What do you do under canopy between deployment and starting your landing pattern?

[kcb203 0]

The question assumes you've already gotten basic housekeeping (traffic check, controlability check, slider stowed, etc.) and don't have a long spot or other situation requiring your attention. Just looking to see what people do in the couple thousand vertical feet between a regular deployment and landing.

[billvon 3,080]

Depends on where I am in other traffic.

If I am doing RW and we were first out? I'm going to be one of the lower people, so I am going to tend to spiral more to get down before other people and spread out traffic.

If I am doing camera for 8-way and we are first out? I'm going to choose someone and follow them in. Might take a few pictures of them under canopy.

If I am doing camera and we are one of the last people out? I'll tend to hang in brakes to spread out traffic a bit.

If there's almost no one else in the sky? Make as few turns as possible and just look at the scenery.

[DougH 270]

If you are jumping from anything other than a 182 on a hop and pop the answer should be maintain awareness and actively manage landing pattern entrance time/separation.

Hop and pops, or dedicated high pulls are great times to have fun, practice drill.

But with a full load of other jumpers in the air after a skydive you need to focus on the business of making landing as safe as possible for yourself and the other jumpers.

Your poll questions convey that you may not fully grasp that.

Racing a larger canopy down through the entrance order because you're are bored of the slow decent would be one example of piss poor canopy planning and flight.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[dthames 0]

I look for those that will be in the landing pattern with me, which are often tandems. I start planning early, to have options to stay away from them, as they are often hard to predict.

edited: Not knocking tandems, as they have a lot more than I do to worry about on landing. If am out of their way, it is better for all of us.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

Primary focus: Traffic. Where is everyone, where are they going, where should I go to minimize any conflict. Obviously this is a bigger job out of a full Otter than 3 out of a 182, but it's still vital.

Next: Flying a stable and predictable pattern. This is both for the other canopies in the air with me (don't do anything sudden, unexpected or stupid) and for my own consistency (landing accuracy starts with a consistent pattern).

Next: Canopy skills. If traffic and other factors allow it, I may do some slow flight, stalls, various types of turns (flat, front riser, rear riser, toggle, ect) to keep my understanding of my canopy characteristics fresh.

Next: Enjoy the view. I can get so focused on all the other stuff that I forget to enjoy myself sometimes.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[RMK 3]

For wingsuiters you need a sixth choice which is "undressing"

…Unzip each arm wing, unzip each leg wing, pin up the tail with the snaps then collapse slider & pop brakes.

While I see some younger guys that can arch both their legs back and simultaneously unzip both leg wings, I'm not that flexible and honestly there is an embarrassing amount of grunting/wheezing while I perform the same.

"Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

[skydivecat 3]

As a belly flyer with a lower wingloading on a typical jump at a busy turbine dz, my entire canopy flight is spent locating the other canopies I am going to be in the air with and setting myself up for a safe landing. I find the small zippy canopies who are going to overtake me, I look for the guy with the huge canopy who insists on spiraling down but I'll end up passing once they stop diving. I look for my teammates to make sure they opened ok. I figure out who I'm on level with and will be entering/flying the pattern/landing with so we can share the air and all land safely where we are aiming. I set myself up to fly a predictable pattern while giving myself outs for someone doing something unpredictable or for myself misjudging the conditions.

If I want to play, enjoy the view, or practice canopy skills, I do a dedicated canopy jump or exit last/pull high.

[wasatchrider 0]

RMK

For wingsuiters you need a sixth choice which is "undressing"

…Unzip each arm wing, unzip each leg wing, pin up the tail with the snaps then collapse slider & pop brakes.

While I see some younger guys that can arch both their legs back and simultaneously unzip both leg wings, I'm not that flexible and honestly there is an embarrassing amount of grunting/wheezing while I perform the same.

yes but the faster you do this the more time you have for bumping end cells and helicopters.

BASE 1519

[keithbar 1]

RMK

For wingsuiters you need a sixth choice which is "undressing"

…Unzip each arm wing, unzip each leg wing, pin up the tail with the snaps then collapse slider & pop brakes.

