0
azureriders

Getting Big to get back from a long spot????

Recommended Posts

Quote

Common sense and logic, folks



not that common

I've seen here on DZ.com

a comment about not front risering into a head wind as the wind hits the top of the canopy

a comment about cross winds collapsing an end cell

more of that ilk

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Been a great discusion guys and I would like to see it continued along any drift tangent that you like, such as students misunderstanding good material, or other procedures for getting back from longs spotts, however:

I must admit that I jumped the gun on the original post. It took a little chasing as I did not actually take this class nor know the Instructors, but I did find one of them and have passed a few emails back and forth. It seems that misunderstood material was the root of the problem. He has even asked me to follow up with the students (which I planned to do anyway) and straighten things out. Also in his deffense, I have talked to one more of the students that had a whole different out take on the material, all of what she had to say was spot on. So it seems that a few of the students just misunderstood, probably talking to each other instead of the Instructor about questions they had.


Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If anyone thinks it's better to spread out for speed downwind , do this experiment (in headwind and downwind). Fly side by side with your friend under canopy, when you have "trimmed" your canopies so you hold the same speed and the same rate of decent, one of you spread out without changing the controls. I am pretty sure the one who do not spread out will go faster in both situations, it might take a few seconds before it happens but it will.

Maybe you should ask an instructor how and when (as in at what experience level) to do this safely if you are new in the sport, both also need similar wingloading to be able to fly on the same level unless you are very skilled.

A new topic on the drift? How about if a canopy will fly downwind after a while by itself if you let the controls go? I don't think so but a few year ago I was told so by one of the best skydivers in the world that was the case???

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote


I'm going to design a spinnaker that I can tuck in my jumpsuit, to be deployed for those long spot situations when I have a tailwind.

I reckon I can sell them wholesale to canopy coaches, who can then sell them to their students at a modest markup.



You can always just not collapse the slider. It isn't that big of a sail, but it is something. Oh yes, and a non-collapsible pilot chute would also help - more sail area exposed.
People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Hehe... if you are getting hit in the back by the relative wind, you are in deep shit. Negative airspeed and wings usually dont do well together.

Get small, reduce the drag from the forward airspeed. You get the benefit from being upwind by spending as much time as you can in it (keep your brakes stowed, bump a little rear riser etc. to slow your decent rate). IMO, anyone who is telling you to get big so you get pushed from behind doesn't understand aerodynamics of flight.

Sometimes I use the idea of a river to help folks understand how things move/respond in the moving airstream. If you toss 2 rafts in a river, one streamlined with the direction of the river flow, and the othe at 90 degrees, very quickly they will both be going about the same speed as the river is. The river can't push the broad side raft faster than the river itself is going, and both rafts will quickly equalize to that speed. Same is true for us in the air mass.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
>Maybe you should ask an instructor how and when (as in at what experience level) to
>do this safely if you are new in the sport, both also need similar wingloading to be able
>to fly on the same level unless you are very skilled.

Thats funny, if you are actually replieing to me. The point of this thread was never that I believed you should get big to get back, and I am an instructor. Of course I think you may have just been speeking to the general public.



>A new topic on the drift? How about if a canopy will fly downwind after a while by itself if
>you let the controls go? I don't think so but a few year ago I was told so by one of the
>best skydivers in the world that was the case???

I have talked to a couple of people involved in drop testing canopies that swear each and every dumby droped will wind up landing down wind. Dosn't make much sense to me either.


Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

It took a little chasing as I did not actually take this class nor know the Instructors, but I did find one of them and have passed a few emails back and forth. It seems that misunderstood material was the root of the problem. He has even asked me to follow up with the students (which I planned to do anyway) and straighten things out.



Whaaaa? HE asked YOU to handle it? WTF?

What can we do to avoid enabling poor instruction to perpetuate.

Yes, poor instruction. It's an instructor's responsibility to ensure that his/her students actually comprehend and understand what's being taught. There are several techniques that an instructor can use to do that.

...and then ask someone else to do the job that should have been done in the first place????? I don't get it. Just shoot me if I ever do that.

Oh..and yes, grasping "it", whatever topic you are discussing on the ground, doesn't necessarily mean performing it in the air. We all know that.
My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
No I didn't mean you. I meant skydivers with low experience.
Sorry I don't really know how to use the functions of replying and quotes here properly.

Regarding a canopy starting to turn down wind by it self or not, I have never experienced that. I know when I fly in a cross wind it might feel like the canopy is starting to turn down wind but it never happened to me that a canopy actually did, it is just the landing point (if no more input is done) that will be further down wind due to the crosswind.

Interesting with the droptests...

Actually this guy who was very sure a canopy will turn down wind by itself said he heard it from a canopy designer.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

a canopy will turn down wind by itself said he heard it from a canopy designer.



there's a post somewhere here about it (and recent).

