Big way

[grega 0]

Next weekend 13.7-14.7 we are trying to make somewhere around 30 - 40 way from 2 airplanes. Depends on skills of skydivers. I'm sort of a newbie to such a "big" formation. and i am a little worried that most of them/us don't have enough skills for such a big formation. What are the main things that every skydiver has to look for in a big way, and what are the best things to do to avoid accidents if someone screws something up? I was flying 15-way a couple of times and everything was fine. But 40-way is almost 3 times bigger!

First we will be flying 15 - 20 ways, for organizer to see if we can do it?

For those who will say don't go if you're not sure you can do it, I think organizer will see if i can do'it and ground me if i can't. Otherwise I'll ground me myself .

Thanks

"George just lucky i guess!"

[tigra 0]

First, listen to your organizers. Breakoff at the correct altitude, track to the correct altitude, deploy at the correct altitude, even if that's a little lower than where you would normally pull. Be extra diligent for traffic, in freefall and under canopy. If, after the practice jumps, you feel it is too much for you, step down. If, after the pratice jumps, you feel it is too much for some other people on the jump and their lack of experience makes you feel unsafe, step down.

But if the smaller practice jumps go well, then go for it and enjoy. You won't know how you'll do til you try it! 2 plane shots are fun! Just fly your slot and be careful, and don't forget to have fun!

maura

[antimike 0]

grega, your concerns are well founded. Big ways are fantastic if planned well and the people are capable of performing well. I just got done doing 14,- 120 ways a month ago and it was the most fun and the most nervous I've ever been. The only reason I did them was because of the organizers whom I know are well respected and very very experinced in big formations. You have to trust your organizers and the people you jump with ( but that also goes back to the oranizers on who they select to jump on the load) or it can turn a fun situation into a deadly one. BE AWARE and do what the organizers say and if at any time you feel over your head step down.

[billvon 2,396]

Some tips:

1. Practice tracking straight out from the center. Move as fast as you can and fall as slowly as you can. This is the most important survival skill for big ways - a fast, flat track.

2. Do not abandon the formation if you go low. Turn sideways to it, drop your head, and look up sideways to keep it in view while trying to get back. Stay with them until breakoff and leave with everyone else.

3. Do not pull high. Pull altitudes are generally planned carefully, and too high can be as bad as too low.

4. Don't overswoop. If the formation is getting visibly larger, start putting on the brakes. Plan on coming to a complete stop 20 feet out and 5 feet up - that gives you margin for error on both fallrate and stopping your swoop.

5. Get your legs out once docked. The most common problem flying a completed big way is that people stop flying once they take up grips - their feet fall back on their butts and they just hang on. You have to get your legs out, push towards the center, and generally keep flying your body.

6. Dress for success. Have a variety of jumpsuits so you can match fallrates. If you are having trouble staying up with it, swoop cords, sleeves or even a floppy T-shirt over your jumpsuit can help.

7. Locate the base before you start your dive. That's easy on a single plane load, but on a 2-plane formation you have to exit, present, find the base, and then start your approach to where the base will be in 10 seconds. It takes a little practice to figure out where the base will be. (This applies only to the trail plane in this case.)

8. Look around before you pull, then keep your hands on your risers after you pull. There will be a lot of traffic, and keep in mind that it's always the guy you don't see who gets you. Look around a lot, both in freefall and under canopy.

[kallend 1,623]

Quote

6. Dress for success. Have a variety of jumpsuits so you can match
fallrates. If you are having trouble staying up with it, swoop cords, sleeves
or even a floppy T-shirt over your jumpsuit can help.

7. Locate the base before you start your dive. That's easy on a single plane
load, but on a 2-plane formation you have to exit, present, find the base,
and then start your approach to where the base will be in 10 seconds. It
takes a little practice to figure out where the base will be. (This applies
only to the trail plane in this case.)

Some additional things:

We don't all fall like anvils. For some people, dressing for success means taking along a weight belt and weights. Swoop cords certainly extend your range. If you don't have them in your jumpsuit, you can make your own pretty easily (but make sure they don't interfere with your ability to deal with your handles and toggles).

A nice slot on the trail plane for quickly seeing the base is a floater; you get to see the base exit, and you get a super view of the entire skydive as it evolves. Additionally, there is almost no danger of overdiving.

If you are a diver from an Otter in left-trail, spotting the base can be quite challenging.

As a big formation builds, the fall rate generally slows considerably. Be prepared for this if you are in an outer slot.

Hope your pilots are good. I was on a big way in Wisconsin when the lead pilot flew into a cloud while I was out on the step of the trail plane. Lead plane disappeared from view. Our pilot peeled off and dived hard, causing negative "g". All the floaters' feet lifted off, leaving us hanging just by our hands from an Otter floater bar with another plane within a couple hundred feet, but unseen.

[Remster 24]

Quote

All the floaters' feet lifted off, leaving us hanging just by our hands from an Otter floater bar with another plane within a couple hundred feet, but unseen.

wooohooo ! Did the pilot charge extra for the ride?

Remster

[grega 0]

Thanks for the tips guys. Unfortunately some guys with more experience didn't jump because they realised that 40-way, with only 20 experienced skydivers isn't reality. So we jumped a couple of times from one airplane in smaller groups (14 - 18).

I'm glad that 40-way was canceled because skydivers who were jumping couldn't hold together even 16-way!

"George just lucky i guess!"