BrianSGermain

I am putting the schedule together for the new year. Here is what I have so far. http://www.bigairsportz.com/schedule.php Please go to a course. You can go to mine or Scott Miller's or someone else. Just do it. Canopy flight skills are essential for your longterm survival, and I actually care if you live or die. Brian :) + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

Actually, there is more to "stress" than blood pressure and heart rate. It is true that there are effects on both of these parameters, but to assume that the circulatory system is the only area effected by adrenaline is incorrect. Epinephrine, Nor Epinephrine and Cortisol levels all increase in correlation with perceived danger as do blood glucose levels. These levels can be correlated with several other "tell-tale" sets of data. One method used to measure the physical component of stress is Galvanic Skin Response, or GSR. When we have an adrenal response, we sweat more in anticipation of the increased work load on the body. This increases the degree to which we can conduct electricity accross the skin. This, among many other measures of acute stress shows significant effects as correlated with the skydiving experience. Further, it is this and many other measures that showed the trends toward somatic escalation at pull time versus exit. So, although there are compensatory responses to the the "G's" experienced during opening, this is not the only effect. Moreover, if the increases in blood pressure were solely caused by changes in relative gravity during opening shock, it would not suggest the changes in this parameter noted during exit for inexperienced parachutists. Clearly there is more going on than just "G's". We are in perceived danger during opening. When we have initiated deployment, the situation is momentarily out of our control. Due to previous experiences, we create a set of expectations that are preparing us to act with physical effort. Our Amygdala triggers the hypothalamus to secrete the excitement chemicals, and consequently our heart rate, BP and many other bodily systems are significantly effected. Although there may be benefits in terms of our capacity to handle "G" forces due to our increased blood pressure. This is not the reason for the increase. Nature does not know the difference between stressors, and creates stereotypical changes in the body to handle all stress. So it turns out, increasing the BP is a good idea to prevent unconsciousness during opening. We must be cautious not to extrapolate too much from the data we collect about heart rate or blood pressure alone. There are many data points from various parameters that ultimately lead to a reasonable conclusion about an individual's emotional response to a situation. We must root out confounding variables, and hone in on what is really happening. The effect is a global change to the body, and we must treat it as such. Bri Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

The trouble with RW suits is the booties. That doesn't mean that you can't get upright, but you will have a hard time keeping your feet underneath you. If you are wearing booties, just keep your lower legs flat to the wind-flow, slightly flared out to the sides. This is called "knee flying". It is not as maneuverable as a freefly "chair" position, but it is very stable. You can do flips on all axis and return to the knee-fly position as your home base. If you are serious about freeflying, you will have to leave your RW suit on the ground. You can use a suit made for freeflying, or go with street clothes. If you choose to go without a suit, be sure to tuck your top into your pants or even your legstraps so it doesn't fly up and cover your handles while you are in an upright attitude. In the end, it is your body that does the flying, not the suit. Having no drag on your body works fine, although you do sacrifice some maneuverablility. Try shorts (or tight pants) and a sweatshirt, or even a "Sit Suit" to gett started. That places the majority of your drag on your upper body, which makes it easier to remain in an upright attitude. Think of an arrow. The feathers on the tail, and the point is sharp. This is a balanced, stable arrangement, so you aren't forced to work so hard to remain on your feet. Hope this helps! I wrote a book on this, as well as a DVD. I think you will enjoy them. The title is "Vertical Journey": www.BrianGermain.com Brian Germain www.BigAir Sportz.com Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

