Dont hit me!

[Blahr 0]

Hi all!

OK, this question might make some of you want to hit me but the fact is I AM curious and asking is the only way I'm gonna find out.
Truthfully, I am not trying to make anyone mad or be a smart ass.

Why do you want to fly head down?
From what I can see, you tend to go a lot faster thereby shortening your freefall time. I cant imagine wanting the freefall to be shorter!
It seems like pretty much a solo act even when you do it together and you all just hang there upside down looking at each other till pull time.

Whats the appeal? I understand that its not easy so obviously there is the challenge factor, but after you have it down, whats left?

Sincerely,

Chris

[freeflyguy 0]

Your funny.

Do remember the time somebody asked you.

'Why do you want to skydive?
From what I can see, you just jump out of a plane and fall.
It seems like pretty much a solo act even when you do it together and you all just hang there looking at each other till pull time.

Whats the appeal? I understand that its not easy so obviously there is the challenge factor, but after you have it down, whats left?'

What they think of You, You think of a freeflyer. So to describe it to them, you can't do, you just gotta do it. And yeah, the faster fall rate and experience is awesome, think Ferrari, instead of Camaro

----------------------------
bzzzz

[Blahr 0]

Ok I've been told!

Well, its not really that, its more.

From one jumper to another, why do you like head down
better than belly to earth RW?

Is it just the greater speed then?

[freeflyguy 0]

Me, I don't necessarily like it better, all the time. A good RW jump can be fun too.

But.

Maybe I could say freefly is more "free". There is something really wild about being upside down, and flying up to somebody else in a sit. Trippy, and very unnatural. So It makes it a very different experience. I will do it scuba diving sometimes too. The world upside down is just something you don't see everyday.

There is also the thing about if you have some master plan RW dive, and somebody messes it up, you just sit there watching it funnel. Then everybody gets on the ground and blames everybody else. Freefly doesn't get that as much. A successful jump is everybody landing safe.

Plus, it is just bizarre, more like though controlled flight. To exactly say how I can do a 180 then stop while in head down, I don't know. It is all so sublte. the whole flying your body thing takes on a different meaning.

Plus the suits are cooler

----------------------------
bzzzz

[andy2 0]

I want to learn headdown because it looks cool as shit. Come on, man, you're headdown to the fucking earth going 180 mph! Fuuuuuuuucking yaaaaah!

---------------------------------------------
let my inspiration flow,
in token rhyme suggesting rhythm...

[CanuckInUSA 0]

It's all about flying your body. Unless you've been there, you just don't know what we're talking about. Besides when's the last time you watched an RW jump to some awesome music? Watching a freefly jump with some cool tunes playing in the back ground is ... well ... unless you've been there, you just don't know what we're talking about.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[freeflybella 0]

Imagine if all you had is one form of movement:
either walking, running, jumping, skipping, crawling, cartwheels - only one.

Imagine if all you had is one form expressing emotion:
screaming, laughing, crying, frowning, smiling - only one.

Technically, freeflying encompasses EVERY form of movement in the sky. It has been used as a term to describe 'anything but bellyflying' but that's not really accurate.

When you learn to freefly, you need to master some additional basic body positions - sit, stand and headdown (after you've learned the stable belly to earth position). Yes, they're alot harder learn and that's why 90% of the video out there looks like all we do is just jump and fall. It takes alot of jumps to learn all of those positions and the forward/backward movement to go with them.

But it's so much fun to learn! When you realize to can run instead of walk, or laugh out loud instead of quietly smile. Basically you just start to realize you have NO limits with what you can do with your body in the air.

The videos you need to watch are the ones of people who have mastered the movements and are now expressing themselves in the air - find video of Alchemy or AZ Freeflight or Babylon.

Most people who bellyfly will not get as good as Deland Majik or Golden Knights or Airspeed. Most people who freefly will not get as good as Alchemy - but why WHY NOT learn it all? Why limit your fun?

Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

[freeflyanvil 0]

>>It seems like pretty much a solo act even when you do it together and you all just hang there upside down looking at each other till pull time. >>

Yeah, I guess you're right. You should stick with stomach flying if you wanna have lots of fun

Vid
"stons fal, evrysing fals, but doesnt on purpos change its flite pas an positioning..."

[Joellercoaster 6]

Hell, I'm just a student and all I can think about is freeflying - to think it's probably hundreds of jumps away is a *big* motivating factor!

