Deploying while Knee Flying

[Jiggs 0]

Howdy,

Does anyone have advice and practical experience in deploying while in a knee flying position? After doing some time with airspeed in the tunnel I have been loving knee flying and I have found myself doing it on a bunch of jumps. - I am wondering what else I need to think of before I start deploying in that position. anything to watch out for, etc?

What have been your expereinces?

Cheers,

"Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain."

"In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

[dragon2 0]

Never deployed like that myself so take this with a grain of salt: I'm thinking the deployment speed is higher, therefore you will get harder openings. Because you're vertical the deploying main may catch on your reserve container. Why not flip back to your belly and slow down a little bit too? Sounds much safer to me.

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[hobbes4star 0]

If you do deploy this way watch out for the pilot chute coming up underneath your arms. When sky surfers deploy they lean forward a bit to get better air and a smoother deployment. I would not recommend that you deploy this way. Seems safer to go belly to earth.
just my two cents.

if fun were easy it wouldn't be worth having, right?

[rehmwa 2]

I haven't found bootie flying to be any faster falling than on the belly, I stay level with the belly flyers/tandems while on booties. But I don't think deploying this way is a good idea.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[hobbes4star 0]

no, i think fall rate would not be that bad. it would be the pilot chute and bridle possible going underneath your arm.

if fun were easy it wouldn't be worth having, right?

[GQ_jumper 4]

I agree with Rem, I've seen guys in 4 way go to their knees and stay with the formation.

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

[Jiggs 0]

Yes the speed is about the same and you do have some fall rate control - but not as much as normal (or at least I don't). I don't think that it is something that I will do regularly but it should make a good piece of footage and I think it can be done fairly safely.

Wouldn't the same problems be faced with things like skysurf and the like - isn't the deployment more or less the same?

"Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain."

"In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

[hobbes4star 0]

Sky surfers lean forward a bit at deployment.

if fun were easy it wouldn't be worth having, right?

[dgskydive 0]

KNee flying is usually a slower airspeed then belly flying. Of course it would also depend on your body postion. Evry time I have tried it, I float up on the formation.

Dom

[GQ_jumper 4]

maybe you're just a lightweight dom

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

[rehmwa 2]

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KNee flying is usually a slower airspeed then belly flying. Of course it would also depend on your body postion. Evry time I have tried it, I float up on the formation.

It's real close for me, about the same fall rate rangs. Float if you want, sink if you want. At first, when I'd snap the booties I'd float a bit before getting it in hand. Now it's better. Lately I've been hunched over too much.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Ron 7]

Depending on your body position it can be faster or slower. We do RW in the tunnel like this.

However most people go faster than a belly flier when they start doing this.

I see no reason why anyone would want to risk deploying in this position....It adds danger, and there is no benefit.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[dgskydive 0]

Quote

maybe you're just a lightweight dom

I have been accused of many things, but that isn't one of them!

Dom

[SudsyFist 0]

Quote

Depending on your body position it can be faster or slower. We do RW in the tunnel like this.

However most people go faster than a belly flier when they start doing this.

Totally agree with Ron, but I'd also like to chime in and add that there's a distinct difference between "kneeflying" in the freestyle/freefly context, and "bootie flying" in the RW context. I'll use these terms for the rest of my post.

Kneeflying is something which I had been doing for years on freefly dives, including taking docks with people on their heads. The body position is vertical and straight, even at the hips, and allows for tons of fall rate control with just your legs, much less arms. Driving and turning is almost identical to sitfly, although you can get your lower legs involved if you wish.

I often ridiculed the RW folks for using the term, "bootie fly," for what I envisioned as the same body position. And oh, how wrong I was proven once I got around to trying it in the tunnel: it took about 5 minutes of expensive flailing for me to dissociate my kneefly habits.

Bootie fly (at belly speeds or below) seems like more of a crouched position (ass sticking out, torso leaning forward) compared to kneefly, where air is being spilled off both the front of the torso and the backs of the thighs (not to mention the booties), providing much more surface area to the relative wind than kneefly: hence, the slower fall rate. And don't get me started on maneuvering.

Regardless of how folks label these body positions, they're different. I point out this difference because I'd hate to see someone who's done a few solo kneefly jumps (thinking they're bootie flying) come across this thread and consider deploying at what is essentially sitfly speeds; there'd be a bit more to worry about than a bridle wrap.

[Jiggs 0]

My fall rate is usually slightly faster in this position but it is still more or less the same as a normal rel dive (I am starting to get more range )

True - there is no benefit in deploying in this position but it is something that I have been thinking about doing for fun.

Editted to add: Doing for fun if it is not completely stupid!

"Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain."

"In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

[Ron 7]

Quote

True - there is no benefit in deploying in this position but it is something that I have been thinking about doing for fun.

Editted to add: Doing for fun if it is not completely stupid!

It is not *stupid*....But why take chances when it comes to saving your life? Even a minor problem could start the chain of events that can lead to disaster.

There is no benefit, and lots of potential problems.

It does not seem to worth the risk.

You are an adult, but I would strongly recomend against it.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[ACMESkydiver 0]

Quote

Quote

Depending on your body position it can be faster or slower. We do RW in the tunnel like this.

However most people go faster than a belly flier when they start doing this.

Totally agree with Ron, but I'd also like to chime in and add that there's a distinct difference between "kneeflying" in the freestyle/freefly context, and "bootie flying" in the RW context. I'll use these terms for the rest of my post.

Kneeflying is something which I had been doing for years on freefly dives, including taking docks with people on their heads. The body position is vertical and straight, even at the hips, and allows for tons of fall rate control with just your legs, much less arms. Driving and turning is almost identical to sitfly, although you can get your lower legs involved if you wish.

I often ridiculed the RW folks for using the term, "bootie fly," for what I envisioned as the same body position. And oh, how wrong I was proven once I got around to trying it in the tunnel: it took about 5 minutes of expensive flailing for me to dissociate my kneefly habits.

Bootie fly (at belly speeds or below) seems like more of a crouched position (ass sticking out, torso leaning forward) compared to kneefly, where air is being spilled off both the front of the torso and the backs of the thighs (not to mention the booties), providing much more surface area to the relative wind than kneefly: hence, the slower fall rate. And don't get me started on maneuvering.

Regardless of how folks label these body positions, they're different. I point out this difference because I'd hate to see someone who's done a few solo kneefly jumps (thinking they're bootie flying) come across this thread and consider deploying at what is essentially sitfly speeds; there'd be a bit more to worry about than a bridle wrap.

Wow I didn't even know there was such a thing in freeflying...maybe some day I will get good enough to try one or the other.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.