Masters Skills Camp

BIG TIPS

FOR

BIG WAYS

Carol Jones

Masters Skills Camp

www.mastersskillscamp.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Large Formation and Aircraft Etiquette page 3

2. Dress for Success page 11

3. Exits page 13

4. Quadrant – Stadium – Radial page 20

5. Red Zone and Red Hot Zone page 25

6. Get a Grip page 30

7. Break Off page 34

8. Staying Alive under Canopy page 36

9. High Altitude Skydives and Hypoxia page 39

10. Other Assorted Tips page 43

Revised edition 2013

Photo credits – page 20 George Katsoulis

page 21 Albert Berchtold

Large Formation and Aircraft Etiquette

Welcome to the world of large formation skydiving. Whether this is a brand new world to you or you are an “old hand”, this handbook is meant to be a resource that will help you process all the information that goes along with big way skydiving.

These tips have been compiled from years of experience (mine as well as others) in big way formation skydives. But this is also a work in progress. As new information develops, changes and additions will be made to this handbook.

BIG WAY SKYDIVING - OVERVIEW

Big way skydiving is a world unto itself. Big way skydiving has etiquette, language, and rules all its own. By becoming familiar with the rules, language and etiquette, you will find yourself more comfortable in a situation that will be characteristically stressful.

Big way skydiving is not a skills camp. There is not enough time to go over all the basics while participating in large formation skydiving. The organizers are going to expect you to know certain information, take care of yourself and be responsible with all the information that is given out.

HIERARCHY

On a large formation skydive each aircraft will have a plane captain. Your plane captain is the person to whom you should direct any questions or suggestions. Your plane captain is the person to whom you should go if you have any questions about how to perform your job most efficiently. If there are any issues which should be brought before the organizers, the plane captains are the people who will do that. Your goal, regarding the organizers, is to be invisible and predictable. If you are not being noticed, chances are high you are doing a brilliant job.

DIRT DIVE

Generally, you will not know your slot in the formation until you show up for the event. Occasionally this information is given out in advance, but don’t be surprised if it is not. At the event, a large picture of the formation will be posted and you will be given a specific amount of time to study that picture and then you need to be ready to show up for the dirt dive. Maximize your time by focusing on the details that you need to know and don’t spend time on information that will not lead to your success. First, find your name and memorize your slot number. It will be a letter and a number. The letter refers to the aircraft you are on and the number refers to your exit order and your slot in the formation.

BIG TIP

If you have short term memory issues, write that number on the back of your hand. It is really bad form to show up at the dirt dive not knowing your aircraft and slot.

Open the Formation diagram to see the formation that was used for the 2013 Skydivers Over Sixty World Record. This would be an example of what you could expect to be posted. The aircraft used in this formation were 2 Twin Otters, a Sky Van, and a Caravan. The Twin Otter on the left is identified as “A” and is known as left trail. The Sky Van is identified as “B” and is known as lead. The Twin Otter on the right is the “C” aircraft and is known as right trail. The Caravan is the “D” aircraft and is called right-right trail.

You can see that each aircraft has numbered slots which correspond to numbered slots in the formation. For example, if your name was listed as C1, you would be front-front float on the right otter.

After you identify your slot, you will know by looking at the picture in which quadrant your slot is located. (Quadrant and radial explained in detail in section 4) This is important information and will aid you in being in the right place in the formation. In the example of C1, your quadrant will be in the lower right hand side of the formation.

Now, find your radial which comes out from the base. The radial will be a specific line coming from the base and running through the entire formation. Think of a radial as being one spoke of a bicycle tire. This line coming towards your slot will be very specific as it runs through the formation – off the left shoulder of the person in front of you, or through the grips of the pair in front of you, or directly behind a specific base person, etc. It is a very specific line. Using the example of C1, your head should be lined up right behind the grip of B1 and B4.

Next, identify your partners. Who is located on either side of you, who is in front of you and who is behind you? Find out their names from the name list. If you aren’t already familiar with them, look for them and introduce yourself. They will also be looking for you. Knowing who is around you will make you more efficient in finding your slot at the dirt dive. Using the example that you are C1, you need to know who B1 and B4 are as that is who you are docking on. B8 which is across from you in the base will be a good reference point in helping you to identify your radial. You should be aware of who C5 and C8 are as you all may be approaching the formation at nearly the same time. You will want to know who C2 and C6 are as they will be docking on you.

BIG TIP

If this is too much information to trust to your memory, take a piece of paper and a pen with you while you are looking at the formation picture and write down all the details you need to aid you in finding where you should be in the dirt dive. The more you take care of yourself and act like you know where to be, the less time and attention the organizers will have to give to you. The result is a more favorable impression that you have made and you haven’t even skydived yet. Again, invisible and predictable.

