Watch Your Exits

[flyhi69 0]

I was reminded of a very important aspect of wing suite flying this weekend and lucky for me I'm alive to write this message. I'm a little embarrassed to share this but I've learned so much from other people sharing their mistakes I feel like it's my duty to swallow some pride and let out. When it comes to wing suite forums I've noticed most discussions are related to flight performance and getting a parachute safely above your head. I'm taking this time to remind all my fellow birdman that when it comes to wing suites it's game time before you exit...and don't forget that like I did. Memorial day weekend I found my self exiting a Caravan (I usually exit from an Otter) over a beautiful beach in Florida. Below me 4 friends fell planning on staging the openings for a stair step flyby. Inside the plane sat about 6 people who had never seen a wing suite let alone see one exit. One of them sat close to the door video running. Well I gave them there moneys worth and then some when I over amped the exit and missed the horizontal stabilizers by less than a foot and that's a conservative estimate. In full speed it appears that the wind from the leading edge actually forces my wing down and away as the plane passes above. I remember thinking damn that had to look good from in there cause it was forever before I lost sight of the people in the plane. If it wasn't for the video I would have never believed how close I came to a bad situation. I would have just thought they were exaggerating. I have always been very careful on my exits to wait till the aircraft has past before beginning my flight. However on this one particular jump I stood in the door thinking about a good clean exit for the video with no thought given to clearing the airplane. It's the last time I'll make that mistake but it could of been the last time I did anything. Not to mention that could have been a real problem for those left on the plane if that stabilizer would have come off at impact. Please be careful leaving your aircraft especially if it's from the side and not the rear. If you are smiling and making eye contact with people still in the plane you may be walking a fine line and don't even know it.
Blue skys and big clouds
Flyhigh

[cpoxon 0]

Been there, done that, share your embarrasment!
It too occured with me when exiting from a Caravan. It wasn't that long ago and probably had 40-odd jumps on my GTi at the time (I currently have 48). It was a solo jump from 13.5 and I was last to exit. I'm usually pretty strict about waiting until I've dropped below the plane (around a second) before inflating my wings. For some reason I wasn't really thinking. I guess I was getting overly comfortable exiting and maybe even slightly blasé. As I exited I spread my wings pretty quickly and I had a fleeting vision of staying level with the plane as it pulled away from me. The thought of the proximity of the horizontal stabiliser flashed through my mind and I collapsed my wings instinctively, although it would have already been to late if I was on course to strike the tail. It shook me up and I sought the pilot out as soon as she had landed and was out of the plane. I apologised for getting close to the tail on exit but she said she hadn't noticed anything unusual from where she was. She also said that she was flying slightly nose down. This may have raised the tail somewhat but could it also have caused the plane to be descending a little?
So, maybe I didn't get that close, but it certainly felt closer than I was comfortable with and gave me a wake up call. Extra care should certainly be take when exiting a Caravan with a wingsuit. If it were upto me I'd do all by wingsuit jumps from a tailgate, but we don't often get that opportunity in the UK anymore!
Jamie, any chance of getting the video captured and available on the web for download somewhere? If people are going to learn, you may as well go the whole hog!

[flyhi69 0]

I've been dragging my a** on ordering a capture card...maybe in a few weeks. If I do I will post the video. When you can make a plane full of skydivers gasp for air you know you just walk the line. However I do have a photo taken from the video which shows how close it was without the drama. The attached frame is when the plane and myself would have come in contact. The video frame prior to this I was even with the stabilizer.
Cheers

[cpoxon 0]

Nice! Well, you know what I mean :-S
Wow, that still will keep me amused until you get around to capturing the video.
Does your camera angle show anything?
Something else I meant to say is a dropping exit is definitely what you want. Don't push off in any way. It doesn't say this explicity in the manual (Section 6.1 Exits) but it's definitely implied by saying you should fall away for a couple of seconds before inflating your wings. (I wonder if explicitly recommending a drop exit and advising against pushing off, especially for lower tailed aircraft woul dbe a good thing in the manual?) But as we've seen people forget and a push-off could make the difference if you prematurely inflate the wing. Another good habit to help break the chain...

