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obi

Blade?

By obi, in Swooping and Canopy Control

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nutter    0

nutter
Blade ......as in Blade Runner canopy, made by Chute Shop in South Africa, if yes ...... Repoman on DZ.com can tell all


what size ?
"Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian."

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apoil    0

apoil
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Blade ......as in Blade Runner canopy, made by Chute Shop in South Africa, if yes ...... Repoman on DZ.com can tell all


what size ?



No...

Blade as in Blade canopy made by High Performance Research in Germany.

I've got 400 jumps on a Blade 98 at 2.1 and I'm really enjoying it.
The only real issue is that it has a fairly short recovery arc. On the other hand, it recovers so quickly and with so much flair that it's almost impossible to be too low. Still, it's hard for me to hook it as low as I need to, and that height seems to vary with wind and temperature conditions.

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ianmdrennan    2

ianmdrennan
Quote

and that height seems to vary with wind and temperature conditions.



Wind does not affect hook height at all, but density altitude (temperature related and not to be confused with MSL) will most definately do that. I ask the pilots are various points of the day what the density altitude is and adjust my height accordingly.

Sorry I can't give you any info on the Blade though.

Blue skies
Ian
Performance Designs Factory Team

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Xaosrules    0

Xaosrules
Here is a link to High Performance Research - the comapny that makes the Blade and the Nitro ("same" canopie as the Nitron from PA).

I hope you all understand German!!

http://www.hipercanopies.de


I dont know why i posted this on the Demon issue. Probably just mixed up some canopies. There are several new and interesting canopies in Europe right now.

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obi    0

obi
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The only real issue is that it has a fairly short recovery arc.



Hmm, if that is really the case then it's not interesting for me. But can't you keep in a dive? I mean, if you go for a front-riser/body turn and keep it in the dive by pulling down the second riser, how long can you hold it? Is it possible to start way high?

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ianmdrennan    2

ianmdrennan
Ok, so I got my hands on a Blade today. Little background info, I currently jump a velocity 90 and prior to that a velocity 96.

I only got one jump on the canopy so I really can't give an in depth review, but here are the initial impressions of the Blade 98 I jumped.

Packing:
The 98 packs up about the same size as my velo 96 did. It's made of the SA zp but the material feels very thick and durable. The line lengths are noticeably shorter than the velo 90 and 96 and are made from HMA.

Opening:
In a word sweet. If it always opens as nicely as it did on my jump, it's a cameramans dream. Soft and on heading with no dive whatsoever to either side.

Flight Characteristics:
It was fairly nippy using the toggles to turn, but not as responsive as a similarly sized stiletto. The canopy responded well to harness inputs, with a little oversteer on turns. Front riser pressure was moderate and I was able to comfortably hold a riser turn for more than 360 degrees. I tried to immediately turn the opposite way with the other riser and while possible, the riser pressure was very high at this stage. I did a couple of rear riser practice landings up high and found the canopy to be extremely sensitive and prone to stalling with the rears, much more so than the velocities or a similarly loaded vengence.

Landing:
According to my neptune I threw my final 270 at approximately 550 feet, at a dropzone that is 1000 feet msl, on a warm dry day. The turn was approximately 50 feet higher than an ideal turn, but still in the range enough to get a good swoop. Flown properly I believe this canopy is capable of quite some distance. It is very sensitive to harness input at slower speeds and attention must be paid by the pilot to keep the canopy flying straight in with no "weaving". The canopy levels off very quickly with a little toggle input and has a lot of bottom end flare. The recovery arc of the canopy was not "positive" or "strong", but definitely not as "weak" or "negative" as a velocity. The canopy did not pop me up, as some positive arc canopies do, at any point during my maneuvers.

That's about all I can say after 1 jump. I'd definitely like to get a few more on the canopy and update this when I do.

Hope this helps.

Blue skies
Ian
Performance Designs Factory Team

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SkymonkeyONE    3

SkymonkeyONE
I put a couple of jumps on a Blade 98 at the Mardi Gras boogie......in my wingsuit:)
It packed slightly larger than my logoed Sabre2 97. The Gelvenor fabric is really easy to deal with.

It opened fucking great.

It was very fast/ground hungry in full flight.

It was very responsive to toggle input; much more so than any crossbrace I have jumped and about as much so as a Stilleto, but with a longer toggle range.

Moderate front riser pressure.

A really strong bottom end that I got a nice long swoop out of (even in the wind).

Chuck

PS: cock your pilot chute.

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apoil    0

apoil
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Packing:
The 98 packs up about the same size as my velo 96 did.



That doesn't sound right.

It may be slightly larger in pack volume to a stiletto 97 or crossfire 99, due to the different fabric, but it's still a 9 cell. There's no way it will have a comparable volume to a cross braced.

My blade 98 goes comfortably into a Javelin RSK.5
I'd hesitate to even attempt putting a velo 96 in there.

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ianmdrennan    2

ianmdrennan
My bag barely fit the velo96, and it barely fit the blade 98. I was surprised myself, but I chalked the extra pack volume up to the far thicker material of the canopy.

I was using the way my 96 packed up as a litmus test for the way the 98 packed up.

Blue skies
Ian
Performance Designs Factory Team

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J-Rock    0

J-Rock
Well i had a demo of the Nitro this weekend and found the pack volume even with the non slick ZP to be very large. I was packing a 135 into about the same size as my heatwave 170. One of my buddies had one too and said his 120 was about the same pack volume as his Stiletto 150. I think its because those canopies are built like tanks, literally. So maybe thats why the pack volume is much bigger. J-Rock


Im gonna need a bigger hammer....

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yardhippie    0

yardhippie
I own a Nitro 120, and love the pack volume, I belive it packed up much like the std. Cobalt 135. I have also stuffed a Sabre 170 into this bag and thats a far cry larger than my current canopy. I have also jumped (and packed) the Nitro 135, and remember it to pack up to near the same size as the 120, but just a hair bigger.
I have no experience w/ the blade, so Im off topic, but looking forward to jumpin one!
Goddam dirty hippies piss me off! ~GFD
"What do I get for closing your rig?" ~ me
"Anything you want." ~ female skydiver
Mohoso Rodriguez #865

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apoil    0

apoil
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I own a Nitro 120, and love the pack volume, I belive it packed up much like the std. Cobalt 135. I have also stuffed a Sabre 170 into this bag and thats a far cry larger than my current canopy. I have also jumped (and packed) the Nitro 135, and remember it to pack up to near the same size as the 120, but just a hair bigger.
I have no experience w/ the blade, so Im off topic, but looking forward to jumpin one!



As far as pack volume, the Blade and Nitro are going to be nearly identical. Same basic construction with subtle, yet highly effective changes in the shaping distinguish the Blade, at least from what I can see, and I'm not an expert in canopy construction.

Nevertheless, I've been packing my Blade 98 comfortably into a
Javelin RSK.5 which is designed more or less for a stilleto107. In dry weather I have to squeeze it into the bag, but with some humidity it slips in comfortably.

In the same container, for a short time I packed a Nitron120. Precision's version uses slick ZP, so a nitron120 is going to have less pack volume than a german built Nitro. I struggled to get the container closed each time.

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