How does the style of flying effect the gear u use

[fatz 0]

Hiya all.
OK, I only have 1 jump - sad i know, but I am just trying to get my finances sorted out so i can take it up full time. Just sold my car 8-) (Holden VX V8 SS Commodore) and am waiting for the next few pay checks.
Anyway, back to my question. I am not 0 on all the types of flying you can do, but how does the type of flying you do decide on the type of canopy you fly? if you free fly as apposed to belly fly (I think that's what you call it) with a particular chute, will it not open, will it be rough? why is this?
sry if it's a stupid question, just curiouse to know.
Fatz.

[lazerq3 0]

I know for me I knew I was going to start out with a lot of RW flying,however I also knew I would want to get into FF eventualy so I made sure that the rig I bought would be great for RW but also FF friendly so I can play in both worlds......as for the canopy I'm only have 73 jumps so I wanted a good canopy to learn with and be able to land saftly with and a light wing load PD 170(1.0 to 1)...however now I'm downsizing to a little better performance in a canopy Hornet 150 (1.14 to 1 ) .... I really dont think it matters to much which canopy you fly in relation to which disipline you jump unless you doing accuracy or wanting to get into swooping!! But then you can jsut about learn swoopin on any sub 200ft canopy.....Just ask clay...hes swooping a PD 190!!!!! Anyway just me thoughts ,,,someone please coorect me if I'm wrong anywhere!!
jason

[AggieDave 6]

Canopy isn't really called into question according to what discipline you fly in the air. At this point in the game (as it is with me, too ), it is more about having a canopy that is right for your skill level as an overall jumper. Talk to one of the CN(canopy nazis, i.e. Skybytch) about what would be good for you, I'm not the guy to ask.
What is important, though, is the type of container you fly. There are rigs that are more adept to Freeflying then others...as I like to say, there are 3 kinds of rigs, Freefly Friendly, Freefly Cordial and Freefly scary. The friendly rigs address things like bridal protection, pin protection, tuck tabs, etc. Cordial rigs have most of those things inplace, but aren't necissarily the best for that attitude in the air (i.e. the Vector II I jump that has had a BOC conversion). Scary are rigs that really shouldn't be jumped anything but BTE, like a rig that still has ROL with a foot of bridle tacked down the side of the leg. One of the more squared away rigger types want to expound?
"ahhhhoo...the little guy hasn't done anything yet and you know its going to be good..."

[fatz 0]

so it's more the fact that a container may restrict your movment rather than the container may come to halm?

[AggieDave 6]

No, not movement, sorry I wasn't more clear in my post. It mainly comes down to premature deployments. Some rigs don't have the right kind of bridle/pin protection to help safeguard against this. So, you could have a premature deployment that could result in some nasty stuff, ranging from horse mals, blowing up a canopy, bodily harm from the force of the snatch from a premature...
If you look at basically just about every modern rig (i.e. Javilin, Wings, Mirage 3, Vector 3, etc) you'll see no exposed bridle, tuck tabs (no velcro) and secure pin covers to help prevent nasty stuff like that from happening. "ahhhhoo...the little guy hasn't done anything yet and you know its going to be good..."

[Remster 24]

Aggie,
some modern rigs still rely on Velcro. Racers, Tear Drops (and I am sure others).
Velcro is NOT a bad word in skydiving, even in freeflying. There have been numerous threads on this in the last little while. Yes, having velcro does mean having to keep up the maintenance on your rig more closely...
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I'll rather have good velcro then a rig with tuck tabs coming undone on every jump...
Remi
Remster
Muff 914

[JackR 0]