[verticalflyer 11]

Craig,
I have found whether your exiting on your left right, backwards sitting or standing that once you drop out the AC if you angle your body as you would in a side slide you can clear the aircraft and inflate your wings very quickly and safely without having to wait ages, obviously do what your comfortable with and be aware when you jumping a new ac the best way, the most fun todate was exiting a C182 in NZ and working my way over the wheel step without catching or hitting anything.
Cheers
Fraser

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Argh! Watch that tail, my brother! The absolute only time I exit with wings inflated is off a tailgate. I exit collapsed out of an Otter also, not wanting to take any chances.
Cessna exits blow completely, since it's nearly impossible to flock in a timely manner from one. That being said, how I exit a Cessna is from the student position, back to the cowl. I cross my legs before putting my feet on the step, then sort of roll forward out of the plane in a ball. Ugly, but it keeps me away from the tail.
Chuck
My webpage HERE

[cobaltdan 0]

great post.
in a sport where the experts get hurt probably more than begineers, frequent reminders of all the basics and mistakes are greatly appreciated.
there was a tragedy at skydive suffolk last week when a very experienced 5000+ jumper hit his head on the tail.
-dan

[flyhi69 0]

Yes....I've made it a habit of immediately turning away from the aircraft on exit on about a 45 degree angle. I've noticed this allows for a quick wing inflation while diverting your energy away from the aircraft...not to mention great video of the fellow skydivers geeking my camera in the door. That habit is precisely what saved me from kissing the tail. In my opinion leaving an Otter can be done safely like that but there is no room for error on a Caravan. If I would have been on the line of flight the outcome could have been a bad thing. I think my biggest mistake was not taking the time to really think about the plane I was exiting. I new the tail was lower but I really didn't give any thought to it other than a quick watch the tail thought as I was boarding. I treated it like just another exit and because 98% of my wing suit jumps are from Otters it wasn't. I guess the moral to the story is the little differences can bite hard...and watch your exits fellow birds.
Blue sky's and big sick white puffy clouds to all
Cheers

[mountainman 0]

I am not experienced on this, however, I have heard of some close calls with the horizontal stabilizers on a KingAir from just your average fun jumper. So, I would think this would multiply the danger for you BirdMen. Just a thought when you "flying" from the King Airs. Seems they have a lower stabalizer like the G Caravans.
Have fun and let's see that video! JumpinDuo.com...news, pictures, skydiving and links.

[cpoxon 0]

Talking of close, been looking at the pictures on the BirdMan website again, and only just realised how close some of them are.
It's a wide-angle lens but look at the shadow of Jussi's foot on the Otter stabilizer in this picture.
Whole body shadow on this picture
Is it as close as it looks?

[Jussi 0]

probably is.....
he has pictures that he won´t show to anyone, i guess he was "really close" on those pics...
Jussi

[vesatoro 0]

Well, then I think there is no question what caused those scrapes in the bottom of the stabilizer of the very same Twin Otter...
Vesa

[cpoxon 0]

You are not the same Jussi then? :-P
Do you know if it was intentional?

[vesatoro 0]

Well, there are many Jussis in Finland, and at least two of them flying wingsuits :O)
Vesa

[BMFin 0]

By the way vesa. Do you know who took that pic? was it Kusti ?

[vesatoro 0]

No, it was not Kusti. He takes all those self-portraits with a shoe/hand camera. He is a guru in making different kinds of camera mounts for legs, hands, head and whatever. This weekend he photographed 12-man diamond CF in Hanko with a camera mounted to an end of a one meter pole attached to his shoe. It looked, well... interesting ;)
Vesa

[vesatoro 0]

You can see the shadow of that leg-camera mount in the stabilizer.
Vesa

[BMFin 0]

I still dont know who took the pic. 8(

[freeflir29 0]

Wow...got to this thread late!! The tail being close was my first thought when I got on that aircraft and I don't even fly a wingsuit. I got some very nice exit video of you on the sunset load that Sunday. Glad you missed the tail!! Going to Florabama next year?
"Here I come to save the BOOBIES!"

[Jussi 0]

Pic was taken by Jussi Laine.

[esso167 0]

Hmm there are actually at least three Jussis flying wingsuits nowadays
Jussi

[vesatoro 0]

Actually if you (Jussi S) count yourself in, then there's still two more: Jussi Holopainen and Jussi Liukkonen
so
J Laine
J Sistonen
J Liukkonen
J Mattila
J Holopainen
You should make a Jussi-team :)
Vesa, and my second name is Juhani ;)

[ernokaikkonen 0]

>Actually if you (Jussi S) count yourself in, then there's still two more: Jussi
>Holopainen and Jussi Liukkonen
Yeah, Jussi S just bought the Classic from Halttunen... I'm sure it's going to see some more use now. I may have to find another suit to borrow... damn Erno

[BMFin 0]

Now as this thread has turned into a meeting of finnish "spuge" I might ask u guys why arent you in Hanko ? I had the impression Vesa was but isnt anymore ... (or are u posting from your laptops ?)

[ernokaikkonen 0]

>Now as this thread has turned into a meeting of finnish "spuge" I might ask u guys
>why arent you in Hanko ?
Too busy working and practising 4way @ Räyskälä... If I get a day off from my 4way-team I'm going to do a couple of wingsuit-flights at Parasummer. Ja miksi helvetissä tämäkin piti kirjoittaa englanniksi? Erno