What was your first canopy?

[Oberlin 0]

First 40 jumps were on various 28' 7-TUs and T-10s. I liked the 28's better, a little faster and turned better. Even stood up a bunch.

Next 10 were on a borrowed Mk1 PC. I don't remember it being that much of an improvement over the Rags, opened hard, landed hard, still backed up in any kind of a wind. Remember hook turns into the wind and releasing one cape-well upon landing to keep from getting dragged?

First canopy that I owned was an original Strato Star, short lined 3', rings and rope reefing, the faster you went the slower it opened. Now here was the improvement that I was looking for.. remember this was around 1976.

Sky Dive "HARD"

[Steel 0]

First Jump Manta 288
First owned Robo Z 185

If I could make a wish, I think I'd pass.
Can't think of anything I need
No cigarettes, no sleep, no light, no sound.
Nothing to eat, no books to read.

[D22369 0]

Raven III, sure sucked in the wind when I only wieghed 145 lbs......

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

[Jethers203 0]

Raven III as well. Mine was horrible. It kicked my ass all over the sky. I think it was made wrong. I sent it back, got my money, and bought a Triathlon. The Tri. was a pretty damn good canopy to have early on.

John D-24352

[jumpy 0]

First canopy i jumped was an x228. First owned canopy is an Icarus 145 much nicer!! Forward speed is a wonderful thing!

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

1st one I owned was a PD190

[nitecap 0]

My first jump cost $12.50 including training gear and jump ticket .No pilot chute on reserve.(worked OK on fifth jump) Reserve had rate of decent of a large rock.First jump meet accuracy measured out to 100 feet .Lots of rounds of Cardinal Puff . Beer cost less also .

[wmw999 2,121]

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First jump meet accuracy measured out to 100 feet

The first 4-way competition I saw was won by the team that completed a 4-way all 3 rounds. This was not a novice meet.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[mjosparky 3]

Nitecap,
Haven't heard "Cardinal Puff" in some time. It took two years, but I finally made Cardinal.
Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[robskydiv 0]

Falcon 265 Blackberry except for the two cells next to the last ones. Those two are neon (Lime) green with a lime green slider and ribs.

[fergs 0]

....starting 1973 - Double T; 7-tu; PC; Papillon; thunderbow; stratostar (ring and ropes reefing, loooong lines); stratostar (slider reefed); strato-cloud; strato cloud; cruisair; pegasus; raven 3; raven 2; sabre; and now a spectre. Oh there was another 210sq' something made by Security in there too, but for the life of me cannot remember what it was called.

Reserves have been T10a; navy conical; 17' GQ; PISA conical; super 22; raven; and now a PD something.

Reserve rides were only 2 - the navy conical (1977) and PISA (1982). Haven't had the pleasure of a reserve ride since - but won't hesitate should the opportunity present itself soon.

Can't say I have a favourite main - all were great canopies in their day. All were well made and dependible. But the current spectre is a real sweety.

I never seem to have spent too much effort at packing neatly or by the manual (even the cheapoes back in the early 70's), so don't like to think I'm qualified to comment on reliability of factory pack jobs.

I've been psycho packing last 6 or 7 years and find the openings consistantly soft and on heading - plus it's the fastest way to put it all away ready for the next jump. Incidentally, those of us in the know don't call it psycho pack any more - it's a FLOS pack job ... Frigging Lazy Old Skydivers !!!!!!

Blue Skies, fergs

[murrays 0]

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Oh there was another 210sq' something made by Security in there too, but for the life of me cannot remember what it was called.

Was that an X210?

--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

[fergs 0]

Quote

Quote

Oh there was another 210sq' something made by Security in there too, but for the life of me cannot remember what it was called.

Was that an X210?

Aha, that's it ... an X210, nice canopy of its' day. But it ended up giving me a hard landing up in the mountains in Jamaica and busting my ankle. Probably a handling mistake on my part, but after that I decided to change anyhow.

fergs

[f1freak 0]

Racer (i think a 1984 model)
PD-190 (OUCH!! is all i can say about that thing...)
24ft LOPO (Never had to use it...)

HAVE FUN...
...JUST DONT DIE

[hobbes4star 0]

150 spectra. very good canopy for a beginner.

if fun were easy it wouldn't be worth having, right?

[Amazon 7]

My first Canopy I jumped... hmmm 1975.. so long ago..... does the tower canopies at Ft Benning count as a canopy or do we have to go to the C-130 door exit with the dope rope T-10.
The first canopy I owned was sold to me by my instructor in Homestead Fl. It was a red and black Papillion in a modified military container with a C-9 in a belly mount reserve. My fifth sport jump was a successful cut away to the C-9 reserve, it was a fast one too I was in a big hurry to get a canopy over my head instead of the ball of garbage. We found the kicker plate from the reserve pilot chute in the main canopy upon retrieval. My Number two cutaway was also compliments of the Pap. That thing had WAY too many steering lines and crown lines to stow.

