Canopy Control A step by step guide from Dave Morris to flying and landing your canopy.  The basic guidelines are useful both for the novice and the more experienced skydiver. The "rule of thumb" for canopy control which has been taught for years revolves around these basic concepts: 1. Clear all hazards by 1,800ft 2. Start your downwind leg at 1,500ft 3. Start your crosswind leg at 1,000ft 4. Turn onto final approach at 500ft

photo by Keith Larrett

These rules have been passed down from the original plan for an accuracy jumper who would cruise around on a big docile canopy. Today even RAPS and AFF students are using parachutes with more performance than those canopies and, although similar, the rules have changed somewhat.

Safety First
The basic rules of survival will always stay the same and don't change much for the different experience levels.

Prior to emplaning
1. Make a mental note of the wind direction relative to the sun (this way you will have an idea of the correct landing direction even if you land where there is no other way of telling which way the wind is blowing).
2. Take a good look at what the other canopies are doing on previous lifts. If you are not confident, avoid the first lift.
3. Do not get into the aircraft without a plan. Make a mental note of the surrounding landmarks to help in making the right decisions.
4. Know the drop zone by getting a brief on the local hazards with the aid of an aerial photograph.
5. Make sure you know of any drop zone rules relating to landing patterns.
6. Do not get yourself on a big-way when you are not sure of the other skydiver's experience levels.

In the aircraft
1. On the climb to altitude, make a note of any turbulence so that you are prepared during your descent.
2. When you mentally dirt-dive your skydive, include your plan under canopy to re-establish your descent pattern.

under canopy
1. As soon as you have completed your post deployment checks, (canopy, airspace, take control, find landing area) check that you are where you expected to be.
2. Stay one step ahead of your plan and stick to it, keeping your eyes open for the other skydivers and not zooming around erratically.
3. If things go wrong always remember to fly smoothly for the last few hundred feet. You can make a crosswind or even downwind landing on the fastest of canopies and survive with a good flare.

The Plan
If the winds are as predicted and you are open in the area you expected the plan is quite simple.

Pick a holding point halfway between the landing area and the opening point. When you are sorted under canopy head for this point immediately and stay overhead until 1,000ft. When you are at 1,000ft turn with the wind and towards the target flying to one side or the other of that target. Fly just past the target and turn into wind, the base turn being smooth, flat and controlled.

In slightly more detail, imagine there is a massive funnel with its point on the landing area. The farther you are from the target the more space you have to play with.

Roughly divide your altitude into 500ft sections and reference those altitudes with points on the ground which get nearer to the landing area. Watch your altimeter and as you reach each lower altitude try to be overhead the points on the ground.

Between the altitudes of 1,000ft and 500ft you should be coming downwind towards the landing area, not directly overhead but to one side or the other depending on the landing pattern in use. Whilst downwind and for the last few seconds of landing, things can happen quite quickly so stay sharp. Look at the windsock as well as your speed across the ground.

If the windsock is full and your ground speed is fast, do not fly past your target and expect to drive back towards it (into a strong wind). Turn into wind as close to overhead the target as possible.

If the windsock is limp and your ground speed is low you can fly past the target before turning into the final approach. Then you should get some penetration into wind and will be able to glide into the landing area.

When Things Go Wrong

Bad spot
To quote John Meacock: "A bad spot is the first in a series of errors that can lead to a fatality".

Although extremely unusual they have been known! It is not a big problem if you correct immediately. But to recognise a bad spot you first have to have some idea of the correct opening point. If you jumped into the aircraft without a care, you cannot expect to make the best of the spot you are given.

When you are open, immediately find the landing area, most of us do this without having to think about it. Locating the landing area and the expected opening point will give you an idea of which way you should be heading. In other words, wherever you are open, if it is not where you expected to be, find where you expected to be and aim for that point.

Short spot
The name gives the best clue because a short spot has shortened your options and all you really can do is 'damage limitation'. If you open short, (ie, not far enough upwind of the target), the priority is to get into wind and establish the likely landing point. If that point is safe and hazard free and is on the drop zone, the best course of action is keep into wind and make the best of it. You could use front risers to increase both penetration and descent rate. However this is not be recommended below 500ft or in tubulent conditions as it is possible to collapse the canopy.

