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rymasm

Swooping a PD Pulse

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you can take a stock school bus, station wagon, mustang, viper or F1 car to the track to race. they will all do it... but that's not what they were all designed to do or do well.

I saw a video last week of someone swooping a Pulse. Looked like a good pilot and they got a nice swoop out of the deal. I've seen similar on almost every modern canopy. They will all do it... some just better tools for the job.

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Is it considered a performance canopy that is swoop-able?



A swooper can swoop any canopy. Some canopies give you better results than others, but the 'swoop' is in the pilot, not the canopy.

I've swooped big Sabres before, mid-sized Spectres, and earlier this season laid down some nice ones on a Storm 120.

It's not the canopy, it's the pilot.

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davelepka



I've swooped big Sabres before, mid-sized Spectres, and earlier this season laid down some nice ones on a Storm 120.



Dave - I know you usually jump a Velocity. How do you go about swooping something with such a different recovery arc from your regular wing and how many jumps did it take you to get it dialled in?

Did you do some performance envelope exercises up high?
"The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls."

~ CanuckInUSA

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Yes a Pulse can swoop. Hell there is a video I saw of a big ass Navigator being swooped.

Why you are asking is what I am concerned with though.

Just curiosity? Then you have you answer.

Underlying desire to learn the art of fast? Then read on.

Would I recommend learning to swoop on one? No. This would drift into another topic of learning hp landings on short vs medium to longer recovery arcs. I am sure that debate has already been had on dz.com, but I fall into the crowd of believing short recovery arc canopies (Pulse, Stiletto, etc.) leave less time to realize you are in the corner and react appropriately.

As Zlew said there are better tools available.

Edited to correct username
I am an asshole, but I am honest

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How do you go about swooping something with such a different recovery arc from your regular wing and how many jumps did it take you to get it dialled in?



The bigger canopies, 150 sq ft and up, I just did slower, carving turns from scary low and just let up when I was 'close' to the ground. Without much recovery arc to speak of, the plan was to keep the turn shallow and stay mostly under the wing. The commitment level was low, and I wasn't really trying to 'swoop' them hard, it was just for a goof when I was jumping a back up rig or filming something under canopy where I needed more square footage.

For the Storm, I just did a couple of 'practice turns' up high to see what sort of altitude I would burn, and went from there. I was only jumping the Storm for a weekend or two, so again, the level I was shooting for wasn't real high. I just wanted to be able to throw a decent 270 while I was jumping the Storm (my Velo was at PD for a reline).

Here are the disclaimers -

1. A 270, for me, is a step back. On top of that, the 270 I was going for was an 'easy' 270 where I know I wasn't getting 100% out of the canopy and that was OK with me.

2. This was at my home DZ, where I'm very familiar with the overall site picture. Flying the set up there is second nature.

3. At this point, I'm 'very' consistent in that I can make the same turn and fly the same set-up with a high degree of reliability. In my case, the canopy was the only variable, and in this case, it was a bigger, slower canopy than I was used to.

The point is that most people, in most situations should give a little more time and effort toward getting to know a canopy before pitching 270s. Again, the key factor is where you are in your progression with regards to canopies and swooping. As someone who has been swooping small canopies with big turns (450 is my normal approach, sometimes I go bigger for fun) for many years and 1000's of jumps, a 270 on a 120 Storm is a pretty big step back.

It's like this - if you're jumping a new-to-you canopy and you're only going to be under for a handful of jumps, just fuck it and fly straight in. It's not going to kill you (hopefully) and you can just work on your accuracy (not 'general' accuracy, I mean throw down a Frisbee and try to dead-center it). If you're going to be jumping the new canopy for any length of time, or on any regular basis, then you have the ability to take your time and 'get to know' the canopy before throwing it down 'in anger' close to the ground.

It's one of those problems that solves itself, like the guys chomping at the bit to swoop or jump a camera. If you're dedicated enough, pound out the jumps and get the experience under your belt, and it won't be long before you have the numbers to go after what you want. If your pace it slower, then it will take longer, but it should because you don't have the depth of experience to go where you want just yet.

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Thanks Dave.

I have nothing like your jumps and was wondering what the mental process was for someone of your experience under canopy vs. mine where every new canopy means going back to high pulls to find all the altitudes, stall points, slow flight characteristics, recovery arc etc, etc.

