Nov 18, 2011, 5:16 PM
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Ho many different sq canopy's have you owned
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Hi Ladies and Gentlemen
Almost back in the day when the sq's first came out it looked like the gear manufactures were using the fun jumpers as test jumpers.
It seemed like some jumpers were a member of the new sq canopy a year/6 mo club trying to work out the bugs and find a kinder and gentler canopy.
I stayed with what worked for me and my weight (135#), my belly wart and PC
After college we moved around and tried to stay with the same gear until 1975. The folks at the DZ didn't like what they saw and I didn't like the new attitude at the DZ's.
We quit for 10 years wanteed to get our knee's back in the breeze asked some old friends for advice and bought a crusie lite and swift reserve in a vector II for our first state of the art custom made rig. Bought it from a dude in oregon named Ralph, 150 mi from where we lived
The sqs were fine until around 500 jumps when the cruisleight started to snivel bad. To bad it never occured to me to pull higher and enjoy the nice slow soft opening. Or I would have jumped it until I quit.
The originial Sabre's had hit the market by that time and we talked to some peeps at Z-hills who steered us away from the 190 and recommended the sabre 170. By then we weighed a "little more" than 170#'s .
The sabre was a nice canopy and we put 3-400 jumps on it Until we finaly quit a few yr's ago. If I was still jumping that canopy would still be good enough for me.
After the longggggg lead in how many sq's have you guy's had over the yr's, did you ever feel like a test jumper, what do you think about the current trend. In the industry.
Nov 18, 2011, 6:31 PM
Post #2 of 21
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Re: [Krip] Ho many different sq canopy's have you owned
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Hi Ladies and Gentlemen
Almost back in the day when the sq's first came out it looked like the gear manufactures were using the fun jumpers as test jumpers.
It seemed like some jumpers were a member of the new sq canopy a year/6 mo club trying to work out the bugs and find a kinder and gentler canopy.
I stayed with what worked for me and my weight (135#), my belly wart and PC
After college we moved around and tried to stay with the same gear until 1975. The folks at the DZ didn't like what they saw and I didn't like the new attitude at the DZ's.
We quit for 10 years wanteed to get our knee's back in the breeze asked some old friends for advice and bought a crusie lite and swift reserve in a vector II for our first state of the art custom made rig. Bought it from a dude in oregon named Ralph, 150 mi from where we lived
The sqs were fine until around 500 jumps when the cruisleight started to snivel bad. To bad it never occured to me to pull higher and enjoy the nice slow soft opening. Or I would have jumped it until I quit.
The originial Sabre's had hit the market by that time and we talked to some peeps at Z-hills who steered us away from the 190 and recommended the sabre 170. By then we weighed a "little more" than 170#'s .
The sabre was a nice canopy and we put 3-400 jumps on it Until we finaly quit a few yr's ago. If I was still jumping that canopy would still be good enough for me.
After the longggggg lead in how many sq's have you guy's had over the yr's, did you ever feel like a test jumper, what do you think about the current trend. In the industry.
K-RIP
I only have about 20 in the loft.... wanna jump some old stuff???
Nov 18, 2011, 7:17 PM
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Re: [airtwardo] Ho many different sq canopy's have you owned
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First to last: 1980: Viking Superlite (230) 1983: Firefly (170, then 2 cells added for 220 when it got porous) 2002: Safire 149 2004: Diablo 135 2008: Pilot 150 (loaned for a year), then back to the Diablo 2011: Stiletto 135
I guess you could say I've been downsizing gradually.
Nov 18, 2011, 9:08 PM
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FWIW, my regular canopies: 1991: Titan 265 2003: Sabre 135 2004: FX 88
Along the way I picked up some odds and ends for specific purposes or to play with: Parafoil 282 Maverick 200 CRW Firelite 172 CRW Evolution 140 Cobalt 75
That's leaving out some triangular and round shaped canopies.
Nov 18, 2011, 11:05 PM
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Re: [airtwardo] Ho many different sq canopy's have you owned
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from smallest to largest...
150 170 190 210 220 230 240 260 325 400
Currently I'm jumping a 210 with a 220 reserve.
I assume the 400 and maybe the 325 were tandem rigs and maybe the 220+ is your demo rig
You stopped jumping the 150 when the wingloading started to increase due to your added age and lbs.
I wanteed to downsize for the smaller pack volume but I just couldn't lose the pounds to keep the WL in my safety zone.
I never owned one but I did make ONE jump on "The Nova". Don't remember the size but it was "the Nova" as soon as I poped the breaks I knew I was behind the curve
OMFG I just made one slight turn to get it headed to the wide open spaces and couldn't wait to get my body on the ground in one piece. The damn canopy was flying faster than my brain.
Nov 19, 2011, 6:49 AM
Post #9 of 21
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from smallest to largest...
150 170 190 210 220 230 240 260 325 400
Currently I'm jumping a 210 with a 220 reserve.
I assume the 400 and maybe the 325 were tandem rigs and maybe the 220+ is your demo rig
You stopped jumping the 150 when the wing-loading started to increase due to your added age and lbs.
I wanted to downsize for the smaller pack volume but I just couldn't lose the pounds to keep the WL in my safety zone.
