Individualy customized parachutes?

[filioque 0]

Look at kites, they still fly, yet they look like anything you can imagine, from dragons to building. What if your canopy could look like a Dragon?

[SPAWNmaster 0]

that's interesting! never thought about that before...hmm well I guess I'll be that guy who says it'd be awesome to fly a giant penis.

[piisfish 135]

Did you see the Wally Gubbins video with the Olympic Rings ?

Just imagine deploying a dragon in 120miles/hour wind

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[tonyv 0]

I think packing a dragon would present it's own set of challenges as well.

-Tony
(253) 445-8790
Velocity Sports Equipment

[labrys 0]

It's a really fun idea but kites don't have any suspended weight and can be a lot of shapes while parachutes have to support our fat asses (well, mine anyway)

Owned by Remi #?

[firstime 0]

can be done for about an extra $1000 and from what I am told.. an extra layer of skin on the bottom of the canopy.... must be fun to pack!!!!!

[labrys 0]

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can be done for about an extra $1000 and from what I am told.. an extra layer of skin on the bottom of the canopy.... must be fun to pack!!!!!

I think you're refering to having an image put on the canopy and not having the canopy shaped like a dragon, right?

Owned by Remi #?

[darkwing 4]

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It's a really fun idea but kites don't have any suspended weight and can be a lot of shapes while parachutes have to support our fat asses (well, mine anyway)

Kites have suspended weight, and one suspension line. The string is the line, and you are the suspended weight.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[kschilk 0]

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I think packing a dragon would present it's own set of challenges as well.

Really, I mean.....which way does the tail go, to which side and if it's a male dragon......awww damn!

"T'was ever thus."

[labrys 0]

If your feet are on the ground then you are not suspended. Nope. Not suspended, not at all.

String doesn't load the kite very much.

Owned by Remi #?

[riggerrob 558]

Parachutes are available in lots of different shapes.
I have jumped round parachutes (military), rounds with the center pulled down and a whole lot of holes (Crossbow), square parachutes (Strato-Star), triangular (Delta II and Paradactyl rogallos), rectangular (most everything else) and elliptical (Stiletto).

When dropping cargo, you can also use ring slots, ribbon, clusters, trefoils, etc.

[siddacious 0]

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If your feet are on the ground then you are not suspended. Nope. Not suspended, not at all.

String doesn't load the kite very much.

If you are not 'suspended', what is keeping the kite from flying away?

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[labrys 0]

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If you are not 'suspended', what is keeping the kite from flying away?

Ummm.... if you were suspended, nothing would keep the kite from flying away

That's the point. Since you aren't suspended, the kite can't fly away. You're anchoring the kite.

In other words, the kite is suspended from you, not the other way around.

Owned by Remi #?

[moto89 0]

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If you are not 'suspended', what is keeping the kite from flying away?

Ummm.... if you were suspended, nothing would keep the kite from flying away

That's the point. Since you aren't suspended, the kite can't fly away. You're anchoring the kite.

In other words, the kite is suspended from you, not the other way around.

I disagree. If you were to kite a skydiving canopy, with your feet never leaving the ground do you suddenly become something different? You are still the suspended weight, regardless of weather or not the kite or canopy is holding you off of the ground.

Less talking, more flying.

[Chrisky 0]

Sometimes mine feels like packing a bitch...

The mind is like a parachute - it only works once it's open.
From the edge you just see more.
... Not every Swooper hooks & not every Hooker swoops ...

[siddacious 0]

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If you are not 'suspended', what is keeping the kite from flying away?

Ummm.... if you were suspended, nothing would keep the kite from flying away

That's the point. Since you aren't suspended, the kite can't fly away. You're anchoring the kite.

In other words, the kite is suspended from you, not the other way around.

I disagree. If you were to kite a skydiving canopy, with your feet never leaving the ground do you suddenly become something different? You are still the suspended weight, regardless of weather or not the kite or canopy is holding you off of the ground.

My point exactly. I think Ms. Labrys is either being intentionally glib or doesn't fully understand the mechanics involved.

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[labrys 0]

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My point exactly. I think Ms. Labrys is either being intentionally glib or doesn't fully understand the mechanics involved.

I'm not being glib. The mechanics are simple. You might hold small helium balloon on a string all day long and consider yourself "suspended" under it, fine. Feel free to exit at a few thousand feet with said balloon instead of a canopy that's designed for proper flight and enjoy the ride down

My point is that just because a kite can stay aloft even if it's got an unusual shape does not mean that any shape of canopy will work.

Edit to add (because I'm a little annoyed by that "doesn't fully understand the mechanics involved" remark.