Some good minds got into it and it had to do with changes in airspeed during the descent - not relative wind in a steady state condition......

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

It took a little chasing as I did not actually take this class nor know the Instructors, but I did find one of them and have passed a few emails back and forth. It seems that misunderstood material was the root of the problem. He has even asked me to follow up with the students (which I planned to do anyway) and straighten things out.



Whaaaa? HE asked YOU to handle it? WTF?




Probably because the original instructor is from out of the area.

And I wouldn't be so quick to blame poor instruction if other students walked away with the right information.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote


I'm going to design a spinnaker that I can tuck in my jumpsuit, to be deployed for those long spot situations when I have a tailwind.

I reckon I can sell them wholesale to canopy coaches, who can then sell them to their students at a modest markup.



You can always just not collapse the slider. It isn't that big of a sail, but it is something. Oh yes, and a non-collapsible pilot chute would also help - more sail area exposed.



How will I make any money off of that?
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

>Maybe you should ask an instructor how and when (as in at what experience level) to
>do this safely if you are new in the sport, both also need similar wingloading to be able
>to fly on the same level unless you are very skilled.

Thats funny, if you are actually replieing to me. The point of this thread was never that I believed you should get big to get back, and I am an instructor. Of course I think you may have just been speeking to the general public.



>A new topic on the drift? How about if a canopy will fly downwind after a while by itself if
>you let the controls go? I don't think so but a few year ago I was told so by one of the
>best skydivers in the world that was the case???

I have talked to a couple of people involved in drop testing canopies that swear each and every dumby droped will wind up landing down wind. Dosn't make much sense to me either.



It wiill if you account for wind shear. The airmass doesn't move as a uniform body, it tends to move more slowly at lower altitudes. THAT produces a directionality that can be detected by the canopy as it descends.
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

a canopy will turn down wind by itself said he heard it from a canopy designer.



there's a post somewhere here about it (and recent).

Some good minds got into it and it had to do with changes in airspeed during the descent - not relative wind in a steady state condition......



In a constant wind a canopy has no idea which way the wind is blowing.

If there is a wind shear, the canopy may well turn as it descends through the shear, and the turn direction would be downwind if the wind is decreasing as altitude decreases, which is usual. I wouldn't expect it to be much of an effect.

Example: say the canopy is flying on a north heading in a crosswind from the west at 20kt. Due to the wind the canopy is actually drifting sideways to the east at 20kt and the relative wind is from straight ahead.

Now let the canopy descend through a shear to where the wind is only 5kt (same direction). Newton's 1st law says the canopy and skydiver are still going east at 20kt, so the canopy now feels a (20-5) = 15kt wind from the right. The canopy will turn right into this relative wind until the system comes to equilibrium again. Seen from the ground, this is a turn downwind.
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

Quote

Thanks, one more good reason to not do them.;)



Feel free not to be on any big ways I am on.:P


I'm not old enough yet to be on your big ways!!!:P;)B|:D:ph34r:


If you pay attention to your elders you may still be alive when you are old enough.;)
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I have talked to a couple of people involved in drop testing canopies that swear each and every dumby droped will wind up landing down wind. Dosn't make much sense to me either.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


It wiill if you account for wind shear. The airmass doesn't move as a uniform body, it tends to move more slowly at lower altitudes. THAT produces a directionality that can be detected by the canopy as it descends.



You are right, it does make sense thinking about it that way.


Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

I have talked to a couple of people involved in drop testing canopies that swear each and every dumby droped will wind up landing down wind. Dosn't make much sense to me either.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


It wiill if you account for wind shear. The airmass doesn't move as a uniform body, it tends to move more slowly at lower altitudes. THAT produces a directionality that can be detected by the canopy as it descends.



You are right, it does make sense thinking about it that way.



Yeah it does... thanks, John.
Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

Quote

It took a little chasing as I did not actually take this class nor know the Instructors, but I did find one of them and have passed a few emails back and forth. It seems that misunderstood material was the root of the problem. He has even asked me to follow up with the students (which I planned to do anyway) and straighten things out.



Whaaaa? HE asked YOU to handle it? WTF?




Probably because the original instructor is from out of the area.



correct

Quote

And I wouldn't be so quick to blame poor instruction if other students walked away with the right information.



I agree, of course it should be every instructors goal to make every one understand everything, but that is not always easy.


Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
there long spots, and there are longer spots, know your cut off point asap, and pick a landing area near you, set up early, and land how you were taught. and take the long walk back, take alook around up high, pull higher, you dont see many tandems landing off, because they pul higher.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote


Quote

(From Tetra) And I wouldn't be so quick to blame poor instruction if other students walked away with the right information.



I agree, of course it should be every instructors goal to make every one understand everything, but that is not always easy.



