foos 0 #26 August 23, 2001 Staso, that’s funny. I don’t think cobaltdan would pretend to be a new jumper on the boards. BTW foos/tcfoster/me jumps out of Toledo WA. heh Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mountainman 0 #27 August 23, 2001 Is Cobaltdan the owner of the company or something?? Just curious.--------------Drop on in...leave a message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
foos 0 #28 August 24, 2001 Not sure if Dan Preston owns part of Atair, but he is the tech dude for the Cobalt. You can call him at his office number 718 596-8641. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #29 August 24, 2001 At what point would I sell someone a Crossfire (or other elliptical) loaded at 1.8?? Total number of jumps doesn't tell me enough to know if the jumper is ready for it... what's more important is what canopies and wingloadings the jumper has been flying, how many jumps on each type and size, how current the jumper stays, where they jump (i.e. ground altitude - msl, tight or open landing area, etc.), how they are flying and landing what they have (i.e. aggressively, conservatively, or a mix; stand them all up or biff a few now and then...), have they had a reserve ride (many canopies when loaded at 1.8 can twist up and create a nasty, high speed, spinning malfunction that cannot be cleared - as this type of mal for a first cutaway could be rather nervewracking and if handled incorrectly could be very fatal, I'm happiest if the jumper has already chopped something), etc... These factors combined with exit weight and number of jumps can give me a pretty good idea of the jumper's experience and skill level; if there's still a question I'd ask to talk with the chief instructor or other highly experienced jumper/swooper at their DZ so I can verify the info and get an "okay" from someone who has seen the jumper land.pull and flare,lisa---I chose the road less traveled. Now where the hell am I? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
imdskydiver 0 #30 August 24, 2001 Good answer !But nobody asked me those questions when i bought my first elliptical, Only how many jumps i had and it wasn't much . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cobaltdan 0 #31 August 27, 2001 hi everyone,i have been away at the us pond swooping nationals.i will try to respond to all the posts later tonight.i watched a new friend die in competition yesterday.i'm very upset and trying to read some posts for distraction.dan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymedic 0 #32 August 27, 2001 Sorry to hear that Dan....MarcBecause I fly, I envy no man on earth Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #33 August 27, 2001 Dan,So sorry to hear that. My condolences to the jumper's family, and to you and the other watchers.ciel bleus-Michele"What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #34 August 27, 2001 My condolences also to Lisa's friends and family. We're pretty sad here today; Lisa was a big part of the women's world record event in '99.... pull and flare,lisa---I chose the road less traveled. Now where the hell am I? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jussi 0 #35 August 27, 2001 my condolences to family and friends..what kind of canopy was she flying?off topic here, sorry..ps. Dan, did you get my e-mail about that Impulse 100??Jussi Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Iflyme 0 #36 September 1, 2001 For what it's worth, I agree with Spectre and Lisa here... you've got to learn to walk before you can run, and 100/200 jumps simply isn't enough time under a canopy to develop the skills necessary to save your life when you need to. Sure, you can land the thing with a nice surf, and stand it up, but what happens when the shit hits the fan??? A couple of weeks ago we had a guy with somewhere around 500 jumps (that's a rough guess) crash into a woman holding a baby as he attempted a high performance landing (we land in farmer McNasty's big field, and there is LOTS of room for spectators) ... the mother and baby went flying 8 feet and hit the ground -- fortunately no one was seriously injured... but this canopy pilot found himself in a situation that he couldn't deal with, and almost killed 2 people. IMHO you need to put hundreds of jumps on a lightly loaded canopy to build your skills before moving to a wing loading of 1.2 and up ... Sorry, Dan, to hear about your friend... my thoughts go out to her friends and family Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xAer0 0 #37 September 1, 2001 Before I attract flames, just in case, I want to say that my canopy will prolly be a Hornet 170 @ 1.15:1 ...It just doesn't sound very realistic to me...how can you build real skill with hundreds of jumps on a canopy that will forgive every stupid act you make?I mean, sure, you can learn the right reactions instinctively...but then you get that thing at 1.4 and find yourself in a same situation...would you know shit about how it would react?Or would you do the same drill as the one you did on the forgiving canopy you mastered?I'm a big fan of correct training on medium performance mains rather a huge number of jumps on conservative loadings, and the reason I go for a conservative canopy is that I know i won't be a able to be current enough during this year to justify a higher loading.Sure I studied the High performance canopy handling manuals and apply the exercises all the time, but i feel that doing them on a low performance wing for a long time wouldn't do much good...one must downsize properly in the meantime, if they want to safely fly at higher wingloadings.That's just to complement what others have said, not to disaggree with anyone...sure, I was be flying a hot Navigator 260 until now and pushed it a lot, but I'm beginning to downsize slowly (230,210,190,170) so that I'll be ready for my main at ~80 jumps...I realise I picked a lot of bad habits with student mains in 32 jumps...And since we see all see new the new trend of going with the faster mains sooner...it might be better for everyone to start pushing DZs to give more thorough training to people, not just student level...it's scary to see many jumpers with more than twice my jumps knowing shit about canopy control...the ground doesn't care how many jumps you have!Training and curiosity, as Riggerob said...Don't pull low, unless you are afraid of heights!Tefkros Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cobaltdan 0 #38 September 2, 2001 i stand by my recommendation that a cobalt @ 1.2 could be a better choice.it will be slower than the hornet. much, much more lift, flare, glide & softer openings.take your advice from someone that has flown the canopies you are considering AT the loadings you are considering.sincerely,dan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xAer0 0 #39 September 2, 2001 Thanx Dan, that's what I plan to do...I'll try the Cobalt and IF I can stay current enough to master it safely,amd if I feel comfortable enough with it,maybe I'll go for it...no flames please people, my instructors will have to judge wether to let me fly one first,so I'll be going basically by what people that know me consider safe...Btw, Dan, do you send Cobalt demos in Europe? (Greece)Don't pull low, unless you are afraid of heights!Tefkros Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
