patworks

Side-flying is a REAL bitch. It is a valid freestyle position. It is scary for tandem. It is not easy. I've done some unsuccesful attempts. Big lesson learned. Do not open on your side. Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

I always wear two. Looking for another that will send a shock to my testicles. More is better than low. Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Going Up? The Slow Sit-fall for Sit Floating To be able to fly up and recover altitude, and when working with flat-flyers who are in the boxman position, use the Slow Sit-fall. This is rather like the Freak Bro’ position. To ground-practice a Slow Sit-fall: 1. Find yourself a nice Lazy Boy recliner and sit down. With the recliner in the “up” position, you are in a normal sit position, comparable to the kitchen chair sit position. 2. Push the lever so that you are nearly fully reclined. Put your arms out in the “T” position. This is the slow sit-fall or Lazy Boy slow sit position (see Figure 14). 3. Think about where the wind would hit you in freefall. Like the normal sit position, the relative wind is on the underarms, butt, and thighs. There is some air on the soles of the feet, which are at an angle to the ground rather than flat. There is also air on the backs of the knees and the backs of the calves, which is balanced by air on the backpack. sSITs.TIF and sSITBKs.TIF Figure 14. The Slow Sit-fall for sit floating. Imagine the Lazy Boy in freefall. You are counterbalanced in dynamic tension with the backward push of the extended legs pushing you back, compensated by the forward push caused by leaning back against the wind. Think about how you have to lie back against the wind and at the same time push your legs down against it. Take this position with you in freefall. Go into it from a normal sit. Thus positioned, pushing with arms and legs while leaning back gives you the desired slow sit-fall rate. Back and legs are key—push them down! Legs are bent somewhat! Mind is resolute! Hand-drawn slow-sit Illustrations on request Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

The Anguish of Backsliding, the Heartbreak of the Fly-by Zoomies Many a new sit-flyer’s early attempts result in a righteous backslide. Why? New sit-flyers tend to fly with the soles of the feet nearly perpendicular to the ground, heels to the wind, and the calves catching air. This produces a backslide. When they try to push their legs down, the calves catch more air and they cannot get their heels down and feet properly flat to the wind. Sound familiar? Frustrating, isn’t it? Here is a solution: Instead of trying to push the legs down to get into the desirable “kitchen chair” position, do this: Bring your heels in—up close to your butt. When the soles of your feet are flat to the wind and your calves are vertical (out of the wind blast), then it’s easy to step down into the kitchen chair. Try it on the ground to prove that it works. If you have any friends left, get three of them to repeat the “kitchen chair” exercise described above except, this time, have the “wind” lift up and out on your feet so that your soles face their chest and are perpendicular to the ground. This time their hands will be cupping your heels. Now, striving to go to the kitchen chair position won’t work because the wind is lifting your heels and calves. In this position, pushing the calves down just flips you on your back. To solve this, blend with the wind instead of fighting it. Just put your heels on your butt. This is easy and it takes your calves out of the wind and puts your feet flatter to the wind. Now, push down on your feet until you resume (or attain) the sit position. OK? Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Head-down (inverted/head-to-earth) – A “downright” orientation with the feet uppermost and the relative wind on the head and shoulders. The upper spine is perpendicular to the ground; the legs, lower spine and hips provide movement; the center of drag is around the legs and feet. Head-down vertical mode can be fast; fall-rate can exceed 300 mph while holding streamlined positions. (However, the “sweet spot” is a fall-rate of about 150 mph). Head-down freefly is easy to learn and do—for some. For many others, capturing skill at head-to-earth RW is elusive. I have found that people who learn chute assis quickly often find head-down more difficult. Conversely, there are some fairly competent head-down flyers who are not comfortable sit-flying or standing. I suppose one reason for this is that one mode is “hard” in the same way that Karate is a “hard” martial art; and the other is “soft” in the same