Flying in gusty conditions or higher winds than normal?

[humanflite 0]

Got a couple of jumps in today and it was much windier up there than I have been used to before (gusting 20+knots) wind on the ground was 9-10knots when we took off on the load but I swear it had increased a lot by the time I came down to land

Im currently still flying a big forgiving 220 but it didnt feel so forgiving during the canopy flight today and I was trying to work out the best way to fly it..

A few experienced guys on our DZ said to keep it in full flight all the way..

but I swear when I turned crosswind it flew more stable and less bouncy on half brakes?

Downwind I tried full flight and half brakes and I think full flight was better...

but anyone got any opinions on the best way to fly in unexpected winds?

As a sidenote, I got to put into practice the flat turns Ive been practising up high as another canopy was a bit too close for comfort on finals.
It worked a treat

[Booster_MPS 0]

I strongly suggest that you work with your local instructors to understand two things:

1. Know the effects of each of the 8 inputs to your canopy flight
2. Fully understand the difference between flying your canopy in slow flight and full flight when you are flying downwind and also when flying upwind.

You will really need these skills when you find yourself in an off landing situation or when there are obstacles that you have to deal with. This is not the time to make an error piloting your canopy.

[humanflite 0]

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I strongly suggest that you work with your local instructors to understand two things:

1. Know the effects of each of the 8 inputs to your canopy flight
2. Fully understand the difference between flying your canopy in slow flight and full flight when you are flying downwind and also when flying upwind.

You will really need these skills when you find yourself in an off landing situation or when there are obstacles that you have to deal with. This is not the time to make an error piloting your canopy.

Thanks for the input.
Im doing a canopy control course in 2 weeks time and Im currently awaiting Brian Germains book which I will read cover to cover a good number of times.

But I still like to find out as much from experienced canopy pilots as I can

[Booster_MPS 0]

Taking a canopy course is an awesome idea and I am very glad that I spent a couple days taking Scott Miller's course. You will certainly get your questions answered during the class and also have an opportunity to put your knowledge into action over a few jumps. I can't emphasize enough the importance of knowing how and when to apply braked/slow flight in your pattern and the effects of slow flight on your pattern and approach depending on being upwind or downwind. We will all find ourselves having to make good decisions under canopy over unfamiliar terrain. The key is being prepared.

Not to dodge the answer to your questions, but it is best to have this discussion with an instructor one on one so that you can have a conversation and discuss all of the possible situations that you could see under canopy.

[rwieder 0]

It would help a bunch if you would complete your profile, i don't understand all of these new jumpers coming here and asking questions without providing information.

In any event, if your profile is correct, you don't have any business flying a canopy in those kinds of winds....period.

An old story from just one of my many mistakes. The winds were 20 MPH - gusting 25 MPH on the ground. Tandems were grounded, students were grounded, i was a newly licensed "C" jumper taking the USPA Coaching Course. I thought "Hey!" I'm Billy Bas-Ass, i know WTF i'm doing here, i can handle this, no problem! A really good friend of mine, and co-jumper/mentor told me not to go up, i rebuffed her and said "It Ain't Nothing" We get the Otter loaded, get to altitude, bail at 13,500'. Great sky dive, having a small problem keeping a heading (Go Figure) I deploy at 2,500 AGL, in the saddle around 1,750' AGL. My first final approach is going great! I think to myself, see, i told you you could do it!! About this time i'm approx. 500' AGL, there are some really tall pine trees next to the swoop pond i've flown by a thousand times, BUT not in high winds. I got a very important lesson in "Rotors" that day. The freaking winds were at such a strong uddraft it lifted me 500' and moved me approx 300' to the east, next to some power lines. (Oh Joy!!) I'm thinking "Boy, your not the sharpest knife in the drawer" I was pretty disapointed in myself. I managed to safely land, but no where near i had intended to. To add insult to injury, i got a "Talking to" by the Upjumper who advised me not to go. I haven't done it since, i don't think i'll do it again. Or should i say "I know i won't do it again?"

It's not how many jumps you can do today, it's how many can you live to do in the future. Jumping in high winds is nothing to brag about, or be proud of.

-Richard-
"You're Holding The Rope And I'm Taking The Fall"

[billvon 3,073]

A few notes:

1) Your canopy can't tell if you are flying crosswind or downwind

2) Most modern canopies are most stable at full flight. If your canopy is actually collapsing (i.e. losing its shape) then half brakes help it reinflate. But if you are just getting bumped around generally full flight gets you the most stability.

3) Don't let the wind determine your direction. Be proactive on canopy control to ensure the canopy goes where you want it to go.

[JohanW 0]

I think a canopy can actually tell if a gust came from crosswind, upwind or downwind.

The more I think about it, the more that seems to be right.

Johan.
I am. I think.

[diablopilot 2]

The physical enviornment says otherwise, but please explain, maybe there's something I'm missing.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[humanflite 0]

Quote

A few notes:

1) Your canopy can't tell if you are flying crosswind or downwind

2) Most modern canopies are most stable at full flight. If your canopy is actually collapsing (i.e. losing its shape) then half brakes help it reinflate. But if you are just getting bumped around generally full flight gets you the most stability.

3) Don't let the wind determine your direction. Be proactive on canopy control to ensure the canopy goes where you want it to go.

Billvon
Thats very useful info, just what I was looking for so thanks a lot for summarising it so well
Rwieder/
My profile is slightly out of date but not by much. The winds were not gusting when we went up and the DZO had reports that they were relatively static. It literally picked up as we were on the plane and I didnt know about it till I was under canopy.

The DZO then closed the DZ for the day due to the unpredictable conditions.

[rwieder 0]

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Rwieder/
My profile is slightly out of date but not by much. The winds were not gusting when we went up and the DZO had reports that they were relatively static. It literally picked up as we were on the plane and I didnt know about it till I was under canopy.

The DZO then closed the DZ for the day due to the unpredictable conditions.

This most certainly would have been good information in the original post.

-Richard-
"You're Holding The Rope And I'm Taking The Fall"

[JohanW 0]

I think a canopy reacts differently to a gust from the side, the front or the rear.

A gust from the side will not affect the angle of attack; a gust from the front will decrease the AoA; a gust from the rear will increase it.

I may be mixing up increase and decrease, my apologies for posting near the end of a working day (esp. to my boss).

Please note I am not talking about steady winds, I am well aware the canopy doesn't know those. But a canopy in a gust is a dynamic system.

Of course, the end of a gust from the front is much the same as the start of a gust from the rear. And flying into an area with suddenly less wind (e.g. a stadium, or generally the burble of an obstacle), or more, has much the same dynamics.

Johan.
I am. I think.

[billvon 3,073]

> I think a canopy can actually tell if a gust came from crosswind, upwind or downwind.

A canopy can definitely "tell" if a gust comes from the front, the side or from the rear. However, the original poster was asking about whether the canopy behaved differently during the parts of the pattern called crosswind or downwind. And canopies can't tell what part of the pattern they are in.

The term "crosswind" and "downwind" can sometimes be misleading, since they usually refer to parts of a pattern rather than wind direction with respect to the canopy. In addition, sometimes the crosswind/downwind parts of the pattern are not actually across the wind or straight down the windline.