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Big skies and fast parachutes

KAVU athlete and ambassador, Neil Amonson brings us along on a "hop and flock" mission....showing us what it takes to take the fast way down

By KAVU

May 29^th, 2018

A box!

Funny, the kind of things you can ship in a box these days. In this case, packed in that innocent looking box is a state of the art, high performance parachute. It doesn’t look like much all wrapped in plastic, but when you hook up its lines to a container and deploy it high up in the sky, you have yourself a recipe for FUN!

Big skies and fast parachutes

Big skies and fast parachutes

We don’t jump in Utah during the winter so when my new toy arrived, I had to wait a little before flying it. To say I was a nervous the first few jumps would be accurate. I hadn’t jumped all winter, and this parachute was the smallest and fastest I had ever jumped. After some spicy landings, I was blown away at the performance, speed, and maneuverability

Big skies and fast parachutes

What's better than flying?

Flying with friends!

I heard of an event in Florida where other skydivers who love high performance canopy flight were getting together to make formations in the sky with their parachutes. This was something I had not done before and thought it sounded super rad. When flying commercially I keep my parachute in my carry-on luggage so i always feel “safe and secure”.

Ha!

Big skies and fast parachutes

I arrived in Florida the evening before the event started, set up my tent, and got ready for the fun. Each morning required an early start and I’ve found the best way to not be late for skydiving is to just sleep at the airport. That way you’ll never miss the action!

Big skies and fast parachutes

welcome to skydive sebastian!

With a fleet of aircraft and an army of staff to keep them in the air, the first day of jumping looked very promising.

Skydive Sebastian

Big skies and fast parachutes

Big skies and fast parachutes

first things first

Skydiving may look like all fun and games, and it usually is, but when you start to do more complex things there is quite a bit of planning involved. Both mornings of the event started out in the briefing room to discuss safety, technique, and what our goals for the day were.

Big skies and fast parachutes

the good stuff!

After breaking up into small groups for the first day, we practiced the skills that are necessary to build larger formations. What’s different about the jumps we were doing is that instead of free-falling down to around 3,500’ above the ground and opening our parachutes, we opened them up right out the door of the aircraft up at 13,000 ft!. It allowed more time to fly our parachutes instead of free-falling for most of the jump.

Big skies and fast parachutes

The forward speed of these small parachutes is impressive, ranging from anywhere between 30-50mph in neutral flight. Add some harness input and turns, and those speeds can increase to nearly 100 mph! We practiced building small groups to make sure everyone was comfortable before trying bigger groups the next day.

Big skies and fast parachutes

Between each jump there is the always necessary step of packing your parachute. Some jumpers love it, others hate it. I consider it a chance to get a close look at my gear, experiment with different packing techniques, and work on being fast and efficient with each movement. Students learning to pack take anywhere from 45-60 minutes. Once you get good at it, you can have it packed up in ten minutes.

Reallllly fast packers can do it in five, but that is rare.

Big skies and fast parachutes

Halfway through the first day, mother nature took over and brought in some rain. We had to end early but luckily had already snuck in a few great jumps before the clouds rolled in. That night we ate more sushi then I’ve ever seen in my entire life and practiced the much loved technique of “drinking the sky blue”.

Big skies and fast parachutes

day 2

I was awoken by a strange screeching sound and found the drop zone had been invaded by some sort of large cranes. They were at least four feet high and walked slowly around eating bugs and things.

Big skies and fast parachutes

With the last day of the weekend upon us, it was time to step up our game and try to make a larger formation. Getting 19 skydivers to understand a plan and each do their part is no small task, and I was impressed with the professionalism and skill of the group.

Big skies and fast parachutes

more 'dirt diving'!

Like skydiving, but with your feet on the ground. Ha! It’s a good way to practice making sure everyone knows where to go once we're in the air.

With many of the best canopy pilots in the world in attendance, I was for sure an underdog, and feeling some performance anxiety before the big jump. It’s fun to learn a new skill and be able to have some of the best in the business around to give advice.

Big skies and fast parachutes

green light - go!

With an entire twin otter full of high performance canopy pilots, we started building our formation.

Big skies and fast parachutes

It’s pretty awesome to look around you and see so many parachutes flying in close proximity. Even the smallest body movements change your flight path and take you closer or farther away from the flyer next to you.

Big skies and fast parachutes

success!

The first jump of Sunday morning we were able to build a 15 way formation. It was awesome to see everyone smoothly approach the formation and go straight to their slot.

Big skies and fast parachutes

It was awesome to be one of the first to come down and watch all the "swoopers" come ripping across the landing area.

I walked back to the hanger with a big smile on my face, for sure.

Unfortunately even though the skies were blue, the winds on the ground were becoming dangerously high and we had to call it quits after just one jump.

Big skies and fast parachutes

All in all the trip was short but sweet. I can’t wait for the fall when we get together for "Hop and Flock 3"! It gives me all summer to practice what I learned, and spread the canopy flocking love with the rest of the locals here in Utah. After all, the only thing more fun the flying...

is flying with friends! :)

Photo credits: Neil Amonson, Scott Lazarus, Guru Khalsa

Footnotes

Neil consistently shows us that KAVU is a perspective...live to the fullest, work hard and seek happiness while sharing the love for life with as many friends as possible. KAVU indeed!

FootNotes

Neil consistently shows us that KAVU is a perspective...live to the fullest, work hard and seek happiness while sharing the love for life with as many friends as possible. KAVU indeed!

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