way that Tai Ch’i or Aikido are “soft” martial arts. Sit-flying and standing freefly are like the hard martial arts. For example, Karate and Tae Kwon Do are classified as External-Hard styles because they are very Yang-masculine, or aggressive. In contrast to this are the Soft-Internal styles. Movements of the soft school of martial arts are relaxed and pliable. They are Yin, yielding, and feminine. When one sees the soft forms being practiced, it looks like a slow motion dance-like series of movements with no apparent strength behind them. Yet, a lot of force is being generated, although the energy being exerted is not easily noticed by an observer. Similarly, head-down freefly is a soft flying art. It follows that head-down requires sensitivity, timing, and balance, as does the practice of the soft martial arts. It helps to remember that success at head-down does not come from a macho iron will that craves downright flight. Success comes from letting head-down happen. The lesson is: take time to understand what the goal is before you practice. Do not progress too quickly. Be soft. Remember that you are not trying to take a position; you must instead let head-down happen. (More head-down blither on request) pat Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

it's easy with a freefly exit. If you're close enough, you can kiss whatever you want. Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

I would like to make a new freefly dictionary. Someone was doing this in the past but it lacked comprehensiveness. If you can think of more terms... Ok, here's the standard terms (Holler if you want lexical definitions). Word forms used in vRW back-fly back loop backslide back-track barrel-roll belly-flying, belly-flyers big-way boxman break-off chute assis downright fall-rate(s) flightsuit flyers Freak Brother, Freak Bro’ freeflyers, freeflying freestylist head-down headstand heads-up vRW lay-back meat-missiles no-contact sit-fly, sit-flyers, sit-suit, sit-fall skydancing skymate (changed from sky-mate) skysurfers stand-up Tai Ch’i upright vRW, vRW Stable weed-eater Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Betcha this solves da problem or money back! [Advise if you'd like to see illustrations or animated How-to] Enjoy back-flying! I did 1 hr in one session 100% on back-flying and hurt for days! What Is Back-flying? Back-flying - the spine is parallel to the horizon; the relative wind is on the back. Pat When back-flying, you’re skydiving while lying on your back (Figure 26). You fly face-up instead of facing down with the wind in your face. Visually, your vista is the blue sky above you; the ground below is nearly out of sight. M-ball.TIF Figure 26. The back-fly’s low center of gravity makes it a very stable freefly position. Back-flying has few limitations since it offers a wide range of fall-rates and maneuvers. You can fall slowly with belly-flyers, or rapidly along with head-down skymates. You can track far and fast or hover still, no-contact. Your legs are extended for lateral movement, or tucked out of the wind for straight-down fall. Turns are intuitive and easy. Back-flying is not the same thing as chute assis or sit-flying. The relationship of the spine to the horizon line and the direction of the relative wind are different for each mode. Sit-flying has you ass-down with the wind on your butt, and your spine mostly perpendicular to the horizon. Since back-flying is back down, the spine is parallel to the horizon and in the relative wind. While sit-flying is rather like trying to stand on slick ice, back-flying is closer to relaxing in a hammock. Sit-flying is a close cousin of standing vRW and requires strong constant use of the stomach, arm, and leg muscles. Back-flying is a friend of relaxation and allows you to rest on the air. Back-flying’s stability stems from the fact that it is not a wind-deflecting position at all. Arms and legs are not held out into the wind, but are allowed to blow up above the body and provide stabilization, like those feathers on the badminton birdie. Arms, legs, head, and torso are brought out of relaxation and into play only when movement is desired. Achieving relaxation while back-flying requires the ability to do nothing at all while in freefall; doing nothing requires control and awareness. Compared to other freefly modes, back-flying is natural to learn and easy to apply. This ease stems from its familiarity as the natural position of the body at rest. Remember, we spend about one-third of our lives sleeping, usually on our backs. So, learning to back-fly is almost as easy as learning to lie down. And, things don’t