I never owned one but I did make ONE jump on "The Nova". Don't remember the size but it was "the Nova" as soon as I popped the breaks I knew I was behind the curve
OMFG I just made one slight turn to get it headed to the wide open spaces and couldn't wait to get my body on the ground in one piece. The damn canopy was flying faster than my brain.
The 400 is a tandem canopy but the 325 (mighty Mac) is for jumping flags.
I quit jumping the 150 not because of weight issues, I weigh the less now as I did in college, 240 then...220 now. I just can't RUN as fast so I up-sized!
The smallest canopy I've been on was a 120 something or other...I was invited to jump a demo while traveling in Norway a few years back. They loaned me a rig and there was some miscommunication...the 190 was the reserve not the main, I tossed the pilot chute, looked up and said...Oh Shit!
Nov 19, 2011, 8:05 AM
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My first was a Baby-plane , later with a steering flap attached 2,3 , and4 Para-plane clouds no sliders at first then relined with sliders Lots of cutaways before sliders A white Unit #26 only color out then {lots of cutaways} A Comet 300 {288} first jump cutaway never again in 700 A 288 Manta 2000 jumps never cutaway A Sabre -I- 210 2478 3 cutaways a Sabre -I-190 400 no cutaways A Sabre II -210 1300 no cutaways Also jumped A DC-5 -300 252 foil . A Spectre, Pegasus and Strato-star
Nov 20, 2011, 4:44 AM
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Unit 2 Unit 4 DC-5......almost forgot this bus XL Cloud LR-288 2 different PD 260s 4 different Mantas 190 Batwing....what a ride 190 first generation Sabre....3 cutaways Spectre 210......best canopy I ever owned and dozens and dozens of tandem canopies I never actually owned.....I guess they dont count.
(This post was edited by bozo on Nov 20, 2011, 4:46 AM)
Nov 20, 2011, 6:25 AM
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i'd agree... about "in the field fine tuning".. though i'd guess some sort of REAL testing HAD occured before Ram Airs were sold to the general public...
i was VERY active in jumping then and was blessed to have a wonderful Dz 20 minutes away. we alll followed with interest... some guys had a voracious interest.. as the change to squares began.. In direct contrast to the HOT -To- GO jumpers, who HAdda have one now, were skydivers like me... scaredy cats i guess...who took a "wait & see approach" Like some., i too,, was not in a hurry Fix anything!!. i knew how to spot, was comfortable and pretty capable with a round , and could usually find the landing area/ peas. But YES alot of jumpers got hurt, or worse.. many sure as hell scared themselves at one time or another, and most had a cutaway,,or two to show for their efforts.
My 1st square jump and maybe the next 30 were on ParaPlane Clouds. Rings and Ropes. 2 MA 1 pilot chutes from a minis system or a styleMaster rig...ONE Jump on a Strato-Star a few on a Prar Foil 181 i think. (borrowed from pals) never a mal
as for owning 1. heavy weight cloud sliderized bought a custom color, from the original owner whom i knew , around 1980 2. Para-Foil 252 cause i liked accuracy. Used THAT rig for my nscr dive Great No wind landing. 11 Pm at night..1981 3. Light Weight Cloud '88 or so 4. RW Challenger 240 with split slider, custom colors the ONLY main parachute i ever bought....NEW. 1991 5. Spectre 210 which came in a Jav j5 with a 225 reserve, that i bought pre owned 2000 6. A second RW Challenger 240 because i liked the colors and it was 150 dollars 2003 7. a Spectre 230, d.o.m. august 2009. cause i liked the colors,, even if it WASN't a hundred and fifty bucks... 2011
i still have all of them except the 252Foil oh and at one point or another i owned a pegasus another lightweight cloud and a stilletto 170, maybe.. none of which i ever jumped, but which i bought from friends, who'd slowed down and which i made available to others who were more active... piece of advice....." Don't DO that !!!" especially when YOU lay out all the $$$$ to buy the stuff and then waaaiiiittt for payments.,.. from the Buyers!!!cause you just couldn't resist letting them "jump the gear, while they paid for it".. hahaha leave the gear sales to the pros... jt
Nov 24, 2011, 11:04 AM
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Starting in 1979, I have owned:
Strato-Star made by Eddie Grimm Strato-Cloud Lite 230 Cruislire 220 Sidewinder 210 7-cell Shrike 220 9-cell Sabre 1-150 Sabre 1-170 Sabre 1-150 Sabre 1-135 Nova 150 Stiletto 135 Ariel 150
I have also jumped: a Para-Flite Strato-Cloud with ropes-and-rings Unit Pioneer Viking Super-Lite 230 Tutor 300 Manta 290 Skymaster 290 Skymaster 230 Para-Flite DC-5 270 Para-Flite 340 Solo 270 Hornet 190 Sabre 2-210 Diablo 135 Icarus Safire 1- 149 and 135(?) Crossfire 120 Strong 415 tandem main and reserve Strong 520 Strong SET 400 Strong SET 366 Pioneer Hi-Lifter 370 PD-360 main PD-421 Sigma 360 Parachutes de France Galaxy 400 Firebolt 396(?) etc.
Bought it from a dude in oregon named Ralph, 150 mi from where we lived
To bad it never occured to me to pull higher and enjoy the nice slow soft opening. Or I would have jumped it until I quit. 
