lazerq3 0 #1 May 30, 2003 We always here about when downsizing some of the things to look at are can you land up/down/cross wind, land up/down hill, brake turn , flare turn, land in a backyard, ect ect!! Monday I did my FIRST ballon jump which was incredible and upon looking for a place to land my only good option was a church parking lot... Well as I was coming in about 50ft I saw I was going to over shoot it ..Yeah I should of knew I wasnt going to make it at 100ft but with no wind indicator to tell me which way the wind was blowing everything was jsut happening really fast. Anyway, @about 50ft I made a 90degree 1/2 brake turn from the lot and set it in between the church on the left, trees in front and lights on the right!! All in all it was a nice tight spot but with some kind of luck was able to set it in and land...I just cant believe how fast everything was going though...No time to think about it..but just get it done and done correctly..... So now I'm happy to know I was able to land in god knows what wind condition, in a brake turnt in a tight spot...could I do it again?? I'd like to thing so...Would I want to try ??? not if I dont have to!! So yeah I guess I sound like I'm tuting my own horn but hey..I kinda happy of the fact that I was able to make a quick decision and land safly!! HOWEVER I better start working little harder on accuracy so I dont have to over shoot my landing again!! jasonFreedom of speech includes volume Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andy2 0 #2 May 30, 2003 First time landing in a church parking lot? beer? Seriously, congrats, my first offlanding (jump 4!!!) was crazy like that, its a blur, everything just goes so fast, I wished there was a freeze frame so I could stop and examine the situation --------------------------------------------- let my inspiration flow, in token rhyme suggesting rhythm... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Iflyme 0 #3 May 30, 2003 Way to go, Jason! I'm glad to hear that you discovered you DO have the skills necessary to get yourself out of (or should it be "into") a tight spot when you need to! Frank Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bmcd308 0 #4 May 30, 2003 I was seriously considering downsizing until I had to put my canopy down off the dz in a field. It is a big, safe field to land in, but it was very muddy so I wanted to land on the high spot. I was glad I was able to stick it where I wanted it so that it did not fall in the wet. I read this on here somewhere before, and it's true - you never land off in a tight area and look up at your canopy and think "Damn, I sure wish it was smaller." Brent ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJL 232 #5 May 30, 2003 So, I'm not trying to turn this on you, and I haven't done a ballon jump, but aren't you supposed to have a landing area picked out before you jump? Nice job on the landing, sounds like the pucker factor really went up."I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve1 5 #6 May 30, 2003 Jason, There's nothing like trying to hit a tight DZ to get the adrenaline pumping. Years a go we used to jump at a small airport. Things were fine usually, but if you carried the spot too long, you ended up over town with trees, houses, and power lines everywhere. A lot of times we took too long on exit and this is where we ended up. I remember once making a wild turn once under my para-commander to miss some trees and then swinging into this tiny back yard just missing a roof top. My canopy was hung over the insulated power lines going into the house. To get out of this tiny backyard I had to walk through their garage. No fun! But very exciting..... I recall an experienced jumper telling me that it is important to be decisive when you are in a tight situation like that. Some folks have trouble deciding which way to turn at the last moment and end up hitting obstacles. Anyhow his advice stuck with me to use in that type of scenario. In other words keep your cool, until you're safe on the ground. Sounds like you passed the test!.....Steve1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lazerq3 0 #7 June 2, 2003 QuoteSo, I'm not trying to turn this on you, and I haven't done a ballon jump, but aren't you supposed to have a landing area picked out before you jump? Your absolutley right, and I actually did have a BIG baseball field picked out however wnen I jumped I got so caught up in it I lost track of the ball park, looked straight down and saw the lot and went for it...so another thing to learn from...enjoy the experiance but dont get so caught up that you loss track of anything!!.... Like I said I had some luck thrown in woth this jump!! jasonFreedom of speech includes volume Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freakydiver 0 #8 June 3, 2003 Plus when jumping balloons, a landing area can look alot different from altitude in terms of obstacles and such. I know on my few balloon jumps, the landings are always half of the battle/half of the fun... -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." -- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PilotMike 0 #9 June 3, 2003 My first balloon jump was in Eloy so I had two options where to land: 1) Huge open desert, or 2) Huge open desert. My second was out of a friend's balloon somewhere in WI. It only had room for two jumpers and the pilot. We decided on a nice open field near the road that the chase car was on but soon after opening realized that we wouldn't make it. The other jumper landed in the middle of a cornfield and I landed on a dirt road between the corn and some trees. It wasn't until after I landed that I realized that I crossed under a powerline while flaring. Hindsight is 20/20, I should've landed in the corn with my friend. -------- Benefitting from the 'free capture of verticality.' Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