No, it's not always easy...but it can be done and instructors owe it to their students to do it. Some got it, some didn't??? How does that happen?

(To Tetra) What's the limit on that to qualify for good/poor instruction?

Let's see....
-if 4 out 10 get it...is that "good" or "poor"?
-if 6 out 10 get it...is that "good" or "poor" ?
-if 8 out 10 get it...is that "good" or "poor" ?

...where's the cutoff point? Is there some magic ratio that delineates one from the other?

For everyone:
If YOU can't help them "get it" then it's so, so simple... bring in someone else who could.

Fortunately, in this case, those students have someone who can and will help them.

With some apologies...I must have missed the part about the original instructor being from out-of-town.
My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Hehe... if you are getting hit in the back by the relative wind, you are in deep shit. Negative airspeed and wings usually dont do well together.

Get small, reduce the drag from the forward airspeed. You get the benefit from being upwind by spending as much time as you can in it (keep your brakes stowed, bump a little rear riser etc. to slow your decent rate). IMO, anyone who is telling you to get big so you get pushed from behind doesn't understand aerodynamics of flight.

Sometimes I use the idea of a river to help folks understand how things move/respond in the moving airstream. If you toss 2 rafts in a river, one streamlined with the direction of the river flow, and the othe at 90 degrees, very quickly they will both be going about the same speed as the river is. The river can't push the broad side raft faster than the river itself is going, and both rafts will quickly equalize to that speed. Same is true for us in the air mass.



Thanks for the voice of reason!!:)
BTW, the PD pilots agree with you for what that is worth! B|
"Tell ya the truth, I don't think this is a brains kind of operation."

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
It happens because sometimes students do not ask their instructors the questions but discuss it amongst themselves later which will usually lead to confusion and incorrect information. That sounds like what happended here. They didn't ask the original instructor for clarification but talked between themselves after the fact. For someone from out of town teaching a course, there is no opportunity to correct this misinformation since they are no longer there. Or maybe the students had additional questions after the course was over and the instructor left so they asked each other instead of seeking out someone qualified.

There are lots of ways for not everyone to get all the information.

Of course all instructors should try 100% to make sure their information is understood. But even the best instructors have to deal with the above from time to time, more so those that do traveling instruction.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

It happens because sometimes students do not ask their instructors the questions but discuss it amongst themselves later


If it's covered in class, the INSTRUCTOR asks the questions to check and verify their understanding and clear up misconceptions. You quiz them...just that simple....and you quiz them again. But yes, to agree with you to some extent, sometimes that STILL doesn't mean they got it 5 minutes later.

If anyone thinks simply telling them is going to get it into their brains and become knowledge they're generating a high probability for the scenario which we are discussing. Surely you know that. Surely. Surely???
My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

It happens because sometimes students do not ask their instructors the questions but discuss it amongst themselves later


If it's covered in class, the INSTRUCTOR asks the questions to check and verify their understanding and clear up misconceptions. You quiz them...just that simple....and you quiz them again. But yes, to agree with you to some extent, sometimes that STILL doesn't mean they got it 5 minutes later.



What you describe is the difference between teaching and merely showing.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
for what its worth as I was the only one here that actually knows the parties involved, from my stand point you both are very correct.

Evaluation may be the last phase of teaching, but it does not need to be skipped. Early on, as in a FJC, there is NO EXCUSE for not propperly evaluting your students to know that they have the information and have it correct and can properly perfrom the tasks. I think we can all agree that a student who can not properly perform his EPs when needed is not all the students fault.

When teaching a course to a higher experienced group, the same applies especially if the subject is a safety issue. If if not about safety, the instructor still owes the same evaluation as it is part of the teaching process that he is offering in return for his pay. However, I think we can agree that skimping on an agreement is less evil than skimping on safety.

When teaching a FJC, the student either gets it, or hopefully is not allowed to jump until he does. To the experienced group, if you have a yoyo in the class, it may come a time when you feel that you have excedded your commitment to him and he refuses to learn?? I do not think that was the case in this thread.

Now, for the part that I saw that you didn't. The guys that missed the information were the less experienced in the group. I get the feeling that the instructor may have been moving the class at the pace of the average, and therefore a couple got left behind. Then as mentioned earlier, they talked amoung themselves instead of to the instructor. It would have even been better if they would have talked to some of the more experienced ones taking the class.

Is this still a short fall on the instructors part. Absolutely! Personally I like to think that every thing my students do wrong is my fault, it keeps me keen and in search of better techniques at all time. Should we never let him back again and say he is not a true teacher, well I say not unless it happens repeatedly or unless he did not care about the situation. I can assure you that was not the point, when I contacted these guys they were as concerned about the problem as I was.

Both of you have very good stand points from my point of view. Good discusions here.


Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0