Downsize to [email protected]

[V-Mike 0]

I'm thinking about downsize right now... Anybody can help with advices/ideas?

For today I have about 800 jumps and ~650 (!!!) of them I've made with my Crossfire1-119 @1.6.
I think I'm not ready for X-braced yet because my early start with Xfire (jump#150) was not perfect - I've tryed to break earth for two times, I remember that lesson and don't want make so stupid mistakes again.

For now (last ~300 jumps), I fly not bad, almost every jump I make 270 or 360 front riser turn and then swoop straight or carve, between blades or people - so almost whatever I want. If something wrong - altitude is critically low, or somebody unexpectedly appears in my approach - I always interrupt appraoch and land somethere next to blades.

So I think I'm ready to order new Crossfire2-95 @2.0 and use it for next 600-800 jumps.

What do you think about this?

[BMFin 0]

How should we know ?

[V-Mike 0]

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How should we know ?

WHAT should you know?

I just asked for any advices/opinions about discribed downsize strategy...

[Hooknswoop 19]

Why do you want to downsize?

Derek

[PhreeZone 15]

Why not go to a 109 first?

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[marks 0]

if your not ready to load a crossbraced at 2.0 your not ready to load a crossfire at 2.0

[jumperconway 0]

Strap on 40# of lead and see how you like that wing loading on your current X-fire!

[Dazzle 0]

I thought the performance on a XF2 peaked at 1.8 and then dropped off again.

[FreeFlyASC 0]

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if your not ready to load a crossbraced at 2.0 your not ready to load a crossfire at 2.0

I have to agree with Marks if you have the ablity to fly a non-crossbraced canopy at 2.0 you are ready to fly a crossbrace. The crossbraced at 2.0 with be easier to fly than the crossfire.

[AggieDave 6]

From what the folks at Icuras have told me, the upper side of the "sweetspot" wingloading is about 1.85:1, or basically somewhere between 1.8 and 1.9. Thus according to them, at 2.0 you'll be beyond the performance of the canopy.

Atleast, that's what Icuras says.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[jumperconway 0]

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I thought the performance on a XF2 peaked at 1.8 and then dropped off again.

I tend to agree with this. I demoed a XF2 2.1/1 and it seemed well over peak loading. I went X-braced instead. Much better idea.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

I think that as you go smaller, perceived differences in performance for a given percentage change in size become greater.

Skipping a size at this point would not be prudent.

If you're looking for distance/glide you also need to be careful about going past the optimum wing loading.

You might even find that you want to split between stock sizes - when I was playing with Samurais before shrinking my belly, up here at 5000 feet MSL a 120 @ 1.7 wasn't enough and a 105 @ 1.9 was a bit much (stall speed, altitude lost in turns, etc.) so I was going to order a 110.

Demo a 109 first, put a few dozen jumps on it, and see how you like it. If that's not enough you might try the next smaller size and see how that works; although I definately would not order anything without playing with it first.

[rhino 0]

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From what the folks at Icuras have told me, the upper side of the "sweetspot" wingloading is about 1.85:1, or basically somewhere between 1.8 and 1.9. Thus according to them, at 2.0 you'll be beyond the performance of the canopy.

BINGO.. Listen to Dave.. I have been loading mine around 2.0.. At 1.85 it was considerably friendlier on the bottom end..

Rhino

[V-Mike 0]

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Why do you want to downsize?
Derek

Thirst of all, I want to change my current canopy. I own old retrimmed Crossfire1 (dom 1999, ~800 jumps) and I think I've already got almost everything from it. And I wanna fly good loaded X-braced in future. For economy reason, I don't want to make too many steps between my current canopy and X-braced one. And of course, I don't think ordering, for example, VX @2.2 after my current Crossfire @1.6 - is good idea.
And one more reason - I can easily spend money for ordering new canopy right now, but I'm not realy sure I will be able to do it next summer when, maybe, I'll be ready to fly X-braced.

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Why not go to a 109 first?
PhreeZone

I've jumped about 20 times with Icarus demo-Xfire2 109. It was nice and pretty fast, and I've felt I can load it more. Maybe it was my mistake?

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I thought the performance on a XF2 peaked at 1.8 and then dropped off again.
Dazzle

...and 2 FreeFlyASC, AggieDave, jumperconway, DrewEckhardt, rhino:

Ok, I've got main idea. What can you, guyes, say, if I'll decide to decrease my next w/l with Crossfire2 to ~1.85?
I realy wanna swoop long and perfect, so I'll be glad to hear all you opinions about optimum w/l!

[AggieDave 6]

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I realy wanna swoop long and perfect, so I'll be glad to hear all you opinions about optimum w/l!

My opinion? Don't have one yet, my Xfire2 demo will be here in a few hours. I was just telling you what the reps at Icarus told me (as I said in the previous post). They know their canopies well and want it to perform to its fullest for you.

The demo I'm getting is a 149, depending on beer/pizza consumption this week I'll load between 1.8 and 1.9. Ok, seriously, I should be loading it at almost exactly 1.85:1, so after I can get a good number of jumps on it, I'll besure to post my opinion.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[marks 0]

in my opinion if your going to load a canopy at over 1.8 you should go with a crossbraced canopy...

why do you have to load a crossbraced at 2.2?

i load mine a 2.0 flies very well at that wing loading.... it also responds well to some added extra weight to get my loading up a little higher...

if you not ready to load at 2.0 on a crossbraced then your not ready to do that on any canopy.

1.8 is a good wingloading for a crossfire. i got about 600-700 jumps on a crossfire at that loading.. and then going to a crossbraced a 2.0 was very very easy...