First CRWish experience

[LongWayToFall 0]

Today my jumping buddy and I decided it might be fun to do a full altitude hop and pop for the last jump of the day, and see if we couldn't stay close to each other under canopy. We talked to the DZO and he thought it would be fine to bump end cells, but not much more. Well, just staying relative was a challenge, but we did bump end cells once! I know this is practically nothing compared to making docks and whatnot, but it was still a feeling of acomplishment for my friend and I.

I learned allot about what inputs do what, which will help next time. Brakes make you go upwards as well as slow you down, risers are great for going up without slowing down. Fronts were sort of unpredictable, they dropped you down and sped you up, but when you released them you tended to pop back up.

Well, my friend and I would love to keep working on this sort of stuff, it is lots of fun. Is it possible for us to keep working with just the 2 of us, to the point of making docks? Also, we are both on canopies with microline, is this going to be a big problem if we only want to do crew occasionally?

The beer tastes great tonight!

P.S. We exited into ice at 12k and my hands have never been so cold my entire life, but it was still a total blast.

[ciscobird 0]

Yeah, that's good you were able to figure out how to control the canopy in relative to another in close proximity.

However, IMO it's not a good idea to do CRW stuff without consulting an experienced CRW dog. No need to reinvent the wheel especially when some have gotten in serious trouble or worse doing those types of flying.

Best to seek out and fly with somebody well-versed in the discipline before you proceed any further.

At least, attend a CRW camp and/or watch numerous videos of wraps and entanglement (not pretty).

If unable to find somebody in the area, best to stick to doing flock flying where you fly in close formation with minimal or no contact.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Basically have fun and stay safe!

[diablopilot 2]

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hey dropped you down and sped you up, but when you released them you tended to pop back up.

LEarn why that is, and you'll be a better canopy pilot. Understanding aerodynamics is key to being a good parachute pilot.

Now get back to me with why you might "pop back up" after a front riser dive.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[LongWayToFall 0]

Well obviously the increased speed is caused by the steeper angle of the canopy, which is then converted into lift when you release it. The reason why this was unpredictable in my eyes, was that it didn't prove to be a good way to loose altitude permanently, you almost gain all of it back afterwards, as well as having a sort of oscillation between speed, altitude, and back again.
The time I spent doing it was pretty minimal though, maybe releasing the risers more gradually is more effective?
Looking forward to my next jump so I can practice a bit more!

[CaTo 0]

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it didn't prove to be a good way to loose altitude permanently, you almost gain all of it back afterwards, as well as having a sort of oscillation between speed, altitude, and back again.
The time I spent doing it was pretty minimal though, maybe releasing the risers more gradually is more effective?

there are two way's to stop the canopy from going 'up' again (or losing speed) with a front-riser move:

1. just release the front risers suddenly (so NOT gradually, but just release both of them at once)

or

2. release front risers as you like and 'snap' your steering lines (you should hear the canopy snap)

(1) is most effective when loosing altitude with front risers, (2) is more effective for loosing speed in general situations.

note that loosing altitude is also possible by making sashay's.

Some years ago I completed a 'CRW learning to fly' presentation, perhaps something to read during these day's :-)

Caren

[LongWayToFall 0]

Thank you for that pdf! I have already been reading it, it is very helpful!

And thanks to Scooby for all the great PMs and emails. I can't wait for warmer weather to get in some CRW jumps. I have had a VERY experienced local CRW jumper offer to take me on some jumps in the springtime, I can't wait!

So when is the next world record happening?? Maybe if I get good enough in time....

[sebcat 0]

2 i really don't like. For me, it's too easy to get a ride in an elevator if the whole thing is not done quickly enough. But practice makes perfect I guess :)

Two reflections on this topic by a beginner:
If you use sashays to get down, do it with precision and don't fiddle around too much with the toggles. Get to where you want and get off the toggles. I used sashays too much in the beginning and most of the time I ended up low and behind. It got a lot better when I started to use more riser input
Front risers to get down and forward followed by cross control by releasing one front riser and follow up with toggle input on that side is another way to use front risers without popping up. This distorts the canopy and produces drag to kill the extra lift (I guess). In my limited experience, I've found this to work out better for me than stabbing the toggles.

[kkeenan 13]

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Front risers to get down and forward followed by cross control by releasing one front riser and follow up with toggle input on that side is another way to use front risers without popping up. This distorts the canopy and produces drag to kill the extra lift (I guess). In my limited experience, I've found this to work out better for me than stabbing the toggles.

This is called, "warping", and it is used a lot in CRW to kill off the performance of your canopy. You can use it to stay down with a formation that is sinking faster than your canopy's natural rate.

Kevin K.