degeneration 5 #26 September 13, 2012 Quote>Does that mean I shouldn't have ever downsized until I had that off landing on a hill? It's not a great idea, but that's a decision you have to make. It is a VERY good idea to have experience at several DZ's before you downsize; you learn a lot by going to different DZ's that use different patterns, have different winds, different size landing areas etc. I've been to about a dozen or so DZs. None had a notable sloping PLA!!Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vanessalh 0 #27 September 13, 2012 There's a ditch far out in the field at my dropzone. Not quite the same as a hill though :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #28 September 13, 2012 Quote Quote Apologies for me sticking my hypothetical oar in, but is there any point where a bigger canopy makes things more difficult? I would say that I found it more difficult to time the flare on a Manta or Skymaster 290 loaded at 0.55 than I did a Balance 210 loaded at 0.76. Are there any skills which are easier to learn on a smaller canopy? you can underload a canopy so much so that it will not get good penetration into the wind. I am 150lb and my first jump was on a manta 288...that sucka barely moved forward in a headwind for me So? My exit weight was less than 150 lbs, and I did 50 jumps on manta 288/skymaster 280. It really was no big deal, I didn't die, I don't think I landed out in those first 50 jumps either. That was on a whopping .48-ish wingload. Now the first time I ever landed backwards, and the only time, was with a wingload of 1.7 ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BIGUN 1,030 #29 September 13, 2012 QuoteI'm a relatively new jumper (65 jumps), and for the last 11 jumps I've been using a 190 main canopy. I've tried a few different brands (Silhouette, Sabre 2, Pilot), and I've found all but the Pilot fairly mushy and unresponsive. I'm considering trying a 170 when I jump this weekend, and wonder if anyone has advice on whether it is too soon to downsize, or if poor handling is an indication that I wasn't loading the canopy correctly. My exit weight is about 190 lbs. My accuracy is okay with the 190 (usually within 10m, but almost always within 20m). My landings are great with the more responsive Pilot, but find on the other two I struggle to flare fully (strength wise). Any thoughts and advice are appreciated. Please read these: http://www.dropzone.com/safety/Canopy_Control/index.shtml Read Billvon's downsizing checklist twice.Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
samlee 0 #30 September 14, 2012 Sibson's landing area isn't quite flat if you are landing a bit further out, and so depending on the landing direction you can be landing slightly up-hill or down-hill. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joellercoaster 6 #31 September 14, 2012 ...and if you mess up the spot as badly as our group did last weekend, you can land on a proper hill The field I picked looked flat from directly overhead... it was only on final that I realised I was landing down a decent slope, and could potentially have run out of field! -- "I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan "You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
degeneration 5 #32 September 14, 2012 Now that I think about it, Nethers has a fairly sloping PLA if you land out a little from the main landing area. Maybe I have landed down a slight hill after all. Don't recall falling there, so must've done it ok!Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adamhildreth 0 #33 September 14, 2012 Quote ...and if you mess up the spot as badly as our group did last weekend, you can land on a proper hill The field I picked looked flat from directly overhead... it was only on final that I realised I was landing down a decent slope, and could potentially have run out of field! Where did you land Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites