Lesson learned - re: goggles

[elfanie 0]

I'm still a baby in the sport (just got my "A" this weekend), but wanted to share a lesson I learned this past weekend.

I wear glasses...my eyesight isn't really bad, but I do wear glasses/contacts all of the time. I'd been wearing my contacts every time that I jump so that I wouldn't have to worry about glasses..finding googles to fit OVER my glasses, etc etc etc.

For Christmas, my husband bought me some prescription goggles. Exact same goggles I'd been wearing, just with my prescription in the lenses. So out I go on Saturday (day before yesterday). First jump of the day, my new goggles, I'm excited. Jump goes great...canopy ride was fun...came in to land. I've been doing really good consistant landings, stood the last 8 of 9 jumps I did easily (9th I went to a knee not because of the landing, but because my toe caught on the ground and it dumped me to my knee. ie. I tripped.)
So I come in for my landing...and you all know how you have a "rhythm" to landing. You flare..and a beat later there's the ground...step it out..etc. this time I came in for my landing...good spot, right in the middle of the grass next to the peas...and flare...
hold it...
WHERE THE HECK IS THE GROUND??? hold the flare... OH CRAP!!!
Held the flare...stalled the canopy about 6' off the ground still and just crumped onto the ground (plf'd as much as you can with NO horizontal speed and just being dumped straight down).

I guesstimate that I flared about 15-20 feet too high..and could have SWORN that my feet were about to touch. I got a lot of crap about that...but I swore it was my goggles. (and got crap from everyone about 'blaming' the goggles and yeah yeah..likely excuse...ha ha.)
Next jump of the day....just about waited until my feet actually felt ground...but wanted to flare about 3 full seconds before that.
Next two jumps were standing..but still didn't feel right.

Head back out to the DZ yesterday...this time with my contacts in.
*snort*
Ok...so first jump of the day....everything's fine...coming in for my landing...there's my spot...get ready....and FLA-
I got the toggles MAYBE to my shoulders before I was on my butt sliding across the dirt. I was actually sitting ON THE GROUND when I "finished the flare" (why? Because I always finish what I start.)

I looked up and someone yelled, "YOU FORGOT TO FLARE!"
*heavy sigh*

Lesson? YES...glasses/contacts/goggles...can make a huge difference. Be ready for that and fly with super extra caution when it comes time to land. Depth of field can be altered enormously depending on your eyewear...and as it is, I'm no longer going to jump my prescription goggles. I didn't give my eyewear enough credit and I learned my lesson without injury (thank goodness). That early flare could have really had a bad outcome. I just thank goodness that I'm not a swooper or something with messed up depth of field.

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Elfanie
My Skydiving Page
Fly Safe - Soft Landings

[Nightingale 0]

yup.

Switching from glasses/contacts/goggles can really mess up your depth perception if you don't switch around often and give your brain time to acclimate.

[Blahr 0]

I have heard this story from another person before.
The person in question was an experienced jumper and tried out prescription goggles and ended up flareing 50 ft in the air.

I had bought a pair of sportrx goggles but ended up never using them.
My main reson for wanting prescription goggles was because I hated trying to put on my helmet at the last minute in the plane but if I put them on before getting on the plane that meant I had to put on the goggles as well first. The goggles then fogged up right away and I had to live with that till I got my head out the door.

My solution was to copy the student helmets they use at my DZ which is your basic protec helmet with goggles that attach to the OUTSIDE of the helmet via snaps.

Paid a few bucks (5 or 6 bucks) for the snap hardware at home depot, put it on the helmet and goggles myself.
I then painted the helmet myself to make it look cooler.

This also allows me to remove the goggles while under canopy which I couldnt do before as the goggles were under the helmet.

I have a Bonehead full face helmet that I dont use now because I like this arrangement better

So, the painted protec with snaps has the following desirable features

1. Strong. Protec helmets are very strong.
2. Looks cool (with custom paint job)
3. Over the glasses goggles easily attach on the
outside of the helmet just prior to exit
4. Can remove goggles under canopy for best view
5. The whole setup is very cheap.

