Big Boy FreeFlying

[BigBoyPhlyer 0]

What are some of your tricks to slowdown if you are a big boy doing
some headdown freeflying? I have a freefly suit with extra fabric on
arms and legs.
I am 6 feet even and have an exit weight of about 245 lbs. I find
that I am reaching max speeds of 208 pretty easy during headdown jumps
and averaging around 175 doing headdown.
I am mostly flying X-man or Olav style. I have been trying to jump
with other free flyers at the DZ but I just seem to leave them in the
smoke when on my head.
Are any of you other big boys having similar problems?
--BigBoyPhreePhlyer

[Levin 0]

you are probably going to have to learn how to fly daffy or get a drogue which might look cool mixed in with some tubes on a tube dive.

levin
vSCR #17
vSCS #03
gRAT #40

[skygeek 0]

I'm about 6ft4in 225 out the door so I hear where you are coming from. At first I was to fast to fly with other people but now after some pratice I can slow my Hd to about the 145 150 range with some major outside leg pressure but it took a little while to build the muscles.

Welcome to the New World Order. Expect no Mercy.

[Gravityrat4 0]

I am bigger than most of the jumpers in our area but I have been able to adjust my flying style to allow me to fly with just about anyone. First you will need to bite the bullet and invest in a suit that provides sufficient drag. The whole suit does not need to be thick. Just make sure that it is thicker from the elbow down and from the knees down because those are the main areas that are exposed to the airflow. You will need to master both the daffy and the X-man flying styles and if done right the X-man can provide just as much drag and the daffy. Work on your flexibility and your muscle strength in your lower body particulalry your hips. You will need them to get those legs out there. Another note to remember if you are like me you are constantly having to fly with guys that can easily fall 140mph and that is the slowest I can go in a sit. The average speed a freefly should be going is around 155mph to 160mph. That should be a good speed for most anyone. If you are flying with guys that are falling slower tell them to step it up a notch because we all know that it is a lot easier to speed it up than slow it down.

[skygeek 0]

What do you guys think about this body position? Any tips?

Welcome to the New World Order. Expect no Mercy.

[freeflir29 0]

Thats about as slow as you are going to get. Now if that guy had good drag on his arms he could get another 5-10 MPH slower at least...

[skygeek 0]

That Guy is me.....

Welcome to the New World Order. Expect no Mercy.

[PhreeZone 15]

Daffy might get you slower because the legs are partly in the arms wake here and in Daffy you can present more leg to the wind.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[skygeek 0]

Good point. This summer I've been jumping in pants and a tee for the coolness factor. <40 min in a cessna > so I've been able to work on slowing down with no arm drag. The ave speed was about 136 on this dive.

Welcome to the New World Order. Expect no Mercy.

[freeflyswc 0]

I am 6'3" and 290 out the door . when i fly head down i am usually stuck in a huge daffey with arms all the way out to stay with all the lightweights @165 . I am in desperate need of a new jumpsuit though . I have a tony suit tie-flie it has thick baggy fabric , but only has one layer . Once you get more comfortable with the head down position , you learn how to slow it down without even thinking about it .

[freeflyswc 0]

whoa 136 on your head is sloooow . how much do you weigh? 80 lbs??

[skygeek 0]

225 out the door..

Welcome to the New World Order. Expect no Mercy.

[apoil 0]

Quote

What do you guys think about this body position? Any tips?

Daffy might slow you down a little, but basically, someone your size just shouldn't be jumping in a tshirt.

Get a proper freefly suit with lined arms and legs. You'll be surprised at the difference it makes. A good suit designer will know how much drag someone of your size, weight and experience level will need. The lining allows for a lot of lift without as much bagginess.

You can always go faster and you'll neeed to learn how to free up your arms to take docs, but the suit will help a lot at this stage.

[skygeek 0]

Thanx for the input. I tried jumping a long sleave shirt this weekend with great results and was able to slow myself and take a dock with out speeding up at all. ANybody know any exersizes that build the outside of your legs?

Welcome to the New World Order. Expect no Mercy.

[ramon 0]

do a headstand and practice doing x-man, and daffy (Mike Sawnson had his studente doing this).

You had good strong legs in the photo.
ramon

"Revolution is an abrupt change in the form of misgovernment.", Ambrose Bierce.

[skygeek 0]

Thanx Ramon...

I guess I'll see ya at the AOT boogie. That was your name on the pre-registration right?

Welcome to the New World Order. Expect no Mercy.

[ramon 0]

I think so. If Aggies stuck it on there. Levin should be there too I think...

"Revolution is an abrupt change in the form of misgovernment.", Ambrose Bierce.

[AggieDave 6]

Yup, actually Mike stuck it on there. I'm getting pumped for the AOT boogie as everyone else should be, I'm only hoping my new canopy gets here in time.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."