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Dean Maiden

Canopy size

Question

Hey guys.

Recently completed my A license and am keeping an eye out for one time bargain Rigs. 

Question. Im 81kg and 192cm. The canopy i flew during training was a 240sqft. I have seen nothing fir sale around this.

 

What would be a safe size for a new flyer? Keep looking around the 240 mark?

 

Thanks in advance.

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Firstly, if you are trying to buy cheap used gear with only the interwebs to help, stop. Go find someone, or more than one someone,  who knows something and has seen you fly and land the student canopy. 

Call or email gear stores with your above questions. Not only can they probably give you advice, they may also have some used gear that will fit you.

We call the ratio between your exit weight and the canopy square footage your wing loading. It is a ratio, but we just use the first number.  For example, you are 81 kg which is around 170 pounds. Add 20 or so pounds for everything you are wearing puts you at about 190 lbs. exit weight. So you on a 190 square ft canopy would put you at 1.0 wing loading. This is considered to be a reasonable loading for a first canopy.

Don't buy an F111 main. They are cheap for a reason.

Also consider the size of your reserve. Many people suggest that your first reserve be at 1.0-1.1. This means you will want to look for a reserve of 170 to 190 sq. ft. Personally I would recommend a 1.0 wing loading for your reserve as well, but that's just me.

And don't forget the container. It has to fit both canopies and the harness has to fit you.  But that's a whole different post.

Bottom line? Don't buy anything without running it by someone who knows you,  and insist that anything you buy pass an inspection by your rigger before the purchase is final.

 

 

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Firstly, if you are trying to buy cheap used gear with only the interwebs to help, stop. Go find someone, or more than one someone,  who knows something and has seen you fly and land the student canopy. 

Call or email gear stores with your above questions. Not only can they probably give you advice, they may also have some used gear that will fit you.

We call the ratio between your exit weight and the canopy square footage your wing loading. It is a ratio, but we just use the first number.  For example, you are 81 kg which is around 170 pounds. Add 20 or so pounds for everything you are wearing puts you at about 190 lbs. exit weight. So you on a 190 square ft canopy would put you at 1.0 wing loading. This is considered to be a reasonable loading for a first canopy.

Don't buy an F111 main. They are cheap for a reason.

Also consider the size of your reserve. Many people suggest that your first reserve be at 1.0-1.1. This means you will want to look for a reserve of 170 to 190 sq. ft. Personally I would recommend a 1.0 wing loading for your reserve as well, but that's just me.

And don't forget the container. It has to fit both canopies and the harness has to fit you.  But that's a whole different post.

Bottom line? Don't buy anything without running it by someone who knows you,  and insist that anything you buy pass an inspection by your rigger before the purchase is final.

 

 

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22 minutes ago, skybytch said:

Firstly, if you are trying to buy cheap used gear with only the interwebs to help, stop. Go find someone, or more than one someone,  who knows something and has seen you fly and land the student canopy. 

Call or email gear stores with your above questions. Not only can they probably give you advice, they may also have some used gear that will fit you.

We call the ratio between your exit weight and the canopy square footage your wing loading. It is a ratio, but we just use the first number.  For example, you are 81 kg which is around 170 pounds. Add 20 or so pounds for everything you are wearing puts you at about 190 lbs. exit weight. So you on a 190 square ft canopy would put you at 1.0 wing loading. This is considered to be a reasonable loading for a first canopy.

Don't buy an F111 main. They are cheap for a reason.

Also consider the size of your reserve. Many people suggest that your first reserve be at 1.0-1.1. This means you will want to look for a reserve of 170 to 190 sq. ft. Personally I would recommend a 1.0 wing loading for your reserve as well, but that's just me.

And don't forget the container. It has to fit both canopies and the harness has to fit you.  But that's a whole different post.

Bottom line? Don't buy anything without running it by someone who knows you,  and insist that anything you buy pass an inspection by your rigger before the purchase is final.

 

 

Thanks heaps for your thorough reply. I ask the question on here because my dz is 2hrs away and i wont be there until next weekend and my curiosity couldnt wait. I do intend on speaking with my instructors and following their advice. Not only because its the smart thing to do but because lives and health depend on it.

1:1 sounds okay. Im not too keen on jumping into a situation i cant control, i want just after a good guide for a rig i could look at with actual interest and if suit wouldnt waste a riggers time by having it looked at only to be told im an idiot because its way too small for me to be jumping.

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On 3/14/2019 at 7:36 AM, Dean Maiden said:

Thanks heaps for your thorough reply. I ask the question on here because my dz is 2hrs away and i wont be there until next weekend and my curiosity couldnt wait. I do intend on speaking with my instructors and following their advice. Not only because its the smart thing to do but because lives and health depend on it.

1:1 sounds okay. Im not too keen on jumping into a situation i cant control, i want just after a good guide for a rig i could look at with actual interest and if suit wouldnt waste a riggers time by having it looked at only to be told im an idiot because its way too small for me to be jumping.

Regardless of what canopy you buy, you will have to land it. Some canopies are harder to land than others. Talk to you instructors and think about what you want in a canopy. Want to avoid hard openings? Off heading openings? A docile ride? A soft landing? What you want and your skill level will determine what you want in a canopy. IMHO wing loading is a factor, but not the main one. For example, a worn-out 288 sq. ft. F-111 main will land like a pallet of bricks, much harder than a Sabre II 190.

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Anything between 250 to 210 is pretty much the same. They all forgive mistakes, the only difference is in the toggle input sensitivity. Some are snapier (first 9-cell sport wings) than others (7-cell sport canopies, 9 cell student profiles) but nothing dramatic.

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