out of three 70-way bases completed from 20,000 feet (we can go as high as 23K if we need to) and fall rates were up to 120-125. Breakoffs were working pretty well, and that's what we need to safely bump up to 372 tomorrow. Plan is to start with a non-completing 372 way (i.e. wackers won't dock or prebuild) to get the angles, levels and breakoff down, then move on to the dive itself. We'll continue doing three dives a day for the next eight days, or until we get the record. A typical dive starts off with a dirt dive, which is usually full-gear on the tarmac. We'll do one or two walkouts from the exit, then do an 'exit frame' where everyone is in their positions a few seconds out of the plane. Then we'll load the planes. We've been trying to get the Thai crews to spin props before we load, but so far they haven't wanted to. Instead they'll start the APU's (which are almost as noisy as the engines themselves) and wait for us to get on board before they start up. Once on board, we mill around finding our O2 hoses from the last dive and sit in our usual places. About 25% of the load has seats; the rest are on the floor, on the rice bags or in a niches by the paratrooper doors. As we're getting set they close the doors. It then becomes stinking hot inside the C130 until they get a few engines started and have A/C available. After engines are started (a lengthy process with four engines) we taxi out and take off in sequence. Even on the 100-way practice jumps they'd treat it as one big sortie. Inside the aircraft by the tailgate are two Thai crewmen who operate the door and communicate with us via a whiteboard. We get warnings like 10 minutes out, 6 minutes out, 20,000' (which is something of a redundant announcement) and off-oxygen. They prebreathe oxygen from engine start all the way up via a separate system. We go on oxygen at 14,000 feet via the usual assortment of cannulas, masks and plain hoses. They open the tailgate about six minutes out. The C130's we're using have remarkable (for jump ships) temperature control; even with the door open it's not that cold. We get the stand-up signal at two minutes, and at 12 seconds out we get a bell that means go off O2 and get on the ramp. From there, a floater watches the lead plane and drops off when the superfloater goes. The exit on the Herc is a little unusual due to the width of the door and the speed of the aircraft. It's very easy to exit, hit the air with your legs first, and go head over heels. The trick is to present with your chest so you hit the air chest-first. Outer people have to present to the side since the air swirls around the tail and comes in from the side a bit. Once off the plane, most divers go head down and get big. This takes full advantage of the exit speed to get "blown back" towards the base, and allows an easy transition to a dive. It's a little eerie to exit, present well, get blown up and back, and then feel a burble from someone who exited _after_ you (but is now downwind of you.) The first few seconds after exit are very busy, because you have to keep all that in mind as you're flying in a pack of other people, all very close to you. So far we've had a very short distance to cover to get to the base. If anything, my problem has been arriving too early; I get there well before the people I dock on if I go my normal speed, so I've been experimenting to see where the best place to slow down and hang out is. Then, if everything else works out, I dock on the base and fly it for around 20 seconds before starting breakoff at 7500 feet. We have five tracking teams, each one of which has tracking team leaders, pullouts (people who track for a few seconds and pull immediately) and assigned directions and pull altitudes. Each team is keyed by a pullout in the base, so it gets busy again at the bottom end with people pulling out of the base _and_ in each tracking team. My breakoff team has the highest pull altitude of the teams (3100 feet) and combined with my largish canopy I usually end up landing nearly last. Nice from a traffic perspective. Tomorrow we start the really big ones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jmpnkramer 0 #2 January 29, 2004 Thanks for the Up Close Update Bill. I wish I could be there. Be careful with the Hypoxia. I had to save someone last year when I was LO for a High altitude at the Easter Boogie. Be Safe and All The success Ya'll can have. Laters, .The REAL KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMER! "HESITATION CAUSES DEATH!!!" "Be Slow to Fall into Friendship; but when Thou Art in, Continue Firm & Constant." - SOCRATES Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AudreyRowe 0 #3 January 29, 2004 Thanks for the updates Bill - can almost smell the fuel! Really enjoying reading your daily logs Good luck with tommorrows dives. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dgskydive 0 #4 January 29, 2004 Bill, Your updates are geetin almost as good as Kates and that is saying something. Thank for posting them.Dom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyangel2 2 #5 January 29, 2004 Getting updates from both Kate and Bill is nice. Then I can read what's happening to both from different views. Thanks again Bill.May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
