From: dbriggs@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Daniel Briggs)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Toehangs and spins and frozen fingers
Date: 24 Nov 92 02:03:22 GMT
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM

I only got in but a single jump this weekend, due to weather and my own
constraints, but a couple of things came together and it was a lot of fun!

I got the toe hang to work from the door of the Beech!  Granted, it turned
out to be a bastard cross between a knee hang and a toe hang, and it faced
away from the plane instead of towards it as I'd like, but it did work!
And well enough that I could enjoy it instead of sweating about holding on.
All I did this time was to sit on the door sill facing into the plane, and
scootch out until the leg straps were past the sill.  Roll backwards as far
as you can out the door while holding onto the side of the door with your
hands.  Then spread your legs and shift grips to the center of the sill
between your legs.  Your legs come up, and press against the side of the
plane on the inside, about 18 inches from the floor of the plane.  The sill
is pressing on your legs at about knee level, and you can straighten out
and hang.  It's not terribly comfortable, but it actually turns out to be
easier to hold in the air than on the ground.  Just hang out, and watch the
ground "above" your hand.  Really trippy!  I could have held it a lot
longer than I did (maybe 5 seconds), but I got spotted a mile out in the
weeds as it was.  (I *told* him that I needed about 15 seconds of climb
around time, and he swore that he'd take it into account.  Two groups on
the pass, and I still end up hiking back.  Grrr!)  I think I might be able
to get a little further out the door, but the angle required to get your
toes on the door jamb rises quickly as you go further out.  I've tried to
toe hang face forward once before, and I fell off almost as soon as I let
go with my hands.  It's a lot harder!  (Incidentally, the way to start this
is with a forward roll out the door.  Catch your feet on the door jamb as
they come out.  It works well for just hanging by your hands, too.)

I still haven't got the knack of transitioning between front and back
layouts yet, but I'm working on it.  I really need to buy some video for
this, and study what I'm doing wrong.

The other nifty thing that worked this time was that I got Kokobu's spin to
work!  As I described in an earlier post, that's the standup spin that
looks like the martial arts "crane" position.  It turns out to be a little
easier than I had feared.  Not that much harder than a normal stand up.  In
fact, that's how I got it started, with a normal standup and then bringing
up one leg into the crane position.  It took three tries, but on the third
one it clicked.  I think it's the shin on the upraised leg that drives the
spin, since the position *wants* to spin.  You'd have to work very hard to
prevent it spinning, I think.  Once it gets going, you've got a gyroscope
(you!) working to keep the position upright.  You could hold this position
long enough to get *very* dizzy, I think.  Be a little careful with it.
Getting out of it smoothly is another trick, too.  Kokobu just sticks the
bent leg down into the lower leg of a T, keeping the rotation, and then
stops the T.  Me, I'm not 100% sure what I did, but it sure wasn't right.
I'm not sure how I started the exit, but when things went a bit sour I
think I must have tried to arch out of it.  Bad idea!  Short of a certain
super-terminal Cessna exit, that was the most violent Z I've ever had.
There is a lot angular momentum in that spin, and if you don't stop it
smoothly, you will tumble like nobody's business.  I habitually pull a
little high, which happened to be a good idea in this case, since I chewed
up nearly an extra grand getting myself back together.  You might want to
practice this move near the beginning of the dive, or else plan on a full
grand to get out of the spin.  But it's an awful pretty move, and I think
I'll put some time into getting smooth.  The Maverick I mentioned earlier
(swastika spin) is just as easy as it looks, and also a real kick.

Looking forward to warm Australia skies.  Winter has started in New Mexico,
and it's *cold* up there.

-- 
| Daniel Briggs  (dbriggs@nrao.edu)                      |  USPA B-14993
| New Mexico Tech / National Radio Astronomy Observatory |      DoD #387
| P.O. Box O / Socorro, NM 87801   (505) 835-7391        | 
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