DougH 270 #1 August 20, 2008 Hey folks... I haven't had any luck in my search for the mythical amazingly priced used 143 lightning. I was looking for a wingsuit and general purpose canopy and ended up with a great deal on a Hybrid Tri... thanks JJ! I know the Tri is going to sink a lot compared to my buddies lightnings because of the trim. Has any one ever tried adding an extra link to the front risers to level it out a bit? I bet some one out there has tried it, so it would be nice to hear if they left a huge divot in the ground before I become a test jumper! Blues! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckbrown 0 #2 August 21, 2008 Either add links in the front of the Tri or in the rear of the Lightning. They'll fly fine together at similar wingloadings. Although I've never flown a Tri with links in the front, I can't see why it would be harder to land than a Lightning. Hehehe. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DougH 270 #3 August 21, 2008 Funny you mention that. I did my first jump on a lightning last weekend. I have heard all the hype about landing like crap, and I have seen some people pound them in with my own eyes. I thought it landed great and I even got it to plane out for a little surf. I was told by the owner that his landed nicely compared to other ones though. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckbrown 0 #4 August 21, 2008 The reason people pound them in is because they load them too lightly. At high wingloadings they're a great canopy to fly & land. If you don't want a high wingloading, building up speed with front riser inputs also helps. Front risers with a high wingloading is even better. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #5 August 21, 2008 I can land a lightning at 1.0-1.4 even without front-riser input anyday. As I've seen a lot of CRW puppies do too (we need 5 CRW jumps here for C license so a lot of newbies each year). A lightning lands fine, regardless of wingload, just different from your run-of-the-mill 9cell. If you do not tell people a lightning lands "difficult" they usually do fine, however if you DO, ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #6 August 21, 2008 I load a lighting 190 at about 1.4 and I can say categorically, that it does not land "well". Yes, I can land it, and I stand it up and make it look easy, but I do not have the confidence in it that I do in virtually any other modern canopy, including my Triathlon. I do a lot of CRW demo jumps, and I just don't ever see us using a lightning because the Triathlon is just so much more reliable. I imagine the Storm is similar. A canopy that requires a high wingloading or induced speed is by definition - not good at landing. To the original poster - I've done some Lightning/Triathlon CRW and found they generally fly well together. Give it a shot and let us know how it goes. Don't put on links until you've done a few jumps first. I bet you don't need them. _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Madison 0 #7 August 21, 2008 "I load a lighting 190 at about 1.4 and I can say categorically, that it does not land "well". " Maybe that's because you're missing 3 sq. feet Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sabre1700 0 #8 August 21, 2008 Actually, when you add up all the holes in that old 193 I loaned him... Andy was probably correct in calling it a 190. -Razz Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VectorBoy 0 #9 August 22, 2008 QuoteFunny you mention that. I did my first jump on a lightning last weekend. I have heard all the hype about landing like crap, and I have seen some people pound them in with my own eyes. Its not just the loading. Trust me, I've borrowed many many loaner lightnings. The condition of the canopy, the age, which line trim is installed and its age and condition play a part also. If you look close enough to some lightnings skin you can see distortion wear from having it wrap a foot and then hanging 200 pounds of meat from that single point of stress. Lightnings that have been around a while tend to have individual personalities. Find a good one and its a keeper. I own two of them one is the good cop and one is the bad. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phoenixlpr 0 #10 August 22, 2008 QuoteI was looking for a wingsuit and general purpose canopy and ended up with a great deal on a Hybrid Tri... thanks JJ! I got a Tri160 with Darcon lines for that purpose. I'm happy with it, a bit boring, but a good life saving device. QuoteI know the Tri is going to sink a lot compared to my buddies lightnings because of the trim. I'd rather leave it as it is. More nose down trim, more speed, better flare. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DougH 270 #11 August 22, 2008 While I agree with you Gabor, primarily I would like it to fly more relative to the Lightnings. I am going to try to see how it flies relative to the other canopies for a handful of jumps first. I had read a few things that said they were not well matched, but listening to some of these responses makes me think that might be overstated. I use front riser input on all of my landings any way so I don't think the links in the front will be a big deal, I am retrimming it more nose down for landing with my hands either way. Thanks for the responses every one. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
