First impressions of the Spectre 135 - Interesting Openings

[jheadley 0]

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Believe me, I've seen them, and am considering them. I also need to find out if I can get a 150 into a Odyssey sized "OJK". I'm not sure what my canopy is worth in comparison to a 200 Jump Sabre 2 150.

My canopy was manufactured in Oct 2002 and has 35 jumps. Stock colours (purple, watermelon, yel, yel, yel, watermelon, purple). Lines are mint etc, it's essentially brand new.

Anyone have a guess?

You can put a 150 into an OJK, I've done it before. If you put an ad in classifieds, saying you have a 135 and you just want to trade for a 150, you'd probably get several replies.

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

Thanks. I was considering that. So possibly after the weekend, if you see a Spectre 135 in the classys, you'll know why. Unless I can trade with someone around the DZ, or I continue to jump this one.

Thanks!

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[ypelchat 0]

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The problem is not your weight, the problem is the canopy size. According to USPA SIM 6.10.B(3), any canopy less than 150 sqf is considered advanced with any wing loading. I know you're in Canada, but people and canopies still are the same.

The laws of physics apply anywhere in the world, even for us canadians!

Yves.

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

WAIT A SECOND HERE!!!

I'm not sure how North you are Yves, but I'm in Ottawa and the hemispherical magnetism coming off the Canadian Shield causes a wormhole which causes gravity to be reduced in a cylindrical fashion. It occurrs just north of of our DZ when the axis of the earth is at a minimum sectoral distance from the peak of mount everest The difference in the equitorial masses is astonishing. It's actually great for practicing RW, our freefall with minimal gravity is like 40 minutes, we even bring lunch. Hell, we don't even use parachutes up here, I started this whole thread so I could find a canopy so I could "fit in" with the other skydivers who were so unfortunate as not to have access to our wormhole when I go away from the DZ.

Sorry, I had to....HAHA

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[ypelchat 0]

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WAIT A SECOND HERE!!!

I'm not sure how North you are Yves, but I'm in Ottawa and the hemispherical magnetism coming off the Canadian Shield causes a wormhole which causes gravity to be reduced in a cylindrical fashion. It occurrs just north of of our DZ when the axis of the earth is at a minimum sectoral distance from the peak of mount everest The difference in the equitorial masses is astonishing. It's actually great for practicing RW, our freefall with minimal gravity is like 40 minutes, we even bring lunch. Hell, we don't even use parachutes up here, I started this whole thread so I could find a canopy so I could "fit in" with the other skydivers who were so unfortunate as not to have access to our wormhole when I go away from the DZ.

Sorry, I had to....HAHA

I think you've been watching too much of this Star Trek stuff lately!

Anyway, you've been given plenty of good advice here. And I'm sure the instructors you have at your DZ, are competent too, and they sure can give you good guidance in your decision making. Listen to them, as they're the ones who will watch you handle your canopy, and watch your landings. All I know is when we begin in the sport, we all feel this compelling rush to downsize. Downsizing is cool.. right.. Give yourself time. Step by step. Canopies can be sold easily and rapidly. Gear can be sold easily and rapidly. A broken back, or femur don't heal just as fast.. In the end, you're the owner of your "landing gear". It's up to you. You do what you want.
There's nothing wrong in being conservative when you chose your gear.
Live long, and prosper!

Yves.

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

Hey,

I just wanted to post an update as I said I would. I just got back from the DZ and needless to say, that canopy is damn fast. The wind was dead calm. I showed up at the DZ looking to work towards my last 5 jumps for my A finally. I just held out on the RW coach jumps to work on my canopy progression. I was going through the groundwork and my coach was a bigger guy and obviously I'm small, so he asked me to wear weights. It was a perfect oppurtunity to bring up my canopy size and a couple other questions. I told him I only have 2 jumps on it, both on a very windy day. He thought about it for a bit and said 10 lbs should be fine, warning me it was going to come in fast though. As we were discussing this, an instructor came up and said 10 would be fine, 20 is pushing it. This is where I stepped in and told them I was uncomfortable doing this. If I hadn't gotten advice from this thread I probably wouldn't have thought twice at throwing 20 lbs on if my instructors said it was OK. I felt out of my comfort zone. And for that, I'd like to thank everyone who made comments in this thread.

So, my instructors were still very confident of me on the 135 so I think I'm going to continue to jump it. I made 2 great landings in zero wind conditions. I didn't end up doing the coach jumps as we got clouded in. This was the first time that I really felt like I wasn't sinking when I flared, I practically swooped half the landing area (like 40-50 feet). I landed right on target both times coming inches from the cone we have set up. VERY COOL!

Thanks again everyone!
Chris

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[ypelchat 0]

Quote

Hey,

I just wanted to post an update as I said I would. I just got back from the DZ and needless to say, that canopy is damn fast. The wind was dead calm. I showed up at the DZ looking to work towards my last 5 jumps for my A finally. I just held out on the RW coach jumps to work on my canopy progression. I was going through the groundwork and my coach was a bigger guy and obviously I'm small, so he asked me to wear weights. It was a perfect oppurtunity to bring up my canopy size and a couple other questions. I told him I only have 2 jumps on it, both on a very windy day. He thought about it for a bit and said 10 lbs should be fine, warning me it was going to come in fast though. As we were discussing this, an instructor came up and said 10 would be fine, 20 is pushing it. This is where I stepped in and told them I was uncomfortable doing this. If I hadn't gotten advice from this thread I probably wouldn't have thought twice at throwing 20 lbs on if my instructors said it was OK. I felt out of my comfort zone. And for that, I'd like to thank everyone who made comments in this thread.

So, my instructors were still very confident of me on the 135 so I think I'm going to continue to jump it. I made 2 great landings in zero wind conditions. I didn't end up doing the coach jumps as we got clouded in. This was the first time that I really felt like I wasn't sinking when I flared, I practically swooped half the landing area (like 40-50 feet). I landed right on target both times coming inches from the cone we have set up. VERY COOL!

Thanks again everyone!
Chris

It's all good.
Have fun, and, be safe.
As a supplement to what was being said in this thread, i invite yo to take a look at the two links below. Pay attention to Bill von's article. Also, if you can afford it, Brian Germain's book is a good read too.
http://www.dropzone.com/content/Detailed/47.html

http://www.bigairsportz.com/pdf/bas-sizingchart.pdf

Yves.

[monkycndo 0]

Chris, congrats on the landings with the lack of wind. I just downsized myself and I'm working to re-dial in my landing accuracy as well. One thing I was taught when getting my coach rating. It is not the responsibility of the student to match the fall rate of the coach, but the other way around. I was told to dress for success to match my student. Adding weight should be the last resort. I had an average to fast fall rate and had a hard time not sinking out on a floaty student. So now I have a suit with swoop cords and small wings. Gives me much more range to stay up with you floaty butts. If I still have a hard time, I'll find another coach who can. Good for you on questioning wearing extra weight. If you don't have one, a tighter slick suit might be a better way to go to get your fall rate up without increasing your wing loading. Just making more jumps will help as well. Eventually, wearing weight might be the right thing to do so you don't have to work so hard just to stay in a formation. But give yourself some time to keep making good safe landings with your canopy.

Good luck and let us know when you get your "A".

boy

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

Hey Yves,

Believe me, I've read those articles, but thank you! I've also read Brian's book.

I'll let everyone know my progress and again, Thank you all for the advice!

Chris

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

Hey,

Well, I think there should be a happy medium. I wore about 15-20 lbs during PFF. Of course then I was on a Manta 288.

The jump I posted on another thread that I got videoed, the cameraguy was about 160 and put on a really baggy suit. He said he struggled to stay with me. His Protrack said fallspeed was 97mph. The guy I was going to jump with yesterday is a big RW guy and competes so he said 120 is his number, which is flexible, but only so much.

I wear a fairly tight, very slick suit. The suit was made for someone with a bit more of a gut so I'm going to try and get something done to make the belly portion tighter. I can probably work harder on my arch, which is becoming very critical at this point as well. There is another instructor that is about 130-140 lbs, so I'm going to try and work with him.

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[NWFlyer 2]

Y'know... not an expert here, but if you're getting an awful lot of grief about being on a 135 without weights (and the best you're getting from your instructors is "You'll probably be fine") I'm going to guess that you are going to get a lot more grief about jumping a 135 with 20 or even 10 lbs of weight.

I'm not an expert at needing to fall faster (I'm at the other end of the scale and always trying to figure out ways to fall slower), but I'm not even talking about the freefall portion of this equation. The problem with weights is you wear them from start to finish... and they are now part of your canopy size/wingloading equation.

It's a different question now. You're not going to like the answers you get.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

Exactly, and that's why it put me out of my comfort zone. I have no problems jumping with weights, that doesnt bother me. It was the fact that I would be landing my canopy for the third time in zero wind with an extra 20 lbs, putting at a loading around 1.2 on the spectre. I honestly got myself scared and glad it didn't happen. Currently I'm uncomfortable jumping with 10 extra lbs as well. I'll hold off on my RW jumps until I can jump with the instructor who can closely match my fallrate due to his size. Unless I borrow the 150 again. Even with the 150, I'd be hard pressed to strap on 20 lbs, maybe 10.

Thanks

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[JohanW 0]

If your natural fallrate is indeed (now) around 97 mph, there is not a real problem with strapping on some weight. 120 mph is not an unreasonable fallrate. Later, you'll be able to fall faster without the weight, and it might be a good idea to make some more jumps and get your fallrate up. There is always a problem jumping with weight, because it's not your own weight you're carrying. There is a difference.

For a 1.2 wingload on a 135, according to Brian Germain's wingload chart, you would need about 300 jumps (200 for the 1.2, and 100 more for the size below 150). That's the minimum, nobody says you have to load that aggressively. Maybe, with flying experience (you flew a parapente once, I seem to remember?), you can get away with it a little earlier. But not 90% earlier, I think.

I just checked something. Here in the Netherlands, we have a canopy sizing chart that says you need 400 (FOUR HUNDRED) jumps to jump any 135, and by way of currency, you need to have made more jumps in the last 12 months than you have (50). Aren't you lucky you're in a different country?

I really start to feel like a canopy nazi and a conservative old fart now. Chris, go out, have fun, be safe, work with your instructors, and please come back and tell us everything has been just fine in two years from now.

Johan.
I am. I think.

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

Yeah, 1.2 W/L scares me right now, expecially if it's asking for 300 jumps. It's not going to happen.

My fallrate is definately under 100, and I know this is something I can improve on but the biggest thing is that I can't do jumps with anyone until I have my A. To get my A, I need 5 RW coach jumps. I don't care how long it takes me to get my A, so I'll wait for the small instructor to help me.

Thanks!

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[JohanW 0]

You are a falling leave!

The 1.2 wingload would be with the weights, and you were not going to do that, I read that. (Phew! Good.)

Even if you have your A, you're going to be challenged to find people to jump with with your fallrate. Because it wouldn't help you to have the A now anyway, my advice would be to work on the fallrate first. Make some more soloes, maybe get used to wearing some weight. Get the jumpsuit reworked. Work on your arch and body position; there are techniques to fall faster. Even then, I know some guys you're never going to catch without weights, or resorting to freeflying.

Johan.
I am. I think.