A canopy needs forward motion to generate lift. Your suspended weight under the canopy combined with the angle of attack of the canopy give it the forward speed it needs. The lift it generates keeps you from plummeting into planet earth at an unreasonable speed. Once your feet are on the ground, the canopy no longer has the suspended weight it needs to generate that lift. That's why it doesn't pick you up and carry you back into the sky when you kite it (unless you present it to a high enough wind speed to overcome your weight).

Box kites do not generate lift with suspended weight. Kites shaped like dragons do not generate lift with suspended weight.

Want to tell me exactly where my understanding of the mechanics of canopy flight vs kites is so misunderstood?

Owned by Remi #?

[siddacious 0]

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I'm not being glib. The mechanics are simple. You might hold small helium balloon on a string all day long and consider yourself "suspended" under it, fine. Feel free to exit at a few thousand feet with said balloon instead of a canopy that's designed for proper flight and enjoy the ride down

your firm adhesion to the literal definition of the word 'suspended' despite that clearly not being what is discussed is what I mean why I say you're being glib. This straw man BS about a balloon is a bit glib as well, as evidenced by your use of a smiley.

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My point is that just because a kite can stay aloft even if it's got an unusual shape does not mean that any shape of canopy will work.

I'm not sure I agree with this. Sure, a dragon canopy would probably be shite for swooping, but I'm sure you could make one that could return one safely to the ground. The forces that keep kites aloft are the same ones that keep us from falling out of the sky. The only difference is scale. I must be missing some point you're trying to make.

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Edit to add (because I'm a little annoyed by that "doesn't fully understand the mechanics involved" remark.

There is nothing wrong with not understanding something. Feel bad or be annoyed when you stop asking questions.

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A canopy needs forward motion to generate lift.

Wrong. You're contradicting yourself:

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That's why it doesn't pick you up and carry you back into the sky when you kite it (unless you present it to a high enough wind speed to overcome your weight).

First you say canopies need forward motion to create lift. Then you say they can create lift (pick you up off the ground while kiting) if there are winds high enough.

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Box kites do not generate lift with suspended weight. Kites shaped like dragons do not generate lift with suspended weight.

While flying a kite, box, dragon shaped, parafoil or whatever, you the human standing on the ground are doing the same thing to the structure of the kite as a parachutist hanging in his harness does to his canopy. This force, acting against the lift created by the kite keeps it in the air. This is the same thing as suspended weight. The fact that you're not hanging from the kite does not change that. Were the kite big enough, the forces generated by the wind would overcome your weight and you would be literally suspended.

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Want to tell me exactly where my understanding of the mechanics of canopy flight vs kites is so misunderstood?

You tell me! You're the one who seems to think that the basic mechanics involved in both are drastically different. Perhaps my above explanation will help.

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[labrys 0]

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A canopy needs forward motion to generate lift.

Wrong. You're contradicting yourself:

If you think that a canopy doesn't need forward motion to create lift you're way wrong.

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First you say canopies need forward motion to create lift. Then you say they can create lift (pick you up off the ground while kiting) if there are winds high enough.

It's not a contradiction at all. Wind relative to the nose of the canopy is forward motion for the canopy, even if it isn't moving relative to the ground. That's very basic.

Owned by Remi #?

[siddacious 0]

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It's not a contradiction at all. Wind relative to the nose of the canopy is forward motion for the canopy, even if it isn't moving relative to the ground. That's very basic.

I stand corrected, however your attempt to be snarky("That's very basic") is not appreciated.

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[labrys 0]

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I stand corrected, however your attempt to be snarky("That's very basic") is not appreciated.

Well then... remember that "unappreciated" feeling the next time you're tempted to mock someone.

Owned by Remi #?

[piisfish 135]

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Box kites do not generate lift with suspended weight. Kites shaped like dragons do not generate lift with suspended weight.

wrong. You just need to have more weight than the kite lifts to keep it from flying away.
No lift ?? www.kapelec.com/eng/index.htm
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dqp3dv5-3g
And kites are usually not develloped to be deployed at terminal velocity.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[moto89 0]

For the record, that youtube video looks absolutely terrifying.

Less talking, more flying.

[377 20]

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For the record, that youtube video looks absolutely terrifying.

I agree, s c a r e y, but is it pretty much the same as what kite surfers do except this guy does it over land?

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[piisfish 135]

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For the record, that youtube video looks absolutely terrifying.

I agree, s c a r e y, but is it pretty much the same as what kite surfers do except this guy does it over land?

at that time, kitesurfing didn't exist

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM