Drop zone

Landing zone is the space in the paratroopers and or supplies for troops and supplies by parachute jump or drop by land Airborne supply. The Engl. dropzone for settling designated are sold in military affairs the airspace of the flight path in which persons and / or supplies. The drop zone is towards the landing zone downwind offset, so are driven by the wind drift paratroopers and supplies by parachute to the landing zone.

The landing zone especially its beginning is usually marked for discontinuation with optical aids such as smoke grenades, flares or flashing lights. Located in the plane paratroopers of the beginning of the settling process is displayed in the automatic jump by show of hands of the settler and green light with Hupesignal by the flight crew. The settling process in itself, in leisure Fallern the introduction of the aircraft into the drop zone is carried out by the settler.

When dropping of supplies by transport aircraft, for example, mounted on pallets or catering equipment is issued with one or more parachutes or even at very low altitude by a braking parachute in deep droping.

The selection of the landing zone is dependent on various factors such as, inter alia, weather conditions and nature of the land area. This must be wide enough for practice jumps and long and clear of obstructions such as trees or fence posts. There should be no water are nearby. The surface should be flat and soft, grass no rock or artificially hardened surfaces like concrete. There is a danger that paratroopers or loads are driven out by strong wind from the side or from the planned landing zone and or get caught in trees, or land in water areas.

A landing zone extends always downwind. It can be oblong, but need not be. However, it must be enough to end up in the wind direction with all jumpers can always long. The first parachutist is deposited in the drop zone, that he ends up by the wind at the lower end of the landing zone. The last knight at the top.

Wind direction and wind speed are predetermined in a permanent landing zone by anemometer and wind sock, in military operations in a temporary landing zone by measuring balloon that is inserted through an insertion steering group ELG for wind determination, and in -field landings by the stacker by a drifter from a neon-colored 5 m long strip of crepe with a thin iron rod as a weight of roughly the same rate of descent is like a skydiver. The spreader chooses for a distinctive terrain point in the landing zone and can recognize the reference to the drift offset by the wind. Contrary to the wind direction - ie downwind - the drift distance is then risen for the drop-off point. The settling is therefore displaced downwind to the removal of the wind drift to the landing zone. In itself but this method is not necessarily through the use of Gleitfallschirmen. In particular, since a drifter consists of approximately 600 m is set and then panning for the jump in free fall on the exit altitude usually have to climb about 2000 m to 3000 m.

In the sliding insert the setting is omitted, since the settling zone by up to 50 km is away from the landing zone.