Don't Look Away........

"Don't look away from the center of the formation.
When you look away from the center, bad shit happens"
Doug Forth

Chapter 4
40-Way Skills Camp with Doug Forth
There's a phenomenon in weather forecasting called "The Lake Effect". It
refers to the effect a large body of water such as one of the Great Lakes
has on weather systems, influencing the way the system moves. At Mile High,
my home drop zone, there is a reservoir that wraps around 2 sides of the
airport and we are often getting out of the plane over top of it. It's not a
problem, we're wearing Aqua Buoy flotation gear, and while the reservoir
isn't small, if necessary you can turn and run with the wind and make the
far side easily. But unless you start at around 100,000 feet you don't have
a hope in hell of making the far side of Lake Erie. Lake Erie is only a mile
or so from the Burnaby airport and because of prevailing winds we usually
take jump run towards the water. For the purposes of skydiving The Lake
Effect is what happens at break off when somebody loses the tracking lottery
and realizes they're tracking away from the formation and out over the
lake. In any large formation, say 20 or more, you're going to have at least
4 or 5 people who are over or headed towards the water. The immediate
reaction when you realize this generally to panic. People either change
direction across someone else path, ignoring most of the rules of safe
separation and good manners, or to immediately dump in place, thereby
breaking the rest of the rules of safe separation and ignoring the fact that
there are probably people tracking behind them.

My first experience with The Lake Effect was at the warm-ups for the
Canadian Record in 2006. At break off I looked back between my feet to see
canopies suddenly coming out all over the place, a good two thousand feet
higher than they should, and realized that all I could see below, behind,
and to both sides was water. I snapped my head forward and there was LAND! I
was the only one to make the airport, and we spent the next hour picking
people up from where they'd landed in various back yards, on roads, and a
few from the beach.

It will be interesting to see what happens with this camp. There are a lot
of low experience people here, climb outs will be long, extending the spot
further towards the water, and "The Lake Effect"

I wrote the above the day before yesterday. I know what's coming..
Weeeeee!

Friday morning started dull and early. The day was early, I was dull.

Doug appointed Beth as Beer Cop and started handing out fines as soon as the
briefing started to people who showed up late. The Beer Cop records the
fines and ensures that the Beer is paid. Drop Zones run on Beer. Beer is the
Nectar of Knowledge: at the end of the day when you stand around drinking
and telling stories is when a lot of learning takes place. I stepped forward
when Doug asked for a 6-way base so I could put on my new weight belt and
see just how fast I can go. As soon as he asked for someone to take his leg
grip Beer Girl dove in with a big grin on her face, cutting several other
girls off to be the one holding Doug's butt.

I was sitting by the door and I knew for sure it was going to be a good day
when the other Otter pulled up beside us as we climbed and the female
copilot flashed us. Beth was leaving with Nick, who usually does freefly,
and when he left he wound up in front of her on his head, not flat like he
should have been. Beth started yelling (which is pointless because contrary
to what Keannu Reeves and Patrick Swayze claim you can't talk in freefall)
"Nick! This is Formation Skydiving,
not head down!" He quickly corrected himself so maybe he heard her after
all.

I spent all my free time between jumps harassing people into buying
calendars. There were only two acceptable replies. "I've already bought
one", or "Here's $20 now Leave Me Alone!". I have no shame. It was at the
point where people would see me coming and turn around and head the other
way.

We did six mostly successful skydives and learned lots - things to do and
things NOT to do.

On Saturday we started early and I was leaving as a floater from outside the
trail plane. On the first exit Shelly didn't launch far enough, and I went
out too far and wound up rodeoing her as we fell perfectly stable for a
couple of seconds before I gently pushed her down and forward, sliding out
from between her legs and into clean air. The dive went well, for our side
at least, the other side had somebody land on it resulting in about half a
dozen people getting funneled. At break off I drifted over too far and wound
up rodeoing Josee, so I got to start and finish the Skydive riding a girl.

There have been a few fines handed out but for the most part people have
been well behaved and the skydives haven't been scary.

We're done for the day and will be going to the Banquet tonight to collect
the rest of our awards.