meyer@waltz.UUCP (01/30/85)
I was curious if any of you skydiver types have tried out the "Freak Brother"
style of flying (on your back). I saw their film from the Freak Brother
convention of '83 -- and it really looked like a bunch of fun. The camera
man would be flying "freak" so that his feet were in visibile in the
shot -- he'd manuver down to a 3 or 4 way and make a perfect entry.
It looked so easy and fun that I decided to take a solo jump to practice
flying around on my back. To my suprise, I found it very difficult to
find good stability. Gee, I spent so much time on my back in early
RW training, I thought it would be so natural to get on my back
intentionally. Not so easy!
Do any of you have some good storys about (attempting) flying on your back?
==============================================================================
Dane Meyer D-8076 CCR-775
ARPA: ==> Meyer%waltz%TI-CSL@CSNET-Relay
CSNET: ==> Meyer@TI-CSL
USENET: ==> {convex!smu, ut-sally, texsun, rice}!waltz!meyer brent@phoenix.UUCP (Brent P. Callahan) (02/04/85)
I organised a Freak dive once. We put together a quick 6 star and
then on my nod, we all did a half backloop onto our backs.
In theory we were all supposed to fly back together into a
no-contact star feet first.
None of us had ever seriously attempted freak flying, except
while linked into a formation (dock with arms crossed then uncross).
The result was complete chaos. I guess we were asking for it.
The sky was full of laughing bodies zipping here, there and
everywhere, completely out of control. It was a zoo.
In the inverted position, the legs have a lot more drag.
I couldn't get enough drag off my arms, or pull my legs in
enough to fly forwards. Most of us zipped around in
backwards tracks.
I guess we all have a lot to learn !
--
Made in New Zealand --> Brent Callaghan
AT&T Information Systems, Lincroft, NJ
{ihnp4|ahuta|pegasus}!phoenix!brent
(201) 576-3475al@infoswx.UUCP (02/07/85)
I have only tried the freak flying a couple of times. I was approaching a two-way base that was spinning. The pin man decided to help me since I was having a hard time getting in, by trying to grab the backstrap between the main lift web and the container. Funny thing about those SST Racers, that's about where the POP handle is. His view of the story was, "When I reached out and grabbed you, and it seemed really easy to pull you over." Needless to say, I never got in!
paul@ubvax.UUCP (Paul Fries) (02/11/85)
Freak flying is a lot of fun, although sometimes difficult to do in a stable fashion. I've had some of my best funnels on freak dives. Since I don't freak fly well enough to dock consistently, I get most of my practice at freak RW by taking a freak piece off the strut of our Cessna 206 that has a passenger door. It is quite easy to get out freak style. Similar to taking a two-way piece of the strut, taking the freak piece off the strut is done with both jumpers on the strut. The outboard jumper goes out to the wheel and turns around, holding the strut by wrapping the right arm around it. The left arm and leg are free. The second jumper follows, taking a grip on the outboard jumper's right upper arm. Facing aft, leave the aircraft by lifting the feet from the step and wheel, releasing the strut, and "sitting down in your easy chair". Keep your arms well back to avoid doing a back loop. Remember that a chest-mount altimeter may read high while in freak configurations. Some who use wrist-mounts say that they read correctly. A really interesting thing about freak flying the two-way is that you can carry on a conversation. I think this is because both speakers are talking into the burble. We discovered this by accident when two of my friend just started talking (loudly), just after the exit. Why it ever occurred to them to talk, we will never know. It wasn't till they had landed that they realized what they had done.