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VectorBoy

S-3 / S-3s / S-6 ?

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Its mostly material changes that affect the suit positive in terms of strength.

From what I get, the S6 is mostly a cosmetic update to the S3S.
Which is probably why its not offered on the website-store anymore under the name S3S.

As to what the suit does and is capable of in the air, just try it...the internet is a great place to dwell when you should be working (I have lots of experience in this section:P), but the sky is the place to find out if you really want to know how something flies..

Dont lose too much sleep over a name...
JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

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I just got my S6 today. I have not owned another big suit since my fresh 2003 PIA symposium S3. My brand new S6 is two inches wider in stance and one inch longer in arm wing length. It's also got mylar ribs on every single rib. I will fly it Thursday and tell you how it compares to my S3 and the Vampire I have been jumping lately. Bliiiicky!

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you have STUDIED the suits?

I have FLOWN the suits that I comment on.

S3, S3S, V1 and V2

I did not feel a big difference between the S3 and S3S other than the huge hassle all those Mylar ribs are.

I did feel a big difference between the S3 and the V1.

I also felt a big difference between the V1 and the V2.

going Vampire is like going crossbrace - once you go there, it's hard going back

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I've flown the S3, V1 and V2.

I noted a more head-low flying position on the V2 than the V1, which itself felt less "floaty" than the S3 (and consistent with going for glide rather than min sink)

Arm pressure on the Vampires is much higher than the S3.

The Vampire suits felt more stable and less likely to fishtail or yaw than the S3, but they were less acrobatic. Not surprising; stability vs manoeuvrebility if you like. Backflying perfectly acceptable on the Vampires but the position was quite head low and required closing down the leg wing somewhat, which wasn't required on the S3.

Sam, were your experiences similar?
--
BASE #1182
Muff #3573
PFI #52; UK WSI #13

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The differences I felt in the V1 to V2 was much stiffer arm inflation due to the 'ram air' arm inlets -- which also means it likes to stay inflated during the reach for the hacky -- this isn't an issue it just felt different at pull time.

I have no way to tell if the forward speed increased (no gps data) but vertical decent slowed down a few mph as per protrack data.

as for the rest of the suit there is no 'major' changes you can feel -- the stabilty of the suit is slightly better, but I never felt it was an issue in the first place.

For some reason it seems to get 20 or 30 feet higher above the Casa alsoB|


The pimp hand is powdered up ... say something stupid

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I thought the subject here in this thread was differences between the Skyflyer models and so a study is required to "notice" differences big or small. Some changes deal with comfort and robustness. I agree that the V1 feels even more diff. from the S3 than the S3S, but both ARE noticeably diff. from the S3 in the air! Yes... I did try the V1 and it is a nice suit as well.

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Sorry to have taken the thread off course, purely selfish motives. I have an S3, a V2 on the way and only a couple of jumps on a V1. No one around here has an S3s or S6 but I won't be surprised to see one at the AOB boogie in Mollala this weekend. Thanks for the input everyone.

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.
Sometimes you eat the bear..............

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You say that the arm wing is longer?



Laying the suits one on top of another, the grips are the same length, the distance to the first bend is the same and the trailing edge is just enough longer to make the arm wing one inch longer where it attaches to the body. I will tell you how it flys tomorrow.

The legwing stance on my new S6 is still two full inches narrower than the perfectly-fitting Vampire (V1, Scotty Burns' old suit) that I have been flying the past few days. Ultimately, I just needed a faster suit. Hopefully, this new S6 will hold it's own in a flat-out race. Jeff Nebelkof and I are planning on going head-to head with his newest prototype and this new suit of mine, then switching to see if the results were "suit or pilot". I believe his new suit will be done today for sure and be ready to fly tomorrow.

There is just a ton of cool shit to fly down here and some really good wingsuit pilots as well.

Chuck

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Laying the suits one on top of another, the grips are the same length, the distance to the first bend is the same and the trailing edge is just enough longer to make the arm wing one inch longer where it attaches to the body.



Did you ever think that maybe Jari made the suit special for you with bigger wings due to the fact that your now retired and old -- you know how the elderly use walkers to get around -- he just made your wings bigger on the same principles - they will help older skydivers get around

:D:D


The pimp hand is powdered up ... say something stupid

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I noted a more head-low flying position on the V2 than the V1



didn't really notice that

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Arm pressure on the Vampires is much higher than the S3.



I didn't find that at all. I don't find arm pressure to be much of an issue since I have switched to flying the leading edge of the armwing instead of the bottom surface.


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The Vampire suits felt more stable and less likely to fishtail or yaw than the S3, but they were less acrobatic.



didn't find that either

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Backflying perfectly acceptable on the Vampires but the position was quite head low and required closing down the leg wing somewhat, which wasn't required on the S3.



backflying a vampire does not have to be headlow

you do need to use a different approach than backflying an S3 though


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Sam, were your experiences similar?



not really

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I just put my first jump on my new S6. It flys very differently than my S3. Much more "solid" and "flat", like a Vampire. I just did a lazy solo in it chasing the plane for a bit after exit and did a 49 average, 159 second jump without getting smoked at all. I would have definitely felt it a lot more in my forearms in my old S3. My only concern came at pull time when I found it to be a complete motherfucker to shut down the mylar-on-every-rib wings at pull time. They REALLY wanted to stay presurized. This storm that is passing over right now out to be out of the way in a bit and then I will go up with Jeff in his new, big no-name suit (no, it's not called the Nebula, Scott) and we will see how it compares.

First impression was very positive. I liked the flat stability of the suit; very much like the Vampire I have been jumping lately. Not sure about forward speed races yet as I have not been in the air with anyone in it yet.

Other stuff: the zippers are the same on my S3 and my S6. What's different is that here is no snap at the bottom of the legs to secure the zipper. The snap to hold your legwing up on the ground is attached to the end of the toe gripper. Also, what's definitely different is the arm cutaway design. It's still velcroless, but it's MUCH more secure than the S3S velcroless design. I got pads instead of loops and they lay perfectly flat and don't move when the suit is donned. I like them.

More later. If anyone really likes, I guss I could lay them down and take pics of the similarities and differences. I even have an identical-fitting V1 that I could compare them to in pics for reference.

Chuck

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My only concern came at pull time when I found it to be a complete motherfucker to shut down the mylar-on-every-rib wings at pull time. They REALLY wanted to stay presurized.



Yeah, that was fun the first time i jumped my S3's. you get used to it very quickly and it becomes no problem. Just try to keep your knees and ankles together ;)

If you dont like it, i have a unique way to open up the ribs on the wings if you want to remove the mylar... ;)
Phoenix Fly - High performance wingsuits for skydiving and BASE
Performance Designs - Simply brilliant canopies

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