Make sure you take the responsibility to know when and where the dirt dive will be located. NEVER be the last one to the dirt dive. If you are to show up with your jump suit, make sure it is fully on. If you are to show up with full gear, make sure you have on all your gear, including your helmet. Your goal is to have the organizers only notice that you are on time and in place with all equipment that they have asked for you to be wearing.

In the dirt dive, while the organizer is talking, DO NOT TALK. If you have something that needs to be clarified, wait until the organizer has finished speaking then raise your hand and wait to be acknowledged. Often, they will cover all your concerns if you will be patient and let them finish. If the organizer is addressing a group that is across the formation from you, you still need to be quiet. It might be helpful information for you and you don’t want to be noticed by the organizer because you are talking. Think invisible.

In the dirt dive your job is to concentrate and start looking for your landmarks. You should have several reference points. What color of jumpsuits are you lining up behind in the base? What are the colors on the opposite side of the base? What color of jumpsuits do the jumpers in front of you have? What are the colors directly beside you? Look behind you – if you are slow to the formation, the jumpers behind you may get there first and you need to know for whom to look. (You shouldn’t pass the ones who are in front of you in the formation but it may happen. Be prepared.)

When the organizer asks you to walk through the approach to the formation, mentally you should be thinking through all the reference points that you now have. Walk through the formation as if you were actually skydiving. Think to yourself how you are going to fly when you enter the red zone. Imagine yourself in the red-hot zone. Think about how you are going to fly in your position before you take a grip. And finally, just as in the real skydive, before taking your grip take a breath and exhale. The walk - through should be as close to the actual skydive as you can make it. (Red zone and red hot zone are covered in section 6. Taking a grip is covered in section 7).

Practice the break off in the same manner. You may be given a specific tracking group. If so, practice with the group in the dirt dive. If you are not instructed to track with a group, as you turn to break off in the dirt dive, look left and right and identify on the ground where potential traffic problems might occur in the air. In large formation skydiving you may not turn an actual 180 degrees from the formation. When you are practicing in the dirt dive, make sure you pay attention to the angle you need to be on as you move away from the formation to ensure that you have clear space for tracking.

BOARDING THE AIRCRAFT

It is your responsibility to know which aircraft you are boarding. It is your responsibility to know whom you are to line up behind when boarding the aircraft.

BIG TIP

A tip to help you board the aircraft properly is when you are practicing the exit in the mockup, turn around and identify the person behind you. The person behind you when you are practicing the exit is the one you will follow when you board the aircraft.

As you board the aircraft, take care that you sit so there will be a minimum amount of moving around when getting ready for exit. Large formations typically go to higher altitudes than normal. If so, you will also be using oxygen. At exit altitude you will want to refrain from as much movement as possible to gain the most benefits from the oxygen. Also, to minimize stress and maximize your sense of calmness when exiting, plan ahead. Make sure you are sitting in the proper position so that when everyone stands up for exit, people don’t have to shift around for you to be in the right order.

As you take your seat, make sure you have the right seat belts. Usually you will have a full plane so you need to make sure that every seat is occupied.

BIG TIP

A tip to get the seat belts organized correctly in an aircraft with bench seating is as you sit down, pick up your seat belt and your neighbor’s seat belt. The person who sat down before you will have the other half of your seat belt pair and will hand you the one you need after you sit down. When your neighbor sits down, you can hand him his half and then secure your seat belt. This helps to prevent the situation where everyone gets buckled and then have to undo their belts and slide down because a seat belt pair got out of order. Anything you can do to promote calmness while you are participating in large formation skydiving will only help to ensure your personal success.

RIDE TO ALTITUDE

Large formation skydiving typically involves higher altitudes and the use of oxygen. The oxygen will be turned on usually as you pass through 12,000 feet AGL. There will be an oxygen briefing that will cover those details.

Some helmets are equipped with an oxygen port. If you have that type of helmet, you will not need the cannula. You will simply place the hose into the port. If your helmet is not equipped with a port, you must use the cannula in your nose. Sucking on the oxygen hose or just putting it into your mouth does not give you the best benefits of the oxygen.

BIG TIP

A tip on using the oxygen system is to place the cannula loop over your head and run the loop behind your ears with the cannula placed into your nose. Put your helmet on and plan on skydiving with your cannula. Some people like to run the excess tubing down the arm of their jumpsuit so that they don’t have as much hose to deal with while skydiving. That will depend on the aircraft oxygen system and they are all set up differently. Benefits to skydiving with your cannula are that you will always know which one is yours, you won’t be sharing other people’s germs by getting the cannulas mixed up and it will stay clean and not get stepped on by skydivers on other loads.

By the time the altitude is reached when the oxygen is turned on, you need to be fully ready to skydive. Helmet on, gloves on, leg straps tightened, booties on, and anything else that you need to do. Once the oxygen is turned on, your job is to sit quietly and conserve your oxygen. Give a thumb up to your plane captain or the oxygen monitor to let them know your oxygen is flowing.