ACMESkydiver 0 #26 February 10, 2004 Innocent question: So do people on big-ways wear Pro-Tracks and can see that their fall rate has slowed when they check it on the ground? Anyone have any readings on that? I'm curious as to how much...8-way, 10, 20, etc...?? Just askin'...~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The111 1 #27 February 10, 2004 Hey John, I'm curious how you'd rate the 3 following "hand configurations" since you said you've experimented with this. (2 of which you already described) 1) Hand flat, fingers all together. 2) Hand flat, fingers "slightly" apart. 3) Hand flat, fingers all the way apart (the symbol for the numer five). I'm thinking in terms of drag, 2>1>3. Totally just guessing. What do you think? I'd be curious to see what anyone else thinks too... this may seem like a stupid thing to think about but it contains the same principle that is present when I wonder whether or not I should put my arms all the way against my body and legs all the way together for best flat track.www.WingsuitPhotos.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,146 #28 February 10, 2004 QuoteInnocent question: So do people on big-ways wear Pro-Tracks and can see that their fall rate has slowed when they check it on the ground? Anyone have any readings on that? I'm curious as to how much...8-way, 10, 20, etc...?? Just askin'... been discussed extensively a few months ago: www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=206452#206452 and a few weeks ago: www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=852795#852795... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #29 February 10, 2004 Sorry Kallend for the repost then... I'll check those threads. Thanks!~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #30 February 12, 2004 QuoteHey John, I'm curious how you'd rate the 3 following "hand configurations" since you said you've experimented with this. (2 of which you already described) 1) Hand flat, fingers all together. 2) Hand flat, fingers "slightly" apart. 3) Hand flat, fingers all the way apart (the symbol for the numer five). I'm thinking in terms of drag, 2>1>3. Totally just guessing. What do you think? I'd be curious to see what anyone else thinks too... this may seem like a stupid thing to think about but it contains the same principle that is present when I wonder whether or not I should put my arms all the way against my body and legs all the way together for best flat track. Well, I know that #2 produces the most drag, because I can feel it. I don't have a guess as to the comparison between #1 and #3. We need those "Myth Busters" guys on the Discovery Channel. They could use a manniken hand, hooked up to a fish scale, to weigh pounds of force in various configurations for a given wind speed. For flat tracking I've always felt that having the arms out from the body just a bit, and legs slightly spread, is better. But that may depend upon body styles too. A tall slender guy might get a better flat track with arms tucked against his side. I don't really know the answer to this one. You can just go out by yourself in freefall, track like hell, and experiment with different positions, and see what it does to your angle of attack. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pendragon 1 #31 February 12, 2004 Think of it like this: imagine swiping a tennis racket through the air, one with the strings and one without (the latter moves through the air much easier). People seem to forget that wires/strings/ropes etc create a lot of drag due to the turbulence that sets up behind the object. Because the strings in the tennis racket example are close, the turbulence "interferes" with itself (a bit like a diffraction grating, if you can remember one of those...), heightening the effect. The same equally applies to skydivers in a formation. The effect only works when the "strings" are close enough, so the incremental effect diminishes the more you add (thus impossible to "land" a big way). BTW - the above is intended to demonstrate the principle, not offer a rigorous explanation! I'll finish my ex-scientist mode now... -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
