{"id":18001,"date":"2018-04-18T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-04-18T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=18001"},"modified":"2018-04-18T23:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-04-18T23:00:00","slug":"2018-04-19-pilot-in-command-take-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2018-04-19-pilot-in-command-take-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Pilot in Command \u2013 Take Control!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another great article by<\/strong><\/em> Skydive Spaceland<\/strong><\/em><\/a> on Safety \u2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Ask any group of non-skydivers what they think would be the scariest part of skydiving, and at least a few will answer, \u201cThe landing.\u201d Ask a group of skydiving students, or even experienced jumpers, and you\u2019ll get the same answer from a few of them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Self-fulfilling prophecy<\/h3>\n

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We have the guts to throw ourselves out of airplanes in flight, yet we\u2019re sometimes scared of piloting the assembly of nylon and string that saves our lives. But if a skydiver is scared of the parachute, he\/she is often more likely to become injured on landing than a skydiver who flies confidently and safely. So the fear can become a self-fulfilling prophecy \u2013 but no one wants that!<\/p>\n

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Why do some skydivers fear their parachutes and how do we fix that?…<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Fear is often caused by the unknown.<\/strong> No one grew up flying parachutes from childhood, so as adults learning to skydive this is a skill that we don\u2019t know yet. It is related to the skills required to pilot an aircraft or even a car, but not quite the same, hence the potential fear.<\/p>\n

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Another potential source of fear is loss of control \u2013<\/strong> and we often feel out of control on our first few skydives even if we\u2019re not, just because everything is so new. After all, you can\u2019t get off this ride until you reach the ground!<\/p>\n

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Timid piloting<\/h3>\n

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Put together fear and perceived loss of control, and you sometimes see skydivers that seem scared to fly their parachutes. They may perform very gradual turns and often hear radio guidance along the lines of, \u201cPull that toggle down further\u2026 keep pulling the toggle down to your chest\u2026 there you go.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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They may also flare the parachute timidly while landing, resulting in not slowing their descent enough to land smoothly. These skydivers are also the ones that may say things like, \u201cThe wind blew me off course\u201d after landing out or far from the target.<\/p>\n

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Flying a parachute doesn\u2019t have to be scary<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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You’re in charge<\/h3>\n

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Flying a parachute doesn\u2019t have to be scary. Parachutes obey the laws of physics pretty well, so all you need to do is understand the basics of those physics and take charge of the parachute. You are the pilot, so listen to your instructors and fly that thing!<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou need to realize you have control just as you do when you are driving your car,\u201d says instructor Raul Quinones. \u201cUnderstand that you are the pilot of your own canopy. It will not go where you want it to unless you tell it to. If you want the car to turn, you have to turn the wheel. It\u2019s the same as with your parachute\u2013make the correction you want with your toggles (or risers once you have learned how). If the air is turbulent or bumpy, just relax and fly the canopy. Feel the canopy and where it is in relation to your body, and keep it where it\u2019s supposed to be on landing \u2013 directly over your head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

Common Mistakes<\/h3>\n

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Raul describes the following common mistakes he often sees students and less experienced canopy pilots make:<\/p>\n

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