JohnMitchell

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Article Comments posted by JohnMitchell


  1. I have seen tandems track up the jumprun line when the student's legs were pointing straight out. IDK the seconds of separation or jumprun speed in this incident. I have more questions than answers at this point. Perhaps the cameraman could tell us more. 

    My wife had a similar incident when videoing one of my tandems. A new sit flyer backslid up the jumprun line, to a point underneath us. She barely missed his open canopy, yet we had left with plenty of separation. 


  2. From Sandy Grillet, in the article, which aligns with my thinking the most:
    "I truly believe that if more people understood the physics behind what happens during normal cutaways without RSLs - cutaways with normal RSLs and then cutaways with Skyhooks - everyone would use them. As you said, it’s personal preference. I would be happy to have another conversation with you to give my perspective of the physics.”

  3. Good comment by DJL. Also, I see a lot of cutaways, both live and in videos, where the jumper makes little effort to arch while cutting away. Bent at the waist, butt towards earth seems to be too common. Could this be the reason why people are taking so long to "get stable"? I've got 12+ cutaways, from spinners to streamers, arching every time and never being unstable. Disclaimer: I fly lighter wingloadings than most.

  4. Riggerrob said it well. Know where you are well before the light comes on. Be checking the spot and searching for traffic well before the DZ. You should never be surprised when you open the door.
    BTW, old timer tip. When needing to look "straight down" to spot, remember that the plane can easily be nose high, low, or banked left or right. Look out at the horizon, to the side or to the front, and mentally draw a line straight down from it. That will give you your true position above the ground. Don't line up on the plane's doorframe.

  5. Love the "label" thing. I have return address stickers stuck on just about every piece of camera equipment and my altimeter. With so much look-alike equipment at the DZ it's been a huge help to me.
    And for traveling TMs, don't forget your Class III medical card.

  6. If I may add 2 things, details really.
    1- As you reach for the handles to chop, put your feet on your butt and arch so that you'll fall away face-to-earth for a better deployment. This is much better than flopping around "waiting to get stable before I pull the reserve". That has killed a lot of people.
    2- Always pull the handles in the direction the cable housings run. For almost all modern gear, that means straight down. That will reduce the pull force and help everything get done quickly and in the proper order. Don't "punch the handles" away from you, as if you were boxing. Very common mistake.
    BTW, don't be afraid to hold onto you handles. If you need your hands free for some unforeseen problem, fine, huck 'em. But otherwise, well, how so do you want to get packed back up? :)

  7. I agree with everything you said. My 2 cents? Put your feet on your butt as you reach for the handles. This will help you arch as you cutaway. I've seen too many people chop and flop like rag dolls and then fight to get stable before pulling the reserve. Why not be stable the whole time and get that reserve out quickly? :)

  8. Thanks for the nicely written article, Brian. I esp. liked that you addressed not flying your canopy directly at the DZ after opening, but first waiting for any group between the DZ and you to deploy. I always do that.
    Prop blast, wind drift, whatever you want to call it. What we're really talking about is "forward throw", or "how far will you travel in the initial direction of flight after you leave the plane?" It's been the calculation of bombardiers since the first bomb ever left a plane. Basically, the lower your terminal velocity, the less forward throw you'll get. High winds at altitude exacerbate that with wind drift, but even in NO wind, NO drift situations, the effect is still there.

  9. Great article, Bryan. Having experienced close calls in the past, group separation is a big concern of mine. I'd like to make a safety point. If you're one of the first groups to exit and open short of the DZ, wait to observe the NEXT group opening before turning your canopy up the jump run line towards the landing area. It just makes sense not to intentionally fly your canopy into the next group's airspace until they have finished their freefall.