WING LOAD?

[ntainjohnp_ace 0]

I'm in the market for a high performane main. If I go with a low wind load 1.5 how would that effect conopy in terms of approach angles, turns and overall handleing of a main designed for high wing loads.

[Eiley 0]

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I'm in the market for a high performane main. If I go with a low wind load 1.5 how would that effect conopy in terms of approach angles, turns and overall handleing of a main designed for high wind loads.

I'm sure you'll get some great technical advice from those who are more suitable to answer your wingloading question (and will likely have a few questions of their own, such as your experience, current canopy etc - good idea to fill out your profile), but my personal experience is that there's not much point in buying a HP canopy unless you are going to fly it the way it is supposed to fly. My love affair with my BladeRunner ended after a dozen or so landings (straight in, all of which were okay stand-ups) when I tore the lateral meniscus in my knee. The reason was because I was merely landing it, rather than flying it all the way and it was very lightly loaded at about 1:3.

I reverted back to a trusty Sabre 120, I get lovely swoopy-looking landings. It may not be cool , it may not be quite as much fun up high as the BladeRunner was, but its the coolest canopy for me!

nothing to see here

[tombuch 0]

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I'm in the market for a high performane main. If I go with a low wind load 1.5 how would that effect conopy in terms of approach angles, turns and overall handleing of a main designed for high wind loads.

Your post is a bit confusing. The term you should be using is WING loading, that is the weight the wing (parachute) needs to support. It's a common term, and you you should understand it in concept before flying something with a wing load of 1.5.

You did not include any information in your profile about experience or home drop zone, so I'm not sure if you are seeking information well beyond your current experience level, or are using English as a second language.

For more information about downsizing, see a feature by Bill Von Novak at http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=47, or use the search function at the top of the page to check "Safety Articles" for "wing loading." You might also consider a book by Brian Germain called "The Parachute and It's Pilot" available at http://www.bigairsportz.com/publishing.php. Another good source book for experienced jumpers that covers many topics of interest is "Parachuting: The Skydiviers Handbook" by Poynter and Turoff, available from many booksellers including Amazon.com.

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[koz2000 1]

Why don't you jump a canopy that's designed to be wing-loaded at 1.5 instead of trying to use a canopy that designed to be at a higher wing-load??

The canopy will not perform like it's supposed to.
Overall handling will not be as the canopy is designed, maybe even sluggish & there is a possibility of canopy collapse,

______________________________________________
- Does this small canopy make my balls look big? - J. Hayes -

[DanglesOZQld 0]

Interesting to see lately how highly loaded some canopies are meant to be to fly their optimum.
Like the previous posts have suggested talk to those instructors and other experienced pilots close to you before making a decision. Learn to walk before you can run and be patient to step down to a smallish canopy without the necessary experience. Trust me I know personally!! BSBD -Mark aka Dangles ;)

"A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

[billvon 2,792]

>If I go with a low wind load 1.5 how would that effect conopy in terms
> of approach angles, turns and overall handleing of a main designed
> for high wing loads.

1.5 is a fairly high wing load. If you decide to do a 180 (say, to get back into the wind) at 200 feet you will likely be killed, or at least seriously injured unless you know how to flat turn - so to me that's a fairly high wing load. Before you jump a wing loading like this you must be proficient at the basics (flat turns, flare turns, crosswind landings, landings with rear risers) on a 1.3 or so loading.

At 1.5, most canopies will plane out for some reasonable distance (10-30 feet in no wind) even with a straight-in approach. They require fine adjustment in the flare and will not tolerate an all-at-once or even a two-stage static flare. You have to fly them all the way in. They will be somewhat sensitive to harness steer, so you have to be careful on opening with them.