0
fstz28

help sliding on final?

Recommended Posts

in the last four jumps when i've been on my final approach my canopy has drifted to the right about a good fifty yards. i'll be facing right into the wind which has usually been around five to ten. my toggles will be full up and its more of a side slide as the canopy is pretty much still pointed forward maybe only two or three degrees to the right. the only things i've done different is collapse the slider and loosen the chest starp (read it on here thought i'd try it) i believe that i'm sitting in squarely in the harness and not leaning to any side, would that make a difference anyways(sabre 230 loaded 1.0) any thoughts? would the slider affect flite? cause the right side to dip if it was tied wierd?everything flies straight at altitude. or so it seems.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Never stop flying your parachute until it is lying in a heap beside you.

If you drive a car with your arms LOCKED in place, you WILL veere left or right.

If you fly a parachute with your arms LOCKED straight up, you WILL veere left or right.

Small adjustments are required to keep your canopy flying straight. Never stop flying or your canopy will take control ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

If you fly a parachute with your arms LOCKED straight up, you WILL veere left or right



Good question and a good response form GravityGirl. I'd like to add to it though.

Although minor corrections may be needed when flying your canopy on final, you need to refrain from drastic (rapid) changes (input) to your toggles. Even if you're close to the ground, you can still steer yourself into the ground and hurt yourself.
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
In agreement with Aggie, I was at a DZ when the now 101st Div commander, Dave Petraeus, was coming in for landing, and the wind changed 90deg. He turned about 30 ft. above the ground and broke his pelvis on impact. A little drift is much better than broken things... But as gravitygirl said, continuing to fly the parachute will stop the small slides.
______________________________________________
- Does this small canopy make my balls look big? - J. Hayes -

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
***If you drive a car with your arms LOCKED in place, you WILL veere left or right.
Quote


This is a good analogy, but let's remember that a car that's out of alignment will drift much more on it's own.
A 50 yard drift on final sounds fairly extreme.

Have you had your lines measured recently? You might want to have your trim checked to be safe.

You might at least get someone to pull a little higher with you and fly relative with you. See what your canopy's doing relative to theirs, flying with no input.

Stay safe,
Mike


If you're gonna' be stupid, well, then you're most likely stupid.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Check your control lines....one may be twisted enough to cause a slight turn.

Check your leg staps...tightend evenly?

How many jumps on that canopy...it may be out of spec.

just guessing,
Bob
..................................
Better you than me
..................................

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Just because a reline was done does not really guarantee that everything is fine. Do you know who did the reline? Next time you have the canopy laid out and are about to pack it, get some help and make sure all the lines on the right side of the canopy are the same length as the corresponding lines on the left side. This will allow you to rule out any trim issues. And also, with 50 or so jumps, you still may be doing things that you are not aware of. With more time, the slide may just go away on its own. I used to think my new canopies had built in turns, but then they just went away mysteriously. Peace.B|

-We are the Swoophaters. We have travelled back in time to hate on your swoops.-

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Dude's and dudette's,

I agree with Ryan on this one. Check the trim on your lines. To do this, tie your three rings together, and then pull your lines tightcheck each line on the left side to make sure it's even with it's sister line on the right side. So check your inside right a line with yur inside left a line then the next inside right to the next inside left and so on and so forth. Any competent rigger can do this for you if you chjoose not to do it your self.

Another thing to think about... Square parachutes have a tendancy to turn down wind. If you just let ytour parachute go in full flight it will automatically turn downwind. As long as you do not do any thing to it, no input what so ever. give it a try. It's also something to think about when your going to buy that small reserve. If your unconscience under a tiny reserve, it WILL turn downwind. this can add up to a bad sitrep. Knocked out, small reserve, down wind, probably a bad landing area, ect ect ect...

So the moral of the story is... Check your line trim, untwist your brake lines, bigger canopy's turn downwind faster on their own than smaller canopy's, never stop flying your canopy untill you have packed it for the next jump, and so on and so forth...

By trhe way, the key board on the pubnlick computer here at laKE WALES SUX, so do't think im drunk when I'm typing this. please donate a new one to this drop zoe..

Thast all I have to say about that

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I used to think my new canopies had built in turns, but then they just went away mysteriously.***

haha rotf. the canopy was relined by pd. i'll get it looked at by a rigger. the winds were alittle high for my comfort today so i didn't jump. hopefully tommorrow.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Square parachutes have a tendancy to turn down wind. If you just let ytour parachute go in full flight it will automatically turn downwind



That has been hotly debated on DZ.com before by folks with a LOT of experience and Aerospace Engineering experience...basically, I think the jury's still out on that one. (Do a search, you'll find the locked thread).
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Dead horse, can of worms....Mmmm, tasty!

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=118233;#118233

The thread isn't locked(why am I surprised?), and the answer to the question seems quite clear to me. It's pretty much the same situation concercing "downwind stalls": no-one with any actual theoretical knowledge of aerodynamics seems to support the theories(at least not with anything else than anecdotal evidence).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Definitely get your rigger to check the lines. I have have seen PD make mistakes , they are only human. I have had another brand new canopy from a different manufacturer come in with lines that were an inch shorter on one side. Talk about a built in turn....
______________________________________________
- Does this small canopy make my balls look big? - J. Hayes -

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
First off, check for a built in turn at altitude. Point your canopy into the wind, go to full flight and see what happens. If it won't go straight, have a more expereinced jumper take it up to confirm, and give you some more in depth info (is it a climbing or diving turn? Is it a control line or suspension line problem?).

If it goes straight at altitude, you may have been off of the windline on your final. The wind won't always line up with the ideal landing coridor, but if it's close, many poelpe will use the most accessible (free of obstacles up and down wind) corridor. Additionally, the wind can shift slightly while you are climbing to altitude, or while you are under canopy, again, putting off of the wind line when you follow your flight plan. A slight correction opposite to the drift will have crabbing along your intened corridor. At this point you should be selecting a landing area that allows for drift or over/under shooting anyway, so this shouldn't pose a safety issue.

The amount of drit may seem considerable at first, but if you factor in your altittude when you turm to final, and the lower wing loading of your canopy, you spend alot of time on your final approach, and have a long exposure to whatever is causing the drift.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
well the mysterious turn has magically gone away. actually i found keeping my feet side by side on final has gotten rid of it. guess i was leaning to one side. i've also started to pull the slider all the way down past the toggles and let the chest strap all the way out to the stop fold. it mite just be in my head but man does the canopy seem to fly so much better. i can lean on one side and i can see it start to turn!! that rocks. wish that was stuff that was put out in aff. flares so much nicer too. is it in my head?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
It's not in your head, your awareness is increasing. The canopy will fly a little better with the chest strap undone, although I'm not sure if it improves flare. And as far as harness turns, it's another tool you now have that you can use to change heading with minimal effect on the other flight aspects. Nice!!B|

-We are the Swoophaters. We have travelled back in time to hate on your swoops.-

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quiet you... TWNSND... Did you get a jump in this weekend? It was bad down here, so I just spent the weekend with the wife. It was nice to do that.


Letting the chest strap out will allow the canopy to flatten out just a little. A flatter wing will create a little more lift. That's why cross bracing helps small canopy's fly "bigger".

It doesn't matter what type of square canopy you have, if you are giving enough harness input, it will turn some.

That's all I have to say about that.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0