Jiggs 0 #1 April 8, 2005 Hey all, I am looking towards getting a new canopy pretty soon and I have come across a few options - looking for something fun to fly but something that will also not be a hassle on wingsuit jumps. What I was wondering if anyone has much experience with jumping a Sam for w/s? How does the canopy behave on openings? What is inflation like? What have been your experiences? Or should I go with a more mellow Lotus? Should I ask how long the canopy stays inflated after a chop? Cheers!"Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The111 0 #2 April 8, 2005 I think Darren (dmkellett) jumps a Sam. I could be wrong.www.WingsuitPhotos.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #3 April 8, 2005 *Smack* Forgot about me huh? I've ONLY jumped my Sam and Jedei's with my Wingsuits. My Jedei was way out of trim and it always opened in a dive. My Sam is a great canopy. Almost 180 Wingsuit flights on the 2 canopies and I have'nt had an issue yet. I'm much happier that I'm on the Sam and not the Jedei. It is a bit more harness sensitive under canopy then other canopies out there. Flies like a dream. I've seen a few airlock chops and no issues with it "Flying into the sunset" Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dmkellett 0 #4 April 8, 2005 hey mate, i do jump a sam, but only ever twice with a WS....... i am lucky enough to have a WS specific rig, and in it i have a lotus. it is in my opinion pretty perfect for WS. however when i jumped my sam i nearly chopped it. (it dives and turns on opening) then i jumped it again and nearly chopped it again. then i retired to a square (lotus) no WS chop yet. I think that unless you want to have a few chops in a few hundred jumps, get a square ..... i love my lotus!! darren Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
verticalflyer 11 #5 April 8, 2005 I have a Sam 105, it opens beautifully, however I would not jump it with the wingsuit at my wing loading of 1.8. I have had 1 cutaway in 500 jumps on my wingsuit at the herc boogie 2002 and that was on my Silhoutte 150 and you can see from the video that was funky enough. Its personal preferences and certainly dependant on experience, canopy preference and container set up. Also having 2 rigs makes life very nice;) Cheers FraserDont just talk about it, Do it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #6 April 8, 2005 As others in this thread have said, there are simply better canopies to jump if you are going to fly a wingsuit with any frequency. Smarter (if you only have one rig) would be to find a cheap, truly straight-opening square (or lightly elliptical) for use with your wingsuit. You can get away with a more-hp canopy, but eventually you are going to pay the price. I don't know a single person who really jumps wingsuits a lot that has not had to chop in one due to a brake fire or a spinner. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #7 April 8, 2005 Also, for what it's worth, Colon Berry jumps a very-small Lotus and absolutely loves it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
basehoundsam 0 #8 April 8, 2005 I started jumping a vengeance 120 at 150 WS jumps. I went to a Sam 120,105, then to a 97. All of my WS jumps went fine 150-250. After I started flying larger wing-suits, I managed 3 cutaways in 2 months. I also watched Skymonkey have a hell of a time on his cobalt. I have watched the most meticulous of pack jobs go into the"correct" WS BASE container open up with line twist. I have seen friends open up in hell and almost hit objects(yes I know the idea of a wingsuit in BASE is to get as far away from the object as possible. ) I personally now jump a sabre2 95 with my WS. I actually threw my old Spectre 135 into one of my rigs, and have been using it to fly my new V-1. I would agree with Chuck. Ellipticals are fun, sexy, and very apt to bite you in the ass. I would only suggest flying one as a dedicated WS rig if you have a spare rig or two lying around for after-da-chop. Just my .02 Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SCARYPERRY 0 #9 April 8, 2005 Ditto,love my jedi, and Xaos,but not so much for ws.I like the dependability of sabre 2.When on road cant afford rig being down, I like MY rigger!!!Repack can ruin a day,and can still get some swoop out of it.In begining we all tried elips and most had to chop alot.As we improved,relaxed and threw pilot chutes smoothe, chops went down, i hate chasen free bags!!!!Only he can be happy,who can make his the present hour,for today he has lived Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DaMan 0 #10 April 8, 2005 Echo of what everyone's saying... I jump a Sam 136 with my wingsuit, but I had more than 100 jumps on it before I tried it with a wingsuit - looking back I would have used something else for the first 20 until my deploys were solid... It is great for me, but I've jumped mostly ellipticals since I got off AFF - like SM1 said: there are better choices out there, if you can swing it. Perry - thanks for the pictures from the Flock & Dock!Z-Flock 8 Discotec Rodriguez Too bad weapons grade stupidity doesn't lead to sterility. