First Rig? Aerodyne Pilot?

[phoenixlpr 0]

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I'm looking at downsizing right now.

How do you know if you would be ready for that?

[fasted3 0]

Your comments were based on a 1.25 WL. When figured correctly it is 1/1. The OP got it wrong at first.
That was sorted out in the thread. I figured it would be because the numbers in the OP didn't add up.
Look before you leap

But what do I know?

[danielcroft 2]

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How do you know if you would be ready for that?

My perceived comfort with my canopy is one factor. Additionally, more objective factors (in no particular order) like landings, dealing with winds, openings (control), accuracy, currency, number of jumps, completing (and practicing) the excellent checklists available here & elsewhere with comfort, awareness of traffic, awareness of spot & affect on landing, advice & opinion of S&TA and experienced people on the DZ, wing loading, type of intended plan form, type of pilot, line length, etc.

Fair enough re miscalculation on OP's post, I thought that the commentary around the original (incorrect) calculated WL was quite different to almost all of the advice I'd received about WL & downsizing which is why I wanted to ask to clarify.

My wife is loading a 150 at < .9 so she's thinking of downsizing to a 135 at some point but isn't going to rush into it because it's not a straight forward question of WL. She has ~250 jumps (I believe).

[Jkralovec 0]

I appreciate everyone's responses and I apologize for being away for a few days. I did in fact calculate my W/L incorrectly as I am closer to 140 lbs out the door.

Additionally, I have 50 jumps now, as in 12 in the past 3ish days so I'm fully committed to building a solid base of skills.

I am extremely satisfied with the S2 150 and I honestly feel is not out of my control, given that I have not experienced and "emergencies"

That being said, jumping daily, or every other day, can I not become more experienced than a jumper with my amount of jumps that goes once a week, or month?

I appreciate the criticism, I really do! I respect the forces of gravity and I'm doing my best to learn everything I can. You're all getting caught up on my downsizing and I appreciate your concern but that is between my coaches and I.

I was more interested in the flight characteristics of the canopy itself and if they are similar to the S2, then I think that the Aerodyne Pilot could be my first canopy

[Jkralovec 0]

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I'm looking at downsizing right now.

How do you know if you would be ready for that?

Where did I say that?

[WeakMindedFool 0]

I think what you should take away from this thread is that you've hit on probably the biggest point of contention on DZ.com. With the possible exception of whether God exists and if he does if he likes guns... or gay people. You should listen to all of us then go find someone you trust and knows you. There are no hard fast rules only opinions. None of these people know you, find someone who does that you trust. CK is a good place to be for finding experienced ppl.
PEACE!

Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for lost faith in ourselves.
-Eric Hoffer -
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[Jkralovec 0]

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I'm aware that any canopy can hurt you (I cut away a student Navigator 200 after giving myself spinning line twists) but there are general rules that have been widely agreed about loading. Various, very experienced people approximately agree on what loadings are appropriate for what experience level based on jump numbers. Yes, I know it's only a guide and there are exceptions to every rule, I'm just wondering what the exceptions are here as I'm looking at downsizing right now.

For the record, I did Germain's course @ 15 jumps and have read "The Canopy & its Pilot". I'm going to start reading again. I always talk to my experienced friends before I start downsizing and when I'm learning new things. I may well be getting the wrong impression from the OP but it seemed that they don't have a mentor, coach or any specific training for swooping which, combined with the aggressive loading would seem to be problematic in my very inexperienced opinion.

I know exactly what you're saying. Its just like wearing your gear on R6messagenet.com or kids driving corvettes on corvetteforum.com. Its a pet peeve of skydivers in general. That's the problem with the internet, no one knows me.

I had a great conversation with Pancake at CK last night and we covered all the bases.

I do hope to jump with you all sometime and I thank you for your input.

[danielcroft 2]

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I think what you should take away from this thread is that you've hit on probably the biggest point of contention on DZ.com. With the possible exception of whether God exists and if he does if he likes guns... or gay people. You should listen to all of us then go find someone you trust and knows you. There are no hard fast rules only opinions. None of these people know you, find someone who does that you trust. CK is a good place to be for finding experienced ppl.
PEACE!

^^ What he said.

[erdnarob 1]

I speak about what I know best. I flew a Sabre 2 a lot and tried a Safire and both are fine canopies. Now for the Vector III as a user and a rigger I still believe it's the best right now on the market for the features I mentioned.

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

[erdnarob 1]

Agree with you. Any canopies can hurt. Being knowledgeable about a specific canopy, having a good attitude and being briefed by an instructor you trust is more important than being put on a big parachute and left to yourself.
The quality of the instruction is directly proportional to the time an instructor spend with his student. If an advanced student has already demonstrated he/she has the right attitude, brief him/her and allow him to jump a canopy suitable for his weight. Too easy to give an oversize parachute to somebody and leave. I too read Brian Germain book The Canopy and his Pilot. This is my reference book. But it's not a replacement for the time spent with a patient instructor.

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.