Wind penetration in your swoop

[AggieDave 6]

No matter what I do I'm just not able to get the penetration into the wind during my swoop like the guys on the 100-ish Velos and VXs. Obviously some of that would be canopy design, their speed advantage over me and my increased drag; however, what are some things short of a spandex body suit that I could do to help?

Can't afford an RDS right now, I'm jumping in my basic "swooper uniform" which is shorts or blue jeans (not baggy, typically wranglers) and a t-shirt.

Obviously when the course isn't directly into the wind it isn't that big of a deal. It just really hurt me at the last swoop comp in overall points not being able to get the distance I can normally get or the zones or the speed with the course being into a decent wind.

(Atleast the comp, as usual, was still a LOT of fun, but if I can't learn from them, then what good are they?)

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[skyedivr 0]

Pulling your legs up, and getting "small" in your harness will help.
I am 6'-4", so anytime I do that, I see a big increase in speed. Thanks to Ian Bobo pointing that out to me at the first Competition this year.

my power is beyond your understanding.

[Brains 2]

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a spandex body suit

Oh dear god!

Dave, remember i suck and do not compete, however i have watched every one of your competition runs this year from the side of the course. maybe you need to be more efficient. I have noticed legs straight, arms VERY wide, and lots of harness adjustments through the course. I am no one to give suggestions, just merely things i have noticed as a spectator. Please don't take offense, i am only trying to help you.

Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you.

[RMURRAY 1]

get MELs thin cascaded HMA lines if you don't have them now. it will help...

rm

[AggieDave 6]

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however i have watched every one of your competition runs this year from the side of the course. maybe you need to be more efficient. I have noticed legs straight, arms VERY wide, and lots of harness adjustments through the course. I am no one to give suggestions, just merely things i have noticed as a spectator.

That would make sense. Those are the things that I haven't really thought about that much. I used to tuck my legs in but for some reason I quit thinking about it and so I quit doing it.

I've got a lot of practice to do playing with getting smaller, then.

Ok Dave, think small.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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I used to tuck my legs in but for some reason I quit thinking about it and so I quit doing it. I've got a lot of practice to do playing with getting smaller, then. Ok Dave, think small.

Don't think too small. Last week Shimell verted when he didn't need to. He was all tucked up and all he needed to do was to extend one of his legs down to make the gates. But he didn't ... and got a donut because of it.

Swooping into a strong'ish headwind is not easy. In our comp last weekend I let the headwind get to my mind and on my first zone accuracy attempt I didn't think I had enough speed to make it to a positive scoring zone and took a donut when I possibly didn't need to. Then on the next run in similar winds I generated too much speed and blew past the positive scoring zones ... resulting in another donut.

I think many of us could use a little more practice jumping into strong'ish head/cross winds (even though downwinds are much more fun). Never said this stuff about running gates was easy ... at least it's not easy for most of us mortals.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[raymod2 1]

Didn't Hans Paulsen win the speed event (and had the fastest time at 2.76 seconds) at Longmont last week jumping a Velocity 111 at 2.25 lbs/sq.ft.? This suggests that heavier people are not necessarily at a disadvantage in this event. Although I don't know what the wind conditions were...

[AggieDave 6]

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jumping a Velocity 111 at 2.25 lbs/sq.ft.? This suggests that heavier people are not necessarily at a disadvantage in this event.

Not saying that its all about the big vs small. I'm still jumping a XF2 149, I'm just trying to get *everything* I can out of it. Having jumped a Velo 120 I did feel like I could "punch" through the wind easier. Part of that, in my mind, was canopy design and part was wingloading.

So I was looking for suggestions.

Jeff (Brains) brought up some good points for me to work on. Especially since I'm not out there watching myself swoop.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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Although I don't know what the wind conditions were...

Reasonably light crosswind with a bit of a head wind component.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[superstu 0]

take a look at some video of you landing and analyze your body position. can you get smaller? can you wear less baggy clothing, are you killing most of your speed cause you're in the corner and have to dig?

i was talking to some poeple this weekend at the pst event and they said that they were able to calculate how much less drag you would have by just tucking up your legs so that your feet and shins aren't presented to the air and it was about 30% less drag. now that's pretty significant.

edited to add: look at other people's body positions (successful swoopers) and see what they're doing. most of the time it's just out of comfort and being able to remain mobile in the harness, but it's also to reduce drag.

just more food for thought

Slip Stream Air Sports
Do not go softly, do not go quietly, never back down

[marks 0]

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Don't think too small. Last week Shimell verted when he didn't need to. He was all tucked up and all he needed to do was to extend one of his legs down to make the gates. But he didn't ... and got a donut because of it.

no verts for me, check the scores. kiki reviewed it and it was in. I thought i verted and was down, then the scores were posted and I hugged everyone around me, even the spectators. she said I was in even though I thought I was out. kiki don't lie!

but all the times I do vert, that is usually why. too tucked up.

[IMGR2 0]

AD, I feel the same way, that I need to work on getting more penetration during high winds.

I personally think its our canopies. You and I both jump non-cross braced canopies. I know my canopy, from what I've seen in video has alot larger nose than the x-braced. Making it harder for it to slice through the wind.

[Brains 2]

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You and I both jump non-cross braced canopies.

If i remember right, you two also had the lowest wingloadings in the comp.

Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you.

[IMGR2 0]

Wow! Thats true. Jason was between the two of us.

[Brains 2]

I generally jump at about the same wingloading as both you and dave, and i remember thinking that on the zone acc course i would have a tough time making it out of the water if i went for gate one.

Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you.

[AggieDave 6]

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i remember thinking that on the zone acc course i would have a tough time making it out of the water if i went for gate one.

Which is where it gets you. They wow look at me stuff is of course the distance course, but the points are really brought home in the zone acc course.

Now the rain will go away for tomorrow I'll get to practice.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."