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Deisel

What are your wind limits?

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Today was a little windy but just good enough to jump. Waiting to board the plane, I asked to be informed what the ground wind speeds were once we were on jump run. I let everyone know that if there was greater than a 10 knot spread (i.e. 9 gusting to 20 - an 11 knot difference) that I would ride the plane down. I found out that we all had a different idea of how much was too much.

So what are your personal wind limits? Mine are 20 knots total with no more than a 10 knot gust. What say you?
The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

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Above 10kts I will sit down if there are gust of more than 7kts. I will jump in 20kts if it is clean and steady and I have some weight.. No 95 pounders.. Over the years I have jumped in much higher winds and gust and pressured TI's to do the same. Now that Im older and wiser (yeah right) I leave it to the group to decide. If one sits down Ill sit down with them. Sometimes I forget just how comfortable I am doing tandems and need a green horn to remind me this shit is dangerous.

We set a 7 kt threshold for gust and have the S&TA check it with a wind meter. if gust are over 7kts everyone sits down. Having seen a tandem pair drug a half mile down a runway and both needing medical attention and seeing another TI break his back in 7 to 12 kt gust it just isn't worth it to jump in higher wind conditions.

Set 400 and 366 are shit for unstable air Sigma 2 340's are my favorite.

9000+ tandems on Vector2's Sigma's and Strong's.

Uncle/GrandPapa Whit
Unico Rodriguez # 245
Muff Brother # 2421

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Depends on the DZ (location). At my home DZ we have a 25knt limit. If it is blowing a westerly then it tends to be fairly solid and most are happy with a 10 knot gust. If it is an easterly, then most of us have chickened out at 20knts and are not happy with any large gust ranges. It is very turbulent when it is blowing and easterly.
We are also lucky that we have awesome DZ safety Officers who stop play before it gets silly and there is never any problem if you want to stand down. Its nice to know that the owners respect our decisions if we feel uncomfortable with the conditions. Customer and staff safety is the number one priority.

At my old DZ we would jump 25knts in any direction. However I would stop at 18knts when it was blowing from 170'. We had some trees that provided nasty roll over turbulence in the landing area at much over 15knts from that direction.

Again it depends on the DZ location. I used to jump onto a flat island in the north sea. There was nearly always high winds but they tended to be constant with little gust and zero turbulence. Just get out deep!!!

I have noticed that as I get older (wiser???) I have become more conservative with my personal wind limits.

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We have a hill and trees adjacent to our landing area, so if the winds are from that direction, we generally sit down if they are more than 3-4 knots. Other directions where we have clear air and few obstacles, 20 is the limit; less if the gust factor is double the wind-speed, i.e., we'll sit if it is 9 gusting 18, etc. It just isn't worth it to hurt a student or a valuable TI.
Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208
AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I
MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger
Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

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In Kansas if we limited to 15 or 20 knots we'd rarely ever skydive [:/]

I try to stand down around 25 knots or a spread about 10. But there are so many days where it dances around the limit all day.

"Are you coming to the party?
Oh I'm coming, but I won't be there!"
Flying Hellfish #828
Dudist #52

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33 mph. After that it gets really interesting. Minor mistake becomes huge mistake, ie, if you plane out high or hook it too low.

Different DZ policy will change my wind limit that as well.

If I can hook it, I can go up to 33 mph,

I never had chance to go above 15-20 mph doing straight in apporach or a surge, that is when I was stuck at the DZ that only allows surge technique, and that DZ's policy was to stay on the ground after 17 mph.
Bernie Sanders for President 2016

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wow dude. maybe in another 5000 jumps you'll change your mind... and shame on a dzo or s&ta who will let you jump in 33mph winds[:/] Either you work near an ocean or just really flat plains but believe me bro your asking for it, even the best canopy pilots in the world wouldnt jump in that shit, I wonder why that is?;)

"We didn't start the fire"

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TheCorp

i let the dropzone have the last word on wind. Nouvel Air are cautious, thus i trust their judgment.

maybe due to my lack of overall experience, i love flying no matter what the wind speed. As this gives learning opportunities



No offence to the fine folks at Nouvel Air, but you should not leave that decision to others.
Remster

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... Or they just know better man... I have no doubt that you, nick, Kurt, jay, jc, can all jump in those winds but its more a matter of should you. Very rarely do winds that high remain steady and even if they do turbulence off obstacles and jumpers of lesser skill ect will always b an issue. Just yesterday I sat down on 14-25knots (1500+tandems)... All other Tis (all lesser experienced Tis) jumped. The winds were 19-28knots when they actually took off and 32knots on exit. The load before I sat down I literally dodged a fucking dust devil.. I have jumped in those winds before, and paid, but now I hope I know better. I've hit hard many times... Sorry if this is coming off brash but iwas disappointed with my team for not even backing me up at all, but ego always will hurt. Bottom line is would you take your mom/grandma in those winds? There are people who get lucky their whole career, but it only takes one time to get ur ass handed to you. If Tis don't jump then videots don't, up jumpers unfortunately have to learn on thier own, but hearing some guy say he'd jump in 33mph winds with a nice hard hook is not who I think they should learn from. That's the only reason I replied... Peace
"We didn't start the fire"

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If the wind gust from 19 to 32 knots, I'm not jumping.
That's just stupid.

