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Earlier this year, an article in the “Safety Check” section of Parachutist suggested that a tetrahedron wind drift indicator was the ultimate answer for solving landing direction issues at drop zones. For skydiving purposes, a tetrahedron is a large wind direction indicator in the shape of, well, a tetrahedron. The point of the tetrahedron faces into the wind and indicates the landing direction. If there is no wind, the point still gives a landing direction that everyone can follow. Some drop zones have a wind indicator in the shape of an arrow, which serves the same purpose as at tetrahedron. Drop zones with windsocks or wind blades usually have other rules for no wind days. Regardless of the wind direction indicator used by your drop zone, it is ultimately the job of the drop zone manager or other skydivers to enforce the landing direction rules. Using a tetrahedron or arrow does not magically solve landing direction issues. Take for an example my recent experience at two Florida drop zones. During a recent day of jumping at Skydive DeLand, I was the first jumper to land on a light wind day and landed down wind. Following the landing rules of DeLand, the other jumpers on the load landed in the same direction as the first person down (me). I was publicly scolded on the loud speaker and subsequently landed in the direction of the arrow when I was the first jumper down. Two weeks ago at Skydive City it did not matter which way the first person landed or which way the arrow was pointed as jumpers landed in every direction on every load for two days straight. No rules or announcements on following the arrow were made by manifest. Skydive DeLand and Skydive City both use an arrow that rotates into the wind, indicating the landing direction. Both drop zones also have wind blades, which help indicate the wind speed. But only Skydive DeLand has a strictly enforced landing direction rule. Enforcement is ultimate answer for solving landing direction issues.

Precision Aerodynamics has released a new reserve canopy as part of its “Project Ground Zero” line of parachutes. Precision, well known of its Raven and Micro Raven reserves, is calling its newest reserve the r-Max. The company’s web site says the r-Max features “more speed control and higher lift, with a deep PowerBand flare.” George Galloway, president of Precision, explained in a recent Skydiving magazine article that PowerBand means, “A big bottom end...where you rotate your knuckles downward at the end to get a little bit more flare, you get a lot more flare, like another gear of flaring power.” Many skydivers who have jumped the Micro Raven reserve will be happy to hear George speak about the new flare point of the r-Max reserve. Just at Atlanta Skydiving Center, we have had several jumpers land on their butt or back due to stalling out a Precision Micro Raven reserve on landing. While some jumpers questioned the steering line settings for the company’s Micro Raven, Precision attributed the problem to overloading the reserve or not practicing the flare before the actual landing. Some Micro Ravens also were subject to a service bulletin due to stitching and line attachment failures on deployment. Precision says it has improved on the industry standard design of nylon line attachment tapes bartacked to the underside of the canopy. The line attachment tapes for the r-Max are made of Spectra and run up and down the length of the ribs. “The reinforcing tape on the load-bearing rib runs down the rib, exits the lower surface and actually becomes the line attachment loop, then turns around and goes back up the rib,” Galloway told Skydiving magazine. The company says depending on the input on the canopy, the r-Max will perform like a high-performance cross-brace or a 7-cell accuracy canopy with an extra bit of flare at the end. The canopy is available in 11 sizes from 108-288 square feet.