Why?

Watch this (warning: the bigger one is a 35mb download; I think there's a lower-bandwidth version from the same page) for things not limited to hanging around looking at each other 'til pull time.

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[Yoshi 0]

decided not to post:)

_________________________________________
this space for rent.

[78RATS 0]

3D versus 1D

Rat for Life - Fly till I die
When them stupid ass bitches ask why

[c2278222 0]

It's not really hundreds of jumps away. Get a good sit that falls fast and freeflyers are more then happy to get out with you. I'm at 104 jumps and sitfly with others all the time. After student status just get out and pratice.

[GeeeeeeFly 0]

If you can't fly head down, fly feet up...

"The edge ... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who know where it is are those that have gone over"

[Canuck 0]

First, it's all about the visuals. My first 500ish jumps were on my belly. I got pretty decent at turning 4-way, but basically to be good, the only visuals you are thinking about is always making eye contact with your partner (as in looking to the center).

Freeflying, either upright or headdown, you have the whole horizon in front of you. You see the people you are jumping with, the sky, the earth, everything.

Second, the cool thing about freeflying is you're right, we can just hang around for 45 seconds sharing the moment, chillin out, doing nothing other than flying relative, and have a great time. That just doesn't happen in rw (I think it's the whole visuals thying.) And if you want to get more technical with it, check out some competition video. Freefly can be everybit as regimented, dirt-dived, drilled, and routine as rw.

Both are cool, I just much prefer to freefly now.

Canuck

[fundgh 0]

One can think of the difference between RW and freefly like the difference between Drafting and Coloring. One is a little slower and more methodical, and the other....well you throw a bunch of freaks in the sky and watch the colors blend!
Once you get all the people off of that 1-d plane that rw seems to get stuck in, then it is really like flying.

...FUN FOR ALL!

[lintilla327 0]

I find that even the difference between the freeflyers and the Rw'ers at our DZ is massive. The RW's get quite worked up before a jump, they spend the ride in the plane concentrating on the jump, do the jump, land, watch the video and analyse who did what wrong.

The Freeflyers tend to come up with the dive plan, have fun to altitude, have fun on the jump, then land and have even more fun watching the video.

Then there's the guys who are good at both, they have all the fun!

--so long and thanks for all the fish....

[goose491 0]

I'm not head-down yet (besides for a few attempts) but I am a pilot and to me, head-down seems to be the most natural flight position for the human body... It puts the lengthwise span of your body parallel to the relative wind, making you more streamlined for faster speed but it's not just about the sensation of speed.

With greater speed comes greater manuverability. Your original post lends itself to the thought that one cannot maneuver relative to another in HD. This is obviously far from the truth.

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[freeflir29 0]

Quote

This is obviously far from the truth.

All over it Air Assault!!! I have gotten to where I hate being in any other attitude becasue HD gives me SO much manuverability. Everything else feels like slow motion!

[tattoojeff 0]

Wow. im speachless.

[airman210 0]

like the old saying goes
"If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand"

[WrongWay 0]

Quote

I have gotten to where I hate being in any other attitude becasue HD gives me SO much manuverability. Everything else feels like slow motion!

I completely agree!! It takes a while to get used to, and then once you're used to it, you can't go back!!

Wrong Way
D #27371 Mal Manera Rodriguez Cajun Chicken Ø Hellfish #451
The wiser wolf prevails.

[Vertifly 0]

In my opinion, it's a distinct difference between falling and flying.

At a higher level, being capable of flying in a 3D environment (as opposed to 2D with flatflying) adds magic to a human being's enjoyment in the air. Manipulating relative wind head down allows flyers to co-exist on a 3-dimensional playing field. It's more difficult, dangerous, and shorter air-time, but the rewards are exponential.

[freeflydrew 0]

"exponential"... Great way of putting it, and definitely true!

[selbbub78 0]

It's all about the 3D aspect of flying. Except for a few few second attempts, i haven't even been able to hold a stable headdown. HOWEVER, others i've jumped with have, and it's AWESOME doing headdown/stand with them. It's the greatest feeling in the sky! Headdown is just taking RW to such a farther leverl, you have NO idea until you try

"Women fake orgasms - men fake whole relationships" – Sharon Stone
"The world is my dropzone" (wise crewdog quote)
"The light dims, until full darkness pierces into the world."-KDM

[Caseadilla 0]

Watch the sunset upside down and you will understand WHY!