Carving during your surf

[LawnDart21 0]

I have no intention of trying it anytime soon, I was just wondering if anyone could explain to me how the high performance canopy pilots are able to carve a turn laterally left or right after they have begun their surf without losing any altitude. Thanks, Tom

[freeflir29 0]

Flat turn......
"I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay

[Geoff 0]

Basically, you add a bit more toggle to lift you up and compensate for the altitude you would have lost during the turn. Very subtle though.
Geoff

[freeflir29 0]

Actually....in spite of my smart ass remark.....on most canopies you can carve just by shifting your weight in the harness. When surfing you have the entire rig (Harness, lines, canopy) all loaded so it becomes even more sensitive to shifting weight than in full flight.
"I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Ahhhh, young grasshopper, you have learned much! LOL!
Seriously, Clay is pretty dead on the money with this one. Here is how I will embellish it slightly for the more discerning pupil:
When I am throwing a carve, or "circle surfing" as we used to call it, I generally continue my diving turn around closer to the ground before stabbing slightly to plane out. From that point, I continue around, shifted in my harness, until such a time that I know I need to stab the opposite toggle to get the main back over my head prior to the stall. Fail to do that and you will end up sliding it out on your side. Done correctly, you can nearly touch your end cell to the ground while your body is completely layed out, pop up and then walk out of it.
Believe it or not, a decade ago Jack Jeffries was doing "the 360 circle of death" at Deland and taking it all the way around. Today, there aren't many people that can get it around 180. True 90 degree carves (in ground effect) are one of my favorite things to do and watch. You can still get a pretty long surf after a 90.
Chuck
My webpage HERE

[weid14 0]

Jimmy Tranter (spelling?) is getting really good at those carving turns.

[freeflir29 0]

"Ahhhh, young grasshopper, you have learned much!"
It just looks so cool that I had to start experimenting with it. I can't get quite as crazy as you describe. About 10 or 20 degrees is it for now. The thing that worries me is I'm doing all this cool stuff on a big canopy......Hope I don't kill myself when I downsize...Eric Bush's story of his first time on an elyptical, while funny, was a bit scary too....LOL
"I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay

[prost 0]

360
did he actualy complete 360 degree turns?
William

[AggieDave 6]

360? Damn, is there a video of that somewhere?
Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.-General George Patton-

[freeflyguy 0]

Quote

thing that worries me is I'm doing all this cool stuff on a big canopy

Just the opposite. Seems most people downsize, THEN try to learn the "cool stuff". When you perfect it (if there is such a thing) on your present canopy, then you will be really ready to downsize. That is much better than the other way around.
j

[freeflir29 0]

"That is much better than the other way around."
Thats certainly been my philosophy!
"I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

A person should definitely be able to do all the tricks he ever wanted to do under what he has before downsizing. The main thing that changes with downsizing is your forward and downward velocity.
chuck
My webpage HERE