Cross brace canopy for camera flyers

[geofsmth 0]

I am currently jumping VX104 and looking to downsize to ~88-90.

I have heard real good things about the Xaos for consistent smooth openings for camera flying.

I can always count on a few opinions.....what would you suggest. Thank

[jimmytavino 16]

i would suggest that YOU know what you're doing.....
and so ....
as long as ,
you don't use a large and /or heavy camera
you pack carefully and deliberately
you don't pull while in a track, or other less prefered body position

YOU'll be fine.....

However,,,, i will continue to use my PD Spectre, which snivels just right, and opens soft, and almost never with line twists....almost ( see attachment)

ps
please say hello to all the folks @ your DZ,
for Me.....

jimmy

[linestretch 0]

I have an FX89 w/ a domed slider and over 1000 jumps on it. (knock on wood) I have never had anything that hurt or even close to it. And....when jumping my still, I'm almost always using the flash w/ it. It's not light by any means.

my pics & stuff!

[velocityphoto 0]

I bought my 1st 98 xaos 21 cell about a 1 1/2 yrs ago and loved it so much i ordered a second for my other rig about 2 weeks later, and i would have no other canopy for flying camera. It opens so friggin nice and swoops like hell. PM Me if you want to talk some details

A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................

[BirdWoman 0]

It's your call. I personally am jumping 2 81 xbrace (both are Brian Germain's sensei...and no, its not available to the public yet) and haven't had any problems. I have over 500 jumps between the two of them and haven't had any problems. Keep in mind that xbrace rules apply. I found that, looking straight ahead at the horizon after I pitch, allows me to relax in the harness and let it do its thing without tearing my neck up. Just make sure you get into a good habit of pulling higher to allow yourself extra time, because when things happen under ANY sub-100, it happens fast. Just my $.02

"I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

[rhys 0]

A jvx is what you want,

Xaos snivel too long and have abrupt inflations.

A jvx will open soft and on heading without losing 1000 ft.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[pierre3636 0]

to be honest i have had better controlled and softer openings on a 2.2 loaded velo 96 than my xoas before that. the xoas always hunted for a direction and then pasted me in a corner, no matter what i did or packed or relined. it still is a nice canopy imo but with the velo i found i could control the openings through packing alot better and slow then down alot and am happily jumping the canopy for work jumps. in saying that if you dont pack her properly a velo can smack open pretty hard (just like any othr canopy) my2c

~ time is ~ time was ~ times past ~

[ChangoLanzao 0]

Quote

However,,,, i will continue to use my PD Spectre, which snivels just right, and opens soft, and almost never with line twists....almost ( see attachment)

ps
please say hello to all the folks @ your DZ,
for Me.....

jimmy

Waww! Nice malfunction image!!

[Laszloimage 0]

I love my Velocity.
...don't use packers though if you're jumping X-braced for camera!

[jimmytavino 16]

re : mal.....

likely wouldda been cutaway, too...

but that shot happened on an AFF video, ( note the student main canopy waaay up above me, off my left tail.)

AND the spectre (210) did not dive and crank....
I was above 4,500 feet when that picture was taken,,, and about 2 miles Upwind of the dz. we were last out...i pulled, over 5 grand...

the canopy was solid and stable and did untwist
with a bit of coaxing...
I was clear by 2,700 feet, and was pleased that i wasn't having to chase down a cutaway....

but true..... it LOOKS bad...

jt
a 3914
d12122

[ChangoLanzao 0]

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re : mal.....


but true..... it LOOKS bad...

jt
a 3914
d12122

I don't think my XF2 would have survived something like that. I came real close once to chopping it, perhaps 1 second more.... Hmmm...there's a vidi here somewhere in this stack of DV tapes...

[BMFin 0]

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...don't use packers though if you're jumping X-braced for camera!

What exactly makes this combo a bad idea ?

[melushell 0]

Get a NEOS !!!

not fully crossbraced but you get the advantage of both sides
I do more distance with it than a lot of fully crossbraced users, and the openings....oh man ...the openings...yum yum.

[Laszloimage 0]

Those who use packers and jump heavily loaded X-braced or eliptical by some reason have significantly more cut aways, hard openings, pilote chute in tow, and so on...

[BMFin 0]

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Those who use packers and jump heavily loaded X-braced or eliptical by some reason have significantly more cut aways, hard openings, pilote chute in tow, and so on...

They do ?





I understand that the best way to make sure you wont have packing induced malfunctions, is to pack your self.

(Though I didnt know there were statistics on malfunction/packer-usage% ratios)

What I dont understand is what exactly increases this risk if you:

- jump an xbraced
- jump a camera

[lewmonst 0]

Xaos.


