Canopy opens, what do you do next?

[denete 3]

Immediately after YOU have a "good" opening and are under a land-able canopy, what do YOU do?

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After watching some videos shot by medium-young-low-timers, I started to think about what their post-opening routines had in common. No right or wrong answers. I'm just curious about what YOU actually do.

Thanks for the info.

- David

PS - Even though you may have opinions different from people who respond to this thread, try not to gang up on them quickly. Doing so will just keep others from responding. It would be good to see a realistic cross-section.

SCR #14809

"our attitude is the thing most capable of keeping us safe"
(look, grab, look, grab, peel, punch, punch, arch)

[billvon 3,070]

What I do:

Get hands near rear risers during opening.

Once the canopy is open, grab the rear risers while I look around and see how the canopy feels. If all is well I turn off the camera (if any) collapse the slider and pull it down. At this point I generally take a quick look at the canopy if the situation permits. Then I release the brakes, turn towards the DZ and start flying back.

[Gato 0]

In this order:

1) Check for traffic, and use rears to steer clear if necessary.
2) Check altitude, and take a deep breath.
3) Pop Toggles, canopy check.
4) Aim for the target.
5) Collapse the slider.

I know it's pretty "textbook", but it works for me. Obviously, if I'm dealing with high winds when I open, this routine changes a bit. After my opening, I pay close attention to my drift.

T.I.N.S.

[Squeak 17]

i reach for risers, look around and make sure i have clear air space,, I DO NOT fly straight back to the DZ, since is is usually also up or down jump run. I fly diagonally back to towards the DZs direction. Collapse slider and pull down. Pop toggles and a 1/2 brakes to full brakes flare, look around, turn off camera, loosen chest strap and then fly to join the pattern.

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[indyz 1]

1. Use rear risers to dodge traffic and get pointed in whatever direction is appropriate
2. Turn off camera
3. Collapse and pull down slider
4. Loosen chest strap
5. Unclip camera wings and take off booties if traffic permits
6. Release brakes

[mynamebedan 0]

unzip wingsuit....

[Squeak 17]

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unzip wingsuit....

so in the Safety and Training Forum is that seriously the 1st thing your do when you canopy opens?

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[Peej 0]

1. get my hands near the rears and start scanning for traffic
2. unclip my wings
3. turn off my camera
4. loosen chest strap
5. stow slider
6. quick canopy check, all lines attached, etc.
7. release toggles, climb on the brakes and fly back to dz

I'm 99 times out of 100 the last sport canopy to open as my TI and i often leave the aircraft last.

Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky

[DrewEckhardt 0]

Look for idiots, harness turn back towards the landing area once I've found the preceeding groups, stow the slider, loosen my chest strap, look at toggles to avoid grabbing any brake line that might have escaped from the keepers, unstow toggles.

[Baksteen 84]

Standard post-pulling sequence:

1) Glance at canopy to check for the more obvious mals

2) grab rears, check for traffic and turn 90 degrees to jumprun

3) open the visor of my fullface

4) Collapse slider

5) pop toggles and perform a second canopy check for the sneakier malfunctions (such as tension knots)

6) loosen cheststrap

7) Have some fun under canopy (altitude and distance to LZ permitting, obviously).

"That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport."
~mom

[AggieDave 6]

I typically harness around clearing my airspace while taking my RDS off.

Who ever said they have their hands on the rears during opening, STOP THAT! When you start jumping seriously loaded canopies that will give you some "great" (aka wild) openings.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[mnealtx 0]

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I typically harness around clearing my airspace while taking my RDS off.

Who ever said they have their hands on the rears during opening, STOP THAT! When you start jumping seriously loaded canopies that will give you some "great" (aka wild) openings.

Honest question - if you're not making any inputs but just have your hands on them, ready to do a riser turn for avoidance, how will it give you a "wild" opening?

Edit to add:

1. Scan for traffic during opening - hands on rear risers in case an avoidance turn is needed.
2. Use rear risers to pop end cells (SabreII) and turn away from jump run if necessary.
3. Collapse slider.
4. Inspect canopy for damage/broken lines.
5. Loosen chest strap.
6. Pop toggles.
7, Controllability check.
8. Head toward holding area.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Chubba 0]

1. Straight onto rear risers during opening, check for traffic
2. Open the end cells with my rear risers (bloody Sabre2's)
3. Turn to LZ/holding area
4. Collapse slider
5. Pop toggles

I should really check how my canopy responds to immediate rear riser turns while the end cells are still collapsed, I'll put that onto my to do list for my next jump... not sure if it's going to make a significant difference. I haven't explored my rear riser inputs much beyond the list above

[kevinwhelan 0]

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4. loosen chest strap
5. stow slider
6. quick canopy check, all lines attached, etc.

would it be better to check your canopy before loosening your chest strap in case you need to cut away?

