Bad SPOT?!

Great skydive, awesome track, nice opening… Yay ☺ … Uh-oh? WTF??!! Where the heck is the DZ?

If your canopy opens and you realize you’re unlikely to make it back to the DZ, what do you do? Below are all sorts of hazards; houses, trees, wires, water, maybe even men with shotguns! The decisions you make in the next 2 minutes will make the difference between hurting yourself or walking away … and you need to make them fast, as the clock is ticking…

Make an early decision

If it looks like touch and go whether you make it back to the dropzone or not, make an early decision that you might not make it and start looking for alternatives. Don’t blindly try to get as close to the dropzone as possible. Off the DZ is off the DZ; you’re better to land in the safest area than into a tight spot that’s a bit closer. By all means head towards the DZ but actively look for possible landing zones.

Tip: If you can’t locate the dropzone, check the direction of other canopies in the air.

Stay high

Altitude is your friend. The higher you are, the more time you have for decision-making, this helps keep a clear head. You have more options the higher you are above the ground. Use your brakes to conserve altitude.

Tip: Plan ahead: it can all happen very quickly down at the bottom end

Getting back from a long spot

If the wind is behind you, you have the most chance of making it back… put the canopy in about half brakes, or whatever gives you the best glide angle; you should be able to sense this. Making your body small gives less wind resistance to slow you down. Tucking your legs up in front of you and bringing your arms in may make the difference between getting back or not.

Tip: I find the least tiring method of keeping my legs up is to hold my leg grips gently at the knees with my hands (still through the toggles of course), focusing on flying the canopy at best glide angle.

Even while you’re trying to get back, be aware you might not make it safely. Assess your progress across the ground (use your alti), and look for good landing options.

Plan ahead so you have made a choice by your decision altitude to elect for an alternate landing zone

Decision altitude

You should have a ‘decision altitude’, by which time you’ve decided where to land. Normally this is before the entry height to your landing pattern. For example, if your pattern starts at 1,200 feet, then any alternate landing area decision needs to be made before then.

Beware the ‘low turn trap’

Many people who would not normally turn low to the ground get ‘suckered into it’ when trying to get back from a long spot. It’s easy to leave it too late to safely turn 180 degrees into wind. An alarming number of skydivers have been seriously injured or killed in this situation by hitting the ground with their canopy still in a turn. To avoid this – plan ahead so you have made a choice by your decision altitude to elect for an alternate landing zone.

If, despite your intentions, you find yourself downwind at a few hundred feet, then:

• use a flat turn, not toggles or risers
• be aware your highest priority is to land with the canopy in level flight
• take a crosswind or downwind landing rather than in a turn
• a PLF can minimize damage of a hard landing

Flat Turns

For a flat turn, put the canopy in half brakes then, let the toggle up on the opposite side to your desired turn direction. This loses less altitude than toggle turns or risers, and it’s easier to stop turning if needed to keep the canopy level above you when landing.

If you make a fast, aggressive flat turn do you lose more or less altitude than if you make a slow, gentle turn?

How does the speed of a flat turn affect altitude loss?

If you make a fast, aggressive flat turn do you lose more or less altitude than if you make a slow, gentle turn? This is one of the most important things to know… and it’s not what most people assume.

Downwind of the dropzone?

If the wind is not behind you, it was a really bad spot! Now you have less room for maneuver and it’s much less likely you’ll make it back from a long spot (unless you’ve opened high). Look for alternative landing zones (LZs); if nothing looks inviting in front there may be better options behind you.

Possible landing areas

Scan the ground below, ahead and behind you for possible landing areas. The most desirable features are listed below, in rough order of priority. Your experience and canopy skills will decide how far down the list the factors are important.

• large, clear area
• hazard-free or low on hazards compared to other options
• level ground
• non-abrasive landing surface (grass, not tarmac), ideally not marshy
• easy to land into wind
• free of livestock (bulls may attack or people may be angry if you land with their prize racehorse)
• with an exit route
• with nearby house/assistance
• nice friendly pub with a beer garden 😉

Select a Plan A and a Plan B (and a Plan C, D…); that way if you realize at 1500 feet that Plan A is in fact waterlogged or full of alligators, you already have an alternative.

Hazards

Look really hard at altitude for phone and electricity lines; you probably won’t see the wires from 2,000 feet so look for lines of poles. If you pick an inviting paddock next to a house, that building will most likely be serviced so look for the cables until you locate them.

If over a large expanse of water such as the sea, or a lake, clearing this is the main priority. If landing on an incline is inevitable, then it’s better to land across the slope, rather than down the hill or up the hill (think about it).

Beware of vineyards; from altitude they seem inviting but are full of wires that can cause injuries. Ideally don’t land in fields of rape (bright yellow), the crops can be 5-6 ft high and the stems tangle around you; getting out is a nightmare. If you elect to land in crops, remember the ground may be 1-6 feet below the top of the crop, so make an appropriate flare. Grass is preferable if an option.

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Buddy up

Look out for others on the load in the same predicament; see if you can read a general agreement on the best landing area. It’s good to land as a group; safety in numbers, and easiest to check everyone’s okay.

Wind direction

If two fields look similar pick the one with the longest length into wind. You should already know the wind direction before you get into the plane, in relation to an object like a mountain range, the sun, the town, etc; so hopefully you still have that in view. If you’re unsure of the wind direction, you should be able to judge by sensing your speed in various orientations.

Tip: If you’re still not sure what’s into wind, if possible hang up high on brakes and let someone else commit first… if they land in a cloud of dust most likely they chose the wrong way 😉

After landing

Gather into a group, it’s easier for the DZ to find you. If you have to walk a long way in the heat to get anywhere it may be wisest to pack first. If you’re near a road keep your canopy unpacked and stick your thumb out, it’s the easiest way to get a lift – the novelty value helps. If you’re near civilization, ask someone to call the dropzone to let them know your location and that everyone’s okay.

Burble It!

If you’re on Burble – and if not, why not?! – they have a cool feature in the App that lets the DZ know where you are! 🙂 You can even send messages, for example to let them know everyone is ok or that there is a possible sprained ankle / canopy in tree / mad bull in next field!

Avoidance

Of course it’s best not to get into the bad spot situation in the first place. If you’re in charge of your own exit, take a second to check the spot and make smart decisions accordingly. (Depending on your dive plan you may open a little higher if it’s safe to do so, or take the aircraft round again.)

Reserve Back Yard Challenge

Performance Designs ran an excellent initiative where the challenge is to land a reserve canopy into a ‘back yard’ full of (inflatable) obstacles. These type of events are well worth going to for the practice, or you could set one up at your own DZ.

Anecdote

I like the occasional out-landing. I wouldn’t do it on purpose but if it’s inevitable I enjoy the challenge and it’s always a bit of an adventure. My all-time favorite bad spot was one Sunday in the UK. No way were we going to make it back to Langar under canopy but underneath us was a farmhouse and a barbecue with about 50 people and children… plus a perfect paddock landing area, long side to the wind. Woo hoo!

Like most skydivers, we couldn’t resist an audience and swooped in, to shouts, cheers and much applause. Everyone then clapped the event organizer on the back for ‘arranging’ the demo. It turned out the event was a mystery outing for a Sunday School! I couldn’t really argue with the organizer when he commented, ‘The Lord moves in mysterious ways’!

There’s a great compilation video below of Anrno’s favourite off-landings.

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NB: Better to learn canopy skills ahead of time rather than waiting for that bad spot to figure it out. There are lots of excellent courses worldwide such as Flight-1

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