what are you worst cork-screwing experieces?

[caspar 0]

i was just wondering, we all know corking is really bad news in the freeflying world, ive never done it or seen it in freefall but do any of you have any experiences or stories to do with this?

i guess, what i mean is, what are the worst injuries youve caused, been given or seen because of it (or any scary close calls?!)

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."

[anewempire 0]

2 guys at my dz were doing a headdown jump and one of them corkscrewed out and collided with the other one, cracking the guy still in a head down's helmet... so thats the word on the street

[freeflyimpaired 0]

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ive never done it or seen it in freefall

Never done or seen? Have you done much freeflying?

I've seen a couple of collisions and more than a few close calls but I've never seen any serious injuries.

"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."

[caspar 0]

sorry, meant as is in corking into someone.

done about 100 sit jumps i guess (not much i know)

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."

[skymama 35]

I know of 2 guys who had a freeflying collision when one of the guys couldn't control his head down and flew into the other guy. One broke his nose, the other broke his arm.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[78RATS 0]

Lost a good friend and excellent freeflier to a cork.
Freefly speeds are 160ish. Corking can go to the 120 range. Closing speed is 40mph.

That's serious. Freefly corking can be fatal.

RIP Brad Slager - we love you.

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

[skymama 35]

Oh, I forgot about a very experienced freefly coach who is now paralyzed from his chest down (I think) from a student who corked into him.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[caspar 0]

so do you guys think that when im (and anyone else in my experience level) is freeflying with someone new of the same level its worth mentioning? i.e. sitting in the plane just saying something. corking seems pretty easy to avoid (correct me if im wrong) if you reallise the danger, but i guess not everyone does.

anytime i fall on my belly i go straight into a ball, flip and go into sit. my biggest fear with corking is from someone i dont know not really knowing the dangers on corking (in my limited experienced already jumped with some nutters that made me think i was in deep shit)

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."

[hparrish 0]

When Freeflying with others you need to avoid being above or below others. Thats when corking can turn into a serious injury or fatality.

No one intends to cork out, but when you are learning to freefly it happens.

The scariest thing I see is when somone is trying to get down to a group and flying directly over that group trying to get down to them. if someone corks out that person above is toast.

It's really important to stress that no one ever get above or below someone else when freeflying. You come down to the side and then move over to the person or group. That is the safe and proper way to avoid serious injury or a fatality.

Regards,

[hparrish 0]

Ohh yeah............The other close calls I have seen are folks that go right into a track at the end of a Freefly jump. That is essentially an intentional cork and very dangerous.

It's important at breakoff, to do a 180 or 450 degree turn to check for others prior to tracking off. I've seen some very close calls by folks not doing this.

[TaylorC 0]

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Ohh yeah............The other close calls I have seen are folks that go right into a track at the end of a Freefly jump. That is essentially an intentional cork and very dangerous.

It's important at breakoff, to do a 180 or 450 degree turn to check for others prior to tracking off. I've seen some very close calls by folks not doing this.

This is exactly why i don't belly out right away i had someones foot go right into my back on my rig and left a foot print on it. Freaked the shit out of me and will never just pop to belly/track right away without looking around and above

[78RATS 0]

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so do you guys think that when im (and anyone else in my experience level) is freeflying with someone new of the same level its worth mentioning?

Hell yeah. and I wouldn't wait till the ride to altitude either. Be honest with each other about abilities and keep group small (read 2 way) until you are safe to freefly in crowds.

Keep working

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

[78RATS 0]

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never just pop to belly/track right away without looking around and above

Not trying to nit pick but that should probably read "NEVER JUST POP" to belly/track PERIOD.

What do I mean?

At breakoff, the same cork principals apply. Keep up the fall rate as you gradually transition to belly track. We wanna slow down from 160 to 120, not but on the brakes.

That is why freefliers break higher. It takes time to slow down and you do not want to be right next to / on top of someone while you are doing it.

Gradually go to belly.

Headdowners use a "banana track". It looks just like it's name. Bannan peel out (after locating the camera man ) and keep up the speed as you gradually go to belly.

