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billvon

Downsizing checklist (long)

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do you have any time to go for your toggles?



You're hands should still be in the toggles... never let go of your toggles below your hard deck.

And I seccond Jimbo's advice - learn flat and breaked turns. These should be an A licence requirement IMO, they are a life saving procedure just like EP's are, everyone should know how to do them and practice them regularly.

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At what point do you intend to begin working on Bill's list?

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Very soon! The first thing I want to learn is the rear riser landing. That would really come in handy if I broke a stearing line. Then flat turning. Probably learn front riser landings last.

I have done some straight in aproaches with double front risers, I didn't really notice any speed increase.
I let go pretty high, around 100 feet.


I'm really nervous about the rear riser landings, I don't trust it. Any tips for landing with rear risers would be appreaciated, if it doesn't work, do you have any time to go for your toggles?

scott



This is just the point I was trying to bring out bud.

You should be happy with these kind of manouveoures, not worried. How do you feel about Xwinders and down winders?

I realise that I do not know how you handle your canopy and have not seen you jump.

I would however have advised you against moving to a high performance canopy (a Sabre at that WL at your experience is HP).

The big docile student canopies are just the ticket for learning the skills that Billvon outlines. Once you have learned how your current canopy deals with these, only then should you consider trying a different type or size of canopy.

You have progressed from a PD 300 to a Sabre 150, 8 different canopies in 43 jumps. That works out at 5 jumps per canopy. I feel that this rapid progression could be counter productive.

Out of interest who advised you on your choice of canopy progression?

In the UK the BPA System states that you must among other things be able to control the canopy using the front and rear risers before you can achieve BPA B License.

At our centre we take canopy control very seriously, which is the reason that all the instructors (from 800 to 4000 jumps) will be taking the Canopy School at Perris with Jim Slaton in Jan.

Please dont take this as a personal attack Scott, it is in no way intended as one. It is just that your situation is typical of a lot of younger jumpers and I wanted to illustrate a couple of points.

If your not too pissed at me we will crack a few in the bombshelter, I am there between 14 - 28 jan. I may even bring pucker German Jaegermeister.

Buzz
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

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I don't mind your comments at all!;)
I feel it's about time for me to learn these manuvers. I feel confident enough with my straight in aproaches now. It took a while because of the fact I downsized quickly. I needed to make plenty of straight ins (on target) to make sure I could handle the basics.

The thing about flat turns....I can do them in the air but what happens if I do it 50 feet above the ground? I know I won't hook it in if I'm in half brakes but won't I lose my foward speed by doing this, and have a really weak flare? Maybe I should try the flat turn a bit higher?

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The thing about flat turns....I can do them in the air but what happens if I do it 50 feet above the ground? I know I won't hook it in if I'm in half brakes but won't I lose my foward speed by doing this, and have a really weak flare? Maybe I should try the flat turn a bit higher?



Definately try it higher. In fact EVERY manuver should be practised high and then, if desired, gradually brought lower.

Eventually you'll have better sight references to see whats really happening. Up high listen to the wind noise and pay special attention to your canopy relative to the horizion. That will give you an idea of how you're doing.

Blue skies and stay safe.
Ian
Performance Designs Factory Team

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The thing about flat turns....I can do them in the air but what happens if I do it 50 feet above the ground? I know I won't hook it in if I'm in half brakes but won't I lose my foward speed by doing this, and have a really weak flare? Maybe I should try the flat turn a bit higher?



If you're doing a flat turn at 50 feet, then likely you're doing it to save your ass (which is why we need to know the skill to begin with). But I can't really think of a jump where I'm not in some sort of flat turn while I'm approaching my setup point and altitude (I have to admit though that I like cruising around on my rears more as my canopy has a great glide ratio). Anyway, at some point things will start coming together for you. Just don't rush yourself and practice practice practice up high before you try it low to the ground. In the future, I plan to incorporate my rears in my swoops, but that will only be after I've practiced this skill up high and can perform it time after time and have built the right muscle memory.


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

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I'm out five months with a torn ACL right now, because I botched a rear riser landing after breaking a steering line on a hard opening.



Off topic but interested to know why, if you had never done a rear riser landing and you had a canopy that could not flare, you did not chop this and go for silver?



Ya, well, the opening shock litererly nocked me senseless. I nearly went unconcious and I my wind was knocked out of me for at least 10 sec. In hind sight I definitly would have went to my reserve, but all I could think at the time was that I never want to go though another opening shock agian.

long story short, I flared to high and it was a no wind day with a canopy on the verge of a stall.
If we trained monkeys to pack, would you jump their pack jobs?

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