consistant landings

[ffp1974 0]

After all of these years, I still do not have consistant landings. I usually flare late and slide in on my but. I am flying a Triathalon 190 and I weigh 205.

Any help would be appreciated.

[hackish 8]

Take a canopy course and get all your landings filmed. It really helped to improve my landings. I was standing them all up before and didn't feel that I needed a "lot" of coaching in that area but it still really helped.

-Michael

[chuckakers 426]

Quote

After all of these years, I still do not have consistant landings. I usually flare late and slide in on my but. I am flying a Triatalon 190 and I weigh 205.

Any help would be appreciated.

Get a different canopy.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[tdog 0]

Borrow a friend's canopy, like a Sabre 2, and see how it changes your landings...

[beowulf 1]

With 418 jumps over 11 years it's going to be hard to have consistent landings with out you being more current. It will be much easier if you could do more jumps. I know it's expensive but you will have trouble finding that right flare with out doing more jumps.

[wmw999 2,534]

I'd suggest learning to PLF. Really. Because if you're not exactly in control of your landing, sliding in on your butt is using your back as a shock absorber rather than your knees. Not good.

Consistency, canopy class -- both those will help. But remember that the purpose of the landing is to enable you to walk in comfortably and jump again.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[JohnMitchell 16]

Only jump on windy days.

Seriously, there are so many variables to having a "good" landing that it's almost impossible to diagnose over the internet. We can give you a laundry list of solutions, but an instructor viewing your landings, especially on video, can tell you exactly where you need to improve.

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

Facinating suggestion to PLF with a late flare. When I flare late, I typically fare rapidly and my legs are far out in front of me because of swinging forward. I have no idea how I am supposed to PLF in that situation. Can you explain?

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[billvon 3,068]

> When I flare late, I typically fare rapidly and my legs are far out in front of me
>because of swinging forward. I have no idea how I am supposed to PLF in that
>situation.

Don't let your legs swing forward. Many newer jumpers seem to have their arms connected to their legs; their legs come up when their arms come down. Resist that temptation and keep your legs under you. That allows a PLF for lower speed landings or a side slide for higher speed landings. The three keys are:

1) keep your legs under you
2) keep them flexed so you don't plant a stiff leg and somersault onto your face
3) keep them to one side or the other so you don't do the feet-knees-face thing

[pchapman 279]

Quote

Don't let your legs swing forward. Many newer jumpers seem to have their arms connected to their legs; their legs come up when their arms come down.

The "marionette" problem!

For the orig. poster:
Having a loosened chest strap also helps get your body more upright while the canopy is behind you during the flare. A loose chest strap is not just for cool swoopers.
(But someone new should get a briefing on loosening the chest strap because there are a couple small concerns about distraction or cutaways after opening.)

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

After all of these years, I still do not have consistant landings. I usually flare late and slide in on my but. I am flying a Triathalon 190 and I weigh 205.

I do know that it's a hell of a lot easier to avoid late flaring into the ground with a 9 cell (say Pilot) instead of my tri 210, but a stubborn part also says that changing the canopy rather than fixing the problem isn't the best solution.

BTW, is this an older tri, or with the current line set. It (2005) does flare better than the much older 220 I used for a spell.

[Tuna-Salad 0]

For the most part stood up most of my landings but I used to flare all smooth and slow which would give me hard touchdowns.. Now I wait a little later and pull the toggles down faster... it seems to have made them a bit softer. I'm just commenting on my experience.. I don't reccomend trying anything I say..
Now my problem is standing up landings that I should otherwise plf on. *cough* when I landed on the pavement one day.
Having seen this thread I have a question regarding landings but will not ask here since it is not the topic.

Millions of my potential children died on your daughters' face last night.

[adobelover 0]

Hang in there...I fly a Tri and had the same problem...for one thing, if it's an older Tri you should have the 4.0 Mod done, it really improved the flare on mine. If you've already done that or if it's a newer Tri, nevermind! Do get your landings on video. It was amazing and embarrasing to see myself do the "marionette" thing. I almost always butt slid my landings. That was a bad habit and REALLY hard to break. When I started flaring earlier and slower, concentrated on making my legs stay down while I was flaring AND finishing my flare...voila...stand up landings. Good luck.

_________________________________________


Old age ain't no place for sissies!

[sparkie 0]

Quote

Facinating suggestion to PLF with a late flare. When I flare late, I typically fare rapidly and my legs are far out in front of me because of swinging forward. I have no idea how I am supposed to PLF in that situation. Can you explain?

Do you flare in one stage? Maybe flaring in 2 stages might help to keep your body from swinging forward.

More time to adjust the flare too imho.

[ffp1974 0]

What do you mean doing the "marionette thing"

[bob.dino 1]

Triathlons don't have the greatest reputation for being easy to land.

Try borrowing a Safire2 or a Sabre2 and see if that helps.

[adobelover 0]

While you pull down on the toggles to flare, the legs come up at the same time.

_________________________________________


Old age ain't no place for sissies!

[ifell 0]

I would really like to get a canopy course, does anyone know an excellent coach in eastern Canada (Quebec or Ontario) or maybe way up the east coast like Maine or something?

I have never seen anyone give a canopy course except to AFF students and that's not really what I am looking for.

[AggieDave 6]

JaMo is from Canadia, drop him a line to see if he's coming back any time soon and willing to hold a course.

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

[adobelover 0]

Who'd have ever guessed it but in May of this year, we were extremely fortunate to have Luigi Cani give a 2 day canopy control class in Siloam Springs, Arkansas at Skydive Skyranch! And THEN for the Grand Finale, he entertained us all by flying that itty bitty teatowel he calls a canopy! It was awesome!!

_________________________________________


Old age ain't no place for sissies!

[ifell 0]

Thanks AggieDave I'll do that!

[ffp1974 0]

My tri is about two years old. so i am assuming it has the mods.

[rwieder 0]

A.D.

When you gonna host a canopy course? Your a damn good canopy pilot yourself.

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

[ffp1974 0]

I would like to take a canopy course also
1

[murps2000 86]

At your loading that canopy is within its design range to allow you to perform consistant landings. People tell you to get a new canopy but I don't think that's your problem.
There's lots of other good advice in this thread, though. Any canopy class will likely help, and video debrief of your landings is always informative. You might also try pulling a little higher than usual sometime so you can do some practice flares before landing. It helps. Although you don't have the ground as a reference when you do them up high, you can feel lift in your harness when you do practice flares properly and smoothly.
Also, just watch good canopy pilots land whenever your at the dz but not on a load. Watch their techniques.