I have two 27-cells. Love them. Jump camera all the time.


The 21's are even better for camera. I kept an old 21-cell for wingsuit jumps.

http://www.exitshot.com

[tamagotchi 0]

Take the XF-15 from Jojowings. This canopy have the best openings i know.

You get information in the swooping and canopy control forum.

I have some jumps on a demo canopy and last weekend i got my new one. It opens smothly and on heading. I jumped also a velo but the openings are much better on the XF-15. The Manufactor is Jojowings.

[980 0]

say what?

Xaos doesn't snivel too long or have abrupt inflations if you have the brake setting right and that may not be where the factory put it depending on if you are talking 21 or 27 and what your wingloading is.

Who cares about heading performance on a canopy for a camera flyer? As long as it doesn't twist up I don't care how many times I go around on opening or where it ends up pointing.

With no real reference most skydivers (as opposed to BASEjumpers) have no idea what is an on-heading opening anyway...

admittedly I only have 40 something jumps on a JVX, but it didn't seem to stay on-heading on opening to me and whereas it would open nice if you packed it really carefully, it didn't open as nice as any of the 4 different Xaos 21/27s I have jumped.

I also see a lot more JVXs get chopped than Xaos.

my opinion based on my limited experience, make of that what you will

as for the OP, I really like the Xaos21 and think it's got the best openings of any canopy I have jumped so far (includes Velo, JVX, Spectre, Pilot, Nitro)

just bear in mind that ANY canopy can and will open hard at some point and when you are used to buttery soft openings that very rare slammer will just feel that much worse...

[HSPScott 0]

I had my XF1 loaded @ 2.0 spin up like that on me while shooting 4Way. I think it was 9 or 10 twists. It flew straight and level. Pulled at 4K got out the twists by 2500.

I have had my Xaos have about 4 twists and fly straight and level. Have also had 1.5 twists that put me parallel to mother earth. Able to clear them all with plenty of altitude.

With camera, you are usually pulling a little higher, which is a good thing. It gives you a little more time to get everything worked out.

[champu 1]

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I understand that the best way to make sure you wont have packing induced malfunctions, is to pack your self. What I dont understand is what exactly increases this risk if you:

- jump an xbraced
- jump a camera

Not taking care when packing any canopy can cause a lot of various things to happen that may or not be a big deal. In my experience, when you have a funky opening on a cross-braced there's always at least one point in there where all or part of the canopy snaps open abruptly. If you've got cameras on your head that can suck.

My velocity likes to take a look around from time to time as it wiggles its way open, but as long as I pay attention to the slider and keep my lines neat it opens softly, which is what I really care about.

[BMFin 0]

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Not taking care when packing any canopy can cause a lot of various things to happen that may or not be a big deal. In my experience, when you have a funky opening on a cross-braced there's always at least one point in there where all or part of the canopy snaps open abruptly. If you've got cameras on your head that can suck.

My velocity likes to take a look around from time to time as it wiggles its way open, but as long as I pay attention to the slider and keep my lines neat it opens softly, which is what I really care about.

Absolutely, but non xbraced canopies can also smack you. Its not only the xbraced canopies that are known to open hard.


Also hard opening or any malfunction what ever should be avoided even if you dont jump with a camera..

[Icon134 0]

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Absolutely, but non xbraced canopies can also smack you. Its not only the xbraced canopies that are known to open hard.


Also hard opening or any malfunction what ever should be avoided even if you dont jump with a camera..

I'd have to agree... I have had my Sabre2 170 open fast, my Sabre2 150 open fast, and my Stiletto 135 open faster then I like... but generally I can get each of them to open consistently well when I pack them...

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[flipper 0]

I use a Velo 84 - No probs

[velocityphoto 0]

Yea what you said! :) I have to agree here .

I have never had a hard opening on either of my xaos 21's .They open like a dream for camera's. And i have quite a bit more on my helmet than most camera people.

A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................

[cloudtramp 0]

I have thousands of camera jumps on Xaos, 21 and 27 cell. Everything from a 105 to an 84 and I absolutely LOVE the openings (when I pack it myself I was loading my xaos 88 @ 1.8 for a while and have noticed that since I donwsized to an 84 and have the wingloading more at @ 2.0 it opens even better and more consistently on-heading and soft! Yes the 21-cell and slightly more consistent opening but the 27 is awesome too!

Yes they snivel a bit, and sometimes they search around but who cares it's a skydive not a base jump!

I have jumped my 88 with lighter tandem style helmet setups and also with large 3chip video/still/flash setups and it's all good. Jump my 84 with a wingsuit as well!

have fun!