Low-ish TARDing
Hello, this post has stupid written all over it, but with a lack of experienced unpacked jumpers in my neighbourhood, I guess I'll have to ask here.
I've done one TARD and one roll-over at the Potato bridge. Both went well. I would like to practice more TARDs, but I won't be visiting the Perrine for a while.
We have a 180 foot bridge here with a massive grass landing area underneath it, in all directions. There is no steel underneath the bridge so hitting the bridge-deck is impossible. Offheadings are no problem in nearly all directions since you can land anywhere. The only potential dangerous offheading problem is the 100 degrees right, since that aims you at the concrete pillar.
Ever since tarding the Perrine, I have a craving to TARD my local bridge. I feel that altitude wise I will do as good, if not better, as the eight static-line and PCA jumps I have done of it.
One problem is that there is no platform. So I need to do a one-handed TARD (both the coiled lines and the canopy in one hand) while my other hand holds on to the railing.
Does anybody see any other problems with TARDing this object?
What are the chances of a line-over on a TARD compared to normal packed jumps?
What are the chances of offheadings on zero-wind TARDs, compared to normal packed jumps? I feel that at on a TARD there is much less black-magic involved, and it's more your own throwing skill.
How much altitude does a properly performed TARD suck up until full pressurization?
I'm hoping Spence the 110 feet TARDer will read this and chime in with some advice.
I don't need to hear anybody say: "Go ahead, that's perfectly safe." I know it's not. I'm trying to find out if I'm overlooking anything that makes a TARD from this altitude significantly more dangerous than the PCAs and static-lines I have done from this object.
Thanks,
Jaap Suter