While I see some younger guys that can arch both their legs back and simultaneously unzip both leg wings, I'm not that flexible and honestly there is an embarrassing amount of grunting/wheezing while I perform the same.

. I'm right there with you brother. I would never have a Suit that didn't have extended zips

i have on occasion been accused of pulling low . My response. Naw I wasn't low I'm just such a big guy I look closer than I really am .

[kuai43 7]

What a bunch of sissy answers.
The obvious option is, 'Kick out of twists and wait for the wingsuiters to swoop you'. Traffic, shmaffic. everyone else will get the hell out of your way. Jeez.

Every fight is a food fight if you're a cannibal

Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man. - Anthony Burgess

[jimmytavino 16]

I visually check the locking cables of each riser release to be sure that they are UP and well into the hard housings. Then I make a second scan for the friends with whom I exited...to see just WHERE they each went,,,, compared to when I first spotted them a few seconds earlier...( I mostly jump with 3 others, so it's not too hard. With jumps from 20 place planes i scan the sky, throughout my flight....)
Then????
I Enjoy the View, and assess whether where I AM ... Is where I want to BE...If so, I fly on, usually in quarter brakes. If NOT.. I get going, for where I want to be in order to have the altitude I like,, for starting my pattern...That dynamic changes for each jump, but Knowing the basic wind direction and speeds of the day, help to get me in the right place for beginning my downwind leg...I learned with years and years of jumping round canopies,,, " what you're doing while at 2,000 feet can have a Large impact, on where you'll be at 500 feet. " Plan ahead. Ram Airs of today, give us much more leeway, and recovery but the concept's the same. I'm rigid about flying a square and predictable pattern, and try to do 90 degree turns to base and then to final in whatever hand direction .. is preferred by the DZ...I always take a few looks at the windsock or ground located streamer...while in the pattern... to be sure about direction...but stay locked onto any pre-discussed landing direction, in low wind conditions...
I Seldom "swoop " hahaha but enjoy seeing others do that... I'm watching for speedier canopies than mine, all throughout my descent . watch for them After i'm ON the ground, as well...
I try for a square and gentle standing landing, Once in a while a One-Foot Stand Up... If the winds allow for it...and I "pull my strings " correctly " jmy

[Lawndarter 3]

Once I figure out where everyone else is I tend to reconfirm my landing direction - I had a great experience following two - guys into downwind landing ONCE and will never do that again - I'll land off instead if that ever occurs! It happened because I was complacent and assumed the wind couldn't change and the landing direction wouldn't.

I still tend to play around a lot with some of the drills I learned on canopy courses, stalls, braked and flat turns, seeing what I can do with my canopy while I have altitude, all while making sure I'm headed to where I want to enter the pattern.

And the view at my home DZ is awesome, sometime I'll just hang out in brakes waiting for everyone else to land (since most of them fly far faster canopies than me anyhow) and enjoy the sky.

The main thing that's a theme for everyone's responses is WATCH FOR TRAFFIC.

[danielcroft 2]

It really depends on so many things. Sometimes you have to spend your whole canopy ride being super alert due to proximity of traffic, winds, etc. When I'm able to locate all the canopy traffic from my load, my canopy flight is:

Check altitude
Check airspace
Rear riser barrel roll
Rinse and repeat

[IJskonijn 45]

Probably CRW & poststacks.

[betzilla 56]

I create vertical separation between myself and everybody else. How I do that depends on where I am in the exit order. "Fun" is a secondary concern, but there's plenty of it to be had all the same :)

[Christopherg 4]

as a student I find myself mesmerized by the world. With a student canopy the slider is very annoying but alteast it does its job. I try to follow more experienced jumpers into pattern but if it's just me I focus on maintaining a simple flight pattern in playground an then make sure I stay at right elevation as I enter landing pattern. but I pride myself in hitting the landing target everytime. haven't missed yet.

[councilman24 37]

And if your jumping a round your accuracy approach starts at opening.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE