Triathlon 99 Slider size?

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

Hey everyone,

I just bought a used Triathlon 99 for wingsuiting and I'm baffled by how small the slider actually is. My Katana 97's slider is at least double, maybe close to triple the surface area.

I'll have to actually measure it, but as a rough measurement, I'm guessing it's about 18" x 10".

Can anyone confirm if this seems ridiculously small, or is it relative to the canopy size? I checked the forums and could only find the slider size for a Tri 190 and it was 19" x 30". An awfully big difference...

I'm afraid to wingsuit with it in case it was actually a CReW slider meant for sub-terminal only or something (I know nothing about CreW)...The canopy lines are cascaded, so I'm assuming it's not strictly a CReW canopy. Just want to know if I should invest in a new slider or...test it out...

Thanks

Edit to add:

Found this thread, and that's an awfully big difference, but it is a considerably large canopy...
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=433753;search_string=tri%20slider;#433753

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[dragon2 0]

CRW jumpers most often don't jump a "solid" slider, but rather a spider or a slider with mesh.
But are you sure it's the freefall version of the triathlon? Or maybe the hybrid? Has it got rings on the topskin?

For the exact slider measurements, best ask Aerodyne, they should know

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

I thought it could be the hybrid and that's what I was hoping to determine.

-It's only got one bridle attachment, no slide rings
-The lines ARE cascaded, I understand the Hybrid is not cascaded
-The slider size leads me to believe it's for sub-terminal openings
-It's a 99, which I assume is not a Typical size for an "everyday" canopy, but more of a full on CReW canopy for a small person with lead
-I believe the leading edge IS reinforced with what I recall being similar to a pullup cord type material, but a bit stiffer.
-It packs up WAY bigger than my 9 cell, Katana 97 (granted it only has 50 jumps versus my Katana with probably 1000)

I'll open it up again tonight and take some pictures and measurements etc...

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

Ok, so here is some additional info. It was a little bigger than I had initially indicated, but still pretty small in my eyes

Slider Measurements: 23" x 14"

See pictures for more detail.

Pic #1
Slider Measurement - 22" (unstretched)

Pic#2
Winder band is bottom skin on nose, narrow band is...you get it.

Pic#3
Self explanatory

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[indyz 1]

With no topskin rings, no dacron lines, and a sail slider it is almost certainly not a CRW or Hybrid Tri. The stupid single kill-line slider was (and maybe still is) standard on Triathlons. Finally, 23x14 sounds like a reasonable size for the slider. Keep in mind that basically every part of the Triathlon except for the basic airfoil has been tinkered with over the years, so comparing your 99 to other Tris that were potentially manufactured at different times and are not even the same size probably isn't a great idea.

As somebody mentioned earlier, your best bet is to call Aerodyne and ask. Or just man up and jump it.

[millertime24 8]

I think it's an optical illusion. The white boardering material makes the blue part appear very small.

Muff #5048

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

Thanks everyone.

I think I'm gonna just jump it as is, I'm confident now that everything adds up and seems to be right. I guess I just needed convincing or a bit of reassurance. Plus, now that I've measured it, it really doesn't seem "that" much smaller than another. I think my Katana slider may just be huge, so I'm used to seeing that.

MillerTime may also be right that the large "banner" on the slider is an illusion, making it look so much smaller.

Thanks!

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[firemedic 7]

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Thanks everyone.

I think I'm gonna just jump it as is, I'm confident now that everything adds up and seems to be right. I guess I just needed convincing or a bit of reassurance. Plus, now that I've measured it, it really doesn't seem "that" much smaller than another. I think my Katana slider may just be huge, so I'm used to seeing that.

Have you called Aerodyne?

MillerTime may also be right that the large "banner" on the slider is an illusion, making it look so much smaller.

Thanks!

[JohanW 0]

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.. The stupid single kill-line slider was (and maybe still is) standard on Triathlons ..

Mine has two kill-lines. It's about four years old, I think. So they learned.
(back to your regularly scheduled thread drift now)

Johan.
I am. I think.

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

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Have you called Aerodyne?

Nah...I'm comfortable that it seems appropriately sized. I'll take it for a H+P first, or maybe a 5-7 second delay. If it slams me then, I'll reconsider my next move.

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[pchapman 261]

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Have you called Aerodyne?

Nah...I'm comfortable that it seems appropriately sized.

Hey dumbass, I think I saved myself wasted time browsing dz by just calling Aerodyne myself:

23 7/8" by 14 5/8"

is the spec for a Tri 99.

That would likely be prior to sewing which tightens everything up a bit, so you'd have to stretch out a slider to get close to those number.

So your '23 by 14' is likely original.

Looking forward to wingsuiting with you next year.

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

Hey Peter,

Thanks for taking your time to check on this, I honestly wasn't that concerned.

At the very least, i would have taken it on a H+P to see how it opened (which I still intend to do), but then again, my last wingsuit jump had me at 42mph vertical...so even if it was a CReW model, I'd likely still be fine (discounting horizontal speed)

Thanks again...see you soon. There's more guys in Ottawa that have recently purchased or intend to purchase for the upcoming season. They are PST/STI regulars too. We'll have to make a flock...or maybe a Canadian record, we'd likely only need 4 or 5 of us..

"When once you have tasted flight..."