My Canopy Is Hard For Me To Flare....

[windcatcher 0]

.
Yes, I know that I should have jumped my Spectre a few times before I bought it, but here's the deal. My canopy is hard for me to flare, though I am trying to pay attention to how I bring my arms in. Someone pointed out I was out to the side more instead of in front, which of course makes it harder to flare the canopy because the muscles are weaker in that area.

So, I have been practicing flaring in the front and can flare most of the way, it's just that last bit of finishing the flare that is hard. Is there anything I can do besides lifting weights or changing canopies?

Thank you,
Sarah

Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

[LawnDart21 0]

Yes,

1) Shorten your brake lines.

2) Buy longer risers. Presumably your risers are 20" stock risers. You can buy 22" risers, that will add 2" to your flare.

3) Do both.

Blue skies, Tom

--
My other ride is a RESERVE.

[mnealtx 0]

Gaining strength is gonna be your best bet, darlin....

You don't have to be grunting and sweating at the gym to do it either....

Get a couple of full size cans of soup. Lay on the couch and point your elbows at the ceiling, then extend your arms. Wash, rinse, repeat x25.

When the soup cans get easy, find something with a bit more weight, and so on....

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

[justinb138 0]

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Gaining strength is gonna be your best bet, darlin....

And if that doesn't work, there's always the roids...

[lummy 4]

If it were me, I'd talk to my rigger and S&TA about it. They would be the best people to give you advice. They can watch your landings to see if your flare is really not enough and can show you better techniques to flaring, or if it's a mechanical problem that needs to be corrected (shortening brake lines)

I've gone thru a similar situation where I thought the brake lines were too long so I talked to my rigger. He asked me a bunch of questions about how I was doing things and how the canopy looked under full flight, half brakes, full.. etc. He and I eventually decided to put an extra wrap thru the grommet to shorten the lines about an inch, but I was also flaring too low.
Opionions here should be taken with a grain of salt.

I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. eat sushi, get smoochieTTK#1

[windcatcher 0]

my riggger, who is also my S and TA, and former AFF Instructor, just tells me to lift weights and I should be fine

Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

[JumpRu 14]

I recommend taking Scot Miller Basic Canopy Control course.

[billvon 2,998]

>1) Shorten your brake lines.
>2) Buy longer risers. Presumably your risers are 20" stock risers. You
>can buy 22" risers, that will add 2" to your flare.

Both good suggestions, but two caveats:

With option 1, do not shorten your brake lines so much that the tail of your canopy is deflected at all in full flight. If that happens you will lose landing performance because you will lose speed, and speed=lift at flare time.

With option 2, make sure you can still reach everything you need to reach, and make sure that you can fly with the toggles still all the way at the keepers. Also, option 2 may make matters worse if the problem is not enough strength rather than not enough brake travel. If the problem is really strength, _shorter_ risers may help by giving you a bit more leverage at the bottom of the stroke.

A few more suggestions:

Different canopies have different toggle pressures. You may have luck with a different canopy.

Pulling the toggles down your centerline instead of off to the side will give you a little more leverage (and protect your wrists to boot!)

[DancingFlame 0]

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my riggger, who is also my S and TA, and former AFF Instructor, just tells me to lift weights and I should be fine

So be it.
Bet you'll enjoy that

[GravityGirl 0]

Is you harness custom built for you? How long are your risers? What size parachute are you flying?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[phoenixlpr 0]

Harder steering pressure is one characteristic of the 7 cell canopies.

My instructor had the same problem with young female students. They could not have more than 2 jump per day.
After 2 jumps they had no power to turn or flare.

I think the gym is the optimal solution for you.

[Tonto 1]

Go to gym, or climb, or find some other activity the allows you to pull a few KG's down a few times a day.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[LawnDart21 0]

Good input, I had to assume when I originally posted(given that I post at work and cant always go into detail.....lol) that whoever shortened her brake lines would be wary of caveat #1.

Caviar #2: My thought on shorter risers would be that it would make her flare shorter and less effective.

What do you think about someone showing her the safe way to wrap the brake lines around her fingers to shorten them on landing? If that solved her problem, it would indicate that the brake line length is the answer.

--
My other ride is a RESERVE.

[riggerrob 643]

I would like a second look at her technique.
A common problem with women is that when they try flaring with their hands in front of them, they pull their elbows to their ribs, then run out of strength. This is because they try to finish the flare only using trapezoid muscles.

A better technique involves keeping their elbows out, and sliding their hands down their zipper. This technique pulls a bunch of other muscles: pectoral, latimus dorsi, etc. into the flare.

[billvon 2,998]

>What do you think about someone showing her the safe way to wrap
>the brake lines around her fingers to shorten them on landing?

I'd have to see her land. It sounds more like she can't get the brakes down, not that there isn't enough brake travel.

[AggieDave 6]

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A common problem with women is that when they try flaring with their hands in front of them, they pull their elbows to their ribs, then run out of strength. This is because they try to finish the flare only using trapezoid muscles.

