Worst Case Scenario

[davelepka 4]

There's alot of talk about donwsizing and canopy selection in this forum, and anytime it looks like a jumper might be pushing his luck, the inevitable response is, "What are you going to do when you have to land that thing in a backyard'.

It's the 'worst case scenario' (wcs) argument, and it's a valid position.

Unfortunately, recent incidents have shown us another wcs that we maybe hadn't thought of. How about being in over your head with a canopy that flies too fast and dives too far on a perfectly good spot?

There's been some inane chatter about organizing exit orders based on canopy type and WL in concert with separate landing areas as a means to segregate the swoopers from the non-swoopers.

This is retarded for a few reasons, the first of which is that we already have criteria for selecting the exit order, and it serves a more immediate safety concern, that of group separation at opening time. If we comprimise that, landing order will make little difference.

Another reason, and the more relevant one is this - If you're not capable of safely flying your canopy within the confines of the current exit order and landign zones, then you're not ready to fly that canopy.

I've only been on a Velo for about 700 jumps or so. Before that I had 3000ish on a Stiletto. One of things I've noticed with the Velo, is that for me to continue to make the same jumps as I used to, complete with the sickest swoop I can manage, it takes an additional layer of planning.

With a faster descent rate, and needing about twice the altitude to make my turn, I need to be eyeballing the load before we even get on the plane. I need to pick my opening altitude accordingly, and once my slider is down, the real work begins.

Traffic management, and sequencing myself into or around the pattern becomes a full time job. I'm not even thinking about my swoop. I already know where I'm going to swoop, and I know how to do the actual swoop. The canopy ride becomes reduced to me, my initiation point, and getting there with clear air under me. The idea of the swoop isn;t anywhere near my head until I'm at my initiation point, and have clear air.

Then and only then, do I shift my focus to the swoop.

It's alot like the advice we give guys eager to fly a camera. Learn how to fly your body first, then add the camera, and this way you can focus on the camera.

This is the same thing. Get your swoop together first on hop n pops, or high pulls. Learn the ins and outs when you're on your own up there.

(This is the part the newbies will agrue with) THEN move up to the X brace canopies. You have no business flying the baddest fastest canopies around unless you're the baddest fastest swooper around. Really.

Learn, and I mean really learn on a lighter loaded canopy with a more relaxed planform. This will ease the workload and pressure in the area of traffic management and sequencing, and free up your mind a little to focus on other things.

Be one of those guys you hear about from time to time, "He can really tear it up on a Sabre2" or " He can out swoop Jimbo on his Velo with an X fire2, it's unreal".

Keep in mind that no one ever thinks an accident will happen to them. None of you are immune out there, but you can do alot for yourself, and in this case, other jumpers by stacking the deck in your favor. You can't expect a canopy that is three times as fast and dives five times as far as other canopeis to be easy to integrate into a sky full of the other stuff. Add to this just the skill needed to fly these canopies in an empty sky, and you reaaly need to be a high performance pilot to handle these wings.

This doesn't exactly address the two recent incidents, but it's a start, and unfortunately I think these two incidents aren't isolated, they're just a start as well. Which emerging trend comes out on top in the end is up to you guys.

All joking aside, the fact that it's up to you guys doesn;t bode well for the future. Jumpers in general seem to succeed in reaching new heights (or depths) of stupidity all the time.

[airborne82nd 0]

awesome!!!!!

[rhys 0]

true,

i couldn't agree more!

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[dharma1976 0]

nicely done...

you know whats funny

I was handed a 99 FX by my S&TA last fall

He said to me...I am giving this to you because I know that you wont kill yourself on it...

I have a few jumps on it now...but the truth of the matter is...I wont kill myself on it better if I dont jump it for another 300 or so jumps...

:-P

Cheers

Dave

http://www.skyjunky.com

CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing.

[yjumpinoz 0]

Traffic management and sequence into pattern. What a concept. I couldn't agree more.