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Cyane

Eventual Downsizing Advice

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Some day in the future (100-200 jumps distance at least--I've got lots of learning to do on my current canopy) I'm probably going to downsize. Right now I'm on a Pilot 150 and I love it, so the tentative plan is to eventually downsize to a smaller Pilot. My question for those with much more experience is this: would it be best to downsize to a Pilot 140 or a Pilot 132?

My thought process has me leaning towards the 132. The 150 to 140 isn't "much" of a drop, and on similar canopies, like the Sabre2, a downsizer has to go from a 150 to a 135. However I know very little and would love some second opinions :)

Used Pilots are pretty rare to come by, so if a good deal comes along I don't want to miss it!

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Not exactly much help just now, but I have just got a Pilot 132, which I have gone to from a 150. I am hoping to get it swapped over with my 150 this weekend and get a jump in, but as I'm at a specific event, that might not happen.

If there are no people giving their experiences here over the next few weeks to months, I will try to make sure I come back with my exact thoughts and feelings on how the 132 is compared to the 150.

My exit weight out the door is between 170-185 depending on whether I am wearing my weight belt. I started jumping my 150 on jump 104, and have loved all 300-ish jumps on it.

Now my reason for going for the 132 rather than the 140 was similar to your thought process, but I also asked someone that did the same downsize a while back for his advice, and he was happy with his choice.

After looking for a 132 for many, many months, a 140 came available on UKSkydiver, so I figured I'd go for that (out of frustration), but someone got their reply and offer in minutes before I did, so they go it. Assuming the 132 is all I'm hoping for, I'm going to be glad! Be a vulture over the classifieds and swoop in when one appears.

But like you said, Pilots don't hang around for too long on the classifieds, so you have to get in quick when they appear.
Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

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There's more to downsizing on smaller canopies (150 and below) then just the WL. Beyond that, a good rule of thumb in skydiving is only buy equipment you are qualifed to jump at the time of purchase.

How about get yourself and your skills to a point where you are ready to downsize, and worry about it then? There's no telling what will be available or what the market will be like when you have another 100 or 200 jumps, so spend your money on jumps or a canopy control course, and worry about the downsize when the time comes.

What if Aerodyne releases the Pilot2 next spring? Know what happens then? The used values for original Pilots will drop, and more of them will hit the market as people upgrade to the Pilot2.

I'm not saying that's going to happen, but you get the idea. It's fun to daydream now about all the possibilites for your future, but leave it a daydream until you're ready to jump something smaller.

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Quote

I bet if we handed you a 140 and a 132 and didn't tell you which it was, you couldn't even tell the difference;)



I bet you really could.
--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

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