Small jumper not being strong enough to flare

[divegoddess 0]

Tiny person here. I have a little bit of heft on this girl coming in at 5'4" and 107 lbs...but I've not experienced trouble flaring anything from 90s to canopies over 300 square feet....but I've been on the other side of this conversation for a decade. I'm no expert certainly- I am still learning- but I feel like my perspective is a bit different than most.
I feel super lucky to have had opportunities to do canopy coaching and courses regularly throughout my time in the sport. Although I know not everyone has these opportunities present themselves regularly...I can't say enough how much Flight-1 has taught me about the tiniest details that make the biggest difference no matter what wing I am flying. If we can get through our student progression flaring much larger canopies....we can flare a 150. Just my opinion-
Small people have it kind of tough when it comes to canopy flight. Tiny people are often put on smaller wings than most skydivers would fly while we are learning because we are chasing that 1 to 1 wing loading.When we make the same mistakes that most skydivers do while learning how to fly- the effects of our mistakes have a significantly higher impact due to the fact that a smaller wing- no matter what the wing loading is- will be more responsive and there is less margin for error than something with more square footage over our head.
In my experience so far- tiny people will often find the level of performance they are looking for under a smaller wing...with a lighter wing loading than what most skydivers will see as normal for our experience level at the time.
If flight-1 does courses near you seek out a professional canopy coach. This should help tremendously when deciding what the next step in her progression will be.

[Justincblount 4]

I have a hard time understanding how flaring could be hard to do. I'm 6'1 and 120lbs, so I'm abnormally skinny, it's not like I have big muscles, yet it takes almost nothing to do a full flare.

[chuckakers 425]

shveddy

Katanas have relatively low toggle pressure compared to other models. If she's not standing up her landings she should switch to one of those, maybe it will help her.

Worst advice I've heard in a while. The OP mentioned that this a newer jumper. The Katana is an elliptical canopy with an aggressive, ground-hungry design - NOT intended for young jumpers. A newbie should never jump a canopy with those qualities. This young lady is already having problems flaring completely and/or properly. An incomplete or improper flare under a Katana would not be pretty.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[gowlerk 2,190]

chuckakers

***Katanas have relatively low toggle pressure compared to other models. If she's not standing up her landings she should switch to one of those, maybe it will help her.

Worst advice I've heard in a while. The OP mentioned that this a newer jumper. The Katana is an elliptical canopy with an aggressive, ground-hungry design - NOT intended for young jumpers. A newbie should never jump a canopy with those qualities. This young lady is already having problems flaring completely and/or properly. An incomplete or improper flare under a Katana would not be pretty.


From the PD Katana page:

> The Katana is a fully elliptical nine cell canopy that is the ride of a lifetime for the experienced canopy pilot. Warning: this canopy is not for the faint of heart. Soft smooth openings, long control range, steep dive, light front riser pressure and a powerful flare make the Katana an excellent choice for those looking for the engine to push their limits.


Whoever posted this advice needs to know that when talking to new jumpers it is not appropriate to make mocking jokes like this.

[chuckakers 425]

gowlerk

******Katanas have relatively low toggle pressure compared to other models. If she's not standing up her landings she should switch to one of those, maybe it will help her.

Worst advice I've heard in a while. The OP mentioned that this a newer jumper. The Katana is an elliptical canopy with an aggressive, ground-hungry design - NOT intended for young jumpers. A newbie should never jump a canopy with those qualities. This young lady is already having problems flaring completely and/or properly. An incomplete or improper flare under a Katana would not be pretty.


From the PD Katana page:

> The Katana is a fully elliptical nine cell canopy that is the ride of a lifetime for the experienced canopy pilot. Warning: this canopy is not for the faint of heart. Soft smooth openings, long control range, steep dive, light front riser pressure and a powerful flare make the Katana an excellent choice for those looking for the engine to push their limits.


Whoever posted this advice needs to know that when talking to new jumpers it is not appropriate to make mocking jokes like this.

Unfortunately the person who posted that may not have been mocking. It blows my mind how much misinformation is out there and how many people share it without researching the accuracy of it.

Bad stuff, especially in an activity where bad advice can kill you.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[DJL 235]

chuckakers

***Katanas have relatively low toggle pressure compared to other models. If she's not standing up her landings she should switch to one of those, maybe it will help her.

Worst advice I've heard in a while. The OP mentioned that this a newer jumper. The Katana is an elliptical canopy with an aggressive, ground-hungry design - NOT intended for young jumpers. A newbie should never jump a canopy with those qualities. This young lady is already having problems flaring completely and/or properly. An incomplete or improper flare under a Katana would not be pretty.

This thread cannot be for real. Did I just end up on the sofpidarf page?

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[kuai43 7]

DJL

******Katanas have relatively low toggle pressure compared to other models. If she's not standing up her landings she should switch to one of those, maybe it will help her.

Worst advice I've heard in a while. The OP mentioned that this a newer jumper. The Katana is an elliptical canopy with an aggressive, ground-hungry design - NOT intended for young jumpers. A newbie should never jump a canopy with those qualities. This young lady is already having problems flaring completely and/or properly. An incomplete or improper flare under a Katana would not be pretty.

This thread cannot be for real. Did I just end up on the sofpidarf page?

Nope. Chuck just got trolled.

Every fight is a food fight if you're a cannibal

Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man. - Anthony Burgess

[chuckakers 425]

kuai43

*********Katanas have relatively low toggle pressure compared to other models. If she's not standing up her landings she should switch to one of those, maybe it will help her.

Worst advice I've heard in a while. The OP mentioned that this a newer jumper. The Katana is an elliptical canopy with an aggressive, ground-hungry design - NOT intended for young jumpers. A newbie should never jump a canopy with those qualities. This young lady is already having problems flaring completely and/or properly. An incomplete or improper flare under a Katana would not be pretty.

This thread cannot be for real. Did I just end up on the sofpidarf page?

Nope. Chuck just got trolled.

And unfortunately while I was getting trolled, the troller was dispensing advice that some noob might take seriously.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[ChrisD2.0 2]

nigel99

If someone is that weak, check that they can 'actually' cut-away. Believe it or not, we had a tiny woman who didn't have the strength to cut-away a normal student rig

Of course AND SOME ONE NEEDS TO POINT OUT:

Skydiving is NOT for everyone.

Brett Bickford Did Not Commit Suicide.

He is the victim of ignorance and faulty gear. AND as in the movie: "12 Angry Men," of an ignorant and callous jury.

[beetnerk 3]

I'm 5'6" 110 lbs, I started on a 240 with 50 lbs weight belts etc. and that was always a difficult landing, but I started sport climbing/lead climbing and doing arm workouts to improve my flare capability. I think the biggest thing on those canopies is flare timing, a great way is to watch first person videos of people flaring and stand up and flare with them, listen to the sound of the canopy etc. I went from early unfinished flares to perfect landings almost overnight.