you mean to say if i leave a 17+ second gap for separation no one will throw me out the plane?!

[billvon 3,116]

>I not only use time as a factor for separation, but the angle of the
>previous group as a gauge.

The 45 degree angle thing simply does not work. It does not give you any clues as to safe separation.

[markbaur 0]

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Wouldn't the plane be continuing forward speed and therefore increasing the X axis of the angle?

No, because the jumpers continue downward faster than the airplane flies forward.

Mark

[PhillyKev 0]

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The longer they fall, the worse the separation gets. Does that make any sense?

Not really. The longer they fall, the longer you are travelling horizontally away from them therefore the more distance you are putting between you and them. What does the angle have to do with it?

[kallend 2,148]

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The longer they fall, the worse the separation gets. Does that make any sense?

Not really. The longer they fall, the longer you are travelling horizontally away from them therefore the more distance you are putting between you and them. What does the angle have to do with it?

Nothing! The angle method has no validity. You can use the program on my web site to plot angle from the previous group if you don't believe or have a hard time understanding the physics. It's at
www.iit.edu/~kallend/skydive/ The Powerpoint presentation there also discusses it briefly.

However, the most convincing demonstration is to look at a photo of skydivers exiting on a big way. You simply don't see the angle increasing as they get farther from the plane.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[nightjumps 1]

The application is a good one. However, the program does not utilize angles. It calculates drift based on the physics of motion. It could demonstrate the validity or invalidity of the 45 degree angle debate. Keeping the current formula, add a variable so the second skydiver doesn't exit until the first skydiver is equal to forty-five degrees to the rear of the aircraft under any condition.

[kallend 2,148]

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The application is a good one. However, the program does not utilize angles. It calculates drift based on the physics of motion. It could demonstrate the validity or invalidity of the 45 degree angle debate. Keeping the current formula, add a variable so the second skydiver doesn't exit until the first skydiver is equal to forty-five degrees to the rear of the aircraft under any condition.

It (the downloaded version) shows angles if you set the delay to zero and both jumpers to the same speed. It does that automatically when run from the link on the powerpoint "angles" slide.

Can't implement your suggestion, the second skydiver NEVER sees the first at 45 degrees.

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[nightjumps 1]

Oh gosh, I'm sorry, John. I've only used the on-line version. I'll download and play. Thanks, Keith