What flight characteristics are important to you??

[rhino 0]

What flight characteristics are important to you in your main canopy??
1. Openings are important. I don't like to be cracked all the time. I like to be able to influence the openings with the pack job. On my old Triathlon150 I could roll the hell out of the nose and really slow it down.
2. I "require" a fast turning canopy. This is half of the fun for me in the air. The Diablo was great at this. Until I jumped the Crossfire I wondered if I would ever find a 9 cell that could compare.
3. I like to be able to hold in a dive for a good amount of time. The Diablo has the top seat in this one. Then again the crossfire I am jumping is on the Mod list and has high front riser pressure. I am confident that the new crossfire I have on order won't have that problem.
4. I like to be able to get "force" the canopy around the corner quickly without heavy toggle pressure. The Diablo was quick, Xaos not so quick, Crossfire was very quick. Crossfire all around responded very quickly to input and had a bit more difinitive, crisp flight path than the Diablo.
5. Bottom end flair. The Diablo lacked in this as it is a seven cell. It's not made to swoop. The Xaos was kick ass as the bottom end didn't end. And the Crossfire is very nice and stops very well, lots of bottom end flair.
6. I also like a canopy to be able to stay in the air. Diablo didn't really like to stay in the air. Xaos I'm not really sure as I only jumped it twice, it seemed to have a decent glide. The crossfire, I came back from a long spot and DAMN.. I was holding in breaks, staying up longer, had a flatter glide, higher forward speed, than the other canopies that were trying to make it back. It has an amazing glide path.
7. I like a canopy to be relatively stable approaching stall speed. The Diablo was GREAT even the 110 would sink straight down for me. The Xaos felt VERY unstable to me, at stall it would deflate and start dropping you out of the air practically starting the opening sequence all over. It was actually kind of fun. The crossfire suprisingly would not stall for me?? I was damn near sinking straight down? I had the toggles at or below my waist and pushing.. It kept flying? I am going to keep exploring the slow speed flight of the crossfire as I'm not sure how it manages to do it?
8. Basically when I initiate an input on a canopy I like it to be crisp and immediate. I do not like hesitation in canopy feedback.
I am wondering what flight characteristics are important to other people?
Rhino
Blue Skies .....

[ChromeBoy 0]

It opens, flys and flares.

[rhino 0]

LOL
Blue Skies .....

[freeflir29 0]

The most important to me are
A) Soft, on heading, predictable openings. My Stilletto does this pretty well once I figured out how to pack and fly it.
B) Manageable riser pressure when making high speed approaches.
C) Good stable slow speed flight. The Stilletto is EXCELLENT at this one with the brakes let out to give it breathing room. With the proper approach it will swoop and swoop and swoop and keep flying until it comes to almost a complete stop.
"It's all about the BOOBIES!"

[jdhill 0]

As a camera guy (with as many as 3 cameras on the helmet), openings are extremely important to me.
The ability to hold above the crowd and make it back from a long spot are also very important.
I like to make my turn to final fairly high, so a canopy that can dive long is good too.
Of course the swoop and bottom end flair are important aspects as well...
I currently jump a Velocity and a Crossfire. Both of these canopies work well in all of the above aspects even at wingloadings of 2.2 and 1.9 respectively .
Josh
http://www.aerialfusion.com

[skycat 0]

Quote

I was holding in breaks, staying up longer, had a flatter glide, higher forward speed, than the other canopies that were trying to make it back. It has an amazing glide path.

Hey try this, it works better for me with my crossfire. Rather than holding in brakes I let it fly and press out on the rear risers rather than pulling them down. I'm usually one of the very few who makes it back from even the worst of spots and actually, usually have altitude to spare.
For myself I want soft openings, a sabre slam killed my back last year and I don't want that to happen again. Also I want a canopy with tons of flare with good slow flight characteristics. Found both with the crossfire 1, I have also jumped a crossfire 2 which performs everything the 1 did but better, Hmmm....wonder if I can talk Simon into a trade

[SkydiveMonkey 0]

Opens without mal'ing (important with my packing !! lol), turns quick, and flares nicely. Oh, and looks cool
boobies - the cause of, and solution to, all of lifes problems

[billvon 2,400]

1. Openings - reasonably slow, open within 500 feet, on heading most of the time.
2. Line twist performance - must not 'wind up' easily in line twists.
3. Performance in brakes - must fly stably with brakes stowed, must be manueverable even with brakes stowed so I can dodge if necessary.
4. Good glide, something between a Stiletto and Sabre.
5. Stability in turbulence.
6. Good amount of lift at the end of the flare.
Note there's nothing about turn speed, swoop performance etc up there. Those are nice, but the above will save your life and/or keep you out of the hospital.
-bill von

[skybytch 259]

1. Soft, smooth, predictable on heading openings. One back surgery down and I don't want to ever have another; on heading is important because I plan to be doing some big RW dives in the near future.
2. Easy landings - I don't want to swoop, I don't want to do aggressive landings, I just want to land softly and walk back to the packing area.
3. Light toggle pressure
pull & flare,
lisa
---
On the other hand...you have different fingers

[airdrew20012001 0]

Really fast whipper openings at least 180 off heading. Overly twitchy turning with tons of oversteer, really heavy rear riser preasure, almost no flare, dangerously bad landings. A rainbow of non-matching colors with different colors on every cell (top and bottom) as well as the ribs. Frequent bad locks are nice too.
Drewfus McDoofus

[SkydiveMonkey 0]

And that's just the reserve !!
boobies - the cause of, and solution to, all of lifes problems

[rhino 0]

Press out the rear risers? I'll try that next time. Thanks
Rhino
Blue Skies .....

[NoshiT 0]

sorry..you cant jump my Viper...
Noshi T.

[freeflir29 0]

Quote

sorry..you cant jump my Viper...

I knew of a Viper that opened like that once. The guy had a new line set put on it and hasn't had a problem since.
"It's all about the BOOBIES!"

[weid14 0]

the Icarus canopies seem to favor rear risers for floating back from long spots, while I've noticed that PD canopies tend to favor half breaks -- all things being equal. YMMV of course.

[hobbes4star 0]

openings, and flare
why jump when you can fly