[Amazon 7]

Ok I guess I can add the list of canopies after the PAP... 70 jumps or so.

One jump on a 24' reserve into the water after the C-9 Main did a nasty old Mae West. Its not nice to look up and see that big of a bra over your head.
Various military M1- sumthing or other that the Air Farce called C-17 or C-18 and a few sporterized c-9's with various T-U cuts. Ok so I was young and dumb ( and skinny) and would jump anything at any time.

I managed to get a really cool Paradactyl ( referred to as the Terror-Dactyl) after the Pap. Everyone always thought it was collapsing including me a few times but I never did have to cut it away..
Next was a Strato Star 5 cell. Great canopy and god I wish I had not traded it off for one of the orininal 7 cell ParaFoils. It had the old spider slider with long bridle that went to a really big orange pilot chute. the throw out pilot chute was stowed in a legstrap pouch on the Green Star Pig Rig. I used that nice big ORANGE thing as part of my waveoff when doing RW. I got to ride my 26' LOPO that was packed up top once. The original bag or whatever they called that thing on the Parafoil was good for excitement on the ground on almost every jump. I swear if it ever opened in less than 1000' I would have been amazed. For as much as it sniveled after unbagging itself you would think that it would have deployed softly... WRONG. Explosive openings were the norm.. even with the bag.. so we thru it away and went to freepacking it.. for more positive openings.... yikes.

I recently started jumping again after a 22 year layoff.
First canopy back a Skymaster 290 in a Velocity Infinity Container ... good god that thing was HUGE. I have yet to settle on a main and am jumping a PD 9 260 cell for now. Maybe a 230 would be a bit more realistic.... Next year a Z-Po in the 190 range... I just cant picture myself doing hook turns and pond swoops at my age. I am old and brittle now.

Amazon

[mikkey 0]

First jumped: T-10
First owned: C-9 (7 TU)
Second: Competition Para Commander
Third: Strato Star (5 cell)

---------------------------------------------------------
When people look like ants - pull. When ants look like people - pray.

[rehmwa 2]

First owned was a Pegasus (in an original Centaur - very comfortable (in two world records), and a phantom 24).

The Pegasus was always good for 5 or 6 cells of 7.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Dougjumper 0]

Uh.....yea..At age 5 I jumped off my bed with my Bedsheet. And later in the Army I had another one by my side..in case I needed it...I think it was a T-10 or something..Yea it was really cool scared the beJesus out of me on exit..C-130.....Later went to Ram-Airs...and its all history from there..huh..huh

The glass is half full or half empty doesn't matter. Let go and have the Lord guide your path. He will take care of it all.

[CDRINF 1]

T-10 in 1985 at U.S. Army Airborne School, Laser 9 in 1988 for first jump course. First owned: Falcon 265.

CDR

[Unstable 8]

My very own beautiful and slightly used Performance Designes F1-11 7-cell, at 193 ft^2. Actually, thats the canopy i'm still jumping! BUTT, the thing i like most about her is that she belongs to me, and once she is payed off, i can invest in a nice Triathalon Hybrid.

- sds

"why didn't the pirate go visit his mother for
mothers day?

because she was too fAAAAARRRGH away!!!"

=========Shaun ==========

[wmw999 2,121]

I really like this thread. Thanks for starting it, Ralu.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Unstable 8]

Hey,
one of our instructors from KC is bringing out an old T-10 we are planning on stuffing into a student Javelin. Anybody tried this yet? The guy is a rigger, and he says he's done it on the occasion.

- sds

"Just quit whining and put it in the bag, you have a reserve - my mentor on ProPacking"

=========Shaun ==========

[jimmytavino 16]

Quote

Hey,
one of our instructors from KC is bringing out an old T-10 we are planning on stuffing into a student Javelin. Anybody tried this yet? The guy is a rigger, and he says he's done it on the occasion.

- sds

"Just quit whining and put it in the bag, you have a reserve - my mentor on ProPacking"

...

"stuffing it into a Student Javelin.........."
...Never heard of a T-10 on risers "with rings"... If you use the risers from the container......I would be surprised if the riser links, could handle the number of lines ,,,which each of them would have to hold......since there are Many Many more lines on a T 10,,, than on a ram air.(around 30 or 32 )...... Actually it's more like 15 or 16.... since each "Line" is a continuous loop running from One riser link,,, up to the skirt, in a channel OVER the top of the canopy and then down to the opposite riser link.......... all which equates to BULK,,,, so I hope you can fit it into a Jav.......
..........??? D Bag ? or No D Bag????.....have fun,,,,,,but let's be careful out there,,,,,,( better have your spotting skills tuned up as well.....)