BrianSGermain 1 #1 December 20, 2006 On learning to swoop a new canopy: 1) Find out how little altitude you can lose in your typical turn for landing. Quicken the turn, add rears during the bank, and even bang a bit of brakes during a harness turn to see which method bails you out of a mistake best. You will most likely find that collective brake pressure combined with harness input will be the shortest recovery from a mistake. Practice bailing out OVER and OVER. This includes switching from rear risers to toggles during the last part of the recovery. It may not be instinct to do this, but it is the best way out of a hole that you have dug yourself into. Lift your eyes to where you want to go and stab the brakes about a foot, regardless of your bank angle. Pitch pulls you out, not reduction of roll; that is secondary. 2) Find out how much altitude your canopy loses in a "normal" approach. This should include density altitude variance, which can be significant. Do test swoops at various altitudes, and work hard to make consistent turns. 3) Learn how to extend your recovery arc in the event that you find yourself high. Off-set double fronts are a very effective tool. If you are using rears or harness to initiate and carry out your turn, you will not be able to keep the canopy in a dive beyond a certain point without continuing the turn. That is a very silly way to keep your speed if you are in traffic, so practice the front risers possibilities so you have more options. 4) Use good instruments!! If your altimeter(s) are not perfectly accurate, you are playing russian roulette. If you rely completely on your eyes for the initiation, you are playing russian roulette as well. Start the turn at a consistent height (which is different from your huricane), and make modifications only to account for differences in air density. I suggest both a digital visual altimeter and an audible alert. These are great tools, but you still want to keep your "veto" power. If it doesn't look right, lift the nose. Notice what is happening during the process of the turn, rather than waiting for the turn to be complete to realize you have a problem. Know how high you are, and alter your flight path accordingly, as early as possible. That way the change can be minimal, which will result in a longer swoop and better accuracy, but you will also increase the chances that you will grow lots of grey hairs in your ears, eventually.Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dayle 0 #2 December 20, 2006 As usual Brian a great and informative post! Thanks for posting, it may save someones ass one day! And by the way, your course already saved my ass once! (or should I say my tib/fib, lol) Dayle Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BrianSGermain 1 #3 December 21, 2006 QuoteAs usual Brian a great and informative post! Thanks for posting, it may save someones ass one day! And by the way, your course already saved my ass once! (or should I say my tib/fib, lol) Dayle Yahoo! That is music to my ears. Brian +Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
