Fly your canopy dont let it fly you.

[Jabeln79 0]

A beautiful day for january here in the midwest i think we hit 60 with blue skies all day. The only problem was the wind. It only appeared to be out of the south at 10 on the ground gusting to 20 but i think it was worse than that. THe uppers were hauling ass as well out of the west. So on my 5th and last jump today. The wind must of picked up because i actually landed while moving backwards not as fun as i thought it would be. SO i land and bring my canopy down and start to walk behind it. all of a sudden it reinflates and wants to take off SO now im running with it pulling on one toggle as hard as i can and finally bring it back down. Then again. Bam it takes off again this time nearly pulling me off the ground. so Im holding on as hard as i can and am having a hard time just holding on to it. I planted both feet and am pulling down as hard as i possibly could and nothing.So i start running around my canopy but i couldnt catch up with it. Finally after a couple minutes of wrestling with my canopy i somehow bring down under control.. How embarrasing. Im sure everyone in the hanger was having a great time watching, But i was actually scared for a minute. i had no control over my canopy i geuss i should have cut away the main might have made it a little easier to collect. OH well. Oh that was a first time that ever happend so i geuss its BEER for all. Anyone been tormented by there canopy.
Blue Skies
Joe

[scottbre 0]

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Anyone been tormented by there canopy

Yea, mine likes to taunt me from inside my rig.
"Comon... pull the pin, it'll be fun. So what if we are in your apartment. You know you want to."
and
"Yea, your mother sure liked it when I inflated for her. She was just begging to get under me. . ."
Don't worry though, I plan to pull nice and hard on its toggles real soon. Give it a little reminder who's boss.
"Let the rabbits wear glasses. . . "

[Aviatrr 0]

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SO i land and bring my canopy down and start to walk behind it. all of a sudden it reinflates and wants to take off SO now im running with it pulling on one toggle as hard as i can and finally bring it back down.

If your canopy starts to be carried away by the wind, step on the pilot chute or bridle..
Mike

[skymedic 0]

I let this happen to me once....for about 30 seconds..then it was....(sound of velcro coming undone)....and then got it under control....CUTaway man..before it hurts you...unless you have an rsl...and then that wouldnt be a good thing
marc
"...a mind stretched with new idea's will never regain its shape"

[indyz 1]

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CUTaway man..before it hurts you...unless you have an rsl...and then that wouldnt be a good thing

Check out this thread. It looks cutting away on the ground with an RSL will cost you a repack, but winds would have to be insane to get the reserve canopy out of the freebag.
--
Brian
Homepage

[Aviatrr 0]

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It looks cutting away on the ground with an RSL will cost you a repack, but winds would have to be insane to get the reserve canopy out of the freebag.

That's why it's generally recommended that if you use an RSL, you disconnect it once you're under canopy with high ground winds..
Mike

[FallingILweenie 0]

yeah i know what you mean.....
the winds were also hauling ass up here in Morris, but we got some quality dives in anyway. I got 3 in (feels so good to get to 14 grand after a month of cessna jumps), and the winds sucked...landed in a corn field and got my shoes really muddy on the last one...still some great freefly dives...god i love warmth.
blue skies
Tomas

[skymedic 0]

Brian, thats all I meant by not being a good thing in that would be giving away 35-50 bucks for nothing....
marc
"...a mind stretched with new idea's will never regain its shape"

[tigra 0]

Sorry, guys, but if the winds are insane enough to drag you while on the ground, then they are insane enough to inflate your reserve. I know someone who broke her back that way.
That's why people recommend disconnecting your RSL on a windy day. But, IMHO, if its windy enough to consider chopping ON THE GROUND, than it is probably too windy for most of us to be jumping.
(I know, I know, 60 degrees in January, in the midwest. Kind of hard to resist.......)
In the midwest, unseasonably warm usually means funky winds as well- just something to think about.

[Slowfaller 0]

Ahhh, the warm weather and the high winds made for a great weekend. I made my first jump on my own gear on Saturday at skydive chicago and landed on the other side of the river, walked for about 15 minutes to route 71 and then a local gave me a ride back to the DZ. (2 cases) I was holding right over the river trying to fly back to the DZ and I was going nowhere. I was hanging on my front risers to get foward speed and the river just kept getting bigger and I'd still be over it.
I remember someone saying, on a different thread, on how they have never had a problem landing out because they decide high and that's exactly what I thought of just below 2 grand. I did a 180 and headed away from the river and picked a great spot in a field and landed right on my feet in pretty high winds on a canopy I've never jumped before (I'm so proud of myself) I didn't have a problem recovering my canopy after landing, I just wanted to share my story. So that was 2 cases and on Sunday I jumped my own pack job for the first time so that is another case. I know I know, 44 jumps and I finally jumped my own pack job
Why practice packing if you have nothing to pack!
I'll go to college; learn some big words; I'll talk real loud god damn right I'll be heard.

[tigra 0]

Nice job, Chris! Sorry I missed out on the beer. Sounds like you made the safe decision up high, and you were lucky enough to get a ride back!

[GrumpySmurf 0]

Umm, let me peer into the crystal ball - glasses, looking for a 'B', and showed up with only 1 case to the Saturday inferno (man was that a serious inferno they had goin' on)? So who picked ya up afterwards? - I ended up over there next to the highway on load 3 after b-tchin' line twists kept me busy down to 2K. A jumper from SDC by the name of Marv, I think, that lives next to the field I landed in, came and fetched me.
It would be funny if he spent the weekend collecting people.
Be careful on the east side of that river, the a few of the locals are like extras from 'Deliverance' and might be itchin to try thier rendition of 'Squeal like a pig boy!'.

[Slowfaller 0]

It was hard enough to get that one case!! I wanted to get that and a bottle of jager or goldschlager but the person who bought it for me forgot and I wasn't going to beg him to get it somewhere else. That fire was pretty kick arse and I met everyone there for the first time so that was cool too. This local named Tom gave me a ride back, he never has jumped but his friends do so he knew of Skydive Chicago. I think you and me were the only two who landed off on that load. Load 7 I believe.
Who were you?
I'll go to college; learn some big words; I'll talk real loud god damn right I'll be heard.

[GrumpySmurf 0]

Ok, I did get it right *yay* Just givin' ya a hard time about the beer..considering we had more beer than people to drink it - frightening, no? It would have gone to waste. I landed out on Load 3 actually - was the only flat flier - funny thing was, I was hanging out the door to confirm the spot - wow, did I ever drift, gotta do a bit more spotting practice with crankin' uppers for 16K+ exits. Me? Umm, seems everyone thinks I'm someone else - 6'1, dark hair, ~185, runs around in that piece of junk kraut ragtop - we were talking about you wanting to get your 'B' before the start of the 'official' season and the style set requirement.
The guys definitely brought new meaning to fire as art.
Tom, as in tall Tom with goatee, who runs around with one of his jumpsuits the same colour as monster puke? *heh* Or a different Tom?

[Slowfaller 0]

You're not the guy w/ the porche are you? If not I'm thinking you were standing to my right and Bo was sitting on the bench to my left. Does that sound right? Do you have glasses?
I'll go to college; learn some big words; I'll talk real loud god damn right I'll be heard.

[GrumpySmurf 0]

Alot of people own porches, usually they have 2 - out out front, and one out back - me, I don't have one, since I rent an apartment and all.
But aye, that junkpile of a 986 is mine, seems to be how most people recognize me (it's 4 wheels and an engine just like any other car) *shrug* But if you can drive stick, come find me next time I'm at the DZ, there's a loop of I80 and Dayton road I let people take it for a spin on (once I get to know them, they just have to ask, I only say no if they have been drinking, if it's dark out, or they believe they are the re-incarnation of James Dean) - and you will never need anything past 3rd gear to do it either.
Glasses nope, sunglasses yup - pretty much permanently attached - sunlight makes me sneeze.

[SpeedRacer 1]

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Be careful on the east side of that river, a few of the locals are like extras from 'Deliverance' and might be itchin to try thier rendition of 'Squeal like a pig boy!'.

Sounds like Clay's home town!
Speed Racer
"My God! It's full of stars!"

[freeflir29 0]

"Sounds like Clay's home town!"
It's nice livin close to the DZ. An Paw really lykes it when themun tite young skydiver boys land over heyuh...... Theys reeeeaaal easy ta chase down in all that gear....
"I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay