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Name: Nathan Blood
First Jump: Military Static Line, July, 1990
First Freefall: August 26, 2000
Jumps: 1200
License: D26355
Ratings: USPA Coach, Tandem, and AFF Instructor
"Real Job": Military
Education: B.S. History, Southern Utah University; M.A. Business Management, Webster University
"Real Job": Major, U.S. Army
8 Tips to Avoiding Canopy Collisions
by Nathan Blood
21 April 2007
Current trends in the sport of skydiving have seen the number of canopy collision incidents skyrocket in recent months. Canopy collisions have become a higher concern in the skydiving community than the dangerous low turn, the number one cause of fatalities in recent years. With the number of incidents at an alarming number, DZs and skydivers are looking for the reasons behind the recent increase in canopy collisions and looking for viable solutions to make canopy traffic more safe for everyone. Having heard or read about many of the recent incidents and having seen close calls at the DZ that simply scared the bejesus out of me, my latest pet peeve has become canopy flight and landing patterns.
Safe landing patterns rely on every skydiver in the air to think and act in a safe manner for the safety of all. We’ve all been taught to “keep our heads on a swivel,” but frankly that’s just not enough. I believe there are a number of things that contribute to safe canopy flight and landings. This is just me thinking and observing, but I've noticed several things that I think contribute to the increased number of canopy collisions.
First, I think too many people put too much emphasis on landing into the wind and not enough emphasis on landing with the landing pattern. At my DZ, we have a tetrahedron to indicate landing direction. If it were up to me I'd get rid of that damn thing because people focus on the tetrahedron and not the landing pattern that is established by other canopies landing. Is it important to land into the wind? Sometimes more than others. Is it absolutely necessary for a safe landing? NO! Particularly on light wind days it really doesn't matter which direction you land, but it always matters to avoid other canopies landing. Therefore, if a landing pattern is established prior to your landing, my contention is, it is always better to follow the landing pattern than to select your own landing direction, even if that means landing downwind! This leads to canopy selection. If you're not flying a canopy that you're comfortable landing downwind, perhaps you should reconsider your canopy choice. I fly a heavily loaded small canopy and I would land downwind with a 25 mph wind if I had to. I wouldn't like it, but I know I can do it.
by Nathan Blood
21 April 2007
Current trends in the sport of skydiving have seen the number of canopy collision incidents skyrocket in recent months. Canopy collisions have become a higher concern in the skydiving community than the dangerous low turn, the number one cause of fatalities in recent years. With the number of incidents at an alarming number, DZs and skydivers are looking for the reasons behind the recent increase in canopy collisions and looking for viable solutions to make canopy traffic more safe for everyone. Having heard or read about many of the recent incidents and having seen close calls at the DZ that simply scared the bejesus out of me, my latest pet peeve has become canopy flight and landing patterns.
Safe landing patterns rely on every skydiver in the air to think and act in a safe manner for the safety of all. We’ve all been taught to “keep our heads on a swivel,” but frankly that’s just not enough. I believe there are a number of things that contribute to safe canopy flight and landings. This is just me thinking and observing, but I've noticed several things that I think contribute to the increased number of canopy collisions.
First, I think too many people put too much emphasis on landing into the wind and not enough emphasis on landing with the landing pattern. At my DZ, we have a tetrahedron to indicate landing direction. If it were up to me I'd get rid of that damn thing because people focus on the tetrahedron and not the landing pattern that is established by other canopies landing. Is it important to land into the wind? Sometimes more than others. Is it absolutely necessary for a safe landing? NO! Particularly on light wind days it really doesn't matter which direction you land, but it always matters to avoid other canopies landing. Therefore, if a landing pattern is established prior to your landing, my contention is, it is always better to follow the landing pattern than to select your own landing direction, even if that means landing downwind! This leads to canopy selection. If you're not flying a canopy that you're comfortable landing downwind, perhaps you should reconsider your canopy choice. I fly a heavily loaded small canopy and I would land downwind with a 25 mph wind if I had to. I wouldn't like it, but I know I can do it.