Stuck on your Back A common phase that many new freefliers run into is being stuck on their back, despite their best efforts to get upright. Here are some tips to help you out of the "turtle" or "freak" position, an into an attitude that falls fast enough to fly with other freefliers. The first thing is, you are probably flying with your shoulders forward, with your elbows neutral. This does not counter-balance your knees, which are out in front of you. You need an equal amount of drag behind you to balance out your knees when in a chair. Push your shoulders and elbows back against the wind. The second issue is your lower body. If your feet are too far in front of you, the relative wind will be hitting the back of your lower legs, which creates a balance in the "freak" position. This is good for slow falling, but not for the high speed chair. Make sure your calves are parallel to the wind flow. If you find yourself on your back, don't struggle. Get comfortable with being on your back, it is an important position. Use your lower legs to turn you (tipping to the right turns to the right). Once you are relaxed in the back-flying position, simply pull your heels in toward your butt while pushing your shoulder and elbows behind you. This will increase the dorsal drag, and off-set the center of lift toward the aft of the aircraft. This will alter your pitch to an upright attitude. Once you are upright, just assume a balanced chair, and relax your muscles as much as possible. Push up into a stand-up periodically to verify that you are centered. If it feels physically difficult to go in and out of the chair or remain upright, something about your body position is creating a tendency to put you on your back. Once you are upright, make sure your body is open. If you are crouched forward, your will have a tendency to backslide and fall fast. Further, a cannon-ball position makes it hard to take docks with your hands. Opening up and pushing your shoulders against the relative wind behind you will allow you to use your hands without compromising your attitude. Also, many people find it easier to fly this position with their knees further apart, say, shoulder width or a bit more. Once you are feeling good about your chair, and are able to stand at will, it's time to start doing some flips and returning to your feet as the home-base attitude. Front loops and back loops are quite easy. Just add some drag in front of you, and off you go backwards. For cartwheels, just remove drag from one side by bringing one arm in to your side, and that side will sink toward the earth. Keep looking at the horizon as you cartwheel over, and keep your heels in toward your butt. This will keep you on axis, and allow you to flip without loosing sight of your flying partner. The secret to learning to sit fly, above all else, is to keep doing it. If you get frustrated and stop trying, you will never learn this essential skill. Skydiving is about learning to fly in all attitudes, and upright is the most versatile body position of all. You have a wider speed-range than any other body position, and have better visibility than any of the other options. Each time you lose your feet and flip out, just laugh and shake it off. That will keep you in a positive frame of mind, and allow you to remain loose enough to actually fly. Anger and panic are the opposite of flying. Enjoy the learning process! Good luck, and HAVE FUN!! + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

Actually, there are a number of baffle system ideas being tested, but the most significant difference seems to be created by keeping the air inside the wind with airlocks, and or flying fast to create a "seal" against the relative wind. Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

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The truth is, wingloading has more to do with it than actual size. However, anything over about 135 has a large enough volume for the air to "slosh around" inside the wing. Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

The different methods for handling turbulence depend more on the drag coefficient of the canopy as it relates to recovery arc. The smaller parachutes can maintain a high airspeed for a long period of time. This means that keeping the toggles up in turbulence is the way to go as a preventative measure, or even making smooth, coordinated turns to increase the average airspeed. This super-pressurizes the parachute, which makes it less susceptible to deformation due to turbulence. On larger parachutes, however, there is one difference. The canopy does not want to maintain an average velocity above the full flight speed. In other words, following a turn or dive, a large canopy will level off and diminish it's speed below the full flight airspeed for a short period of time. This presents an increased risk in turbulence. That is not to say that large canopies should not be accelerated above full flight speed in turbulence, just that any such maneuvers should be performed in a coordinated manner, and with a gradual return to zero bank angle so as to prevent the extra airspeed from pitching the canopy into level flight. All that being said, all parachutes will do better in turbulence if they are flown at full flight speed or higher. The problem with this kind of approach only comes when the pilot is untrained or unpracticed in the skill of quickly increasing the angle of attack to prevent the forward surge due to turbulence. A sharp application on the brakes of approximately 1/4th of the toggle stroke (regardless of bank angle) is usually sufficient to prevent the wing from surging to the low angle of attack that may open the door for a collapse. Does this change the standard procedure of flying a big canopy in brakes in turbulent conditions, yes it does. The governing dynamics speak for themselves. Airspeed creates internal pressure. Further, high airspeed creates the tendency for the wing (any wing) to remain in the back of the window and at a reasonably high angle of attack. Thus, flying at full flight will create a "dynamic stability" that will reduce the tendency for the parachute to surge forward. The key to making this effect work in a sustainable manner is to keep the speed high, which on large canopies presents an interesting problem due to the short recovery arc. There are times when the best choice is to keep the big canopies in the big containers, and wait for more favorable conditions. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

I would love to come back to Africa to teach. That was I can stay current! Perhaps the Jo-burg club will have me back this winter? Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

