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rwieder

This is the ugliest canopy i've ever seen

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One of the canopies made on the evolution from rounds to squares. Wish I had some extra cash around to pick it up...I've wanted to jump one for ages. I did get a jump on a similar wing, called a Delta 2. Hands down scariest jump of my life. Only reason I didn't chop was because my reserve was a belly wart 22 ft flat that I'm pretty sure hadn't been repacked for a year or two. I wasn't the brightest jelly bean in the bag when I was young, but I was tough.
Miami

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I am the proud owner of a Dactyl. A nice blue one, much nicer than that garish one you found on eBay.

Here's a video of me landing it the second time I jumped it. (I took it to terminal Gareth...the opening wasn't too bad)

The landing on my first jump on it was much better. I tried to stand it up and also tried the pull down on the rear risers trick on the second jump but the landing was hard...I was laughing but my right ankle hurt like hell.

It's a cool old canopy..packs very small compared to a PC..I easily fit it into my old Racer that was built for a 175 sq. ft canopy.

Cheers,
--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

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In case anyone's wondering whytheF*** it was even invented, it's another example of the "transitional" technology that was to be seen in the sport in the 70's & early 80's. Some worked, some (ahem) didn't work so well, but it was an exiting time in gear development history. The Dactyl came out in the 70's, when RW at most Cessna DZs was done from 7,500 ft and it was all about maximizing freefall time and flying surfaces, and minimizing weight, volume & overall rig size. (Thus, balloon-suit jumpsuits, swoop cords, etc.) The idea of the Dactyl and other delta wings was to have a canopy that had as little pack volume and weight as possible (given the technology of the day), but that (in theory at least) had better forward drive than just a small round. Even though square canopies like strato-stars, etc. were already out, ZP fabric wasn't out yet, so they didn't pack up as small or light as modern canopies do today.

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There were a couple of them around me in the late 1970's. One of my teammates had one, and they regularly did CRW with it. I've seen stacks involving the Paradactyl and a Piglet main for example. I never jumped it, but the ones we had performed acceptably, and weren't especially scary.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

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How much was it loaded?



I weigh about 170 before gear...so about 190 geared up.

really think I was catching a down rotor from the plowed field to my left onto the grassy area where I landed as the video'd landing was much harder than the first jump I put on it. I'd jump it again, it's a cool canopy.

Murray
--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

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I swear, that landing looked painful. I wonder what the openings are like? B|



The opening was fast but not a slammer.
--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

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