BTW, the custom paint job, if done correctly, is VERY durable and looks great. Its very cheap too if you can do it yourself. I probably spent a total of 3 or 4 hours working on the helmet including adding the snaps and painting it.

The following are average prices. You may do better if you shop around

Protec helmet = $40.00
Paint supplies = $15.00
Snap hardware = $ 6.00
Flex-Z goggles = $15.00

Total = $75.00 (give or take a few bucks)

I've attached a couple pics that dont really do justice to the finish on the helmet but you get the idea.
The original color was a dark sand (tan) color. this one was kind of a rush job. I'm doing another one which I am taking my time with.

[TALONSKY 0]

When I was fairly new to skydiving about 130 jumps, I switch from glasses to contacts. I never really had any problem standing up my landings till that point. It took me about 10-20 jumps to refigure out landings after changing. I would pick what you are going to wear and then figure on an adjustment period to get use to it.
Kirk

[DeNReN 0]

Thanks for the advise.....I havent tried jumping with new glasses or prescription goggles yet....but I do intend on getting some goggles this coming season....flex vision work well..but ...

When I do get new glasses (or lenses) I always notice it takes a couple of days to get used to them ...even with the same prescription....the guys at work will think I'm nuts...but...I will wear any new lenses for a couple of days before I jump them...Thanks

[grega 0]

I had same problem, when i switched to different type of goggles.
But instead of getting rid of those new goggles, rather look more at the horizon when landing. if you don't look at the ground you don't actually need a perception. you know how the world looks when you're standing on the ground with or without the depth perception.
So look more towards the horizon (forward) and not at the ground.

Well it helped me.

"George just lucky i guess!"

[elfanie 0]

Quote

I had same problem, when i switched to different type of goggles.
But instead of getting rid of those new goggles, rather look more at the horizon when landing. if you don't look at the ground you don't actually need a perception. you know how the world looks when you're standing on the ground with or without the depth perception.
So look more towards the horizon (forward) and not at the ground.

Well it helped me.

Ya know...that's exactly what my DZO said...and he's a guy with TONS of experience!! (I mean TONS. Someone told me that they thought he'd done something like 3000 TANDEMS! He's really really good...)

and the next couple of jumps..I tried...I really really tried...because I respect this guy and do NOT want to be one of those jumpers talked about on this board who are arrogant and don't want to listen to advice. My problem is that to me..looking at the horizon when landing is like not looking where you're walking. I look at where I expect my feet to land because I'm looking for what I'm going to step on, things to avoid (like little bumps in the ground or rocks or grass or whatever)...
so everytime I try to look at the horizon...I just...can't make myself. I'm afraid I'm going to misjudge horribly. I know that there will have to be 'the first' time that I land looking straight at the horizon...but how do you make yourself do it? I always look forward about 45* ahead of me...

how do you do it???

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Elfanie
My Skydiving Page
Fly Safe - Soft Landings

[dmbale 0]

I guess that everyone is different. On my AFF 7 jump, I thought that my over the glasses goggles were tight enough but after I finished tracking, they start to fall off and were taking my glasses with them. My eyesight is bad enough that it would be hard to see the windsock direction at 1000' and I wouldn't be able to see most obstacles at 200'; so I got prescription goggles. I have jumped twice with them and I am not having any problems with my flare. I have learned to look at horizon and not my feet. I have noticed that the goggles fog up in the plane and when I am field packing my chute but are fine in the air. The goggles do give me more confidence in freefall though.

[grega 0]

Well you don't really look straight in the horizon when you step down. That way you can't tell what you'll step on.

Look not 45* at the ground but lets say around 70* or 60* i'm don't know the exact angle. during flare you should look not where you'll step at, but a couple of feets ahead (I don't know, around 30, depends on the speed of the canopy)

Well the point is that you look at that angle during the flare. A moment before you finish the flare and step on the ground, you definitely look down what you'll put your feet on to.

