Who do most of you pull so low?

[Jimbo 0]

Where is the recommended decision altitude taught as 2K? I'm pretty sure the SIM lists it as 1800/1600. Decide by 1800, act by 1600.

Am I wrong?
-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[quade 3]

Those would be minimums. Prudent might be a little bit higher.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

I very, very rarely pull below 3000. That gives my snivelly 75 square foot parachute plenty of time to open and let me deal with anything that might happen. Actually, most people I know dump at three. When I was jumping a 135 a decade ago I would dump around two, but that parachute opened like a bomb and never spun for any reason since it was not eliptical.

Chuck

[airdrew20012001 0]

Decide at 2 do at 18. That is my memory...

Drewfus McDoofus

[tooueay 0]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I jump/fly at a small 2 Cessna DZ so there isn't a lot of canopies in the air at any one time. I always talk over the jump plan with everyone on the load prior to getting in the airplane. I assumed that's how it was everywhere but I'm getting the feeling that that isn't the case.

Give me ambiguity...or something else.

[PhillyKev 0]

In an ideal world, that's the thing to do. When you have a load for the otter and a load for the skyvan in the boarding area at the same time, with half the people running through a final mock exit, waiting for one to land and the other to refuel, there usually isn't much opportunity to talk to everyone.

[PhillyKev 0]

Quote

Where is the recommended decision altitude taught as 2K? I'm pretty sure the SIM lists it as 1800/1600. Decide by 1800, act by 1600.

Am I wrong?

That's what's in the sim for B-D license holders. For Students and A it is decided by 2500, execute by 2000.

I use 2000 for decision and execute as quickly as freakin' possible as my rule. I don't know if that 200 feet is going to make much difference, but it's a lot easier to see I'm below 2000 on my alti than 1800. And if I'm in between I'd probably just waste all the altitude staring at my alti trying to figure out if I have another 50' left or not.

[cobaltdan 0]

i am not so new...and deploy at 3.5k

i fly a small canopy and prefer to have extra time for that portion of my skydive. i.e extra time in the event of a malfunction, & extra time for a clean set up and landing.

interestingly i find that most freeflyers and most high performance canopy pilots deploy 'high' at 3 - 3.5.

sincerely,

dan
atair

Daniel Preston <><>
atairaerodynamics.com (sport)
atairaerospace.com (military)

[billvon 2,414]

>. . . there usually isn't much opportunity to talk to everyone.

While I've seen this happen, I think it is a good idea to make the time if it's important. Imagine talking to a jumper who refuses to ever check his own gear on the basis that he's "always in a hurry, got no time." Even at Perris and Eloy during boogies, we seem to find enough time to figure out what type of jump everyone's doing and whether anyone is opening high. That's how we decide exit order.

[weid14 0]

sometimes we get a chance to talk about landing directions though

• Quote

[PhillyKev 0]

We defininitely figure out who's doing what and what the exit order should be. What I meant is there's not an opportunity to get in depth with everyone about what they're doing. And if there's a newer jumper who plans to open high but doesn't know he should tell everyone, you're probably not going to find out in the boarding area through conversation.

Usually it's a lot of scanning the other jumpers. Looking at their equipment, their jump suit, how many people they're jumping with. If it's an obvious 4 way flat, don't need to ask. A couple of head downers, you know where they're going and what they're doing. When you see a guy in a dz rw suit jumping alone, you probably want to talk to that guy. But if you don't notice him, he might not know to tell you, and you probably wouldn't ask. I usually make it a point to ask the people exiting before me and after me where they are opening.

Can you honestly say you ask everyone on every load where they're opening?

[freeflir29 0]

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Can you honestly say you ask everyone on every load where they're opening?

Yes.....if I don't know already.

[cobaltdan 0]

every load i am on , i >always< ask the group before and after me their deployment altitude and jump type. i point out that i pop at 3.5 and if i think there are any issues i arrange a different order or delay between groups.

planing = increased safety and is a part of every jump !

sincerely,

dan
atair

Daniel Preston <><>
atairaerodynamics.com (sport)
atairaerospace.com (military)

[skybytch 259]

Quote

And if there's a newer jumper who plans to open high but doesn't know he should tell everyone, you're probably not going to find out in the boarding area through conversation.

I jump at Perris... we generally figure out exit order through conversation in the loading area.

Quote

Can you honestly say you ask everyone on every load where they're opening?

Well, I don't ask the people on the belly whatever-way I'm on, or the Flyboyz, or the 4way team that's training, or other people that I know are experienced. But yes, if I'm planning to do a freefly solo (which puts me in the back of the bus), I will ask anyone else doing a solo or two way what they are doing and where they are pulling and plan our exit order accordingly.

[billvon 2,414]

>Can you honestly say you ask everyone on every load where they're
> opening?

Every load that I am in charge of loading at Otay, yes. I ask everyone what they're doing, how many they are, and if they're opening high. (High being >3000.) This is often an issue since we generally have a handful of high openers on each load.

[airdrew20012001 0]

Quade - it appears by your picture that you too are a wise and very studly deathrack, er, I mean batrak flyer. Good for you, you will go far in life.

Drewfus McDoofus