Spring is a very dangerous time for skydivers. When longterm memories fade and learned instincts become dulled by underuse, the whuufo within begins to take charge of our actions. The process of renewing our connection to the information in our heads that saves our lives must be a constant one. We must continue to think and talk about skydiving throughout the winter. We must draw parachutes in our notebooks at work and during college classes. We must keep the dream alive. This note is to remind all those who teach to gather the skydivers together throughout the winter. Watch videos. Talk about high speed approach techniques and exits and formations that you would like to do in the spring. We must refresh those concepts regularly so that the journey back in the springtime is not such an arduous one. If you want to talk more about this kind of thing, feel free to PM me, or email me at Brian@BigAirSportZ.com Be Safe Live Long + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

When I speak of "Bailing Out", it is actually a continuum of maneuvers, not just one. On one end of the spectrum is a gentle shallowing of the flight path. This is used when the problem is recognized early, which is obviously preferred. This might be an early relaease of the front riser, coupled with a harness turn to complete the yaw to the final approach heading. If you recognize the problem later, you may need to apply some "tail input" while still in the turn. If you are quite late in your realization that your flight path is too steep for the remaining altitude, you will need to bump the brakes HARD, in order to nudge the wing toward the back of the window. It is not really about HOW MUCH you apply the brakes, but HOW SHARPLY. There is a big difference. Go up and experiment with this. If you are pulling "G"'s in the forced recovery, you are doing it right. It is not a blind stab. Nothing in flying is blind or panic driven when perfomed correctly. Remain calm, and do what you have to. Look where you are going, and lift your eyes toward where you want to go. When people hook in, it is because they are looking down, and they are drawn toward the contents of their visual field. If you focus on what you DON'T WANT, You cannot find your way to what you DO WANT. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

1) Practice Bailing Out. In other words, if you are going to pick a fight, learn how to dodge a punch before learning to throw a punch. You will never be perfect, and the learned instinct to perform the correct save yourself maneuver without thinking is crucial for your survival. Practice up high, practice a lot. 2) Get a canopy flight altimeter. Digital telemetry is essential for safe swooping. If you do not know exactly how high you are when you begin your turn, you will eventually be too low. This is about training your eyes with good data. 3) Learn how much altitude your canopy loses in a given maneuver. Practice up high, marking beginning altitude and level off altitude. Your canopy may not level off completely if it is an aggressive design, but you will see the decent rate significantly diminish when the parachute is ready to naturally enter the surf. 4) Don't be a One Trick Pony. Have at least three different versions of your approach: A) Compressed Recovery Arc B) Standard Approach C) Extended Recovery Arc 5) Get video and coaching as often as possible. You can't possibly know what you don't know. That is what more experienced teachers can offer you. Learning the hard way is not an option in something as dangerous as swooping. Your ego will tell you that you don't need help. This is because your sense of self is trying to make a case for your inner ability to act correctly in a crisis. Although this paradigm is what allows us to get out of the airplane door, it is not correct. The situation is more complex than one can comprehend with a tableau-rousa positive attitude. Keep your positive attitude, and get some coaching from the ones who really know. The rainwater closest to the mountaintop is always the purest... + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

The truth is, I have not built any canopies without stabilizers. It just doesn't make sense to me. If wings are to utilize their entire surface area, we must control the flow at the wingtips by supressing the vortex activity. "Droop-tips" work on airplanes, why not use them on parachutes? If winglets and droop-tips reduce the drag and improve the organization of flow near the wingtips, then it intuits that stabilizers will reduce the stall speed. The only way to know for sure that this assumption is correct is to build a canopy, test the stall characterisics, and then cut the stabilizers off and test it again. If it doesn't work, you will have some sewing to do... :) + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