"be honest with yourself. Why do I want to go smaller? It is not going to make my penis longer." ~Brian Germain, on downsizing

[JohnRich 4]

Check for traffic first. Heck, I'm doing that even as I'm at line stretch.

After that, depends upon the situation.

If the spot is long, I'll point myself back towards the airport before doing anything else.

Control items like the toggles are first.

Performance items like the slider come next.

Comfort items like loosening the chest strap are last.

[jacketsdb23 49]

Not to get this debate going again....but...

I'm very surprised how many experienced (read over 1000 jumps) skydivers loosen the chest strap before releasing the brakes. I guess habits are tough to break.

Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen
God is Good
Beer is Great
Swoopers are crazy.

[jakee 1,563]

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unzip wingsuit....

so in the Safety and Training Forum is that seriously the 1st thing your do when you canopy opens?

Uh, yeah. Being able to reach the rears asap after deployment is generally considered to be a good thing.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[Squeak 17]

Quote

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unzip wingsuit....

so in the Safety and Training Forum is that seriously the 1st thing your do when you canopy opens?

Uh, yeah. Being able to reach the rears asap after deployment is generally considered to be a good thing.

I can reach my risers with the arms zipped, and i do, which is how i was taught by my BMIs, because it wont matter a fuck if you unzip your arms if you smack into another canopy

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[VectorBoy 0]

Open chest strap, grab toggles and fly to stack, dock! All the while looking out for the camera guy who likes to get into line twists and fly out of them straight at me.

[ficus 0]

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Not to get this debate going again....but...

I'm very surprised how many experienced (read over 1000 jumps) skydivers loosen the chest strap before releasing the brakes. I guess habits are tough to break.

After the Shindig incident, I tried modifying my procedures to unstow brakes before loosening my chest strap. I found it to be annoying. So now I do what Drew mentioned above: I look at my toggles and excess brake line before I unstow the brakes. It has been a workable compromise for me so far.

[mynamebedan 0]

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unzip wingsuit....

so in the Safety and Training Forum is that seriously the 1st thing your do when you canopy opens?

Uh, yeah. Being able to reach the rears asap after deployment is generally considered to be a good thing.

I can reach my risers with the arms zipped, and i do, which is how i was taught by my BMIs, because it wont matter a fuck if you unzip your arms if you smack into another canopy

what type of wingsuit are you jumping? my s3 i can barely (read: not efficently) get on my risers, it faster and more efficent to just auto unzip rather than try to identify an approching canopy and than try to reach and maybe get imput on my risers (besides i can harness turn) and i look for traffic while flying and just prior to deployment

[Squeak 17]

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what type of wingsuit are you jumping? my s3 i can barely (read: not efficently) get on my risers, it faster and more efficent to just auto unzip rather than try to identify an approching canopy and than try to reach and maybe get imput on my risers (besides i can harness turn) and i look for traffic while flying and just prior to deployment
at 230 jumps you are on a BM S3 and load up a canopy to do harness turns effective enough to avoid a collision. Damn, you're a better man than me.

Gti and Firebird i can reach my rears enough to pull either riser.

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[mynamebedan 0]

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what type of wingsuit are you jumping? my s3 i can barely (read: not efficently) get on my risers, it faster and more efficent to just auto unzip rather than try to identify an approching canopy and than try to reach and maybe get imput on my risers (besides i can harness turn) and i look for traffic while flying and just prior to deployment

at 230 jumps you are on a BM S3 and load up a canopy to do harness turns effective enough to avoid a collision. Damn, you're a better man than me.

Gti and Firebird i can reach my rears enough to pull either riser.

you can do harness turns on most canopies that are loaded over 1.0 and it doesnt take a full 90 degree turn to avoid a canopy collision

[Heatmiser 0]

Hands on my rear risers during deployment, turn in an appropriate clear direction, collapse and stow slider, unstow brakes.

What you say is reflective of your knowledge...HOW ya say it is reflective of your experience. Airtwardo

Someone's going to be spanked! Hopefully, it will be me. Skymama

[jakee 1,563]

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I can reach my risers with the arms zipped, and i do, which is how i was taught by my BMIs, because it wont matter a fuck if you unzip your arms if you smack into another canopy

Well, if I'm close enough to another canopy to need collision avoidance directly after a wingsuit flight then I done fucked up already. If I did need it I'd still back unzipping one arm and giving a proper yank on a riser instead of tugging whatever I could grab just above the three ring.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?