t2.3aero 0 #1 December 17, 2010 So im a real newbie but i notice so much talk and so many videos of people that are pushing te envelope and opening low on purpose or not being aware.. maybe its just me but i like to open higher than the norm and for several reasons.. 1.) i lovethe canopy flight as much as the free fall. 2.) gives more time to return to the dz if your in a long spot 3.) you have much more time for EP's i would much rather open at 3500 or4,000 and never have a cutaway but be ready to deal with one than having one at 2,000 or 2,500 feet and wishing i had more time/altitude. your thoughts?Some people say "The sky is the limit" .... those people must not skydive.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anthonyfellows 0 #2 December 17, 2010 Nope. Edited to add ... My thought is that your idea is good for you and many others who share the same opinions, so stick with it. No need to change your opinion, because assholes like me don't enjoy opening high. Serious relationships turn into work after a few weeks and I already got a fucking job :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H.A.F. = Hard As Fuck ... Goddamn Amateurs Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lastchance 0 #3 December 17, 2010 Yes I do. I also love the canopy ride. I'm never in a big hurry to get to the ground. I'll do 9k hop n pops. The best ever was the sunset cross country load at the Lost Prairie Boogie 3 yrs ago. 2 otters 1 skyvan 60+ skydivers 14,000 ft. Hop n pop. Do not unstow brakes. 20 minutes under canopy. You could see 200 miles in every direction. Absolutely beautiful. I tried paragliding this last fall. I am thinking of getting into that sport as well. Hang out under canopy for hours. I may be getting old but I got to see all the cool bands. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
t2.3aero 0 #4 December 17, 2010 oooohh man pure jealousy! that sounds awesome that is one thing im pumped to do once i get my A. i want to do some high alt hop n pops. but other than just the fun of it it sems like risk with malfunctions would be far less and much bette decisions would be made tme and altitude on your side.. maybe that will all change after i have 1,000+ jumpsunder my belt though who knowsSome people say "The sky is the limit" .... those people must not skydive.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trig78 0 #5 December 17, 2010 Quote Nope. Same here. If I want to enjoy canopy ride I go paragliding 4000 is too high, 2000 is too low...for me. I like to pull as I go past 3000 mark. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drewcarp 0 #6 December 17, 2010 You don't need an A man, finish AFF and go do one. I kinda freaked out a little on my first full altitude H&P. it's a very different feeling/view being under canopy at 13K than 3. I don't know why I would freak out at 13k more than 3k considering I was in the air by myself and the only other thing that could hurt me was that ground and it was farther away than usual!! Solo High pulls are like the safest jumps you can do! Maybe you could get hit by a 727 but I bet you would hear it coming and have a good excuse to disconnect that RSL get some bonus free fall! It was just freeky though, like was going to drift into space or something. I know I wanted to be on the ground bad for a minute or so then I got use to it. Done pry 7 or 8 since, love em now but its too cold in CO to do em now, for me at least. You can do high pulls pretty much right off AFF so bang out a few more jumps and do one. Good way to get comfortable with a canopy too. I'm not too comfortable doing weird shit with my canopy at 2k with 20 others in the air with me. High pulls are the shit. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lastchance 0 #7 December 17, 2010 Yes I also like the fact of having more time to dael with a malfunction. I very seldom pull lower than 3000. But you also have to be aware when opening high of other jumpers exiting after you. Be sure that they know your intentions. I'm lucky in that respect as I normally jump at small Cessna dropzones with only 3 to 5 jumpers in the air. Most of the time I will exit last. Also let the pilot know of your plans. Good luck in your progression man and have a blast. I may be getting old but I got to see all the cool bands. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
t2.3aero 0 #8 December 17, 2010 Oh yes im sorry i forgot to mention that i know that i need to tell others my plan to open a little higher than normal... so far i have been aff so i have been in the back of the pack anyway. and i will be sure to d some high pulls as soon as i progress a little more unfortunately in wisconsin december is not thetime to be progressing fast. i can imagine the feeling though at 13k under canopy with nothing around you in silence it will be freaky at first.Some people say "The sky is the limit" .... those people must not skydive.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lastchance 0 #9 December 17, 2010 Yea, winters in Montana are slow also but we jump when we can. I also like the feeling of just me and the sky with nobody else around. It clears my head and deletes the trivial day to day bullshit. I may be getting old but I got to see all the cool bands. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
377 22 #10 December 17, 2010 I've been jumping since 1968 and never opened high intentionally until recently. Last year some friends and I who are into ham radio and skydiving started doing hop and pops from 14-18,000 feet and communicating with other hams during the long descent. Some hams don't believe it when you say "parachute mobile" after giving your callsign. Your signal can go hundreds of miles using a VHF walkie talkie from high altitudes. What surprised me is how much fun it is to just take a relaxed ride down. We arrange to be last out so we don't have a lot of other jumpers to worry about. The views are amazing and its a real change from freefall. 3772018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brucet7 0 #11 December 17, 2010 When I am solo, I enjoy opening high. Last summer we did a cross country. Got out 5 miles from the airport, open and under canopy above 10,000 ft. It was over my hometown and I got a great view. Opening was right over the house I lived it when I was in High School. Way cool.POPS #10623; SOS #1672 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