Your approach makes sense for a person who is already super-comfortable under more aggressive canopies and doing bigger turns.
"The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls."

~ CanuckInUSA

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Can a Pulse be swooped? Yes
Should you learn to swoop on a Pulse? No
Super heavy front riser pressure and they don't like to be loaded. My Wife has a Pulse 150, figured i'd give it a test drive for her :-) btw I weigh 250 out the door. Openings- On heading but super hard/quick :( turns were scary low, nice plain out though, not much left to shut it down at the end of the swoop. IMHO, If you're new and learning the basics, you might want to go to a sabre 2
Skydivers are nothing but a bunch of Narcissistic A$$holes!!
Front risers were made for pulling! Pal
MuFF#5640
D.S. # 2012

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while on this I have a question. I have been doeing double fronts and 90's for about 250 jumps on a sabre 2 120 at 1.4.

Would it be a step up in progression or performance to move to a storm 120, or even on next downsize? it is a 7 cell so the glide would be steeper, so would the recoery arc be longer than the 9 cell sabre 2? I hear from one of my dz staff that the velocity was kind of based off of the 7 cell design, so would it be good to make a switch to a storm to continue to learn hp landings?

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I enver flown a Pulse , but there I think if you were with a saber 120 at 1.4 WL, if it isn't to hard try to get a saber loaded at 1.6-1.7 and do a few hundred HP landings on that and if you are still interested to move on the HP then (Depending on what canopy ultimately are you trying to fly) get a Katana or a Crossfire 2.

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i don't know the difference between a saber ll and the storm but haven't personally known anyone taking that path. the pd path that I've always understood was saber, katana, velo because each of those canopies are suppose to build on one another. don't get me wrong, you can swoop any canopy out there.

but if you're curious about other canopies try and see if someone will let you borrow theirs for a jump. id say demo but as may canopies that are out there you could buy brand new for cheaper than testing everything out.

personally i rock a katana and love it! they definitely are not for everyone though. very long recovery arc! i still haven't gotten to try a crossfire but I've heard all good about them too!

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Bloomin0nion12

while on this I have a question. I have been doeing double fronts and 90's for about 250 jumps on a sabre 2 120 at 1.4.

Would it be a step up in progression or performance to move to a storm 120, or even on next downsize? it is a 7 cell so the glide would be steeper, so would the recoery arc be longer than the 9 cell sabre 2? I hear from one of my dz staff that the velocity was kind of based off of the 7 cell design, so would it be good to make a switch to a storm to continue to learn hp landings?



I'd stick with the Sabre personally; I found the front risers on a Storm (loaded @ 1.48) to be pretty heavy and my Sabre 2 felt like it went further. The recovery arc felt slightly shorter on the Storm but I didnt put many jumps on it.

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It's not the canopy, it's the pilot.



Exactly. My husband swoops his Spectre almost every time he jumps it. Heck, he got in trouble at Nationals one year for swooping a Lightning. And he gets more out of his Spectre than many guys get out of their Katanas :D

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skybytch

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It's not the canopy, it's the pilot.



Exactly. My husband swoops his Spectre almost every time he jumps it. Heck, he got in trouble at Nationals one year for swooping a Lightning. And he gets more out of his Spectre than many guys get out of their Katanas :D


You can indeed swoop anything out there...hell I have swooped a manta.. It was the most spectacular 10 ft swoop of my life..., but if you are planing on Canopy piloting then you are way better off getting parachutes with characteristic that are meant for HP landings, Such as longer recovery arch, good on rear risers, less front riser pressure.
I know a guy that have been swooping the stiletto for a long time and that's fine, but I wouldn't recommend him to used the stiletto sight picture to transfer to a Katana or Crossfire.

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Here's a 360 at the end of the video on a safire2 159 loaded at 1.3. The recovery arc was very short. Harder to dial in but it'll do the job if you fly it right. Anything is swoopable.

http://youtu.be/M2OKm5fF7DM
I was that kid jumping out if his tree house with a bed sheet. My dad wouldn't let me use the ladder to try the roof...

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I got bored and made one, well like 12 actually. Sliders are annoying as fuck. Once it's done it's job I want it off. And it gives you a bigger looking package once you stuff it.
I was that kid jumping out if his tree house with a bed sheet. My dad wouldn't let me use the ladder to try the roof...

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