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Casch

Can you jump when it's raining?

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Hehe, :S I know that feeling...sort of. It wasn't raining but it was extremely overcast, on the verge of raining. I had been waiting at the DZ all weekend to jump, and sunday evening the clouds got above 4.5K so I made a couple hop n pops. There was apparently a very thin layer of moisture or something cause it felt like I was walking in a hail storm.

I pretty much just want to get current again so I can make some jumps with a buddy on the 18th. Thanks for the info!

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Regardless of location,,,you don't jump in clouds
for a much more important reason than some FAR which tells you not to do it.....:S
You don't jump in clouds because there could be
other solid objects using that airspace,,,,, objects,,, such as airplanes(flying I F R ),, birds, and (if your whole group exits above a cloud deck) your fellow skydivers.[:/].....
As for jumping under the ceiling,,, sure,, knock yourself out,,,:ph34r: providing you still have adequate clearance,,, sufficient altitude,, and visual contact with the DZ...:|..
However,,, I do not much like the idea of getting my gear or myself,, soaking wet.....
during a canopy descent...(3 or 4 minutes exposed to a "light rain",, can add up to ALOT of Water WEIGHT )I would be a little bit concerned,, to have a ram air parachute become over loaded with moisture,,,(as in passing through a downpour),,, In the event of turbulence, or heavy wind, or just extreme toggle input,,, I might be a bit nervous about the canopy fabric collapsing,,, sticking to itself,,, and being resistant to "reinflating":o...cause it is so wet....Granted such a scenario MAY be farfetched,, but why press your luck...
As always,,, use good judgement, by factoring in the weather conditions
when deciding if you should make a jump or not...

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Couple of months ago, i got on a CF load without really checking the weather (had jumped earlier that day but had been driving the van between the DZ and the hangar the rest of the day, and had just come back, see what you get for rushing).
I followed an 8 way out so there were 10 canopies in the air. I think we got out at 12K so we were in the air kinda long. At 4K I turned to head back to the DZ (I had the smallest wingload so I left before breakoff). I figured I'd just make it back.
Afterwards I found out only 5 (I think) canopies followed me, the rest spiraled down right there. They were right......
I got a light tap on the shoulder, "uh, hello!" then bam, rain, hail, thunder. Had flown underneath a thunder cloud [:/] Spent some time thinking about whether I could get hit by the lightning around me or not. Got picked up underneath the cloud for a while so ended up having more height than anticipated. Didn't dare spiraling down (thought maybe because of the canopy being that wet it might stick/not reinflate) so did some gentle s-turns (probably hindering the other five who were by then also near the DZ).
Stupidly wondered which way the wind was blowing (eh which way is all that hail coming from again??!) because the windsock was water-heavy.
Had an okay landing, then thought, great, I'm in the middle of a wet field in the rain/hail and the thunder.

My stuff was so wet I got it to my rigger (who was also on that load and was the first to spiral down I heard then, they had sheltered under a barn or something), for a repack (that was due anyway 2 weeks later).

I did jump in the rain before, once as a student (always ended up on my back after doing a backloop so made use of that), once from an Antonov (yeah it's dry out!! jump! yeah right...). No biggy, only a wet canopy.
And a couple of weeks back I insisted on practising style series in the hail. Had a bright red face for the rest of the day.... :S Another jumper had opened higher and had a nose full of hail, personally I liked freefalling though it better, less time.

So yeah, you can jump when it's raining. Just make sure it isn't raining all that hard! [:/] And I would personally altogether avoid hail.....


ciel bleu,
Saskia

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I know you don't wanna be cloud bustin at least if your in the US, but what if the clouds are at 10K and there is light rain? Is it ok to jump if your below the cloud base?



Freeflying in the rain tip #1

Fly lower than your partner. This allows you to look up and not get pelted in the face. Be selfish. Don't let your partner fly lower than you. :P
My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

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I live in a country where you jump in hot sun and once in freefall a cloud comes from no where and rains. Who said living in the tropic was nice? here is my summary:

2 words: IT HURTS!

more words:
on freefall and under canopy: you get soaking wet, your canopy gets wet and it takes a lot of time to dry it, lines get wet, risers get wet, container gets wet, neck gets red (if you are using full face helmet, if not then may god have mercy on your face), your jumpsuit gets wet and your hair gets wet, wearing clothes is the same as wearing nothing because it hurts the same.