really look upside down while you back-fly. In fact, back-flyers have a natural view and perspective on a relative work skydive. It’s easy to control levels and proximity while back-flying. BACKend.TIF Figure 27. Use arms and legs in a back-fly to move up, down, and horizontally in relation to other freeflyers. How low your center of mass is determines how stable you find this position. The lower this center, the more inherently stable your back-fly will be. In fact, any object that has a low center of mass tends to be stable and self-righting. Of all the freefly vRW modes, back-flying has the lowest center of mass. Other intrinsically stable positions include the basic stable, boxman, RW stable, and vRW Stable, inasmuch as each has a low center of mass. Why and How to Back-fly Back-flying is a sky-frolic. Not only is it fun, it leads you easily into the moving poetry of freeflying. It’s fun because it does not require much work. You just let go and do it. The less you work and the more you relax, the easier it becomes. Moreover, it is a great solo dive—try it! Back-flying requires and teaches relaxation. It is pleasant to relax while back-flying on a solo jump because you are less distracted. You’ll discover that while thus reposing in the air, it is gratifying to look around you. Relaxed and gazing at the scenery, the notions of actually seeing and really feeling can be grasped. This understanding will help you to discern the subtler notions found in head-down vRW. If the yoga and Zen stuff that freeflyers preach doesn’t appeal to your more meat-and-potatoes approach, try back-flying. Unlike head-down, it does not require the split mind-set of both a placid mind and super-tuned reflexes. To learn how to back-fly, start with this prescription: Lie on the floor on your back. Relax and imagine the fierce wind of freefall is pushing on your back. Pretend that the wind grabs your arms and blows them upward towards the ceiling. Correspondingly, the heels are picked upward. You appear to be suspended from the ceiling by your hands and heels. This is what back-flying with a fast of fall looks like; this position is called the Magic Ball (see Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Pat's question: should I explain vRW Stable? Pat's answer: The cartwheel (weed-eater) is basic freefly transition. It is the preferred way to get onto your head and into a head-down and back up. Because you are rotating onto your side, the cartwheel (weed-eater) allows eye contact throughout the transition, unlike either the half-front loop or the half-back loop method of transitioning into a head-down, both of which turn you 180 degrees. To learn to perform the cartwheel (weed-eater), follow these steps: First, go into the vRW Stable; take a breath. Second, still tucked, do a one-half cartwheel to the right or left. Look at your partner. Focus on your body. Challenge it to happen. Explode into it. Throw your head and shoulders to the side in the direction of the half-turn. (Shouting “KieYaaa!” is optional, but satisfying.) Finally, once in the new position, “stick it” to lock it in and stable it out. Experience and practice will teach you how to stick it and not over- or under-rotate. A front loop is a forward-facing transition. Basically a front loop will occur whenever you throw your shoulders and head forward while flinging your arms back. Like most freefly transitions, front loops are a great deal easier if you tuck into a vRW Stable just before you flip. Here is how to go head-over-heels frontward: First, go into the vRW Stable; take a breath. Second, still tucked, throw your body forward, shoulders and head leading, while flinging your arms back behind you. Explode into it. Look up as you rotate past the top of the sky. Catch yourself to stop the rotation and settle into position. Here, too, experience and practice teach you how to not over- or under- rotate. Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

More black death: Orgin of Bonus Days: Bonus Days." Safety is survival. You should practice safety nearly as reflexively as you automatically blink when a raindrop nears the eye. As a jumper, and interested observer of and participant in a few "Bonus Days", my more than 17 years of jumping suggests that you will likely become more safety conscious the longer you jump. In other words, you'll come to recognize the subtle distinction between a "might survive" and "comfortably survivable" situation. Safety consciousness in parachuting can be described thus: The easiest thing to "do" is nothing. Unfortunately, in parachuting doing nothing is deadly, Occasionally a parachutist, or pilot, or motorcyclist, or mountain climber or hang glider will do nothing - or the wrong thing - for too long... There are some adventures that are hard to squeak past, There are some adventures that are fairly certainly terminal ones. So whenever anyone slips past a "real close one," a new calendar is started and ALL the days survived thereafter can be termed "BONUS DAYS." These are those extra days you get after the near-crash. As Freak Brother No. 2 Roger Nelson tells it: "I reconfirmed my membership in the Bonus Days Club watching the ground 'stop coming' at about 100-150 ft. SPORT DEATH! "What had happened was a typical brain malfunction, yep, I packed a total! So I really shouldn't have been doing a 3-man after-star. 'Cause when I threw out my pilot chute, it went 8 feet and stopped fully inflated!!! So, immediately I pictured Waldo Jecker, FB No. 22, and Tony "Frit" Patterson, FB No. 181, (both deceased), as I looked at the ground. "Time was vital. I had a choice of two things, dump your reserve and chance an entanglement and streamer in, knowing I'm gonna bounce (the way Frit went in at Deland), or reel in my small 29" pilot chute and take it lower for a clean reserve opening. See, when I looked at the ground right after realizing my problem, I said "3 seconds" in which I had to play. So I decided to reel as I counted to 3. I hit 3 just as I grabbed the bottom. I dropped my head to get some air on my back as I dumped my reserve. "Well, at this point, seeing where I was, I kind of thought dropping my head might not of been too smart 'cause I was about to bounce head first on the side of the runway. When all of a sudden, "YEA, BONUS DAY CLUB!!!" (To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.) `I looked down, saw my shadow, screamed excitement and saw a jumper clapping my Z-Hills act." That was a Bonus Day. Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Yez, I got more lives than 2-cats. Her's an old one: It won a "Pull-it Sir!" when Gene Hunnel printed it in DZ-USA in ~62 Thought of some 'near-death' stuff you might dig. Sooo, here's something I wrote in the '60's, I think.... Do a GOOGLE on "Unconscious and falling " for full text. http://www.cs.fiu.edu/~esj/uwf/uwf8.htm "Unconscious and Falling! In Texas on December 22, 1966, 16 expert parachutists met at a small pasture five miles from the Gulf of Mexico between Galveston and Houston. After two weeks of planning, they were ready to attempt free fall jumps from the edge of space. At 12:15 that afternoon the first five loaded their jump aircraft: a 206 Super Cessna Skywagon. It roared down the narrow grass runway and climbed upward into the 21 below zero temperature at 25,000 feet, into air so thin it robs a man of useful consciousness in minutes by oxygen starvation, or hypoxia as the doctors call it. They were climbing into trouble. We were manifested for the second lift to 25,000 feet. So, as the plane took off, we watched with more than casual interest. Tim, an ex-jet fighter pilot who had lost his left eye flying for the Marines, turned to me with a grin and a shrug, "Well, they made it off the ground, but I'll lay you odds that one of those clowns screws up before they even leave the airplane." Some 37 minutes later, when the Cessna reached jump altitude, the thin air and cold had done their deadly work. Only two of the five skydivers aboard were able to jump. One of the others had been so affected by the cold, or his nerves, that he froze in the door and did not jump; another had accidentally unhooked his oxygen line so that when it came time to jump he was only able to turn blue and babble. During the ascent he had been sucking on an oxygen line that wasn't connected to the oxygen tank and as a result, the necessary state of mental alertness was replaced by confusion and euphoria. The third jumper had suffered the consequences of gas expansion which occurs at high altitudes. When he was carried from the aircraft on the ground, I solicitously removed his lined jump suit and carefully scraped the frozen vomit from it, Warmer than mine, I wanted to use it for my upcoming jump. Little did I realize that before the day ended, I, too, would be lying unconscious at 25,000 feet far out over the chilly waters of the Gulf of Mexico in a plane piloted by a man whose oxygen-starved brain convinced him that north was best reached by flying south......" Yada Yada yaadaa, no-shit, we was there Crazy Pat Works, 2-cats Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Hey, Yep. I have a PCA patch around here somewhere... patches used to be a BIG DEALQuote Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,