landing flares

[Layton 0]

i always look down when landing.been working for over a hundred jumps.i see threads about looking out and not down.ok im still new at this so i will ask.whyif you are going to be stupid you better be tough

[councilman24 37]

We used to tell newbies on rounds not to look down. If you look down very near to the ground you suddenly see the relative motion and automatically try to brace yourself, usually by sticking out a leg. That's the one that usually breaks. With forward speed I'm not sure it matters so much. Your looking out at wear your going to land anyway, and you have very little vertical speed. Hey, after this long do what works.

Terry

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[quade 4]

You are going to hear differing opinions about where to look during your flair.

My personal point of view comes from years of teaching people how to land airplanes and some people disagree with my methods, but every person I've ever coached in landing parachutes by using this method I've had good success with.

All I'm asking is that you try it and see if it works for you.

Quote

Landing – Looking at the horizon to judge height.


Almost certainly at some point or another in your training you've been told to "look at the horizon" in order for you to judge how high you are above the ground. Unfortunately, what's usually not communicated in this is how this is helpful, what the technique is and how exactly can you go about figuring out how high you are above something.

Take a look at the following two photos.

(2059 and 2060)

Just looking at the grass, it may be fairly difficult to tell how high above the ground each was taken. Each blade of grass seems just about the same size and the angle to the horizon and vanishing points don’t really change all that much.

Looking up toward the horizon makes things quite a bit easier.

(2057 and 2058)

Using the six-foot tall flags on the right side of the photo and noticing where the horizon line bisects them, it’s possible to estimate the height of the first photo as being taken about 5 feet above the surface of the grass and the second photo about a foot lower.

Try this exercise to help you develop a sense of awareness of how high you are above the ground.

Find something at the DZ that you can climb up on and look out at the landing area. Maybe some steps leading up to a building or maybe a picnic table.

Stand on ground level near this object and look at the DZ landing area. As you gaze out over the landing area, take note of any buildings, flags, cars and trees. Look all the way out to the horizon. Notice where the horizon line bisects the objects. If you're of average height, then other people's heads might be fairly close to the horizon line. Tops of trees that are 15 to 20 feet high will be a bit above the horizon line. I want you to really notice where these things are because that's the exact place you'll want them to be when you finally touch down for a stand up landing.

After you've spent maybe three or four minutes looking at that sight picture, climb up on the object and stand on top of it. Hopefully you'll be about three or four feet higher than ground level.

Do the same exercise of looking out to the horizon and really observe where the previously looked at objects are now. People's heads should now be clearly below the level of the horizon. Again, take maybe three or four minutes of time to really look at these things and notice what they look like and how they appear in relation to the horizon from that known height.

If you can manage it, you might want to repeat this exercise at a couple of higher levels as well -- up to perhaps 15 feet above the ground if you can find something that tall to stand on.

By repeating this exercise, you'll quickly gain a feel for how high you are above the ground.

By smoothly and appropriately increasing toggle input as you get lower, your landings will dramatically improve. Being able to accurately judge your height and rate of decent above the surface is the key to how quickly and how much input you need to give in order for the canopy to respond appropriately.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver