Crossfire Discontinued

I had a crossfire 1 169 that didn't need the line mod. I loved the openings (especially coming from a Sabre) and flare, a step or two on calm wind days is all you needed. the glide was great and long spots were no issue. the thing that got me (and the reason I sold it) was the riser pressure was insanely high (fronts and rears), after about a 180 degree turn it was almost too much to hold down. I'm getting a Xfire2 now, so lets see if it gets any better (I just love those Icarus openings)

I fly a 99 and it is a sensational canopy.Utterly brilliant in every way.Mind you I have had times where it has nipped at me and if you're not paying attention it WILL bite. Front riser pressure is a little too high for my liking(compared to my last,pintail 120)but once in a dive it 'has a heading'.I am by no means a flash jumper but loading it @1.7ish it is fantastic.like a hot curry,deal with the consequences!

I have close to 400 jumps on a crossfire loaded at about 1.35 or so, and I have had the most fun with this canopy! I am constantly impressed with the crossfire's versatility. I have managed to jump tight Demo's with it, play around with CRW, Long fast Swoops,I have made it back from LONG spots with this canopy, have jumped camera with nice soft openings...the list goes on and on.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give the Crossfire a 9.
That being said, I have been surprised by

I had a stiletto 135 for about 160 jumps before I downsized to the crossfire 119, very impressive. While the toggle pressure is about the same as is the front riser, that is about the only similarity.

It doesn't oversteer and isn't as twitchy in the turns with the toggles which is nice. It is speedier than heck and likes to come in smoking, the stiletto is a good training ground for this canopy. I would recommend you be current and experienced before you heavily load one of these.

I've had my Crossfire 109 since July of 2001 and have put a little over 200 jumps on it. I'm loading it at about 1.69. From a camera flyers point of view, this is the best opening canopy I've ever jumped. Consistantly soft openings. I've owned a Sabre 150, Diablo 135 and now the Crossfire 109 and it's the best. For years the canopy was just a device to get me to the ground after freefall, but now I really enjoy the surfs I get. I'm a very conservative canopy pilot and most of my landings are done with unagressive carving turns and I get very long surfs. Skydiving is even more fun now that I have a Crossfire.

Smoothest and most consistent opening canopy that I've ever flow. Gets good swoops and will feel better after 20 jumps on the canopy. For the all around elipitical canopy the crossfire is the one.

I have jumped a Stiletto 97 for years now, and the C99 is a very comparable canopy. The first thing I noticed, when packing, was that it has a differential line set. Each line group has different line lengths, as opposed to all of them being the same. Instead of the parachute being arced over your head, it is fairly flat with only the wingtips being drooped for more lift. I trimmed my Stiletto like that over a year ago and noticed a radical inprovement in the lift and glide. Openings are great of course. They are a little more progressive than the ST97. The Stiletto tends to snivel for a while and then whack! the slider comes down fast. The Crossfire snivels for at least as long, but the slider comes down slowly - three cheers from a cameraflyer! The glide is flat and shouldn't be too stressful on long spots. The input range is longer than the Stiletto - it requires significantly more input to get the same response, but the trade off is obvious when you flare. Mine is trimmed to manufacturer brake settings which allow me to flare all the way to full arm extension - this puts me hovering at a stall (the Stiletto stalls when the toggles hit the chest strap, and wickedly at that.) Stall recovery on the Crossfire was nice, without too much line slack, but be careful anyway! The stock brake setting makes the flare feel way deeper than you Stiletto pilots might be used to, but in a full-on deep front riser turn, the brake lines are taut, but the canopy is flat and unencumbered by any tail deflection. When swooping, don't be afraid to keep flaring - it flares really deep and really slows down! When you set your brakes, make sure the mark is on the canopy side of the knot! The Crossfire dives more than the Stiletto with a longer recovery arc. Front riser pressure is moderate and the speed builds nicely. The canopy carves down as opposed to the quick snap-around of a Stiletto, so you won't get the instant directional change, but you do build some groovy speed. Toggle turns are not as sharp, so if you are up dog-fighting a Stiletto guy, you may want to take a wrap for the close combat stuff. Stiletto pilots will miss that quick recovery, but will learn to love the build-up more. The Crossfire was not as sensitive to harness input as the Stiletto, but at higher loading it might be, I am loaded at 1.9.

All in all, an excellent canopy. Buy one, you'll dig it.

Over the past 8 years I had been an avid Stiletto 120 pilot. After some 3000 jumps on elliptical canopies I was offered the Crossfire to try. The openings were the first characteristic that impressed me. Soft and on heading consistently. From Thanksgiving to Jan 31 I've put 175 jumps on my Crossfire 105 and have the same openings time after time. The canopy responds well to both toggle and riser input, with good a recovery arc.

Tried a few long spots with it and sat on deep brakes and it glided back very well with no major signs of canopy instability. Surfing the crossfire is an easy task with good toggle range to shut it down when needed. Overall a very good canopy that will be hard to compete with on the 9-cell elliptical market.

I received a Crossfire 119 as a christmas gift and what a awesome gift it is. Thanks Joe!!! I was jumping a Triathlon 120 for years, which I enjoyed, but it doesn't compare to the Crossfire. The consistant soft and on heading openings are like nothing you have ever experienced before, not to mention the sweet landings!!! I would recommend to everyone, checking out this new canopy. Blue Skies

I've been flying a Spectre for about three yrs now, and I have really enjoyed it. I had been test driving other canopies for about 6 months, during which time I've flown Stilleto's, Samurai's and a Vengance. They are all good canopies, but the Crossfire is hot! I really like how responsive it was on the swoop, it has a very fast response to toggle input, and excellent extended lift on landing. After flying a Crossfire 126 and 119 for a day, I was sold. I immediately ordered a 119. I cannot wait for it to get here!

Crossfire: I have 2 Crossfire 169's, i have been jumping them since july, ihave over 50 jumps on them, i switched from a Safire to crossfire, This canopy and its performance is the best i have ever seen. My wingloading is at 1.49, and i can tell you that Icuris did it.

I will preface this review by saying that I do not have the "thousands" of jumps that many more experienced canopy pilots have. I do however have a reasonable amount of experience on moderately loaded ellipticals of different manufacture. I am currently jumping a Crossfire 149 loaded at 1.55 lbs.psf. I am very pleased with the canopy and especially enjoy the opening characteristics. Although the openings are slower than what I was used to (stiletto/batwing), the majority of them are predictable and on heading. I like to fly my canopy from the front risers and find the pressure very manegeable. I can easily derive long, diving turns from the canopy . Landings as most other aspects of this canopy are delightful. The canopy has a very powerful flare and a fantastic surf which increases in distance with the level of agressiveness on final. I look forward to accumulating the experince necessary to be able to fly this canopy at high wing loadings. I am sure it only gets better.

The crossfire is also nice in the respect that it has no countersteer like the Stiletto or other hp ellipticals. Toggle inputs are quite crisp and responsive, coupled with a quick turn rate. I have yet to run out a landing into the wind (albeit the occasional downwinder). The flare seems to last for ever. I am glad the people who taught me to fly canopy, Andy Anderson and Jared Douglas to name a couple, pointed me in this direction. As they may reasonably have biased opinions concerning Icarus, I do not. I continue to be impressed with their products, and recommend this particular canopy to any experienced, competant canopy pilot.