Flying the opening.

[AndyMan 7]

My question is really specific to people jumping big helmets and high performance canopies.

After a good weekend of jumping, I have one very black fingernail, and 4 bandaged fingers - all from punching my helmet as I hang onto my risers during the opening.

I fly a Stileto at 1.8, so it's important to fly the canopy through its opening. I also jump a flat-top-pro, so I have a big target to punch...

How do people with big helmets and fast canopies manage to fly through their opening without tearing their fingers to shreds?

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[PhreeZone 20]

How are your fingers getting pinched?

I fly the openings by going completely limp in the harness. Hands off the risers. Same as flying my BM suit.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[mathias 0]

I slow down for the opening (punching out the wings)
deploy
wait for the canopy the start inflation, while I look at the horizon,
at this time i Look up and determine any input needed, harness only at this time, hands of risers,
if needed I will get the risers at this time in a slow and deliberate manner.

I jump a slow opening velocity loaded at 2.0

`I used to jump stiletto at about 1.8 and it did open a little quicker, but didn't require as much attention on opening.

M

Ingen minns en fegis!

[diablopilot 2]

Pick up the risers higher than the level of your helmet.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[LouDiamond 1]

I know what you mean.Every time I grabbed my risers on my Stilleto I ended up with a finger/hand injury of some sort. Simple solution was to just allow it to open up and then grab the risers if it was starting to get squirely. I also found that rolling the nose 4 and 4,leaving the center one open helped tame the openings quite a bit. Becasue the FTP is so big I found that any movement on my part seemed to cause issues so I stopped flying the openings unless I absolutely had to.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[turtlespeed 221]

No fast canopy here - but i still fly by feel - I know what the canopy is doing over my head by what the harness feels like - if it feels soft enough I'll look at it as it opens. and reach way up on the risers so I don't bang my pointers.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[fffff 0]

Here's another Stiletto cameraman (1.55:1). On openings i just let it go it's way. I never look up at the snivel and just wait for the canopy to open. When the stiletto starts to fly (only the end cells not completely filled) i grape mij rear risers and keep it on heading.
SO i would say keep your head neutral and wait a second.

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NIL VOLENTIBUS ARDUUM.
(nothing is difficult for those who really want it)

[jdhill 0]

I jump a Velocity at 2.2 or 2.4 (depending on which of my rigs)... My helmet is a FTP, and depending on what I'm doing it can have 3 camera and a flash unit, needless to say it's big and heavy...

Every once in a while, I'll get a knuckle banged on the edge of my helmet, but not all the time... ususally its when I get lazy about where I take hold of the risers during the deployment... I don't "fly" the openings, so much as I ride them out... I have had far less line twists to deal with since I've started doing that... I also don't look at my canopy during deployment, it's buch better on my neck and back...

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[oiseau60 0]

i jump a stiletto, loaded at 1.9, with a big helmet. i used to have the exact same problem. what i do is i raise my head a bit more than just looking at the horizon. i'd say i'm between looking at the horizon and looking up at my canopy.

so instead of banging the helmet on my hands or fingers, my helmet will pass just behind my hands. my hands are on the risers, i can see what my canopy is doing, and i'm able to fly the opening.

glad to know i was not the only one to end my w/e with bruised fingers....