Go for elliptical chute

[schumacher 0]

Hello all, I need advice of wisdom for my decision.
Currently, I have about 300 jumps and about 250 on my Spectre-135 at 1.35 wingloading. I try to land it crosswind, downwind and even at night (it was amazing and terrifying).
Week ago I demo Stilleto-120 and was surprised by his glide. I travelled much more distance on the ground using straight flight then on my Spectre front riser turn.
So, I want real high performance elliptical main. I know, that it can add new bad things like progressive line twists and so on. I've heard that Crossfire will not spin like Stilleto. But the optimal loading of Crossfire start at 1.8. So I need Crossfire 99. Isn't it too "hot" ? I jump every weekend and all my jumps were made at this year. Also I jump with wingsuit and stable openings are very important to me.
What do you recommend? Stilleto or Heatwave (probably 120) or Crossfire 99 ? What chute is more stable on openings, can be flown at low speeds and worth its money? :)

[Geoff 0]

troll? oh well, here goes....

Quote

But the optimal loading of Crossfire start at 1.8.

This is absolutely not true. That loading might be 'optimum' for longest swoop in expert hands, but lower loadings are fine,just like any other elliptical.
"We recommend wing loadings from 1.00psf to 2.00psf."
taken directly from http://www.icaruscanopies.com/canopies/Crossfire/
You're taking a risk with any heavily elliptical canopy and a wing suit, but it's your choice. Something like a Safire or Sabre2 would glide a lot better than a Spectre, but be less prone to twists.
Yes, a Crossfire 99 is almost certainly too 'hot' for you (and me!).
Please don't kill yourself.
Geoff

[ramon 0]

you do not have enough experience for optimal loading on Crossfire which is in fact 1.8.
But it opens beautifully at any loading and flies better than a stilleto at 1.5-1.6 and it flies big and is forgiving.
peace
ramon

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

I hope that wasn't a troll. Anyway, almost any eliptical or semi eliptical 9-cell will give you the added glide you are looking for. Caution: do not be jumping a Stiletto with a wingsuit. If ever there was a canopy that was known for spinning, off heading openings, that is it. You need a very predictable-opening main for wing suits. That is not to say that I didn't really like Stilettos for the six years that I jumped them (sizes 107 and 97). It's just today there are far better performing, yet more managable mains; the Crossfire and Cobalt among them. Both of those canopies can be and are flown regularly at wingloads far less than the 1.8 you quote. Both open fantastically and on-heading. Both can also be flown well over 2.0:1 by people with the right experience (which you do not yet possess). The Safire and Sabre 2 were also both mentioned as a good next main for you. Given those choices, I would definitely take the Sabre 2 because of it's better "bottom end."
Chuck

[prost 0]

I am a camera flyer so i share your concerns about openings. I started jumping a crossfire loaded simularly to what you are considering at obout 400 jumps. I have since put hundreds of jumps on it and jumped a wide variety of wing loadings under the crossfire. Before the crossfire i had a Stilletto loaded at 1.5.
A few characteristics of the crossfire:
Very flat glide ratio (the only canopy I have ever jumped that is as flat a a stilletto)
Better openings that the silletto. Stillettos tend to dive in off heading openins. The crossfire will just fly in that direction.
Less twichy than the stilletto. Is not as responsive to harness input
Long recovery arch. Builds up more speed with front risers
Very good slow speed controls. I can almost bring mine to a complete stop in little wind.
Slower rate of turn than the Stilletto at the same wing loading.
I am a very aggressive canopy pilot and the crossfire will out swoop the stilletto. I also feel more comfortable with a smaller crossfire than stilletto.
I would not however recommend the crossfire 99. If you have good skills I have not doubt that you could land this canopy without event. But after several hundred jumps on my i ran accross a couple of situations were I was very lucky not to get hurt. You might get through these tight situations as well but you might not. It is true that the crossfire will swoop the longest at a wing loading of 1.8 to 2.0. It does not have to be flown at this high of wing loading to get good performance. I have flown tham at 1.5 and enjoyed them a lot. As a side note, the stilletto seams to swoop the longest at wing loadings of 1.7 to 1.9. I would suggest a crossfire 119 or at the smallest a 109. Realize that you are taking a much greater risk. Consider things like are you willing to get hurt and how will it effect your life if you were to break a leg. It might be that you are willing to take these risks, but at least consider it. Even with being very current, I think the 99 is to far a step. It would be 3 sizes down for you. If you decide to do this anyway, at least get a demo 109 for a few weeks and get a little more used to the speed. Another thing you can do is order a custom canopy and jump smaller canopies untill it comes in to help transition. Let me know what you decide. you can email me at [email protected].

[cobaltdan 0]

i would have to agree that a loaded stilletto is a very poor choice for wingsuit jumps.
if you watch slow motion footage of a stiletto opening, you will notice that the entire canopy inflates
before the slider can come partly down. the leading edge can not be straight as it is constrained by the lines through the slider. it will snake violently and eventually snap straight when the slider is far enough down. this snaking causes off headings and frequent spins. additionally this is influenced by the fact that the weight of the jumper is suspended in front near the nose to lighten riser pressure. this placement of center of gravity to center of lift on the wing creates a stituation where the canopy is prone to continuing to spin after a twist. not what you want when constrained with a wingsuit.
without seeing you fly perhaps a cobalt in the range of 1.4-1.8 would be a better choice.
cobalts are not twitchy and not prone to spins. deployments are staged ensuring a straight on heading leading edge. they are ideal for wingsuit jumps. jari and robert, inventors/owners of birdman suits have jumped atair main canopies and base canopies for years. now jari is sponsored by icarus and flys a vx (felt icarus could better promote bird-man). jari i believe has about 600 wingsuit jumps on an impulse/alpha (predecessor to the cobalt) and quite a few on a cobalt.
i currently fly a skyflyer (LOVE IT!) with a cobalt 95 loaded 2.2.
i believe strongly in specialization of equipment, so i and am setting up an old rig exclusively for wing suit jumps with a cobalt 120, longer bridal and larger pilot chute.
when you are jumping a wing suit it is all about a super stable deployment. jumping a light to medium loading can make for additional forgiveness when mistakes are made.
i love being an extreme canopy pilot, but flying a skyflyer is extreme enough. i prefer to separate the two activities.
if you have any doubts of your options/decision contact jari at www.bird-man.com
he is an awesome guy and has more wingsuit jumps than anyone.
sincerely,
daniel
atair
www.extremefly.com

[SciFly 0]

I just demoed a Cobalt 170 this past weekend--it performs as Dan and the lit states! There was only one opening that had slight line twists, but I was able to correct them by adjusting my weight in the harness. I had excellent glide on landings, even without wind. This was my first experience with an elliptical and I'm glad it was with one with such great openings...

[apoil 0]

Quote

"We recommend wing loadings from 1.00psf to 2.00psf."
taken directly from http://www.icaruscanopies.com/canopies/Crossfire/

When I spoke to their (NZ) reps about what I was looking for, based on my desires as a canopy pilot, they steered me towards a safire at 1.4
They said that the crossfire is more for the 1.6 and above range.
I was specifically enquiring into the crossfire at low to moderate wingloadings.
I haven't flown one yet, but it's on the short list for my next canopy.
Saut A. Poil

[schumacher 0]

Thanks guys for info!
I don't want to buy another semi-elleptical canopy like Sabre2 or Safire, I think they have the same performance as Spectre.
I'm not planning to jump only with wingsuit, so I think, I will try Crossfire 109-119 in winter (snow is soft :). I hope I will not overcome my abilities and stay safe.