Arching on a tracking dive?

[jimbellew 0]

One thing I have learnt from various tracking dives is that everyone seems to have their own idea on how to do one (writing from a belly track perspective). Personally, I track in a de-arched position cupping my shoulders and controlling my vertical speed by dipping my head. However a lot of mates track quite successfully while arching, using their arch to control their vertical speed. Would anyone like to share how they track?

[lili 0]

I find that I rarely have to de-arch in terms of speed, and I drop my knees to lose height (referred to as crab tracking in previous threads). If the 'rabbit' or lead tracker is superfast then I de-arch as well and don't have to use my knees as much as it is flatter as well. I find arching a very inefficient way get down to a formation as, however hard I try not to, I lose speed as well.

Anyone else?

[Andrewnewell 0]

Tracking in a arched position is ok in as far as you can maintain good visual contact with the leader. However it is inefficient as you will be spilling air off the front of your body resulting in breaking, this is ok if you can keep up and react fast to any speed or angle changes, but I don't think it's ideal.

tracking correctly is mainly to do with where you are positioning your self in the dive { slots}and what sort position you fly efficiently in, taking in to account your weight and structure.

I think it is better to be in a dearched efficient position, controlling speed, the relative angle and altitude with the knees. by controlling your position in this way will probably mean the slot will have changed and you will now have to fly heads {or predetermined } level. This also means you will still keep good visual's on the leader/base and means that you should maintain sufficient height on the leader allowing you to react quicker to speed or angle changes.

Tracking in general is meant to be at a considerable horizontal speed so all this tracking in the arch or dearched on the back{lazy} is for the birds. not literally.

Saying all that group tracking is freeflying, so I suppose it doesn't matter how you get to where you wanna be, as long as your there and in control.

[grega 0]

As marco tiezzi would say, it's all in the angle

No really, how about the angle you're flyin at. you can fly de-arched and almost flat. sure you'll fall very slow but how fast will you go horizontally.
Try a little steeper angle with the same de-arch position, and you'll fly way faster horizontally. off course you'll go a little faster vertically too, but worth to trade with the much bigger horizontal speed.

Same probably applies to arched position...
So maybe that's how those guys go fast horizontally in arched position.

"George just lucky i guess!"

[goose491 0]

Quote

I find that I rarely have to de-arch in terms of speed, and I drop my knees to lose height

I was in on a 12 way tracking dive on Saturday. I track in a slight arch. My major 'traking impediment' is a tendency to overdrive the group horizontally. I discussed this with several before the dive and was told to drop my knees to bleed off forward speed without losing or gaining any vertical speed. I found myself directly over the rabit with both knees dropped and it worked like a charm... didn't drop in, just slowed me up a bit so as not to fly right on by.

Makes sense too that it shouldn't drop you out. Think of flaps on an airplane wing. Droping your knees when tracking gives your airfoil more camber and thusly more lift. With a decrease in horizontal speed, it evens out and you should not experience a difference in vertical.

Perhaps you are simply bending at the knees to lose altitude realtive to the group?

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!