Wow, good observation. I had been thinking something along those lines while watching some of our low time and student females have some landing issues but I couldn't quite pull it all together on how to help them.

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

[windcatcher 0]

yes Bonnie, my harness and container was built for me, just got my Wings on March 17thI will go to the gym like I used to before I started skydiving regularly...but I just hope it's not a lack of strength needed to flare
I concentrate on making sure my arms are in front more when I flare; someone pointed out before my arms were back, almost like I was trying to swoop. Hopefully being more conscience of everything and the weights will help, but I still think I have an easier time flaring on other canopies.

Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

[Avion 0]

I'm suprised your having touble flaring a spectre. The only canopy I had trouble with was a 260 Navigator, the last foot or so took all my strength to finish out. Once I moved down to a 240, it was much easier. Now I'm flying a 230 spectre, and the flare is easy as pie. Maybe they get stiffer as they get smaller.

In his course, Scott instructed us to finish the flare with hands going straight down the side of our legs.

If you go to a gym, I have found that a 'total gym' excersizes the exact muscles used in flaring.

Cheers

[Jeth 0]

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I would like a second look at her technique.
A common problem with women is that when they try flaring with their hands in front of them, they pull their elbows to their ribs, then run out of strength. This is because they try to finish the flare only using trapezoid muscles.

A better technique involves keeping their elbows out, and sliding their hands down their zipper. This technique pulls a bunch of other muscles: pectoral, latimus dorsi, etc. into the flare.

From my meager experience -- I had a friend that was trying to flare out to each side, and it was very hard for her. I pull mine like described above, right down the center with my elbows to the sides (and my hands a bit forward). I have no trouble at all. I do work out, though, so I suppose it would be harder for someone who doesn't work those muscles. (But I still think its definitely easier down the middle than to the sides.)

"At 13,000 feet nothing else matters."
PFRX!!!!!
Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109
My Jump Site

[Avion 0]

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(But I still think its definitely easier down the middle than to the sides.)

Scott only said that flaring down the middle front might make it more difficult to run it out if you had to.
Seems about the same to me

• Quote

[skr 1]

I was going to say what rigerrob said plus one tidbit about
which way your hand are facing while flaring.

When people flare like this:

>flaring with their hands in front of them, they pull their elbows
>to their ribs, then run out of strength.

their hands are often facing "inward", ie the palms are facing
each other.


And one way to flare like this:

>A better technique involves keeping their elbows out

is to have your palms facing forward for the whole flare
top to bottom.

That way you don't get half way down (elbows to ribs)
and then have to shift gears and try to get "up on top
of your toggles" to do the bottom half.

It's hard to articulate, but easy to show.

Skr

[JohnMitchell 16]

Yep, What Skratch, Jeth ,and RiggerRob are saying. I tell my students to keep the hands close to the body, right down the chest, when flaring, just like doing a chinup on a chinup bar. That's where you have the most strength. I watch many people, especially women, unable to flare quickly or completely because they are holding their toggles out to the sides and run out of muscle.

[AggieDave 6]

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because they are holding their toggles out to the sides and run out of muscle.

I've often thought that this sort of instance is due to a subconcious reaction to copy what experienced people due. I don't think I've ever seen a swooper flare infront of their body, they're usually out and back using the rear riser deflection from the brake line and guide ring to their advantage. Then before you know it, students are doing it as well, since they watch the swoopers come in hot and flare like that.

I could be 100% wrong on that, its just a theory I have.

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

[Jeth 0]

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Quote

because they are holding their toggles out to the sides and run out of muscle.

I've often thought that this sort of instance is due to a subconcious reaction to copy what experienced people due. I don't think I've ever seen a swooper flare infront of their body, they're usually out and back using the rear riser deflection from the brake line and guide ring to their advantage. Then before you know it, students are doing it as well, since they watch the swoopers come in hot and flare like that.

I could be 100% wrong on that, its just a theory I have.

I think thats definitely it, Dave. I know people who even came out and said they were immitating the swoopers. But my FJC instructor told me to pull them down in front, so thats what I do.

"At 13,000 feet nothing else matters."
PFRX!!!!!
Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109
My Jump Site

[melstarr 0]

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Yep, What Skratch, Jeth ,and RiggerRob are saying. I tell my students to keep the hands close to the body, right down the chest, when flaring, just like doing a chinup on a chinup bar. That's where you have the most strength. I watch many people, especially women, unable to flare quickly or completely because they are holding their toggles out to the sides and run out of muscle.

hi john
this is a Very good discussion! everyone is providing very nice information. i used to flare like the bold statement, and now i flare like the italicized statement --- * i did this with a triathlon and currently a sabre2 *

an experienced canopy pilot informed me to flare out to the sides to give me a better range of balance. granted i'm capable of flaring either way ~ but is the flare-out-to-the-sides a skill to work up to or is it something reccommended for certain canopies, experience, etc?

thank you in advance

~ meL* Pink Mafia / Tunnel Mafia Sister