bmcd308 0 #1 June 17, 2002 So I was opening high most of this weekend, playing with my new Hornet and having a great time. It outperforms the crap out of the somewhat tired Sabre 190 I was renting before it came, and I opened above 13 grand on about 4 jumps prior to the JIQ (jump in question).I tried to lurk a group of freeflyers at the top of the dive, but keeping up was beyond impossible, so I opened at 11 grand (last out of the plane). After spending some time between 10 grand and 6 grand exploring the edge of its (and my) envelope, an idea for a new, totally cool canopy maneuver came over me. It was inspired by my experience hauling down on both front risers to get some speed, then flaring hard to swing WAY out in front. I would come up fairly gently on the toggles, and the recovery was rough, but not unmanageable.Then, the light bulb goes on. I'll do that maneuver, but at the top of my arc, I'll let up on one toggle more than the other, turn the canopy 180 degrees until it is pointed at the ground, while twisting my body around in the harness. Plan was to swing back underneath it facing the other way. Sort of an inverted Immelman or something.Many of you will know the outcome of this effort already. For those of you who do not:Due to an even more aggressive front riser dive and flare than any attempted before, I got WAY, WAY out in front. Cool. I started releasing the toggles, and brought the right one up about three inches more than the left one. I then torqued myself over so that I was facing the ground, and I saw my canopy rotating in the same direction. Cool. It was working.Well, not really. The canopy was about a fourth (I estimate) of its normal width, and went all the way around at least twice that I saw as I fell past the slack lines underneath it. I somehow got my left hand back up near the full flight position while falling past the canopy (perhaps as an instinctive response to having the slack risers in fron of my face), and the line twists instantly transferred to my risers. The right brake line was slack in my right hand, but the canopy was in a slow left turn. My left hand was trapped in the twisted up risers, and I started thinking to myself that none of the happy Hornet pilots on the Pisa website were doing this in any of the pictures. My altitude was a little over 4 grand or maybe 4500, and my descent rate was not very high (nor was my rate of turn) so I had plenty of time. I counted at least four revolutions as I kicked out, and at some point during the kicking, my right brake line got loose enough to return to its normal length and burned my right index finger on its way by. Sliding Spectra really does create a good bit of friction.Anyway, it ended well with a lesson learned. Answers to obvious questions:1. Hell, yes, I thought about cutting it away. I knew my altitude throughout the process, and had I been lower and/or falling faster and/or turning faster it would have been gone.2. Yes, I think I could have yanked my left hand out of the twisted risers if I tried.3. No, I cannot explain why the canopy was rotating slowly to the left when the right toggle was trapped in the half brakes position. I think I just got lucky on this part.4. No, I will not do it again for your video.5. No, I would not have engaged in such an attempt any lower.So anyway, don't flare out of a riser dive on your Hornet then try to stall turn it at the top of the arc. You will wind up feeling like Wile E. Coyote under his ACME parachute.BMcD... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hooknswoop 19 #2 June 17, 2002 "Many of you will know the outcome of this effort already."LMAO!!Great post, well written, very funny, and good information.Hook Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #3 June 17, 2002 Sounds like a bit of a barrel roll action going on there too... Search the archives for more info on this move... but inducing a half a line twist at least in a turn does'nt sound like my idea of a good time Next time try a hand stand on the slider.... those are a blast to do too....Drop the tube...DROP the tube... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kirils 1 #4 June 19, 2002 Wow... you are lucky Dude... thank God you were flying a Hornet and not a Stiletto! (grin)Skydiving is not a static excercise with discrete predictability... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
metallica 0 #5 June 19, 2002 Just curious, what's the size of your Hornet and how much are you loading your canopy? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bmcd308 0 #6 June 19, 2002 190 loaded at 1.2 lbs/ ft^2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
