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Exit order
At the Ranch exit order is:
1. Flat flyers / Belly (largest group to smallest)
2. Free flyers (largest group to smallest)
3. People pulling high
4. AFF
5. Tandems
Some other DZ’s still put freeflyers out first, and that doesn’t make much sense. In 35mph upper winds, a belly flyer who leaves 10 seconds and gets out after freeflyer will open 100 feet from him, but if the belly flyer goes first and the freeflyer leaves the same time he will open 2200 feet from the freeflyer. RW groups, since they are in freefall longer, drift farther downwind before opening. It seems like a no-brainer to choose an exit order that used this to your advantage and increased, rather than decreased, separation distances. You can certainly wait 20 seconds after the freefly groups before the belly groups exit if there is some other reason why the freeflyers have to exit first, but at most DZ’s it’s hard to ensure that 20 seconds, especially since waiting so long almost guarantees long spots or a goaround.
Here’s animation showing Freefly first simulation:
Here’s animation showing Belly first simulation:
Every drop zone is going to have a different set of rules and a different approach to exit order. Some work well, some don’t work as well. Jumpers have to understand the factors that can reduce group separation so they can make informed decisions about when they want to exit and what kind of exit orders they are comfortable with.
Be Safe ! Blue Sky’s