That's the best advice i can give. More details should be given by more experienced guys than me. Because i also am still learning.

"George just lucky i guess!"

[EdC 0]

What kind of prescription goggles did you get? I just ordered a pair of SportRx G103s. I wear the over sized cheap goggles over my regular glasses now and occasionally air gets past the goggles and causes my eyes to water while in free fall. I liked the sample pair sportrx sent me and after I ordered the prescription pair, they told me I could keep the sample pair.

Big Ed

[elfanie 0]

Quote

What kind of prescription goggles did you get? I just ordered a pair of SportRx G103s. I wear the over sized cheap goggles over my regular glasses now and occasionally air gets past the goggles and causes my eyes to water while in free fall. I liked the sample pair sportrx sent me and after I ordered the prescription pair, they told me I could keep the sample pair.

We got ours from sportRX as ell...the 107's. I wear the non-prescription 107's over my contacts and never had a problem (lots of people talk about losing a contact in freefall..I've never had a contact pop out..ever...at any time, including skydiving). I got the exact same goggles in prescription...and, as you read, it could have hurt me.

It's possible that going from glasses+goggles to prescription goggles won't be as big of a deal as going from contacts+goggles to prescription goggles...but just be careful. My husband goes from glasses to prescription goggles and doesn't have a problem (but he neve wears anything when he jumps but the prescrip. goggles).

I even wore my prescrip. goggles for about 45 minutes before jumping. Just...not sure WHY it was SO different..but it sure was!! never had my depth perception so wacked out before...it was very unnerving, to say the least.

Just be careful....maybe jump off a tabletop or a chair a couple of times while wearing them. I even went and walked around the landing area, looking at the dirt and grass and stuff, while wearing them..and STILL had trouble with them.

Maybe it's just me that's mixed up..

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Elfanie
My Skydiving Page
Fly Safe - Soft Landings

[EdC 0]

Thanks, I'll be sure to try them out around the house before I jump them.

Merry Christmas

Big Ed

[riggerrob 643]

For the last 2,000 jumps I have worn racketball glasses or basketball glasses (slightly bigger).
These heavy-duty sports specs provide exactly the same vision as my regular glasses and plenty of facial protection when my loving students slam my head into the door frame!
I also find racketball glasses to be a decent compromise between wind protection and fogging up. The only time they allow enough wind in to make me cry is when I lean my head sideways out fo the Cessna to spot.

[EdC 0]

I got my sportrx goggles over the weekend and I was wearing them around the yard and the depth perception makes the ground seem closer than it actually is. It's going to take some getting used to. Now if I can stop staring at the ground when I'm getting ready to flare, I'll be ok.

Big Ed

[elfanie 0]

Quote

I got my sportrx goggles over the weekend and I was wearing them around the yard and the depth perception makes the ground seem closer than it actually is.

Heh...
mine made it seem about 20 feet too close, according to when I flared.

Please please be careful and conservative when you first jump your new goggles. In fact...depending on your canopy, you might ask your JM if it would be safe to wait until you basically feel your toe touching and flare quickly and do a third base slide...compare touchdown time to when you WOULD have flared..? (ask about the safety of this, though...please don't just do it??)
If I'd been on a smaller canopy..that would have hurt much more. (flaring that early) and I SWORE I was AT the ground...very very unnerving feeling.

Fly safe!!

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Elfanie
My Skydiving Page
Fly Safe - Soft Landings

[riggerrob 643]

Quote

I got my sportrx goggles over the weekend and I was wearing them around the yard and the depth perception makes the ground seem closer than it actually is. It's going to take some getting used to. Now if I can stop staring at the ground when I'm getting ready to flare, I'll be ok.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You might want to practice a bit with your new googles before jumping with them. Try running down stairs, grassy knolls, snowy hillsides a few times to accustom yourself to the different depth perception.