Hehehehe...Stilletto got me...[smile]

[freeflir29 0]

OK....I fell down...again for the second time in about 1 and a half weeks. I was doing some Monday jumping. Just me and an AFF on the Cessna. Went out and did a little Solo Head Down drill dive. Set up to land....I knew I was a little high but I was within range. Started my carve over the taxiway. Got about halfway through the turn and started hitting some darn bumpy turbulence. Because I was bumping around so much I just couldn't hold the riser down any more. Well...I let up and go into that famous recovery arc of the Stilletto. My first thought was to get back in to double fronts to lose a little more altitude but for some MORONIC reason I decided...."Ahhh....it'll be OK. NOT!!!! I recovered....actually gained a couple feet in altitude and was hanging there with ZERO ground speed about 10-12 feet up. Thats when I said to myself "Self...you just f*cked up!" Well...nothing to do now really but flare and pray. The first few feet were going really well and applaued the Stilletto's ability to just kind of hang there. I remember being about 5 feet off the ground thinking Hey I might save this. Then I really picked up speed....LOL. Did a Nice PLF....sorta reminded me of a soft T-10 landing. I started laughing before I even hit the ground. Bad thing was....nobody really even saw it. Everyone was inside the hangar. Funny stuff though.
I made up for it on the next jump. Did a kick azz sit fly with the DZ staff out of the Cessna. Had to turn a little high so I turned past my heading and then got back in it with the right riser. Planed it out perfect. I remember feeling the grass clipping along the bottom of my shoes!!! "It's all about the BOOBIES!"

[SkydiveMonkey 0]

It wasn't your fault - the planet moved down 10 feet after you took off.
You made it ok, and that's the important bit.
When I grow up, I want to be a post whore

[amir1967 0]

" I recovered....actually gained a couple feet in altitude and was hanging there with ZERO ground speed about 10-12 feet up. Thats when I said to myself "Self...you just f*cked up!" Well...nothing to do now really but flare and pray. "
Sorry but what is wrong ? you can just wait a second or two and then start the flair ,or Not .
After a front riser turn the canopy will go back to its normal flying speed which sould be more then enoght to land it ,or did I get it wrong
Amir
AM67

[freeflir29 0]

Quote

Sorry but what is wrong ? you can just wait a second or two and then start the flair

Well...the Stilletto is especially famous for having a very hard recovery arc. After I built all that speed carving the canopy will dive shortly and then start to plane out. If you haven't started a flare yet and just let it recover on it's own it will often float up as it burns off speed. At the very end of the arc you lose almost 100% of your airspeed. If you don't have enough altitude left to let the canopy dive again to gain some airspeed you have a problem. I was in a tricky spot where I didn't have enough altitude to let it dive nor could I get to the ground before I ran out of flare and the canopy started to dive anyway. So I just held the flare all the way to the ground. In the last couple feet I just didn't have anything left and the canopy started to nose over and my descent rate increased. Nothing a good PLF wouldn't take care of. "It's all about the BOOBIES!"

[billvon 2,433]

>If you haven't started a flare yet and just let it recover on it's own it will often float
> up as it burns off speed. At the very end of the arc you lose almost 100% of your
> airspeed.
You can prevent this by giving it a little front riser when it tries to recover. A little will prevent the ballooning; a little more will extend the dive and let you do your normal planeout with the extra speed.
-bill von

[amir1967 0]

It nice to learn somthing new every day .
as for me I only have only two jumps on the stilleto 170 and they were on a very windy day so I didn't try anything spectecullar ,
Do anyone know if a Vengeance has the same problem? what I have noticed that it just like to keep going and I really need to flair if I want it to gain alltitud
Amir
AM67

[Jumperpaula 0]

My Stilletto landings are actually getting better. I've been getting tips and reading threads, and it's helped alot.
We had some long spots and did I appreciate the glide.
Now, If I could just learn how to NOT PACK A BAGLOCK (like I did this weekend ) :(
Im gonna conquer this canopy....Im on a mission now!
Fly your slot!

[flyhi 24]

Quote

Do[es] anyone know if a Vengeance has the same problem? what I have noticed [is] that it just like to keep going and I really need to flair if I want it to gain alltitud[e]

I transitioned from a stiletto to a vengeance recently. Noticed that on a front riser turn, I generated more speed on the vengeance and needed to hold it longer (read lower) before I bumped it to plane out. Once it planed out, by getting forward in the harness (cg forward of center of lift, I think) I could work the final flair longer to get a better swoop than off the stiletto under the same conditions. The vengeance is very wind dependent. A landing at 10 mph is a lot different than one during no-wind conditions. Knowing how to handle the difference comes with experience. After a day at 10 mph I tried to flair the same on a no-wind day and did, indeed, experience a gain of altitude. Not sure how often you would want to do that, but if you need it, it's there. If you don't want it, it's up to you to ease in the flair to avoid it. At least, that's the way it worked for me. And I never saw it as a problem.flyhi

[rapper4mpi 0]

I hope you are not considering a Vengence? Flyhi has almost 1,000 jumps, as you do not. Stick with what you are currently flying, OR ask your DZ instructors for advice. Good Luck.
-Rap