jumper03 0 #1 April 23, 2004 Riding around Eloy and Casa Grande lately I've noticed a lot of these little nasties about. Some small and cute that make you want to chase and hug them, to one today over by Toltec that looked like a full blown red tornado. It was at least 100 ft across and I could see dust up to what I'm guessing to be around 700 ft - maybe higher. Really got me to thinking about these guys. Certainly the best course of action is to avoid the things. Even stay on the ground if you see them about in the afternoon. But lets say I'm under canopy and have done all I can to avoid one but alas - it has caught me. 1) what should I expect? Judging from the winds and thinking about it, it could be just a few bumps and turbulence to complete canopy collapse. 2) Is there anything you can do to save your butt? The only thing I can think of right now is to PPP - Prepare to PLF and Pray. I've also noticed that they don't seem to move very fast but are extremely erratic. I'm guessing the best thing to do when you see one is to turn away from it and try to outrun it. Better to land off standing up than in the peas on your ass. (unless that puts you landing in the prison over there ) Thanks for any input from those of you that have ridden 'The Devil' JumpScars remind us that the past is real Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BartsDaddy 7 #2 April 23, 2004 Avoid them at all cost they will kill Handguns are only used to fight your way to a good rifle Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lifewithoutanet 0 #3 April 23, 2004 QuoteI'm guessing the best thing to do when you see one is to turn away from it and try to outrun it. Do EVERYTHING possible (short of turning too low, edit: or 'flying above it'...the dust at the 'top' is not the top of the dust devil) to get upwind of it. Running from it could still potentially put you in its path. I've been told it's best to try and work your way around and land upwind of it. Edit: Also, start w/ this thread: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=131291#131291 Better information is surely to follow. -C. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maxmadmax 8 #4 April 24, 2004 Dirt/Dust Devils can and do kill skydivers. I was hit by a large one 4 years ago. At about 500ft. one decided to try and eat me alive. It slammed me sooo hard that I lost my left toggle and then the left 3 cells of my canopy collapsed. Grabbing the rear risers and pumping the canopy reinflated....when I looked over to my left I was even with the power lines. About 30 ft above the ground. Not much is said about these killers but you can read the ground for clues. The obvious is a dark cone...while the subtle maybe just a circular motion above tall grass....and then there's the bad azz ones with no clues at all Don't go away mad....just go away! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tattoojeff 0 #5 April 24, 2004 QuoteBut lets say I'm under canopy and have done all I can to avoid one but alas - it has caught me. 1) what should I expect to meet your maker. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riddler 0 #6 April 24, 2004 Quote2) Is there anything you can do to save your butt? The only thing I can think of right now is to PPP - Prepare to PLF and Pray. First off, I've never been in a dust devil. If you find yourself in one, it may be safe to say you've already made some errors with regard to good judgement, etc. Having said that, we teach about dust devils in FJC. As been said, the best thing is to avoid them. How? They will follow the windline typically, so if you see one coming, and you have enough time, you might consider turning 90 degrees to the windline and flying out of the way. Even if you have to land crosswind, it beats an upwind landing into a fixed object or dustdevil. The problem with trying to avoid them is that you don't always see the buggers - they're only visible when they pull up dust or grass/dirt. In Eloy there's plenty of sand to make them visible. Here in Colorado, there's fewer of them, but the'ye often invisible. If you find yourself in one, I don't really think there's any procedure you can follow that's going to "save your butt". Once the devil has you, he does what he wants with you. Best advice I can offer is fight to keep your Wings Level (TM). You will have to fight, too - don't give up, and that applies to every bad situation you find yourself in while skydiving. If you make it safely to the ground, make sure to jump on your canopy to keep the devil from sucking you back up in the air again. A few people have been hurt while walking back because the wind picked up their canopies for 50 or 100 feet, then slammed them back on the ground.Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZoneRat 0 #7 April 24, 2004 Quote Some small and cute that make you want to chase and hug them, Kinda like chasin' and huggin' a cute lil' ol rattlesnake.“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.” Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bbarnhouse 0 #8 April 24, 2004 This subject has been discussed in earnest several times. Bill von provides some interesting data. Do a search here on dz. B2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
samyueru 0 #9 April 24, 2004 Being from the Northeast..excuse my ignorance on the subject. What exactly is a dust devil? (besides a mini tornado?) Wouldn't conditions leading up to a dust devil preclude jumping anyway? Alex Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rjackson 0 #10 April 25, 2004 QuoteBeing from the Northeast..excuse my ignorance on the subject. What exactly is a dust devil? (besides a mini tornado?) Wouldn't conditions leading up to a dust devil preclude jumping anyway? Alex Quade has a good write up on these nasty things on his web site: http://www.futurecam.com/dustDevils.html These things form as the air is rising with light and variable winds. Usually when the wind becomes steady from one direction they'll go away. In areas where there is dusty conditions like Eloy and Perris you can see them comming for the most part and avoid them. I have seen these things turn over trailers on the ground and if your in the air under canopy they can kill you.--------------------------------------------- Randy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slotperfect 7 #12 April 25, 2004 QuoteQuade has a good write up on these nasty things on his web site: ClickyArrive Safely John Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Courteney 0 #13 April 25, 2004 It's the "bad azz" ones that we get in Swakop sometimes. A coupla years back, a buddy hit one and his canopy collapsed twice before he HIT the ground fucking hard...he was damn lucky to be alive and not have broken anything...although he was black and blue all over. Our dz is one huge gravel plain that has very little dust on it so it's damn near impossible to see them. Be careful out there boys and girls....drags me down like some sweet gravity!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