The Stall By Brian Germain The stall is one of the least explored and most feared aspects of flying. Avoidance of this flight mode causes many canopy pilots to be uncomfortable with flying slowly, and unpracticed in this important art. This article will discuss the governing variables relating to the stall, in hopes that this knowledge will help parachute pilots to become less afraid of this essential aspect of the flying experience. First we must explore what a stall is. The assumption made by most canopy pilots is that the stall is caused by slow speed flight. This is not true. It is correlated with low speed flight, but a wing can stall at high speed too. A stall is caused by an excessive angle of attack. When the relative wind flows over an airfoil, it is bent in the general direction of down. This causes an opposite force called “Lift”. When the orientation of the airfoil is changed to a higher angle with respect to the relative wind, it is said to have an increased angle of attack. Air is quite cooperative. It is willing to be redirected and still flow in a fairly organized manner…up to a point. At a specific angle, all airfoils fail to bend the air into submission. This discrete angle of attack is referred to as a stall. It is coupled with a sudden drop in lift, and thus a significant increase in decent rate. Whether you are flying an F-16 or a Lotus 190, recovery from a stall is always the same: the pilot must reduce the angle of attack. On an airplane this requires forward pressure on the yolk or stick. On a parachute, we are simply required to let off the downward pressure on the toggles or rear risers that has increased the angle of attack in the first place. Each parachute stalls and recovers differently. Depending on several governing variables, some parachutes will recovery nicely from a stalled configuration no matter what the recovery technique, while others will require very careful execution. Let’s take a look at these issues one by one. The characteristics of a stall on any ram air canopy are based on two main variables, and several lower order variables. The most significant governing variable is the flight mode when the stall is reached. If the canopy is in a sink, rather than level flight (zero decent surf), it will tend to stall in a more forgiving and docile manner. The second primary variable is the attitude about the roll axis when the stall is reached. In other words, if there is any bank angle when the stall precipitates, it will cause the lower wing to stall first, resulting in significant yaw energy, which can result in line twists. There are several other things to consider when testing the stall of a canopy, including: canopy design, density altitude, wing-loading, aggressiveness of the control input, and most importantly, recovery technique. This will be discussed next. If the wing is allowed back into forward flight quickly, it will dive aggressively toward the ground, causing a drop in the angle of attack, as well as the lift and therefore the overall line tension. This may allow the wing to surge below the suspended weight (you), and possibly cause a jumper/canopy entanglement. Further, if the release of the brakes is asymmetrical, the lack of line tension can allow the wing to surge unevenly about the yaw axis, causing line-twists. The key to stalling any wing is to enter the stalled configuration in a sink, with the wing level and static about the roll axis. As soon as the stall is reached, the toggles (or rear risers) should be released just a few inches to allow for only a slight drop in the angle of attack. As soon as the brakes are released, the jumper should be prepared for a sudden increase in toggle pressure, as the tail of the parachute is about to get hit with a pulse of relative wind. If the pilot is unprepared for this, the toggles will usually be pulled upward and in an uneven manner, often resulting in an aggressive stall recovery that may result in line twists. When the brakes are released quickly to the full flight position, the wing doesn’t have much drag. This means that there is very little to prevent it from surging forward in the window. When the brakes are released slowly, and then held down, just above the stall point, the wing has a great deal of drag. You have two big barn doors at the back of the wing helping to prevent an aggressive surge. As you become more familiar with the stall and recovery characteristics of your wing, you may begin to fly “actively” with respect to the recovery process. In other words, as soon as the wing begins to fly forward in the window, the pilot jerks on the brakes to dampen the forward surge. It is important to do this minimally enough to prevent re-stalling the wing. A well-timed reapplication of the brakes during the recovery process will significantly reduce the amount of altitude lost in the stall. This can be very useful in the event of a low altitude stall. This maneuver can be practiced in relative proximity to another canopy in deep brakes. Be sure to keep your distance when you do this. By definition, a stall is a loss of control of the wing. Rear risers stalls tend to be sharper at the onset, but quicker on the recovery. Also, since the entire wing tends to stall at the about the same time rather than from the control surfaces inward as in a toggle stall, rear risers stalls tend to be more symmetrical. This makes rear riser stalls less likely to induce line twists. Therefore it is advisable to stall the parachute on the rear risers first before attempting to stall it on the brakes. Further, such maneuvers should always be performed at an altitude that will allow for a safe cutaway. With all of these concerns, one must ask "Why should I stall my parachute in the first place". There are several valid reasons why each jumper should rehearse stalls at altitude. 1) In high angle of attack approaches, such as may be necessary in a tight landing area, stalls can happen inadvertently while maneuvering. This is why it is also important to practice slow flight maneuvering by lifting the toggle on the outside of the turn, rather than depressing the one on the inside of the turn. 2) In order to reach a (near) zero ground-speed on a no-wind day, the pilot must have full "Toggle Authority". In other words, if the toggles are set too long, the pilot will be unable to access the slowest possible airspeed, and therefore will be forced to land with more ground-speed when landing without the advantage of a headwind. Being able to finish the flare completely and then let up after landing to prevent the stall from pulling you onto your heels in an essential part of any no wind landing. When you decide to practice stalls, I suggest taking the process step by step. Simply honking your brakes down with your eyes squinting in negative expectation usually results in a wild ride, and sometimes a cutaway. Try hanging out in slow flight for a while. Bring your toggles down to a bit more than half brakes and leave them there. If you are above the stall point, it isn’t going to just stall all by itself. Watching people fly in deep brakes is usually similar to watching them light a firecracker. Your parachute isn’t going to explode…promise. When you get your canopy into the deep brake mode, take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Relax your muscles. Let your legs hang limp. I find that nervous pilots can’t connect with their parachute because it isn’t touching their bones. If you soften your muscles, your will allow the leg straps to sink into you so that you can feel what is happening with this new part of your body. By truly relaxing under canopy, we begin to sober up from the adrenalin that is blurring our vision and skewing our perspective toward the negative. Stalls are an essential part of flight. If you are to be fully in control over the wing, you must explore all aspects of your parachute's performance envelope. Ultimately, flying slowly is the most important aspect of flight because we land in slow flight. The more comfortable you are with your slow flight skills, the better your touchdown will be. Remember, the definition of a good flight is one that ends well. BSG www.BrianGermain.com Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

I have put together an in-depth document regarding downsizing. It is free to download here: http://bigairsportz.com/index.php Happy Reading! + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me or give me a call at (703) 349-2639 It's what I do. Brian Germain Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

Interesting thoughts. This is going to be something that canopy pilots continue to discuss around campfires worldwide as long as skydiving continues. It is unprovable except for those fluent in the language of physics, so I wonder if perhaps we are getting too heady for the rest of the crowd. The bottom line is, when you apply the brakes fast enough to make the pitch move, the canopy will rotate about that axis. If it does so in a short enough timeframe, the parachute will achieve adequate lift to stop descending, or even climb. If the process occurs too slowly, by the time the angle of attack increases, the airspeed is sufficiently diminished so the canopy does not level off. Any deeper anaylsis will drive us to pontificate our navels...not that I have any problem with that, but we need to keep the big picture in mind. The basic understand of how a canopy levels off prevents collision with the planet. It is not really necessary to go much deeper than that. Physics is fun, but it can lead us away from skydiving...that's the whole point, right? :) By the way, your analysis is very well thought out. Impressive... Blue Skies, + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

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Yup, that works for me. I think, however, that this definition neglects to account for wings with a negative recovery arc that always require some degree of tail input to level off. Nevertheless, the idea is to use minimal input to level off, rather than requiring a hard stab of the brakes or rears to save your butt. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

It sound like a too low setup and late abort from "Safe High Speed Approach". Bingo. Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

I would like some feedback on the following operational definitions. "Dangerous Low Turn": A high bank angle, low angle of attack maneuver involving a substantially increased decent rate that requires the pilot attain a high angle of attack through the induction of significant tail drag in order to attain level flight prior to landing. "Safe High Speed Approach": A high bank angle, low angle of attack maneuver involving a substantially increased decent rate that does not requires the pilot attain a high angle of attack in order to attain level flight prior to landing. In a well-executed maneuver, the canopy's lift is the dominant force that places the suspended weight back under the wing, and level flight is achieved through the natural pendular stability of the system. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

Yup. They usually sit under the riser covers. Hi Brian, Is it a problem if they don't sit under the riser covers? Possible snag hazard? The dacron/slocks are pretty flexible so probably not, but I just want to make sure before I jump mine with them sticking out. It looks like yours don't sit under the riser covers either, so it probably isn't an issue. I cropped your picture and added one of my own to reference what I'm talking about. Thanks, John My Slocks don't sit under the riser covers, and it has never been a problem. I have added them to hundreds of risers with no complaints at all. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

I now think of belly flying as "The Missionary Position". It's fun, but there are more options... = Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

If you have any ideas about topics for future shows, or comments about past shows, please add to this thread. Thanks! = Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com