Diving and catching up at a formation

Hello sky friends,


I've been training lately to dive at a speedstar formation, which I think is a good skill to have.

The problem is that I can't maintain a good steep diving angle towards the formation, which causes a spiral like flying pattern, which most of the time, leads to that I'm flying faraway above the formation.

Do you guys have ideas on how to train properly to get to my slot on time?

Is there any wind tunnel exercises which can help learning this skill?

I've done 150 skydives. Should I have taught me this skill by now? or is it normal not to be able to perform good dives at this level? -I've met skydivers with 60-70 skydives who have almost no prob with diving at a formation.

It's really just a learned skill of adjusting fall rates so you get there at a nice speed but not so fast that you overshoot or dock hard. I know people with thousands of jumps that still have issues diving and docking so don't worry about it.

To practice diving, have your friends jump out in a chunk 2-4 people and be the first diver out after them. You can even just dive after one person. Then as you get better you can move yourself back more for a challenge. You shouldn't have to go as steep as you make it sound.

One other thing to consider is the group fall rate. If you are one of the lightest if might help you out to wear weights. A few pounds can often help level the playing field with different body types.

Here are some of my techniques. I often jump with a group that is usually 32 people and up to 50. When I am a late diver whether its out of the in lead(a skyvan) or the trail plane(an otter) they are basically the same. If I am close to the CHUNK I dont hold the dive for more than a second or two. The later I am in the line up dictates holding the dive longer, also be aware. the longer the dive the more energy you will carry, and need to pull out and start slowing down farther out.

When I exit the air craft, I make sure to arch, see the base/formation. I stretch my arms straight out in front of me as I exit to stop my bottom half going over my head as I get steep, but it is only for a moment. As I feel the momentum of going over stop, I will extend my legs straight and pull my arms to my side while tilting my head up to keep traffic/formation in site. Its not a race, but i usually dont have a problem getting there when I am supposed to or a little bit early.

tikl68

Here are some of my techniques. I often jump with a group that is usually 32 people and up to 50. When I am a late diver whether its out of the in lead(a skyvan) or the trail plane(an otter) they are basically the same. If I am close to the CHUNK I dont hold the dive for more than a second or two. The later I am in the line up dictates holding the dive longer, also be aware. the longer the dive the more energy you will carry, and need to pull out and start slowing down farther out.

When I exit the air craft, I make sure to arch, see the base/formation. I stretch my arms straight out in front of me as I exit to stop my bottom half going over my head as I get steep, but it is only for a moment. As I feel the momentum of going over stop, I will extend my legs straight and pull my arms to my side while tilting my head up to keep traffic/formation in site. Its not a race, but i usually dont have a problem getting there when I am supposed to or a little bit early.

The thing is that we jump from a Cessna 206 (extremly small door) in my DZ which goes up to 3000 meter max and the formation is often 3-4 ways speedstar, which makes the formations falling speed as fast as a fall rate of a solo jumper, in this case, I must be fast and accurate to catch up with the formation.

Airhugger

Hello sky friends,


I've been training lately to dive at a speedstar formation, which I think is a good skill to have.

The problem is that I can't maintain a good steep diving angle towards the formation, which causes a spiral like flying pattern, which most of the time, leads to that I'm flying faraway above the formation.

Do you guys have ideas on how to train properly to get to my slot on time?

Is there any wind tunnel exercises which can help learning this skill?

I've done 150 skydives. Should I have taught me this skill by now? or is it normal not to be able to perform good dives at this level? -I've met skydivers with 60-70 skydives who have almost no prob with diving at a formation.

Something you might want to try one some solo practice jumps is to line up on something straight, a highway or something, go into a gentle track, at least at first, and do all of your steering with your knees.
It's way to easy to forget about using your knees in RW.

Bob_Church

***Hello sky friends,


I've been training lately to dive at a speedstar formation, which I think is a good skill to have.

The problem is that I can't maintain a good steep diving angle towards the formation, which causes a spiral like flying pattern, which most of the time, leads to that I'm flying faraway above the formation.

Do you guys have ideas on how to train properly to get to my slot on time?

Is there any wind tunnel exercises which can help learning this skill?

I've done 150 skydives. Should I have taught me this skill by now? or is it normal not to be able to perform good dives at this level? -I've met skydivers with 60-70 skydives who have almost no prob with diving at a formation.

Something you might want to try one some solo practice jumps is to line up on something straight, a highway or something, go into a gentle track, at least at first, and do all of your steering with your knees.
It's way to easy to forget about using your knees in RW.

Sounds interesting.
Any special thoughts about the knees position?

Airhugger

******Hello sky friends,


I've been training lately to dive at a speedstar formation, which I think is a good skill to have.

The problem is that I can't maintain a good steep diving angle towards the formation, which causes a spiral like flying pattern, which most of the time, leads to that I'm flying faraway above the formation.

Do you guys have ideas on how to train properly to get to my slot on time?

Is there any wind tunnel exercises which can help learning this skill?

I've done 150 skydives. Should I have taught me this skill by now? or is it normal not to be able to perform good dives at this level? -I've met skydivers with 60-70 skydives who have almost no prob with diving at a formation.

Something you might want to try one some solo practice jumps is to line up on something straight, a highway or something, go into a gentle track, at least at first, and do all of your steering with your knees.
It's way to easy to forget about using your knees in RW.

Sounds interesting.
Any special thoughts about the knees position?

Just try pulling one then the other forward a bit to act as rudders for turning. Then try using both of them to slow down. This can be especially helpful when approaching a formation and you don't want to actually flare but need to slow down and stop.

Rather than practice diving to a formation, practice diving to your position in what's referred to as the stadium. That's a point that's a few feet up and a few feet back from where you're supposed to dock. From there, you work your way into your slot, match the fall rate, and pick up grips. Never use the formation to stop yourself if you're going too fast.

You could try a self-burble technique. Bring your hands to the center of your chest a few inches off of it. Join the hands in a fist, or clasped together in a kind of praying position.  This will increase your fall rate without driving you forward. It will reduce your stability, so you'll have to be ready for and compensate for that. 

On 11/18/2023 at 6:27 PM, Rickendiver said:

You could try a self-burble technique.

Careful what advice you dispense on web forums. The "self-burble" technique you describe sounds like a "no-lift dive" or diving with a fully vertical attitude. Without proper instruction and skill development, this maneuver can and has been deadly.

On 11/18/2023 at 7:27 PM, Rickendiver said:

You could try a self-burble technique. Bring your hands to the center of your chest a few inches off of it. Join the hands in a fist, or clasped together in a kind of praying position.  This will increase your fall rate without driving you forward. It will reduce your stability, so you'll have to be ready for and compensate for that. 

People in the formation will certainly appreciate how fast you get to your slot (insert lots of sarcasm here)

2 hours ago, wmw999 said:

It's not, Chuck. It's when, belly to earth (mantis position, really), you push your hands down to steal your own air. It brings you down surprisingly quickly, while keeping your orientation. Don't want to do it for large distances (e.g. diving from the plane), but for those times you come out of your dive higher on the formation than planned, it's a great first step -- especially because of keeping the formation in view.

Wendy P.

Duly noted, but still not something I think should be learned based on a forum description. "I learned it on the internet" is filled with ER visits and worse.