Sit fliers. Do half cartwheel to head down attitude and banana peel off to belly track OR go from sit to your back and back track off.

The keys are: 1. Make sure you know where everone is at breakoff. 2. Gradually go from freefly speed to belly track.

Long winded but hey

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

[Peej 0]

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Bannan peel out (after locating the camera man ) and keep up the speed as you gradually go to belly.

This is extremely important, we had an incident recently on our DZ where a very experienced flyer was so focused on the dude in front of him that he tracked straight out of a head down dive and into a camera man that was behind him. It resulted in him having to deploy his reserve and when he landed he tried to blame the cameraman if you are in head down and know that there are three of you on a dive it's a good idea to do a 180 before the track.

Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky

[78RATS 0]

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he tracked straight out of a head down dive and into a camera man that was behind him.

Pretty sure there was a fatality a year or two ago just like that. Nasty.

If you don't know where he is, he is probably right behind you.

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

[caspar 0]

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so do you guys think that when im (and anyone else in my experience level) is freeflying with someone new of the same level its worth mentioning?

Hell yeah. and I wouldn't wait till the ride to altitude either. Be honest with each other about abilities and keep group small (read 2 way) until you are safe to freefly in crowds.

Keep working

yeah man thats exactly what im doing. mainly jump with just one person, and the last 70-100 jumps have been with someone of exactly the same experience level. our 2 ways are shit hot (loads of docks! ) but 3-ways+ suck! all over the place so theres not a great deal of incentive to anything bigger. our 2-ways feel very very safe.

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."

[caspar 0]

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never just pop to belly/track right away without looking around and above

Not trying to nit pick but that should probably read "NEVER JUST POP" to belly/track PERIOD.

What do I mean?

At breakoff, the same cork principals apply. Keep up the fall rate as you gradually transition to belly track. We wanna slow down from 160 to 120, not but on the brakes.

That is why freefliers break higher. It takes time to slow down and you do not want to be right next to / on top of someone while you are doing it.

Gradually go to belly.

Headdowners use a "banana track". It looks just like it's name. Bannan peel out (after locating the camera man ) and keep up the speed as you gradually go to belly.

Sit fliers. Do half cartwheel to head down attitude and banana peel off to belly track OR go from sit to your back and back track off.

The keys are: 1. Make sure you know where everone is at breakoff. 2. Gradually go from freefly speed to belly track.

Long winded but hey

i did10 coach jumps, each time trying to transition from sit, to back, to track. but its pretty hard! found legs shot up and head went really low (guess being too quicck on the transition), i find it pretty tough getting a smooth transition because a part of me wants to track the hell away from everyone but scared of loosing altitude falling on back trying to get into a track gradually on back. in 2 ways, i do go straight to belly and track (BUT i always know where the other person is first before i do that) - we both have tried to transition into track by going onto back but got told off by DZO once because our transition was so crappy our seperation turned out to be very crap. (i have led tracking dives on back, so its the transition that is tough - any suggestions?)

sorry for the long reply.

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."

[tonka 2]

As many here have said going directly to you belly at break off from a freefly dive is dangerous. If you are in the stage of corking out while freeflying tuck into a ball to keep that fall rate up. From there try to go back into your sit. Do not spread out and let yourself go to your belly. Also if you are learning to freefly and are corking out you should only be jumping with one other person so you can work on you freeflying without worrying about where everyone is and not be dangerous to other jumpers. Also, doing 2-ways while learning is great because you can focus on that one person which helps you learn to keep a heading and helps you figure out where exactly you are going in the sky. (backsliding)

I don't fly on my head unless it is a 2-way or linked exit because of the risk involved in corking out or just being plain out of control and crashing into someone while I am learning to fly on my head.

I go onto my back almost tucked into a ball at break off while sit flying because I am so floaty that doing anything else could be disasterous. From there I slow down while tracking away on my back. I make sure no one is above me, flip to my belly while continuing to track and finish the track away on my belly.

I am not an experienced jumper but I have spent much of my life around DZ's and learned as much as I could. Now that I am old enough to jump I use all these things I have learned to be a safe skydiver. Everyone makes mistakes but dont let your mistake be something so easily prevented.