Long spot
Long spots (too far upwind of the target) are probably caused by fast aircraft and slow exits. Whatever the reason, the deep spot is one of the most dangerous to skydivers. Finding the landing area and immediately heading for it is obviously the best option, but do not be deceived into holding full glide thinking you are 'giving it some'! Full glide will give you the highest airspeed but it also gives you the greatest rate of descent. The best way to return from a deep spot is with just enough brake to check your descent rate without compromising forward speed, between quarter and half brakes.

The danger for us is that last few hundred feet (as always). There have been numerous occasions when even the most experienced skydiver gets sucked into target fixation. "Must make it back to the DZ... Must make it... Oh no, must get into wind... Whoops!" We all have seen this before from the ground and, if you are like me, it sends shivers down your spine. Everyone can see the mistake happening in front of their eyes, except the pilot of the parachute.

Do not press on to try and make the DZ when an early turn will get you into a safe area with plenty of time. 

If you do leave it too late then land crosswind or even downwind and flare, you will be fine (a bit green maybe but fine!).

Off the wind line
If you end up open completely off the wind line, the first part of your descent should be dedicated to trying to get back into an upwind position. The best way of accomplishing this is to use your canopy's drive to cut across the wind direction i.e. 90 degrees to the wind line. Anything other than this will not give you the best penetration across the wind. There are some slight variations to this depending on the depth of the spot. For example if you are off the wind line and short the best flight configuration is more into wind than crosswind whereas off the wind line and deep should get you on quarter brakes and heading halfway between the wind line and the DZ.

Canopy Control Myths
1. Full glide is not the best way to cover the most ground when going downwind. Just a little brake checks the descent rate without losing much forward speed.

2. A 360o turn is not the best way to lose altitude if you are short, because for the 359o that you are not into wind, the canopy is being pushed back. Instead, directly correct the spot by putting yourself over the right place at 1,000ft.

3. The amount of ground covered during your track is not enough to make any difference to your chances under canopy. It's a lame excuse for bad canopy control.

For the Experienced Pilot
Most of the information here can be translated into helpful guidelines for the experienced pilot. However the speeds we have become used to, with the high performance designs we have today, must be addressed. If you find you are making silly little mistakes on a regular basis and you are always more than 10 metres from where you planned, you are not reading the information available within the conditions of the day and you do not know your canopy well enough.

It is doubly important to stay 'ahead of the game' when you progress onto something with a little more zing especially if you are starting to get interested in swoop landings. They look great as we all know. But swoop landings also kill. There are ways of getting an accurate swoop landing with awesome speed whilst minimising the risk.

The infamous 'hook turn'
There is definitely a difference between the 'Hook Turn' and a 'Swoop Landing' both being 90 to 180o turns or more. The hook is accomplished with the use of the toggles and a swoop with a front riser.

When we started treating the square parachute radically the hook or toggle turn was the way everyone was doing it. This method has some major drawbacks. The main problem with the toggle turn is that it is total commitment. You choose your moment and then you bury the toggle. This dives the canopy at the ground leaving you where you are, the speed then coming from the pendulum effect of your body swinging back under the canopy.

This is all very well until you get it wrong! The margin for error is extremely small with a toggle turn. To be 20 metres above the ground with the canopy below you and to realise then that you are too low is a heart stopping moment (sometimes literally). To bail out of the turn the only thing you can do is flare prematurely hoping to flatten the dive in time for touchdown. We know you guys are still out there doing this, so WAKE UP because you will hurt yourselves!

Swoop landings
A swoop landing is started from a much higher altitude and involves steady input from one of the front risers. With your hands still in the toggles reach up to the riser and pull gently until a turn is started. When the turn is complete, let up on the riser and start the flare. The main difference with this method is that it will give you every opportunity to bail out if you realise that you are running out of altitude, just release the riser and flare.

Do not attempt this type of landing until you have at least a thousand skydives AND good awareness in piloting your canopy!

To Summarise Treat your sport with a little more seriousness, it's possible to be radical but remain within safety parameters that will get you down in one piece. Go back to the section about having a plan because that is the most important part of knowing what to do to be accurate and safe. We are fed up of saying it but here it is one more time: Don't try to run before you can walk. There is no substitute for thousands and thousands of jumps. If you want to make it that far, then start at the beginning. Article by Dave Morris dave@daleside2.demon.co.uk

photo by Keith Larrett

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