t2.3aero 0 #12 December 17, 2010 alright this is getting me pretty stoked for springtime.. sounds like it would not be to hard to organize one of these cross country jumps at a dz near me... if people are interested in it.. i cant imagine it from 18k sure would get your moneys worth out of that jumpSome people say "The sky is the limit" .... those people must not skydive.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shermanator 4 #13 December 17, 2010 Quote Solo High pulls are like the safest jumps you can do! ever heard of guys passing out due to the pressure on their legs from being in fall protection harness? can happen in a skydiving harness too. What about the guys who get stuck in thunderstorms and freeze to death.. ok, rare, but has happened.CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08 CSA #720 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ciscobird 0 #14 December 17, 2010 +1 Whenever I'm flying under a different main other than what I'm used to, I try to do a clear and pull from full alt. to test and feel out the chute (turns, stalling, brake turns, pulling on risers, etc.). Make sure that you let it be known that you're pulling high, especially with the pilot and S&TA so they can keep eye out for you. Critical on windy days when it's common for canopies to drift away. Pay attention to where you are in relative to the DZ. Be alert to where the wind is taking you and make heading corrections to stay on the upwind side. Carry your phone with you in case you have to make an off dz landing. You might never know where you end up and need immediate help. If you enjoy opening so high, you should consider becoming a crew dog. They not only open all the way up, they play together as well. Have fun and stay warm and yes, I do enjoy those long rides! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ciscobird 0 #15 December 17, 2010 Quote The best ever was the sunset cross country load at the Lost Prairie Boogie 3 yrs ago. You could see 200 miles in every direction. Absolutely beautiful. We did the same thing last summer when we had the PD demo guy at our dz. On the last load, everybody (16 of us) opened all the way high. It was a strange feeling opening far away from the dz. Everybody were flying different kinds of demo main (I was flying the Optimum Reserve). It was cool seeing all PD orange canopies floating down an invisible "highway" in the sky. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anthonyfellows 0 #16 December 17, 2010 QuoteI've been jumping since 1968 and never opened high intentionally until recently. Last year some friends and I who are into ham radio and skydiving started doing hop and pops from 14-18,000 feet and communicating with other hams during the long descent. Some hams don't believe it when you say "parachute mobile" after giving your callsign. Your signal can go hundreds of miles using a VHF walkie talkie from high altitudes. What surprised me is how much fun it is to just take a relaxed ride down. We arrange to be last out so we don't have a lot of other jumpers to worry about. The views are amazing and its a real change from freefall. 377 I've never done it, but I've heard a lot of amateur radio enthusiasts talk about it ... That would give me a reason to want to do an altitude hop n pop. I think my license expired in 2008. I need to renew it. KB9TVVSerious relationships turn into work after a few weeks and I already got a fucking job :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H.A.F. = Hard As Fuck ... Goddamn Amateurs Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyrider 0 #17 December 17, 2010 Make sure everyone on the load knows your opening high and exit last! Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, Myself, I open at 2...I feel much safer down low! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rnicks 0 #18 December 17, 2010 Quote Maybe you could get hit by a 727 Even though I know it is ridiculous, I have the same fear!! To the OP, I love high altitude hop n pops. Keep in mind though that it is much colder. Even in July I have to bundle up and always freeze the first half. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Butters 0 #19 December 17, 2010 Enjoy opening high? No. Quote Quote Maybe you could get hit by a 727 Even though I know it is ridiculous, I have the same fear!! It's not ridiculous."That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkeenan 14 #20 December 17, 2010 Quote ... i like to open higher than the norm ... Sounds like you were born for CRW. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
millertime24 8 #21 December 17, 2010 I like pulling at full alt for some things. Usually it has to be hot as fuck on the ground as Im not a big fan of freezing my nuts off. Also, I really dont like pulling that high solo. It's fun for me if there's other people to fly relative with and/or it's a xc jump. Other than that, I usually dump at 8K when testing out new canopies just to get a feel for how they fly/flare etc.Muff #5048 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
t2.3aero 0 #22 December 17, 2010 first off whats a crew dog? secondly some things i forgot to take into account .... temperature! i forgot about that it can becold as shit up there good point there.. its funny how some people feel uncomfortable being under canopy at those heights and feel safer at 2K. but to each his own. that invisible highway sounds awesome by the way i has seen pictures but they dont do justice,.Some people say "The sky is the limit" .... those people must not skydive.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckbrown 0 #23 December 17, 2010 Quote Quote ... i like to open higher than the norm ... Sounds like you were born for CRW. For a second there, I thought nobody was gonna get to this guy. The Dark Side awaits another victim. Heh, heh. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DaVincisEnvy 0 #24 December 17, 2010 QuoteLast year some friends and I who are into ham radio and skydiving started doing hop and pops from 14-18,000 feet and communicating with other hams during the long descent. That's a fantastic idea! I haven't really played around with my ham radio since I left Oklahoma for a state that doesn't get many Skywarn activations. I know of a couple other hams on my home DZ, so I'm going to propose something like this once it warms up a bit. I actually did my first cross country (case of beer sitting by the door to take up to the DZ this weekend, of course) a couple of weeks ago, and it was an awesome experience. Sunset light glinting over the water. DZ miles away. Quiet canopy ride (although 50mph uppers DO make a fair bit of noise). An operational question: Do you leave your brakes stowed until you're down low so your hands are free to operate the radio? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckbrown 0 #25 December 17, 2010 Quotefirst off whats a crew dog? Go jump down to Madison and ask for Jim Rasmussen. He'll point you in the right direction. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