koz2000 1 #6 January 29, 2004 GO TEAM!! ______________________________________________ - Does this small canopy make my balls look big? - J. Hayes - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JJohnson 0 #7 January 29, 2004 You are so cool (ugly as sin though).....I'm so jealous. Good luck to you all. In the midst of all that awesome activity you still find the hot plane to complain about....it's a small price to pay for the experience. Take care William.JJ "Call me Darth Balls" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 24 #8 January 29, 2004 QuoteBill, Your updates are geetin almost as good as Kates and that is saying something. Thank for posting them. where are Kate's updates?Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AudreyRowe 0 #9 January 29, 2004 Kates updates are at www.skydiveperris.com/perriscam/home.asp sorry - can't do clicky They are really entertaining Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyangel2 2 #10 January 29, 2004 clicky May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jussi 0 #11 January 29, 2004 www.skydiveperris.com/perriscam/home.asp Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiverek 58 #12 January 29, 2004 Photos and movies (movies for some days only) here: http://theworldteam.com/News.htm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dgskydive 0 #13 January 29, 2004 I am getting e-mails, but they are here www.skydiveperris.comDom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dgskydive 0 #14 January 29, 2004 There stlyes of writing are so different as well. Kate seems to be really having a good time. You can tell she is a bit buzzed when she is typing because of the four letter words she has been using. Good for her!Dom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyangel2 2 #15 January 29, 2004 QuoteYou can tell she is a bit buzzed when she is typing That's cause Kate is back on the coffee and PopMay your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dgskydive 0 #16 January 29, 2004 I do believe she is chasing that Jose guy as well. Dom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
foxyroxtail 0 #17 January 30, 2004 Yes, Bill these are tops - love the techie details - You allow us to really picture what you are describing, but without the airplane smells. It rocks! Go get the big one - Pam ________________________________________ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Newbie 0 #18 January 30, 2004 great updates bill, a few qu's.... what's a wacker? what's the APU on the plane? what's the job of the floater? What's the super floater? If 3100ft is the highest pull altitude of the teams, what's the lowest? Thanks and good luck tomorrow/today! "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amanda965 0 #19 January 30, 2004 Dpes anyone have a pic of those airplanes? They sound so big, but nice!Blue skies and SAFE landings! ~Amanda~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #20 January 30, 2004 >what's the APU on the plane? Axulluary power unit. Basically a generator to run the plane until the turbines are kicked in and then power can be generated from them. Check out the RW fourm for answers to the rest of your questions. Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nacmacfeegle 0 #21 January 30, 2004 "what's a wacker? " Its a curved line which forms part of the formation...named after weed whackers (we call them strimmers over here) Check out the world team site for a diagram of the dive. "what's the APU on the plane?" Auxiliary power unit, its basically a box of gubbins that is used to start the plane engines. "what's the job of the floater? What's the super floater?" Floaters go out first, they exit before the base (core of the formation) and have to 'float' up to it instead of diving down to it. Super floater has further to float up as they signal the exit to the other aircraft. "If 3100ft is the highest pull altitude of the teams, what's the lowest?" Probably around 1200-1500 ft Edit to add... I'd heartily recommend checking out the world team site referred to above....-------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,435 #22 January 30, 2004 >Dpes anyone have a pic of those airplanes? Our airplane: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nacmacfeegle 0 #23 January 30, 2004 Isn't that the Queen's personal Herc? Its white and the others will be usual camo paint job.....-------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #24 January 30, 2004 not arguing with you, but why in the hell would the queen want to fly in a herc? (save for the fact that its cool) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nacmacfeegle 0 #25 January 30, 2004 Same reason dogs lick their bollocks? Because she can? At the last WT bash somebody mentioned to me that this was 'Her' plane, it just sort of stuck there in my eclectic memory.-------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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