Looks like you have it pretty well nailed to the wall. Good advice.
There was an very interesting post in another thread from an e-mail from John LeBlanc about some of the risks involved with freeflying and the canopies. It isn't a factor of the canopy, but the risk that the canopy comes out while you're in a high speed position during the freefall. All the protection from premature opening is what you should be looking for in a container suitable for freeflying.
When it is time to deploy, make sure you slow down. Break off the skydive early enough to track and recover to a more typical BTE fallrate. Then deploy.
From this point your landing skill becomes the biggest factor in choosing the right canopy.
To add to the information from the original post here, if you're putting together the money for your skydiving training, look for quality used gear. Befriend a qualified local rigger. (FYI, not all riggers are made equally.) Be clear about your intentions for the next 100 jumps: Formation Skydiving, Free Flying, or another discipline; Always at this drop zone or travel to other drop zones; Groups no larger than 3 or 4 or will jump on a 15-way for your 100th jump? There are many factors that will go into choosing the best first rig for you. A quality used rig will let you jump from your student training through your 100th jump. Then you can look for some new gear or another used rig. You won't have as much invested and won't feel stuck with your custom everything rig. You'll also have the experience to know what the next 1000 jumps will hold for you. Then you can buy that custom everything rig with confidence.

[DZDale 0]

I dont think the type of Canopy would be of any relevance when trying to distinguish between Freeflying and FS. However the container you choose must be freefly freindly or else you will experience premature deployment. The only time the type of canopy would really make a difference is if you are thinking of partaking in any type of canopy discipline such as CReW, Accuracy, Swooping.
Cheers
Dale
A man's dreams are an index to his greatness.
- Zadok Rabinwitz

[kwmontreal 0]

The advise you have recrieved so far is sound. If you are considering buying equipment, I think that doing alot of talking to the instructors at your DZ would be a good first start. If he is anything like our riggers, he will explain to you the differences between RW (relative work), and FF (freeflying). He should also show you some (if not ....ask) different container systems and the differences between them (ie: why this one is FF friendly and the next one is not). Needless to say that you have a bunch of jumps to do prior to getting your A lic.., and your knowledge in the sport will grow exponentially.
Heres my .02. Find a rigger or instructor who will help you with your equipment. Don't be in an all out rush to buy it next week. You are going to be sucking in a lot of info in the next few months, don't rush into something you will only have to change next month because its not the gear for you!!
Jump safe
KW

[billvon 2,400]

For me, the main canopy I use depends on what I'm doing.
For small RW, I use just about anything. There's not too much to worry about after opening, and I've jumped canopies from Extreme-99's to big old Spectres that I'm testing for someone.
For larger RW, I want something that opens on heading, flies relatively slowly, and doesn't snivel forever. I used a Triathalon 135 for a while, then switched to a Sabre 150. The Sabre is getting old, though, and does funky things like 360 degree turns on opening. (Note that, oddly enough, this is _not_ a problem.)
For AFF, something larger that doesn't take a lot of attention (i.e. a Diablo or Stiletto would be out for me.) I'm often talking on a radio or looking for students in the sun, and I don't need the extra hassle of dealing with the Diablo's instability in brakes (for example.) I use either my Sabre 150 or Silhouette 170 for this.
For demos, I use either the 170 (for easy demos) or a Manta (for tighter demos.) I once made the mistake of taking a Triathalon 190 into a very tight demo (Qualcomm stadium in San Diego.) I won't make that mistake again.
-bill von

[riggerrob 558]

The only stupid question is one that you don't ask.
You actually crammed several questions into one post.
First of all, your choice of canopy has little affect on how you freefly. If a canopy packs up any way except huge, it will work for any type of freefall.
The key to chosing a main canopy is picking one forgiving enough that you will survive your first 100 jumps. That is another whole thread.
Even if the canopies pack up huge, that is less important than how well the harness fits. Harness fit is separate from container design. A properly fitted harness will not restrict movement in freefall. Best to ask a rigger to watch while you try on a harness. He/she can quickly tell whether that harness is a decent fit.
As for the question of which container to buy ... Each new generation of container addresses a few more safety issues. For example. Containers built in the 1970s were mainly designed for solo jumping. During the 1980s, speed star and canopy formation skydivers made some major improvements in container safety. During the 1990s, all the earlier improvements were retained, plus some new factors that related to high speed, head down freefall. Generally, the newer the rig, the safer it is.
Keep in mind that any rig is only as good as its maintenance. Just like automobiles, after 3 years, you have to start paying for new mufflers, new tires, new shock absorbers, etc.