mjasantos 0 #1 May 12, 2004 From USPA News: Cani Lands Smallest Parachute (05/12/04) Brazilian jumper Luigi Cani reportedly landed an Icarus VX 39 (square feet) at Perris Valley Skydiving, near Los Angeles, May 12. Several jumpers have landed a VX 46, but Cani and Icarus Canopies believe this is the smallest parachute jumped and landed to date. The smallest known commercially available parachute is the Icarus VX 69. http://www.uspa.org/news/index.htm ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chivo 0 #2 May 13, 2004 Talk about pushing the limits! Anyone know the wingloading on that jump? ~Chivo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ManBird 0 #3 May 13, 2004 I'm educated guessing between 4.5 and 4.6."¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeflygoddess 0 #4 May 13, 2004 Yes he did, I was just at Perris this afternoon and Dan the manifest man mentioned it to me. I think that is pretty awesome. I wonder if I can buy the canopy off of him for my two year old....or even my six year old... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjasantos 0 #5 May 13, 2004 QuoteAnyone know the wingloading on that jump? Well... by reading here - http://www.icaruscanopies.com/canopies/EXTreme_VX/EXTremeVX46.htm - on his VX 46 he had a wing loading of 3.5, for a suspended weight of 160 lbs. Using this data for current wing loading under his VX 39, we would get something like a 4.10. Simply AWESOME!!! This time I have to say: good landings! Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ManBird 0 #6 May 13, 2004 Ahh... sorry, I thought his exit weight was higher than that."¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #7 May 13, 2004 It Very well could have been. He was wearing lead. Luigi has landed the 46 as high as 4.6 lbs per sq ft I believe.---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stumpy 256 #8 May 13, 2004 Wow - I know it's cool and all, and i'd LOVE to see it done, but WHY!!?? Is there any practical application of this?! Isn't there a sort of maximum performance WL of about 2.5 or something before you start losing swoop distance and performance and stuff? On the plus side i suppose he doesn't have to shell out for containers any more because he can just put it in his pocket.....Never try to eat more than you can lift Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Xaosrules 0 #9 May 13, 2004 Quote The smallest known commercially available parachute is the Icarus VX 69. Wrong!! The smallest known commercial available parachute is probably the Xaos-27 58 sqf from Precision Aerodynamic. There are also several other manufactures with canopies smaller then the VX 69. High Performance Research are one of them (Blade). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydivejunky 0 #10 May 13, 2004 I believe Atair offers a 55sq ft onyx. I've jumped their 65. John Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #11 May 13, 2004 Mikeal Stevens regularly jumps a Xaos 27 53-foot main. Luis Cani ended up jumping the VX-46 with a LOT of lead after his first "safe" landings in an effort to see what might be the maximum viable wingload. Those weighted tests were to work out the math on what smaller main he might be able to get away with. I knew/figured some time ago that they were eventually going to do the 39. It actually kind of surprises me that Precision didn't do it first with Mikeal Stevens. Mikeal has jumped the 46 before and had no problem with it whatsoever. The smallest jumped non-braced 9-cell is still the Competition Cobalt 65 as far as I know. I put about 50 jumps on that main. As to "commercially available" crossbraces, Icarus and Precision will both build you pretty much any size you want so long as you convince them you can handle it. There are several 60's out there and at least one 55 square foot VX being jumped. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
speedy 0 #12 May 13, 2004 QuoteThe smallest jumped non-braced 9-cell is still the Competition Cobalt 65 A friend of mine made a number of jumps on a Nitro 58. His exit weight is about 171 lbs. Dave Fallschirmsport Marl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjasantos 0 #14 May 13, 2004 QuoteIt Very well could have been. He was wearing lead. Luigi has landed the 46 as high as 4.6 lbs per sq ft I believe. That could have happened, although if this was the 1st time he landed the VX 39 "beast" we could think that he tried it at a lower than maximum wing loading. On that link about the VX 46, where they mention a suspended weight of 160 lbs for a wing loading of 3.5 on the VX 46, we also don't know if that suspended weight included lead or not. However, as you mentioned, it is also known that Luigi jumped the VX 46 at over a 4.7 wing loading: http://www.dropzone.com/interviews/JimSlaton-AdvancedCanopy.shtml [Jim Slaton answering an interview] With your team mate Luis Cani flying a 46 sq Ft canopy and talking about trying something smaller, how small do you think we could go? Luigi & me spend a lot of time experimenting with wing loadings and airfoil types. I have seen Luigi load himself up with weights and fly the VX46 at over a 4.7 wing loading! However, Luigi is one of the best canopy pilots in the world and has one of the best testing grounds as well. There comes a point with aerodynamics that you start sacrificing one type of performance for another. When you reach a high enough wing loading for your airfoil type, you begin sacrificing lift for speed. The smaller the wing and the higher the wing loading, the more airspeed you need to create lift. All pilots need lift for a safe and productive landing. This is why parachutes flown at very high wing loadings don't always out swoop their competition and don't always land pretty. Overloaded canopies are not always efficient and are very tricky to land. However, just because they are not efficient doesn't mean they can't be landed safely. Technological advancements in canopy designs have open new doors for pilots flying at higher wing loadings with smaller wings. Future designs will make this opportunity even more epic! I feel Luigi Cani could successfully land an Icarus Extreme down to 28 sq feet! This is a bold statement, but I know he can and probably will. Keep in mind Luigi makes over 1000 jumps each year and trains daily in high performance canopy landings. He has some of the best aerodynamic engineers in the world behind him and is backed with the support of some of the biggest canopy manufactures in the business. ============================== What will be the next smaller but landable canopy? A VX 28? Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjasantos 0 #15 May 13, 2004 QuoteI believe Atair offers a 55sq ft onyx. I've jumped their 65. I think you are right and as Xaosrules said USPA is wrong... I've just copied the news and didn't confirm the data in it. Actually they should know it... In my research I found several canopies smaller than the VX 69, although some of them have not yet been released for commercial purposes. It's true there is a XAOS-27 58 sq ft commercially available, but it's also true that recently (as you said) Atair released its Atair Onyx 36 cell 55 sq ft canopy - http://www.extremefly.com/aerodynamics/canopies/onyx.html. As far as I know, now that you brought it to my attention (I'll take it to USPA attention too) currently this is the smallest commercially available canopy size. As posted here - http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=318459 - Atair test pilots have already jumped but not landed a Cobalt 25!!! "catfish and eric have been jumping the cobalt 25. opens great at terminal, hyper responsive. flies straight in twists. wing loading from 8:1 to 11:1.... no plans for landing it any time soon. Just to remember that toy, here are the photos: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=3963; http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=3964; Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjasantos 0 #16 May 13, 2004 QuoteQuote The smallest known commercially available parachute is the Icarus VX 69. Wrong!! USPA got it corrected already. http://www.uspa.org/news/index.htm Cani Lands Smallest Parachute (05/12/04) Brazilian jumper Luigi Cani reportedly landed an Icarus VX 39 (square feet) at Perris Valley Skydiving, near Los Angeles, May 12. Several jumpers have landed a VX 46, but Cani and Icarus Canopies believe this is the smallest parachute jumped and landed to date. The smallest known commercially available parachute is the Atair Onyx 55. ============================== Link to Onix page: http://www.extremefly.com/aerodynamics/canopies/onyx.html ============================== Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #17 May 13, 2004 QuoteThat could have happened, although if this was the 1st time he landed the VX 39 "beast" we could think that he tried it at a lower than maximum wing loading. Who's to say what the max is? That's what this is all about. Luigi has been wearing weight while jumping the 39.---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjasantos 0 #18 May 13, 2004 QuoteWho's to say what the max is? That's what this is all about. Luigi has been wearing weight while jumping the 39. I think you misunderstood me here about what I meant to say. Sorry, I'm not an US/English speaker native. The message was the same as SkymonkeyONE said, about the strategy he'll likely adopt while testing this VX 39 (similar to the one he used for the VX 46): "Luis Cani ended up jumping the VX-46 with a LOT of lead after his first "safe" landings in an effort to see what might be the maximum viable wingload. Those weighted tests were to work out the math on what smaller main he might be able to get away with." I have no doubts that he's using lead... what I meant to say was that, most likely, he would start testing his VX 39 with less WL and then, jump after jump, increase it... of course I don't know which is the max WL he will achieve on this one. Sorry again... I just wanted to spread this awesome news. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lavielle 0 #19 May 14, 2004 ***A friend of mine made a number of jumps on a Nitro 58. His exit weight is about 171 lbs. That's right. You surely mean Tobi. Attached a picture of the Blade 58. Pascal Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cobaltdan 0 #20 May 14, 2004 actually the comp cobalt 55 and 65 have been standard sport production sizes for 2 years. (we also make a 40 but not intended for sport, even though it has been sport jumped many times for fun.Daniel Preston <><> atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The111 0 #21 May 16, 2004 Of all people in the world, I found out about this from my whuffo dad. He says "did you see the news the other night where they showed the guy landing the smallest parachute?" I figured it was footage of some VX 46 landings and not a new record, and my dad didn't remember the sq. ft. of course, but I come home and find this post! So there must be video footage out there if it was on the local news in Daytona Beach. Anyone know where to find footage?www.WingsuitPhotos.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjasantos 0 #22 May 16, 2004 From Go Fast! Sports Web Site: http://www.gofastsports.com/ News & Updates Section VX-39 Go Fast Athlete Luigi Cani to fly world's smallest parachute in World Record Attempt on May 12, 2004! Teammate J.C. Colclasure will be flying alongside with the helmet cam - video coming soon! ============================== Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zenister 0 #23 May 18, 2004 Quote- Atair test pilots have already jumped but not landed a Cobalt 25!!! lets not forget the Xaos21 21 sq ft Andy Farrington has jumped multiple times now... of course the look on his face when asked when he would land it was priceless..____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjasantos 0 #24 May 18, 2004 You're right! It's almost impossible to imagine the feeling he's had while flying that little 21 sq ft toy!!! It's always cool to remember such achievements! Thanks for it! Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
benny 0 #25 May 18, 2004 When they fly canopies they know they will not land do they use a three canopy system as it is basically an intentional cutaway? Never go to a DZ strip show. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