However, if the wind blows constantly around 30mph, gusting less than 5 mph, I'll go.

And that all depends on where you jump as well, and where your obstacle is.

That same dz where everyone gets pressured to jump at 30mph, they will close the dz if the wind blow from other direction at 15mph.
Bernie Sanders for President 2016

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just wanted to add this for whoever else was reading this... First your video showed me the winds werent really that high... the yellow tandem was definately low in his turn, he keeps that up and itll get him for sure... a tandem should never be in the corner IMO... that being said, I have turned several students too low and got lucky.. anytime your in breaks to pull out of the dive its too low for a tandem IMO.. but honestly those winds didnt look that bad to me... they all had fwd speed... so they mustve been gusty and turbulent (could be obstacles as I see plenty of trees) but here is an example of gusts up to 26mph! (light girl but still) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yMJXcZocE8

All TIs need to see this, especially the immortal rockstars... these winds were around 20-26 mph... i was there packing, the ti who landed behind him landed fine... as it was said before its not a matter can, but rather a matter of should. this TI is a great skydiver and a good friend he broke his pelvis on this landing and was lifeflighted... he spun and took the hit, the girl walked away without any injury. Turbulence is hell and should be respected always... we as tis need to always err on the side of caution no matter what the DZO's say... unfortunately, as you know, this is rarely the case... and it fn pisses me off... I guarantee the minute the landing area is cleared of your broken body they will be jumping again... nature of the sport? but it doesnt have to be. Tis need to stick together and say hell no we're not jumping today till its safe... or better yet maybe i should just stop taking people skydiving. Four weeks ago i got out at 21-28 knots but landed in 35 knots, chopped the main on the ground ect... but before I landed my chute collapsed at 1200 feet just before i started my downwind... the minute I see a tandem canopy buck, im out.. cause i know there is turbulence close to the ground... the only way pilots know if there is turbulence is with what little tools they have and by other pilots telling them its there... with canopys its much the same... dubai wind limits im told are 21 mph... mile high stops at 22 or 23 knots... IMO anything over 25mph should be shut down... the DZ loses no money on rainchecks... none.. in fact they only gain cause some of the people never return... they dont make much on funjumpers and students are a no go anyway so what the hell? rant over... ha

Edited to add: for all those idiots who think that a parachute just quickly reflates after it collapses, yes most of the time it does, but its still not a reason to keep jumping, its a reason to sit down.

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I just watched this video. The same thing happened to me on May 10 in California. It's not a joke. I was jumping video so no one else was hurt. A helicopter ride. A week in the hospital. My arm is still in a cast. I'm still in pain when I walk. I'm lucky ....... :|

Life is short ... jump often.

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Sorry about the humor man... im sorry you got hurt, you know our hearts go out to you and your right it aint funny but sometimes humor is a good thing, I take it seriously and im known to be a bit of a wind weenie... I have no fn problem with that, i just wish there were more guys on our side, but that 30 bucks will make you jump in some crazy shit sometimes wont it? Especially when your DZO is on the plane and your on jump run. One of the worst things that Ive heard many times is "well hell if we dont jump in these winds we'll never jump"... then fuckit, dont ever jump.. or move your dz somewhere else! oh in a perfect world... heal up quickly bro and just like its said on Top Gun (the movie) "A good pilot is compelled to evaluate whats happened so he can apply what he's learned" Viper is like Yoda man... yoda, peace

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I never understude low turn issues with tandems, the sight picture is only what it is, Hawaii, had high winds,
33 was my cut, Yet pushy finds pushy someday, you know Sharknadow week on the tv... Worked on mod, exo systems, emergancy,,military,, air ops straight through a tropical storm, crazy, better know the gear,,

Having something never beats doing (>|<)
Iam building things - Iam working on my mind- I am going to change this world - its what I came here 4- - -

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When I was doing tandems in Hawaii I rarely made a jump when the winds were UNDER 20 mph...But it was clean air, we were jumping 330's, and I got used to it very quickly. I'll do tandems in 25 mph winds all day long so long as the wind is clean and I don't have a 100 pound cheerleader up front.
Edited to add: I'll do them in winds that high under those conditions so long as there are shaggers on the ground.

Chuck

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stayhigh

all those trees gave you clean air??
even with a normal trade you still got a bump or two



No trees anywhere near the airport on Kauai, bro. I didn't work on Oahu. All you had to do where I worked was not land short in the bay and not get blown backwards over the airport into the next bay!

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