jacketsdb23 45 #1 July 9, 2006 Hey guys...what in your opinion are the 5 (for a lack of a better number) basic steps in starting to swoop? I know ultimately I will work closely with the people that know my canopy skills and see me on a daily basis, but i'm interested in a pool of thoughts to compare with. Thanks for any tips!Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BrianSGermain 1 #2 July 9, 2006 1) Practice Bailing Out. In other words, if you are going to pick a fight, learn how to dodge a punch before learning to throw a punch. You will never be perfect, and the learned instinct to perform the correct save yourself maneuver without thinking is crucial for your survival. Practice up high, practice a lot. 2) Get a canopy flight altimeter. Digital telemetry is essential for safe swooping. If you do not know exactly how high you are when you begin your turn, you will eventually be too low. This is about training your eyes with good data. 3) Learn how much altitude your canopy loses in a given maneuver. Practice up high, marking beginning altitude and level off altitude. Your canopy may not level off completely if it is an aggressive design, but you will see the decent rate significantly diminish when the parachute is ready to naturally enter the surf. 4) Don't be a One Trick Pony. Have at least three different versions of your approach: A) Compressed Recovery Arc B) Standard Approach C) Extended Recovery Arc 5) Get video and coaching as often as possible. You can't possibly know what you don't know. That is what more experienced teachers can offer you. Learning the hard way is not an option in something as dangerous as swooping. Your ego will tell you that you don't need help. This is because your sense of self is trying to make a case for your inner ability to act correctly in a crisis. Although this paradigm is what allows us to get out of the airplane door, it is not correct. The situation is more complex than one can comprehend with a tableau-rousa positive attitude. Keep your positive attitude, and get some coaching from the ones who really know. The rainwater closest to the mountaintop is always the purest... +Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
larsrulz 0 #3 July 10, 2006 Let me know the trick to summoning Brian on demand! Excellent response! 4th one is a new idea I hadn't really thought of! And here I was thinking you should try for the perfect setup and approach each time. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phoenixlpr 0 #4 July 10, 2006 Quote Hey guys...what in your opinion are the 5 (for a lack of a better number) basic steps in starting to swoop? Learn how to land in 20-10-5-2m accuracy. Setup is the key for swooping. You dont need speed first, but accuracy might save your life. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jacketsdb23 45 #5 July 10, 2006 Quote1) Practice Bailing Out. In other words, if you are going to pick a fight, learn how to dodge a punch before learning to throw a punch. You will never be perfect, and the learned instinct to perform the correct save yourself maneuver without thinking is crucial for your survival. Practice up high, practice a lot. Quote What are the actual maneuvers to practice up high? Going into riser turns and braking out early? Or is it really a matter of just knowing how much altitude you lose in a given dive? In reading your piece on stalls I read that its nice to have someone up high with you to give you a reference point. Would the same problem exist when practicing riser turns/bail outs up high? It seems a reference point would be nice to have but not sure quite how to accomplish that.Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites JohanW 0 #6 July 10, 2006 QuoteQuote4) Don't be a One Trick Pony. Have at least three different versions of your approach: A) Compressed Recovery Arc B) Standard Approach C) Extended Recovery Arc4th one is a new idea I hadn't really thought of! And here I was thinking you should try for the perfect setup and approach each time.Reality dictates you will not achieve perfection each and every time. Or even just most times. And while working on perfection, being able to wriggle your recovery arc a little means more options and less need for target fixation. Not to mention being able to swoop the beer line a lot more impressively than by just cranking a turn and swooping right into the hangar by accident. Or into a parked plane. Through bystanders. Dragging your knees through the grass. While crossing the tarmac.Johan. I am. I think. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites BrianSGermain 1 #7 July 10, 2006 When I speak of "Bailing Out", it is actually a continuum of maneuvers, not just one. On one end of the spectrum is a gentle shallowing of the flight path. This is used when the problem is recognized early, which is obviously preferred. This might be an early relaease of the front riser, coupled with a harness turn to complete the yaw to the final approach heading. If you recognize the problem later, you may need to apply some "tail input" while still in the turn. If you are quite late in your realization that your flight path is too steep for the remaining altitude, you will need to bump the brakes HARD, in order to nudge the wing toward the back of the window. It is not really about HOW MUCH you apply the brakes, but HOW SHARPLY. There is a big difference. Go up and experiment with this. If you are pulling "G"'s in the forced recovery, you are doing it right. It is not a blind stab. Nothing in flying is blind or panic driven when perfomed correctly. Remain calm, and do what you have to. Look where you are going, and lift your eyes toward where you want to go. When people hook in, it is because they are looking down, and they are drawn toward the contents of their visual field. If you focus on what you DON'T WANT, You cannot find your way to what you DO WANT. +Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com Quote 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. 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. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0 Go To Topic Listing
JohanW 0 #6 July 10, 2006 QuoteQuote4) Don't be a One Trick Pony. Have at least three different versions of your approach: A) Compressed Recovery Arc B) Standard Approach C) Extended Recovery Arc4th one is a new idea I hadn't really thought of! And here I was thinking you should try for the perfect setup and approach each time.Reality dictates you will not achieve perfection each and every time. Or even just most times. And while working on perfection, being able to wriggle your recovery arc a little means more options and less need for target fixation. Not to mention being able to swoop the beer line a lot more impressively than by just cranking a turn and swooping right into the hangar by accident. Or into a parked plane. Through bystanders. Dragging your knees through the grass. While crossing the tarmac.Johan. I am. I think. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BrianSGermain 1 #7 July 10, 2006 When I speak of "Bailing Out", it is actually a continuum of maneuvers, not just one. On one end of the spectrum is a gentle shallowing of the flight path. This is used when the problem is recognized early, which is obviously preferred. This might be an early relaease of the front riser, coupled with a harness turn to complete the yaw to the final approach heading. If you recognize the problem later, you may need to apply some "tail input" while still in the turn. If you are quite late in your realization that your flight path is too steep for the remaining altitude, you will need to bump the brakes HARD, in order to nudge the wing toward the back of the window. It is not really about HOW MUCH you apply the brakes, but HOW SHARPLY. There is a big difference. Go up and experiment with this. If you are pulling "G"'s in the forced recovery, you are doing it right. It is not a blind stab. Nothing in flying is blind or panic driven when perfomed correctly. Remain calm, and do what you have to. Look where you are going, and lift your eyes toward where you want to go. When people hook in, it is because they are looking down, and they are drawn toward the contents of their visual field. If you focus on what you DON'T WANT, You cannot find your way to what you DO WANT. +Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