Second, I've seen too many people get in the plane without a planned landing pattern and direction. Now I just talked about following the established pattern and how important that is. Sometimes the established pattern won't be in accordance with your planned pattern. That's ok, adapt to the established pattern. But, most of the time, a little observation or discussion prior to boarding the plane will preclude differences in your plan and what is established. For example, watching landings from prior loads will usually give you the answer for what landing pattern is likely to be established on your load. If people are landing the same direction load after load, it is likely that this will be the established pattern on your load too. Make your plan accordingly. If you're on the first load or don't have the opportunity to observe landings, a little discussion with the other skydivers on your load can sort things out. Establish an agreed upon landing pattern and direction. Come to a consensus. It's really not that hard. Find out what other people plan to do. It's in your best interest and theirs.
Next, you should account for every canopy on your load while in the landing pattern. I see way too much focus by canopy pilots on what they're doing and not what others are doing around them. You should be able to account for every single canopy on the load, where they are at, and have some idea of what they will do in the landing pattern. This isn't a perfect science as people can be expected to do the unexpected. Anticipate that, but at least have an idea of what you expect them to do. It will help your decision process when they do what you don't expect them to do.
Accounting for canopies has a step B. Part of accounting for canopies is knowing your wingloading in relation to the other canopies in the air at the same time. Know that smaller more heavily loaded canopies are going to fly faster and descend faster and conversely, more lightly loaded canopies will be the opposite. As a general rule, yield to the more heavily loaded canopies and clear the area for the ones coming from behind you. In simple terms, don't be an obstacle. The point here is to avoid collisions. Don't put yourself in a place and time where you make it likely. I see way too much of lightly loaded large canopies spiraling down right over the landing area to 800 to 1000 feet then trying to set up some sort of landing pattern. I attribute this to mostly new skydivers that think it is fun to spiral and don't think of what complications that may cause others. In the meantime, heavily loaded canopies can't hold brakes enough to allow them to get out of the way. Basically, I'm on final at 1000 feet. At 650-700 feet I do one 270 turn that takes me all the way to the ground. If someone is in the airspace, I can't keep the parachute in the air long enough for them to get out of the way, I have to result to plan B, but I'll get to that in a minute. The bottom line here is, be aware of where you fit in the pattern according to the parachute you fly. The landing pattern should be staggered vertically and horizontally. Don’t spiral down to the same altitude as other canopies. Maintain some separation in the landing pattern. Anticipate what others will do and refrain from being an obstacle. Again, it is in your best interest.
Now, high performance landings. I love to swoop and it's another part of the skydive for me. I've already talked generally about how I set up and execute. However, more important than swooping is landing safely. I estimate that I abort roughly 50% of my high performance landings because something isn't right. That's ok, and if in doubt I'll abort every time. If other canopies are in the traffic pattern, I didn't get setup exactly where I wanted, some kid went running across the landing area, whatever. If you’re planning on making a high performance landing, you MUST have the discipline to know when to say no and resort to plan B. Oh yeah, and have a plan B! Unfortunately, too many swoopers think more of their right to swoop than others' right to land safely. Definitely bad juju. If you're not swooping you need to keep this in mind. I will abort if anything is not right. Too many others will not. If you're in the airspace where free radical is going to swoop regardless of circumstances, you're in danger. This goes back to previous discussions of knowing what people will do and where you fit in the landing pattern. However, sometimes exit orders jumble things a bit and you've got to sort it out in the pattern. Bottom line here, again, is keep track of the other canopies and anticipate their actions. Also, be predictable in your actions.
Ok, crosswind patterns. Sometimes at my DZ, we intentionally set up two different landing patterns. What's that you say? I thought it was important to land in the same direction? Well it is. But sometimes you just can't keep people from doing what they're going to do, so some sort of measures to control the chaos are better than free radicalism. Basically if swoopers are going to land crosswind, we designate a particular landing area to separate from the primary landing pattern. In most cases we don't have a problem. High performance landers understand that they must stay clear of the other simultaneous landing pattern. Again the key here is prior coordination and understanding what is going on and who is going where. If you're not landing crosswind and following the normal established pattern, you should at least be aware of what is going on. This allows you to stay clear of a contradictory landing pattern. At my DZ we have a HUGE landing area and we have the room to accommodate this, so it works out. But it must be coordinated. Ideally, segregating high performance landing areas from standard landing areas would solve a lot of issues resulting from contradictions from high performance and standard landing patterns. Unfortunately some DZs simply do not have the space to make this feasible.
Most importantly about high performance landings is that everybody has the right to land safely. If high performance landings make it unsafe, even a little, for other canopies, they should be aborted. Unfortunately, this is not a common enough mentality and you need to be aware of that. Some DZs are taking measures such as banning turns over so many degrees to help standardize patterns. That’s fine, but as long as speed inducing turns of any kind are still being performed, there is still a danger of conflicting patterns.
Finally, practice flight in deep brakes. This is not a nearly enough practiced skill by most. Many times I fly nearly my whole pattern in deep brakes. This allows the pilot to give way to canopies below and setup where and when they want. However, deep brakes flight isn't nearly as fun as cranking out 5 spirals right over the landing area. In my opinion, spirals have a purpose, to get you in your place in the landing pattern and gain vertical separation when needed. Any other reason is selfish and potentially dangerous. If you want to have fun spiraling your canopy, then clear and pull and do it while you're the only one in the sky. If you're spiraling to set yourself up at the right place and time, great, that's fine. I don't think we put enough emphasis as necessary on this to new students. Like I said, it's fun and they're going to figure it out. We need to point out what potential consequences surround this. Also we don't put enough emphasis on flight in deep brakes and students don't know how to give ground when necessary. Oh, by the way, if you fly in deep brakes and allow the landing pattern to clear, all of the sudden the airspace is clear for your fun spirals....just something to think about. Anyway, newer jumpers need to understand flight in deep brakes and how they can use that as a tool in their kitbag.
So why is much of this article really about canopy flight? We all know to keep our heads on a swivel, but that's just not enough. Focusing on canopy patterns and flight rather than collision avoidance means canopy collisions won't be a problem. I know at some DZs, this is not near as much of a problem as it is at larger, busier DZs. However, I know skydivers travel to boogies such as WFFC, Couch Freaks, Skyfest and others. And they travel to other DZs that are bigger and busier than they are used to. So this is important stuff that some jumpers won't have much experience with. And, even at a small Cessna DZ, it's still important! In the case of canopy collisions, all of a sudden it's no longer just you that is at risk. Have some respect for others' safety. Let’s all land safely!
Next, you should account for every canopy on your load while in the landing pattern. I see way too much focus by canopy pilots on what they're doing and not what others are doing around them. You should be able to account for every single canopy on the load, where they are at, and have some idea of what they will do in the landing pattern. This isn't a perfect science as people can be expected to do the unexpected. Anticipate that, but at least have an idea of what you expect them to do. It will help your decision process when they do what you don't expect them to do.
Accounting for canopies has a step B. Part of accounting for canopies is knowing your wingloading in relation to the other canopies in the air at the same time. Know that smaller more heavily loaded canopies are going to fly faster and descend faster and conversely, more lightly loaded canopies will be the opposite. As a general rule, yield to the more heavily loaded canopies and clear the area for the ones coming from behind you. In simple terms, don't be an obstacle. The point here is to avoid collisions. Don't put yourself in a place and time where you make it likely. I see way too much of lightly loaded large canopies spiraling down right over the landing area to 800 to 1000 feet then trying to set up some sort of landing pattern. I attribute this to mostly new skydivers that think it is fun to spiral and don't think of what complications that may cause others. In the meantime, heavily loaded canopies can't hold brakes enough to allow them to get out of the way. Basically, I'm on final at 1000 feet. At 650-700 feet I do one 270 turn that takes me all the way to the ground. If someone is in the airspace, I can't keep the parachute in the air long enough for them to get out of the way, I have to result to plan B, but I'll get to that in a minute. The bottom line here is, be aware of where you fit in the pattern according to the parachute you fly. The landing pattern should be staggered vertically and horizontally. Don’t spiral down to the same altitude as other canopies. Maintain some separation in the landing pattern. Anticipate what others will do and refrain from being an obstacle. Again, it is in your best interest.
