Line Twists - I LOVE my canopy

[BikerBabe 0]

OK, this post is really just to rave about my canopy, or praise how lucky I am, but I got a little scare this weekend...

I'd been jumping all weekend, and all weekend, I'd been having nice, on-heading openings. I'm jumping a Jedei "Fat Top" 105 (one of Brian's prototypes, custom made for Chuck Karchers) which I already love. So we go up and do a nice 4-way training jump, I track away and pull, the same way I always do.

As soon as I dump, I reach up for my rear risers, and the canopy starts spinning up immediately! I would say there were 5-6 twists in the lines. Here I was, reaching for my handles thinking "dammit dammit dammit!" (Cutaways at this stage of my skydiving life just make me mad) when I realize that the canopy is flying straight and level! So like any good student, I reached up for my risers, and started kicking.

The twists came right out, and I landed fine, thinking, "if I didn't love this canopy before, now it's firmly entrenched in my heart." Because if I had been under my Stiletto, that would have been a cutaway for sure.

Anyway, I talked to the packer to try to figure out why it had done this, and she told me she had used a different stow band on one of the line bites, which might have made the bag spin up. I'm willing to concede that there is a very small chance it was body position, but I really don't think it was, since I make a point of noticing my heading and staying on it when I pull.

Either way, I love my canopy, and I wanted to share...

Andi

Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

[PhreeZone 15]

Fat top? Thats a new one in the Jedei line I've never heard of. Where does it fall into the time line at? My understanding was it went Jedei (I love mine), Sweptwing Jedei, then the Samauri (which I love so much).

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[Ron 7]

Swept wing, then (I always thought it was Flat top) this type.

Brian had A LOT of different designs and different mods during the production run.

I put a lot of jumps back in 1996 on a 95 sweptwing, flattop, eagle trimed canopy in "Fall" colors. It swooped like hell. It opened great, although it ALWAYS turned left on opening???? It was not the lines, leg straps, body position ect....No matter who jumped it, it turned left with the slider at the top of the canopy...very weird.

But man that thing would swoop.

The coolest thing Brian made in my opinion was some Airlocked 7 cell CRW canopies....They rocked. The were rock solid during any high speed docks.

Ron

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[BikerBabe 0]

Well, the DOM is Jan or Feb 1996, but after jumping a Samurai and this, it flies very similar. It was definitely one of his prototypes, and the data plate on it actually lists the model as "Chuck's Special". Whats REALLY cool is that all of the people at Air Time designs signed the plate, so Tony Urgallo, Brian, etc all have their signature on it.

I'll ty to post a pic of it when I get home...it's all magenta (OK, OK, I know...) with a purple Chinese (or Japanese) symbol on the bottom skin (means "ascension").

I *heart* this canopy...

Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

[cheneyneel 0]

Hey, I jump a 1997 105 Swept Wing Jedei.
From what I have gathered is that these Jedeis are twitchy canopies on opening..
Be very careful about who and how they pack it for you. These canopies dont have the technology that the newer canopies have in relation to the nose and opening can be funky really funky..
I know of some Jedeis that will wrap all the time under controled deployments.
My canopy opens qucikly and firm.
Dont be afraid of the canopy because after the first 10 or 20 jumps you will know if you have one of the good canopies or a flawed one.
Every one of the Jedeis were hand made hence they were inconsistant with everything and all are considered custom experamental canopies..

I load mine at 2.2:1 and F*#+ing love it!! and only paid $400 for it off of ebay

[PhreeZone 15]

>Every one of the Jedeis were hand made

Bythe same token every PD canopy is hand made. Brian started using a computer cutting table in about 1996 with Air Time and Tony.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[cheneyneel 0]

But so many of them were different it seems. Like they constantly were trying something new on the canopies at any given time.
You say that PD's canopies are hand made but evey Velocity 111 and 103 I have flew have flew with the same characteristics..
Other than slight trim differences from usage I had no differences..
But the some size Jedeis I have flew seem to have different characteristics, some less than others but never the less, inconsistant.. And with that, it has to be the reason that the Samurai's are great canopies. Because of the different aproaches to the Jedies thereis now a final outcome....Samurai!

[Samurai136 0]

I had a line twist (6) opening like yours, and kicked out of it too. It was somewhere in my first 10-20 jumps on the Samurai.

Definately body position/ movement. I was also in the habit of looking up, reaching up for the risers on deployment. After that line twist I've never looked up or tried to reach for the risers until I feel the slider coming down the lines. Haven't had a line twist since.

Ken

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[Stacy 0]

i've got a '96 jedei sweptwing 136, it also (98% of the time) will open with a slight turn to the right. not a big one, but 10-15 degrees. i love the way it flies though and have just learned to expect the turn.

[Cajun 0]

Had the exact same thing happen to me under my jedei SW 150. but I do love this thing