When you land: you can slip, you have higher wingload, there is mud instead of grass, grass stains green mud stains brown, floor is slippery making it easier to fall on a running landing, water getting in your eyes is a pain when landing (I have bonehead boomerang and those lil holes in the visor are HUGE when its raining).

after the jump: nobody has a plastic bag to put your soaking wet canopy, you are cold, everything is wet and there is no place to store it (or if you want you can put it inside your gear bag and get everything wet), your log book gets wet, you realise that you need to carry a towel with you and a change of clothes and shoes, angry cause there is no more chance for another jump cause everything is wet.

on the ride home: you have your car wet, your seat wet and feeling cold, you sneeze and start thinking of the flu, neck still hurts, neck still red, kinda angry cause it was a very bad skydive, feets are starting to itch cause they are very wet and you start to think about athletes foot, feets and hands look like prune cause they were wet and cold for some time.

in home: open canopy lay it on floor (get floor wet, hope you don't have a carpet) and use a fan to dry it up (remember no sun and no heat) cell by cell, realise that stitches are hard to dry and lines too, hang jumpsuit, gloves, shoes, socks, tshirt, shorts and pants in the bathroom cause they are still dripping water, clean what is stain before letting water dry.

next day: buy tylenol having a faint headache.

conclussion: light rain turns into heavy rain in freefall and under canopy, after landing rain calms, land with plane.

Advice in case you dont follow conclussions: don't open mouth in freefall, use full face helmet and open at the altitude you are supposed to open (follow the dive) even if you are under heavy pain.

Hope it gives you an idea about what happens when jumping when its raining. :)


HISPA 21
www.panamafreefall.com

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I know you don't wanna be cloud bustin at least if your in the US, but what if the clouds are at 10K and there is light rain? Is it ok to jump if your below the cloud base?




NO, you end up hitting the pointy ends of the raindrops...hurts like hell;)
"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

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in home: open canopy lay it on floor (get floor wet, hope you don't have a carpet) and use a fan to dry it up (remember no sun and no heat) cell by cell, realise that stitches are hard to dry and lines too.



I've found my canopy dries really quickly if I hang it over the shower rail in the bathroom, with the bathroom fan turned on. I leave it there overnight, and that's all it needs. Having the air-conditioning on helps, too.

_Am
__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

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I know you don't wanna be cloud bustin at least if your in the US, but what if the clouds are at 10K and there is light rain? Is it ok to jump if your below the cloud base?




NO, you end up hitting the pointy ends of the raindrops...hurts like hell;)


Metaphorically speaking, of course. Raindrops don't actually have a pointy end.

The Professor
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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I know you don't wanna be cloud bustin at least if your in the US, but what if the clouds are at 10K and there is light rain? Is it ok to jump if your below the cloud base?




NO, you end up hitting the pointy ends of the raindrops...hurts like hell;)


Metaphorically speaking, of course. Raindrops don't actually have a pointy end.

The Professor



Then Metaphorically speaking you've never been struck with the pointy ends;)
"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

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OK, so what happens when your at terminal and the rain is excelerating? You get hit with the pointy end;) glad to see some one can figure that one out.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

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Couple of months ago, i got on a CF load without really checking the weather ................
I followed an 8 way out so there were 10 canopies in the air. I think we got out at 12K so we were in the air kinda long. At 4K I turned to head back to the DZ (I had the smallest wingload so I left before breakoff). I figured I'd just make it back.
Afterwards I found out only 5 (I think) canopies followed me, the rest spiraled down right there. They were right......
.



:SI was on that load also, being the CRW-camera(wo)man. Since that load I have a plasic shower-cap in my jumpsuit to put over my camera if it ever happens again (and I hope NOT.... I was WET![:/]
By the way: the video is scary, you even see the lighning strikes

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On my second jump we went up and it was blue skies but when we jumped out next thing I knew I was getting whacked in the face by raindrops. I had a Protec helmet on too (student status) and it really sucked. I wouldn't recommend jumping in the rain and definetly not without a full face helmet.

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