Now, high performance landings. I love to swoop and it's another part of the skydive for me. I've already talked generally about how I set up and execute. However, more important than swooping is landing safely. I estimate that I abort roughly 50% of my high performance landings because something isn't right. That's ok, and if in doubt I'll abort every time. If other canopies are in the traffic pattern, I didn't get setup exactly where I wanted, some kid went running across the landing area, whatever. If you’re planning on making a high performance landing, you MUST have the discipline to know when to say no and resort to plan B. Oh yeah, and have a plan B! Unfortunately, too many swoopers think more of their right to swoop than others' right to land safely. Definitely bad juju. If you're not swooping you need to keep this in mind. I will abort if anything is not right. Too many others will not. If you're in the airspace where free radical is going to swoop regardless of circumstances, you're in danger. This goes back to previous discussions of knowing what people will do and where you fit in the landing pattern. However, sometimes exit orders jumble things a bit and you've got to sort it out in the pattern. Bottom line here, again, is keep track of the other canopies and anticipate their actions. Also, be predictable in your actions.
Ok, crosswind patterns. Sometimes at my DZ, we intentionally set up two different landing patterns. What's that you say? I thought it was important to land in the same direction? Well it is. But sometimes you just can't keep people from doing what they're going to do, so some sort of measures to control the chaos are better than free radicalism. Basically if swoopers are going to land crosswind, we designate a particular landing area to separate from the primary landing pattern. In most cases we don't have a problem. High performance landers understand that they must stay clear of the other simultaneous landing pattern. Again the key here is prior coordination and understanding what is going on and who is going where. If you're not landing crosswind and following the normal established pattern, you should at least be aware of what is going on. This allows you to stay clear of a contradictory landing pattern. At my DZ we have a HUGE landing area and we have the room to accommodate this, so it works out. But it must be coordinated. Ideally, segregating high performance landing areas from standard landing areas would solve a lot of issues resulting from contradictions from high performance and standard landing patterns. Unfortunately some DZs simply do not have the space to make this feasible.
Most importantly about high performance landings is that everybody has the right to land safely. If high performance landings make it unsafe, even a little, for other canopies, they should be aborted. Unfortunately, this is not a common enough mentality and you need to be aware of that. Some DZs are taking measures such as banning turns over so many degrees to help standardize patterns. That’s fine, but as long as speed inducing turns of any kind are still being performed, there is still a danger of conflicting patterns.
Finally, practice flight in deep brakes. This is not a nearly enough practiced skill by most. Many times I fly nearly my whole pattern in deep brakes. This allows the pilot to give way to canopies below and setup where and when they want. However, deep brakes flight isn't nearly as fun as cranking out 5 spirals right over the landing area. In my opinion, spirals have a purpose, to get you in your place in the landing pattern and gain vertical separation when needed. Any other reason is selfish and potentially dangerous. If you want to have fun spiraling your canopy, then clear and pull and do it while you're the only one in the sky. If you're spiraling to set yourself up at the right place and time, great, that's fine. I don't think we put enough emphasis as necessary on this to new students. Like I said, it's fun and they're going to figure it out. We need to point out what potential consequences surround this. Also we don't put enough emphasis on flight in deep brakes and students don't know how to give ground when necessary. Oh, by the way, if you fly in deep brakes and allow the landing pattern to clear, all of the sudden the airspace is clear for your fun spirals....just something to think about. Anyway, newer jumpers need to understand flight in deep brakes and how they can use that as a tool in their kitbag.
So why is much of this article really about canopy flight? We all know to keep our heads on a swivel, but that's just not enough. Focusing on canopy patterns and flight rather than collision avoidance means canopy collisions won't be a problem. I know at some DZs, this is not near as much of a problem as it is at larger, busier DZs. However, I know skydivers travel to boogies such as WFFC, Couch Freaks, Skyfest and others. And they travel to other DZs that are bigger and busier than they are used to. So this is important stuff that some jumpers won't have much experience with. And, even at a small Cessna DZ, it's still important! In the case of canopy collisions, all of a sudden it's no longer just you that is at risk. Have some respect for others' safety. Let’s all land safely!
