Downsizing

[Jonsmann 0]

On several occations I have heard people reccommend people not to downsize, until they were able to do stand up landings in all directions, including downwind.
Now I'm curious, just how many can land their present canopy "gracefully" in down wind conditions?
This is for medium to high wind speeds of course.
I feel confortable landing my canopy in any jumpable condition, including downwind, but standing up a medium to high speed downwind landing - no way!

Can anyone do stand up downwind landings at wingloadings above 1.2 lb/ft2 in medium to high winds?

- Jacques

[PhreeZone 15]

I've landed mine down wind in 7-8 mph winds and stood it up after skidding on my feet. It was interesting, but a learning experience.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[Jonsmann 0]

8 mph - 3.5 m/s is light winds.
I am talking about 6-12 m/s, you know "normal" conditions!

- Jacques

[freeflyanvil 0]

I load my canopy 1.5 . I've landed downwind a few times (the alternative was to do a low turn and slam in) and it's usually a combo of foot and buttslide then back to my feet at the end. I dont mind doing them if I have to. And yes, they were during normal wind conditions. Grass stains on your ass is better than poop stains in your undies because you cant get out of the hospital bed.

Vid
"stons fal, evrysing fals, but doesnt on purpos change its flite pas an positioning..."

[airdrew20012001 0]

I have a stietto 135 at about 1.4 and have landed downwind in 12 mph winds. It is a different canopy in those conditions but ladnable, you just have a lot more groundspeed, a shallower approach and a different lift feel at the end.

The reason I tell people not to downsize until they can really control and command their canopy is that I don't care about straight in, normal condition landings but people landing off the dz, near a building, in downwind conditions under a canopy that is a little much for them. I figure anybody can land a cross braced canopy loaded at 1.6 straight in under optimum conditions. That happends to them in traffic? Wierd winds? Near abstilces? Off dz landings? Need for last minute turns low? That's when people could get hurt. I have been out of the sport for 3 months and came back not under my crossfire 119 but under a friends triatholon 160 for exactly those reasons.

Make sense?

Drewfus McDoofus

[billvon 2,396]

>Can anyone do stand up downwind landings at wingloadings above
>1.2 lb/ft2 in medium to high winds?

I can stand up a downwind landing in normal DZ winds (8 mph?) under my 1.7 to 1 Saphire. If I had to land downwind in high winds, I probably wouldn't stand it up. But because I've practiced it, I would probably not break anything (given an open landing area.) I'd probably get very dirty though.

The reason I recommend people learn to land downwind before they downsize is not so they can land gracefully in a light tailwind. It's so that if someday they discover themselves flying downwind at 50 feet, they will survive.

[Snowflake 0]

Quote

Can anyone do stand up downwind landings at wingloadings above 1.2 lb/ft2 in medium to high winds?

I've landed my Spectre loaded a little over 1.2 a few times in 12-14 mile an hour winds and stood it up

I've also stood up a Cobalt and a Sumarai loaded a little over 1.4 in 12-14 mile an hour winds

I had to run out all the landings though

[bmcd308 0]

Quote

Can anyone do stand up downwind landings at wingloadings above 1.2 lb/ft2 in medium to high winds?

I watch Jeff and Joel Mullins downwind canopies the size of my pilot chute every weekend. They are running like the houds of hell are after them at the end of the swoop, but they don't get dirty all that much.

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www.jumpelvis.com

[rhino 0]

I've landed my 97XF2 downwind a few times. Let's just say I had to RUN.. Winds were anywhere between 5-12

Rhino

[cobaltdan 0]

point is the way to kill yourself is with a low turn trying to avoid landing downwind.

with practice it is not that big a deal.

i have and will take a 20mph downwind landing over a low turn and crash any day !!!

landing downwind is a little different and you need to be practiced enough to be comfortable performing it for when the need arises. standing up does not mater, slide skid, plf. as long as it is controlled. you do not want to take a high speed landing and touch the ground while vertically decending.

(and yes i can stand up a 15mph down winder)...(not all the time...)

sincerely,

dan<><>

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