Six to Eight seconds might not be enough

[skHIjunky 0]

Just this last weekend I ended a most beautiful 5-way sit with a normal pull at 3,000, and as always my Stiletto sniveled me down to about 2,100-2,200. Imediately after recieving a most beautiful fully open canopy another jumper that was not on our dive, still in freefall and no more than twenty feet away, nearly took me out. So, needless to say I was just a little pissed off. As pissed as I was, I approached this jumper in a calm manner and asked, "what was that"? Well when in the presence of a descent human being you expect to hear an appology, instead this SKYGOD proceeded to question how many jumps I have (405), and then he had the odasity to weasel his way into denying any fault in the matter. FAULT.....Giving the the group ahead (us) four seconds out the door, and just to make sure he almost killed someone, this moron deploys at 2,000 feet. At some point probably 130 jumps ago I was in a similar situation to this except for coming close to a open canopy scared the crap out of me. As soon as my feet hit the ground I was already on my way to spew out an overly appolagetic appologie.
MY POINT.... My point is this. The day this happened to me was the day that I learned to watch the group that exited in front of me. Watch I do, and after almost killing one of my now good friends I was told by her, and everyone who saw the video tape of me sniveling away fourty feet infront of her.....WATCH THE GROUP, OR PERSON EXITING BEFORE YOU UNTIL THEY ARE AT A FOURTY FIVE DEGREE ANGLE FROM THE PLANE. Seven seconds can be more than enough seperation, and also can be just enough to exit about 800 ft. directly above fellow skydivers. I have given twenty five seconds inbetween exits and proceeded to climb out about one half a mile north of the dropzone and deployed a half of a mile south of the dropzone. The question that enters my head is this. As a new jumper I had accumulated about 275 jumps and was not once told to watch for the 45 degree angle, why didn't anyone tell me this? My plea is this..... Please fellow jumpers, please, tell everyone that you can about watching for the fourty five degree angle. Going out of your way and spending twenty seconds telling that new jumper this, and other safety tips may save their life, or even yours.
You must be dead to be a God, don't be a Skygod

[billvon 3,120]

> The question that enters my head is this. As a new jumper I had accumulated about 275 jumps and was not
> once told to watch for the 45 degree angle, why didn't anyone tell me this?
Because it doesn't work. The 45 degree angle tells you how quickly a group comes off the hill, how much throw the plane gives you, and how fast the plane is going through the air. It does not tell you how much separation you will get from the previous group. On a day with 15mph uppers, you will see the previous group hit that 45 degree angle in exactly the same amount of time as on a day with 60mph uppers. If you rely on it on the day with the 60mph uppers, you will not get enough separation.
Calculating the exit separation works - a minimum of 1000 feet for 4 way sized groups should be used. As an alternative, just look out the door at the ground. Wait until you see the plane cover 1000 feet and get out (or wait until it covers 700 feet, assuming you will take a few seconds to give the count and go.)
-bill von

[AggieDave 6]

Bill, besides experience, is there a sort of generic scale to work this off of? In other words, is there a chart that says if the uppers are X give a X count between groups? I know personally, I find out what the uppers are and base the count off of my limited experience and by talking to members of the group before me. Although, I know that I'm probably off from ideal more then I should be. I also watch the group leave, watching for the 45degs from the aircraft also.
"Wait...are you selling Penis Mighters?"

[skHIjunky 0]

Bill, are you searching for ways to slam what people have to say (RE: First words BECAUSE IT DOESN'T WORK). I hear what you are saying and I was simply trying share the news that would have prevented me from ever comming close to hitting my friend at 120mph. There has to be a little common since used in the factoring of course, and if the winds are in fact blowing at 60mph at alltitude, you could wait all day and never see the 45 degree angle. Also, a person with very low jump numbers may not even be able to tell when they are over the dropzone, and most likely wouldn't even be able to tell that a thousand ground feet has passed. My reasoning is simply this, if the people or person who exited before you are at a fourty five degree angle, then your sure not going to be on top of them at any point.......
You must be dead to be a God, don't be a Skygod