It's great to some more wings getting into the market from the "skydiving side". The GLX is nice, but $3k is too much for not an extremely noticeable performance boost over HP skydiving canopies, IMO (don't me wrong, it's been the best GL wing for awhile). With this and that Russian Aeros showing up, looks like we'll finally get to see performance go up and prices go down due to competition. :)
(This post was edited by dploi on Oct 22, 2007, 12:28 PM)
It'll be interesting to see what flight characteristics the Spire has... I'm really hoping for a high-performance wing that handles in a similar way to skydive wings, but has a much improved glide - something around 1:5 would be nice! Not too much to ask!
The paraglider-type wings like the Nano and Bullet seem to have a generally better glide ratio than some of the flatter, faster skydive style wings at the moment, but they lose massive amounts of height in toggle turns due to the high roll component which I'm not a fan of.
This has really sparked an interest in me, .. an older Fury 220, would it make for a good begining canopy for ground lauching, if you weighed 163 Lbs say?
This has really sparked an interest in me, .. an older Fury 220, would it make for a good begining canopy for ground lauching, if you weighed 163 Lbs say?
Yes. For light winds and not-too-steep hill, this would be a great trainer for someone without a lot of (or maybe no) canopy experience. I had a Fox 245 for just this.
Rule of thumb: don't ground launch what you wouldn't skydive/BASE. Some exceptions apply.
This has really sparked an interest in me, .. an older Fury 220, would it make for a good begining canopy for ground lauching, if you weighed 163 Lbs say?
Yes. For light winds and not-too-steep hill, this would be a great trainer for someone without a lot of (or maybe no) canopy experience. I had a Fox 245 for just this.
Rule of thumb: don't ground launch what you wouldn't skydive/BASE. Some exceptions apply.
Thanks dploi, .. "not to steep of hill" ?? could you expand on that thought, thanks ... I jump and fly a Triathlon 190 now.
Thanks dploi, .. "not to steep of hill" ?? could you expand on that thought, thanks ... I jump and fly a Triathlon 190 now.
When you first start learning, do not try to launch from a hill that is so steep that you couldn't run down it without a parachute. Once you have experience and confidence in your abilities to launch, you can launch anything, including sheer cliffs, if the conditions are right. For now... don't choose a hill you aren't willing or able to run *all the way* down (which will very likely happen a lot at first).
Hi dploi and thanks, I really appreciate this. When I was a kid living in BC we used to run down hills for fun, see how fast we could get going .. there is a bit of an art to it.
You wouldn't guess as to what the glide angle of this Fury 220 would be, roughly, with 165 lbs hanging off it.
You wouldn't guess as to what the glide angle of this Fury 220 would be, roughly, with 165 lbs hanging off it.
Pretty damn flat in no/little wind, I'd image. You'll want to fly in very light to nil winds with that wingloading, anyway, if you want to get off the ground safely (not getting dragged up hill or thrown over the top -- it happens -- believe me).
Thanks dploi, we have qute a variety of hills around here to choose from, finding the right areas to progress along shouldn't be too tough ... I reserved the canopy the other day, getting pretty excited about this.
I have a buddy of mine who has refused to even come out to the DZ just to hang out .. he said the other day he would try this with me (short hills first!!), I know once he starts flying, even short distances, he is going to love it.
If your buddy isn't already a pilot he has no business starting groundlaunching unless he gets some proper instruction.
All the videos on the internet make it look easy and safe - it isn't. It uses skills across different flying disciplines to fly close to the ground which hurts when it goes wrong.
I keep seeing posts in various forums along the lines of 'this looks like a great way to get cheap canopy experience'... it's worrying.
Hi yionk, thanks .. caution is indeed the word of the day, dplois advice will be taken seriously. There is a chap who visits our dz from BC who has done a lot of this in the mountains, he should be a good resource as well.
If you can't find an experienced speedflyer, I'm sure there is a paragliding school in your area. I'd go there, explain what you're trying to do, and get some basic instruction on kiting and foot launching.
Canopy Flight Pro will be offering instructional camps as well as boogies in the spring, possibly sooner. Canopyflightpro.com will be up and running before the end of this month with dates and costs.
The camps will be held in Hollister Ca. Blade running will also be avaiable for those qulified ( hop n pops , above G.L. site with courses set up) Blade running and G.L. boogies and instrucion.
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