DaVinciflies

Here's some reading for you: http://collegeskydiving.com/tips-from-the-pros/canopy-flight/7-tks-accuracy-seminar http://www.apf.asn.au/Members/Information/Altitude-and-Glide-Assessment/default.aspx http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/survival.pdf Also flying a repeatable pattern is key. This means having a plan before you get on the plane. In this way you can make meaningful adjustments on future jumps, eg. "Last time I turned to final at 300' over point X and overshot the target by 30' so next time I will turn at 300' over a point 30' back from point X." or perhaps: "Last time I turned to final at 300' over point X and was right on target, but now the winds are stronger so I will make my turn at 300' but move my turn to final closer to the target as I will get less penetration on final" You really want to be in the right place for your final turn so that you don't have to make any adjustments on final. This ensures you are flying at full speed at flare time which will give you the most power in your flare.

Wise words.

I don't know what "direct control" is, but when I pack my skydiving rig I have all but the locking stows totally loose (so the lines can move around inside the elastic bands) and I don't get hard openings. The pocket on a stowless bag, if that is what you are referring to by direct control, is there to feed the lines out in a orderly fashion so they don't get all tangled up - NOT to reduce opening shock.

This is a total myth. Line stows are not there to slow the deployment. There are there to keep the lines ordered during packing and deployment. Think stowless bags. Does everyone with them get slammed every time? Answer: No. Line dump does not cause hard openings (although it may cause other issues such as knots). Bag strip on the other hand (where the deployment bag comes off the canopy before line-stretch most certainly can cause slammers.

I assume you are talking about locking stows only here, right? Other line stows are not important in reducing opening shock, they just keep the lines ordered until the bag is at line stretch.

Wolmari Pack. http://www.parasale.com/wolmari/wpages/wolmarpack.html

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You guys have obviously made up your minds on this and I know what I have learned from some very talented pilots. I do think that, as instructors, you should be careful in telling others not to plan and attempt to fly a well thought out and predictable pattern. Variability leads to unpredictability and leaves one with no plan on which to build the next jump. Looks like we'll have to agree to disagree.

I agree with you about minimizing altimeter fixation - of course! And I certainly agree with trying to train the eye. However, I cannot tell the difference between 700' and 800' by eye. Maybe there are some that can, but I can't, and that makes a difference when you are trying to produce consistent, safe swoops (which of course I would not be doing in traffic anyway).

Then you would be in direct contradiction of all the canopy coaches and pro-swoopers to whom I have spoken. It is possible to fly safely and have a disciplined pattern (ie. pre-determined flight plan with altitude checkpoints) while being aware of other canopies in the sky. Avoiding a crowded pattern starts a LONG time before you are in it. There are many people who lack the discipline or interest to fly with this degree of care and attention, but I am not one of them.

And you'll soon be learning (hopefully) to vary that altitude while varying the position to land in that tiny back yard under any conditions. All of it is a variable and there are no absolutes in it. So, how do you handle it if you can't make that turn at your pre-determined altitude, say, due to traffic? Then I'll just make the turn where it's safe and be flexible to accept a non-ideal situation. In this situation the turn is likely to be a regular toggle turn or even a flat turn if required, rather than my standard front riser turn, and I am likely to be further from my desired target than planned. Varying the pattern altitudes on jumps when there is no need to is a bad idea. It adds an extra variable to the pattern and, contrary to what you imply, will hinder accuracy. A guy with over 10,000 jumps once told me that he liked having to abort an HP turn once in a while as it proved to him that he still had the discipline to do so. I liked that sentiment.

I have jumped a Sabre2 for a while and had very soft openings. I am sure the slider has a lot to do with hard openings. I wonder if we're going to see more canopies adopt the snap system currently on Velocities. Any downsides to that?

ONLY because you DONT know how to fly it. It's not really ONLY that is it? It's also a larger, less elliptical, less high performance design. I know what you're trying to say, but what you DID say is false.

I would disagree. I think the number of incidents is remarkably low given the high number of safety violations.

***i would say that from next year i plan to get around 200 jumps a year. There are some very poor reasons for downsizing in this list of quotes from your last post. Also, as davelepka frequently reminds people - you should only ever buy gear that is right for you now. Do not base gear decisions on skills you don't have yet, jumps you haven't got or weight you haven't lost. Can I ask why you are asking this here if you have already planned an approach with your instructor?

If you phrase it like that they can just pick one. However, if after they answer you ask them why they prefer that system that should sort the sheep from the goats.

Good post, man. Supportive, correct and good advice. Nice going.

Well it IS an advert for an AAD - maybe the point is that he can't pull his reserve handle!

I wasn't aware that every post had to have a point. How about, "fun"? What's your point? I thought there was something terrible going on in the picture that I was missing. I wanted to know what it was. That's all. Your posts usually do have a point, and I was concerned that I had missed something. It made me doubt my judgement. Glad I was wrong!

What's your point?

It is, to a degree. The effect you are looking for (ie. a better flare for a softer landing) has more to do with airspeed/airflow over the wing and lift than rigidity/pressurization per se. This description makes it clear that this effect is all in your head. Any speed you gained from the front riser turn at 800' has long gone by the time you land. Dude - there are so many holes in your thinking and you don't even know what you don't know. I applaud your interest in canopy flight, but please get a canopy coach who knows what they are talking about (as opposed to just the nearest swooper or AFF instructor) and get some solid advice. AggieDave's advice up thread is excellent. There are lots of things you can do at altitude to get to know your canopy.

Well, he has had both approaches now. Let's hope one of us gets through to him.

You're still using altitude to determine turning points? Yes, I am. Along with canopy course instructors and pro-swoopers, but that was not the intent of my question (see reply above). Edited for clarity: The above does not mean "fly along until you hit x feet then turn". The turns are made at the same altitude, but they vary in their position over the ground according to the conditions.

Thanks for the advice, Chief. The last thing I was going to do was encourage him. I was going to wait for his answer and then present some information to him. If, as I suspect, he is making his "conservative 90" at 200-300' on a lightly loaded Triathlon, then his canopy has probably gone through several flight cycles and any effect on landing is just in his head. If he is hooking it low enough to have an effect, then I was going to tell him that he is effectively doing an HP landing and that he needs to stop doing it immediately and start talking to instructors before experimenting. It seems that the technique of talking to someone before explaining the reality of the situation is not a skill you have developed yet. Instead you seem to prefer the "you're an idiot looking for a place to die" approach. You have quite a bit to learn about effectively influencing others.

What altitude are you making your turn to final at?