Cheat sheets 📘

Plain-language background on landing patterns, wind, openings and turns — general concepts only, from mainstream canopy education. Nothing here is an altitude to fly, a direction to land, or a readiness call. Your instructor, S&TA, canopy coach, the DZ briefing and your canopy's manual decide what and when you fly.

Landing pattern & wind

WIND (blows this way)targetdownwindbasefinal — into windOn final:headwind → slower over ground, shorter rolloutcrosswind → whole approach drifts sidewaystailwind → fast ground speed, long landingNumbers for each leg come from your DZand instructor — not from an app.
  • A standard pattern is three legs — downwind, base, final — flown so that final is into the wind. Your DZ and instructor set the altitudes and the day's landing direction.
  • Headwind on final: slower over the ground, shorter rollout, easier sight picture. Tailwind: much faster over the ground and a longer landing — the picture is deceptive.
  • Crosswind displaces the whole approach sideways. The fix is in the setup geometry (where you start), not a late correction low down.
  • Turn mechanics vs navigation are separate problems: altitude lost and recovery are the canopy in the air mass; ground track and initiation point are wind and setup. Changing a proven turn to fix a ground-setup error is a common confusion — one to untangle with your coach.
  • Gusts reduce predictability — expect more variation in the flare. The app shows gust spread and the head/cross components for each jump.

Every jump's environment card shows the wind resolved against the heading you actually flew. Your instructor, S&TA and the DZ briefing set the altitudes, the direction and the progression.

The opening — what 'soft' means

pullpilot chute outbag liftslines pay outsnivelslider up, cells fillopencheck canopy, steerfreefall speedcanopy speeda soft opening = a gentle slope(the app measures this from your track)
  • Sequence: pilot chute → bag lifts and lines stretch → snivel (slider stays up while the cells fill) → open, check, steer. A soft opening is a gentle slope from freefall speed to canopy speed.
  • Body position at pull matters: asymmetry through the pull and the snivel — a dropped shoulder, twisted hips — is the most common cause of a turning opening or line twists. Your instructor is the one to check yours.
  • Speed at pull: settling into a stable belly position before deploying lowers opening forces. The app shows your speed at pull on each jump.
  • Packing is the biggest lever on opening firmness: slider position, how even the line stows are, and how the nose and tail are handled all change it. What that means for your canopy is in its manual and with your rigger.
  • The app measures deployment altitude, opening time, a deceleration proxy and the canopy's heading swing right after inflation — and compares them only to your own openings. A firmer-than-usual or turning opening that repeats is a conversation with your rigger.

Educational only — not a packing or gear instruction, and not a pull-altitude recommendation.

A progressive turn & the recovery arc

ground1 · entry: smooth, coordinated2 · bank builds progressively(no slow → snap-fast step)3 · release input4 · recovery arc — the canopyreturns to level on its ownAltitude lost and recovery arcdepend on canopy, loading,density altitude and technique.No turn height is shown hereon purpose — measure yours witha coach, at altitude, repeatedly.
  • One continuous, progressive rotation: enter smoothly, let the bank build, keep the input coordinated, then smoothly reduce it and let the canopy recover on its own. An abrupt slow-then-snap change adds variability in bank, dive, altitude loss and recovery.
  • The recovery arc is the altitude the canopy needs to return to level flight after the dive. It is a property of the wing at your loading in that air — a longer arc means more altitude is committed once the turn starts.
  • Altitude lost in a turn changes with canopy size and planform, trim, wing loading, density altitude, turn rate, input depth, harness contribution and wind/turbulence. That is why a fixed initiation altitude is never a recipe.
  • Establish each canopy's numbers separately, at altitude, with a canopy coach, using your FlySight data: entry → rotation → release → recovery, repeated. You are looking for repeatability, not the single best turn.
  • Never carry a turn height from one canopy to another — makers of high-performance wings warn explicitly that the sight picture and recovery differ.

The app's Canopy vs canopy page shows your own medians and spread per canopy — observations, not targets.

Wing loading & platforms

wing loading = exit weight (lb) ÷ canopy size (ft²)the same canopy flies faster and dives longer as loading risesrectangular / studentforgiving, quick recoverysemi-ellipticalmoderate response, real recovery arcellipticalstrong harness response, longer arccross-braced / compsteep dive, longest arcMeeting a loading guideline is not permission — your coach and S&TA gate every step.
  • Wing loading is exit weight (you + all gear, in lb) divided by canopy area (ft²). Higher loading = faster flight, longer recovery arc, less margin for error.
  • Platform matters as much as loading: rectangular wings are forgiving and recover quickly; semi-elliptical wings are moderate but still carry a real recovery arc; fully elliptical wings respond strongly to harness input with a longer arc; cross-braced and competition wings dive steeply with the longest arcs.
  • What makes a canopy 'high-performance' is loading and planform together, not size alone.
  • Downsizing is a coached, gated progression (see the USPA downsizing checklist). Meeting a loading guideline is not permission.

Set your canopies and exit weight under My gear so every page uses your real loading. Downsizing and platform changes are gated by your coach and S&TA — a loading guideline is not permission.

Learn it properly

SkyLara is a data-review and debrief aid; it does not replace a canopy course, your instructor, or the DZ briefing. See also your learning journey and the background library.

Safety notice: This tool is for data review only. It does not replace canopy coaching, DZ rules, traffic awareness, S&TA guidance, or manufacturer guidance.