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The111 0 #11 April 8, 2005 Quote*Smack* Forgot about me huh? I've never met you, bi-otch! www.WingsuitPhotos.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bodypilot1 0 #12 April 8, 2005 QuoteI don't know a single person who really jumps wingsuits a lot that has not had to chop in one due to a brake fire or a spinner. You do now! Had some close calls jumping my 80VX and my Velocity 96 though, but now I mainly jump a Nitron/Nitro 108 and IMHO I feel it's the best of both worlds, in nice openings, consistantly on heading and great swoops. Hope I didn't just jinx myself... Be safe Edwww.WestCoastWingsuits.com www.PrecisionSkydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #13 April 8, 2005 Right, Ed. Chris Martin never made a single wingsuit jump under anything but a Xaos and he was the 2nd most experienced wingsuit pilot in the world at the time of his death. He swore by his Xaos 21. No one is saying that you have to jump a "lame" parachute with a wingsuit; what they are saying is that you can still have the very best of both worlds by jumping a very-small, but straight-opening square or semi-elliptical as your "real" wingsuit main if you simply "must" swoop. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bodypilot1 0 #14 April 8, 2005 Quote No one is saying that you have to jump a "lame" parachute with a wingsuit Who said anything about "lame"? Quotewhat they are saying is that you can still have the very best of both worlds by jumping a very-small, but straight-opening square or semi-elliptical as your "real" wingsuit main if you simply "must" swoop. Yes, and I said that's what I have found in jumping the Nitro/Nitron 108. Be safe. Edwww.WestCoastWingsuits.com www.PrecisionSkydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #15 April 8, 2005 I wasn't really responding directly to YOU, Eduardo. I was making the comment to the general public. Your's just happened to be the lead-in to it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #16 April 9, 2005 Do I have to separate you two? Don't make me stop the internet cause I will As many have already said. There are a lot better choices of parachutes out there for WS that open consistently. However, many do jump highly loaded or twitchy canopies with no problem, but realize that it can be a roll of the dice every time you deploy. Chuck, Ed and myself all jump sub 100's that are less radical and still get very nice swoop action along the deck. If you have to fly it on opening or it reacts in a way that scares you on a normal skydive then you might want to pass on using it as a WS canopy."It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BirdWoman 0 #17 April 10, 2005 I have over 200 ws jumps on my jedei, but my wing loading is only 1.18 at it's best. I have not had any problems that weren't self-induced (lazy body position on deployment). I also found that sinking out my deployments and going straight to my harness for immediate correction has helped keep it flying straight at times. Hope this helps. (on another note, i'm in the market for a used jedei or sam 105 if you know anybody who is selling...)"I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dmkellett 0 #18 April 10, 2005 Exactly. the wingloading is going to have a big influence on opening characteristics whatever the discipline. i ordered my sam 111 when i weighed 145lbs and it wasnt to funcky, but when i got fat (170) again it turned into a beast. Not really causing too much trouble when freeflying, but in the WS a 1.9 loading is way too muxh for my currency or skill level to reliably deal with.. Iknow others are flying more HP canpoies with the WS but i just feel much more comfortable with a 1.5 loaded square!!! it takes most of the "gear Fear" away from WS jumps for me... Darren Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jiggs 0 #19 April 10, 2005 Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, there are some useful opinions here it has given me some food for thought. (as I am sure it will give to others that are at the same place). As much fun as ellipticals are to fly, I guess I don't need the extra hassle on the openings, I think mellow will be the way to go. I have already had my first wingsuit chop (lineover from a friend) and while it was an interesting/fun experience the hassle of lost gear is a bastard! I guess I will most likely go with a lotus instead of a Sam as w/s is my preferred discipline at the moment, also since I only do around 200 jumps a year a cruiser main will be a better option. Unfortunately second rig is not an option (as handy and as much as I would love it!) at the moment but I will have to keep it in mind for future. Cheers!"Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
