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StreetScooby

Looking to buy a new main...

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It all depends on what you want to do and what your projected W/L will be on that 150... You're profile says you have enough jumps to figure that out but we don't know what your goals are sitting behind our computer screens out here in interwebs-land...

As far as Brian's canopies go: I have a lot of jumps on Samauri's, owned a Jedei 150, have 2 jumps on a Lotus and a handful of jumps on the Sensei 101... Keep in mind it has been years since I've jumped these wings.

Samauri 150, 170: first truly elliptical I jumped when I had around 200 jumps. at the time I thought it was pretty neat. Now I would place it's performance envelope somewhere between a Katana and a Sabre 2 with a recovery arc akin to a Stilletto. Great wing.

Jedei 150: Owned from 200-450 jumps. Was the first thing I really tried to swoop with any measure of success. Was great, but I was quickly on the phone with Brian due to the short recovery arc and crummy openings using the Spectra lineset it came with. He relined it with HMA for me and I really enjoyed that canopy. Going to a Katana 135 was a big performance gain for me, however.

Lotus: Only a couple of jumps on it. To me it's somewhere between a Sabre and a Pilot, with better flare authority than the Pilot by far.

Sensei: I got under one of these as a demo at Chester years ago after I had about 400 jumps on Velos from 120-96. It was a huge step backwards in terms of performance and the recovery arc was really short. not my cup of tea, but maybe ok for a FS jumper looking for that type of X-Brace.

Thoughts on Airlocks: When I started jumping Brian's canopies I was in NM at a DZ with notorious turbulence. A lot of the senior jumpers there swore by the Germain Airlocks. I'm very appreciative that I was on those wings at the wingloadings I was jumping then/there. 190-135 size canopies at low to moderate wingloads do benefit from Airlocks in turbulent conditions. Once you go X-brace and start seeing more velocity, turbulence (usually) is less of a factor unless the conditions are highly violent OR you get into turbulence low to the ground in which case the effects of unstable air can lead to catastrophic results. For this reason I stay on the ground in NC when the winds get over 12-14 kts. Wind+100' pine trees+X-braced wing @ 2.6 or more increases the chance of hitting the ground without all cells pressurized... Will I do tandems here up to 15-18kts and land out in the middle of the field to walk back? Sure. Would I jump an Airlocked canopy in higher winds, maybe. Fun factor goes down for me in winds/risk goes up, so probably not.

I like Brian and I like his goals with Airlocks. I think they are great for a certain range of jumpers in a certain range of conditions. They pack a tad bigger, are sometimes a nuisance to ground handle/kite after landing and the potential for one to stay in the air longer/drift farther after a cutaway is slightly higher. In my experience they require better care and feeding on the packing mat than most of the more modern designs to produce nice openings.

PD and other bigger companies have the resources to do more testing, R&D, marketing so their designs are more prevalent.

At the end of the day it depends...

-Harry
"Sometimes you eat the bar,
and well-sometimes the bar eats you..."

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Hi, I'm looking for a car with 5 seats. What should I buy? Any comments on Opel models?
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Your search turned up 23.465 different car models ranging from Ford S-max to some second world war tanks....

:S

-------------------------------------------------------

To absent friends

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Any comments on Brian Germain's canopies?



Limited market and very poor resale value. But if you are a fan, it's a nice way to pat homage.
Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

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I've got about 130 jumps on a Lotus 150. I really like this canopy. It flies wonderfully, the flare is really powerful, and the airlocks give me confidence in the wing. It can be a pain to collapse on the ground, especially in strong winds, but I've gotten used to it. It also packs about a full size larger than the 150, but that's not an issue since my container is sized for it.

Brian sent me a demo before I bought mine, so contact him to try one yourself. You'll never really know what feels best for you unless you demo any canopy, though, so it's a good idea to fly one for any model you're interested in.
My Dad used to ask me if someone jumped off a bridge would I do that too? No, but if they jumped out of an airplane, that's a different question...

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At the end of the day it depends...



I've been in the sport 30 years now. I have a hard rule that I follow: if you're going fast close to the ground, you can get hurt. Seen it too many times now.

I want something stable, with a consistent flare so I don't have to run, and I don't want to bleed a lot of speed coming in, especially on no wind days.
We are all engines of karma

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Brian sent me a demo before I bought mine, so contact him to try one yourself. You'll never really know what feels best for you unless you demo any canopy, though, so it's a good idea to fly one for any model you're interested in.



Great suggestion. Thank you.
We are all engines of karma

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