JohanW

For an actually accurate value calculation, including valuation of maintenance and a spiffy graph, see https://www.wiltink.net/users/johan/aadvalcalc/. Works for any AAD (though possibly not all webbrowsers :P). (This post not intended as an answer to your specific question.) Johan. I am. I think.

PCMN at Hilversum, the Netherlands are hosting two Brian Germain Canopy Control Courses in July, one from 16 to 18 and one from 20 to 22. More information on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/events/440059429351614/ or at [email protected]. Johan. I am. I think.

There's the PdF Atom 00, 170 main 128 reserve .. I unrecommend them to everyone. (Dragon2 is familiar with this one as well.) OP, would you consider demoing that reserve under ideal conditions? You can, you know. Highly recommended, demoing a reserve as a main ..

The size does play in your favour. A 190 @ 1.26 isn't bad actually. But this is a Stiletto. Your friend being differently stupid (a 135, any 135, at 126 jumps, damn ) does not make a Stiletto suddenly OK for you. You already know this, you write. Are you acting on it yet?

You know, as long as thing go well, there's no problem, and a Stiletto is definitely one of the most fun canopies to fly. But. When things go bad, a Stiletto is not very forgiving, and that's putting it mildly. It banks and dives very easily and oversteers quite a bit (if you countersteer with the harness while in a turn, you won't notice this as much). So when the shit hits the fan, prepare for a shit *storm*, whereas, on a less aggressive canopy, it might be a gentle breeze with a pungent smell. The problem is, at your level of relative inexperience, avoiding said shitstorm is more luck than skill. You might, then again you might not. For now, until you build more experience - say the 500 jumps PD recommended for the Stiletto when it first came out - it might be wise to keep more margin for error in your canopy, because there is less margin in your canopy piloting. Of course, if you have mad skillz (tm) and there happens to be plenty of margin in your canopy piloting, (1) you actually are more speshul than everybody else and (2) you actually will never need margin for error in your canopy. But I hope you have fun, and I hope you will never get that fan dirty. Just don't kid yourself, because you're not kidding me, even if you never break yourself. You are stacking the odds against yourself, regardless of the eventual actual outcome. Johan. I am. I think.

If I have my helmet anywhere but on my head, I can still exit, with or without it. Might have to do it with my eyes closed, because I have contact lenses and a full-face helmet with a visor, but I can do that as well and am prepared to do it. Heck, a friend of mine always has her eyes closed for the first few seconds out of the plane. But for initial climb and whenever the door is open, I almost always have it on my head. (OK, so I'm not perfect.) Johan. I am. I think.

I always wear gloves, for reasons that have been mentioned already. My favourite are golfing gloves. Have to pay attention you're not getting a left only, though. Johan. I am. I think.

Last Tuesday I cut one steering line from a main because of a stuck half brake. I tried for a short while to unstow the brake, unsuccessfully. Then I got out the knife and snipped the offending brakeline. It did not occur to me to hold on to the toggle. I did restow the knife, though. I also cut just the one brakeline, not both. I still had time to cut the other one as well, but it did not seem necessary. Flew a conservative pattern on rears, with the remaining toggle restowed (the toggle, not the brake). Flared on both rears. Sufficient wind that I did not need to run out the landing even, just take two steps. Strong ZP 170, exit weight ~220#, jump number 1819. Normal canopy is a Velo 111 and I'm no stranger to rear risers. I did not fly and flare on muscle memory, but on sight and feel; the canopy stalled just (just!) after touchdown. Where I normally push rears outside (and then transition to toggles), I grabbed between the lines on top of the links and flared down instead of out on this one. That's what I normally do for flying (as opposed to levelling) on rears as well. Flying on rears was not really any different from normal brakelines-still-attached flying (that's why I didn't cut the other brakeline). I am somewhat used to flying on rears e.g. while doing recreational sport CRW and did not have stress in the air really. Well, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. I did have a beer afterwards though without considering I still had to drive home, which I normally would not have done. I shall make a separate post in Gear&Rigging for the gear issues we determined afterwards. Johan. I am. I think.

It does, however, take a lot of jumps to learn the first sight picture. I go by eye, not by beep. I may not get the last drop of performance, but I have a lot of flexibility in my setup, I rarely get into trouble and I can manage my way out of trouble. By experience. Johan. I am. I think.

yup, and all they're basically good for is bringing you down to the ground safely. i think there's a reason why almost all MAIN-canopies have 9 cells. My weapons of choice are a Velocity, a (small) Triathlon and a Foil. For different purposes. I also have a Stiletto and a Lightning. Counting the cells would be useless; I use them for the specific attributes they exhibit. Every canopy is a trade-off. The number of cells is only one factor in that trade-off. Other design decisions like line length, aspect ratio, size, loading, planform shape and airfoil shape are also factors, and they all interact. Unnecessarily, arbitrarily limiting yourself to 9-cell or 7-cell designs is, well, limiting. Johan. I am. I think.

His kids are having kids still ??? Johan. I am. I think.

Waddayamean, ethical considerations? Brats are obnoxious, sounds fine to me. Practically, you're gonna have to dive, then float like *mad*. Sounds like a good time to try and see what happens when you get under it (you are *so* going low!) and *use* that burble. Johan. I am. I think.

I have a few jumps on a Mamba - a 117 I think - and while it was long enough ago that I don't remember the exact front riser pressure or recovery arc, I do know I loved it. The openings definitely felt better, more stable, predictable and on heading (or at least not as likely to spin up), than those of a Katana 120 I also jumped, and the Mamba also flew stable or I would remember (I'm a big fan of stability in flight. steer clear of the Springo). The Sensei 111 and 101 had absurd front riser pressure (though they reacted extremely well to harness input) and actually rather a short recovery arc (well, relatively, for the class it's in). Not my flying style, worth a day's demo if you can find one and you'll know soon enough whether or not it's what you want. I finally decided on a Velo that felt like an extension of me, which is a very personal feeling. Also, while I have plenty to learn on that Velo (of course!), I started flying crossbraced after over 1600 jumps, which makes it a bit of a different exercise than what you are or should be doing. Looking back at some canopies I flew, I also have fond memories of the Vision, which felt basically like what the Stiletto should (well, could) have been: very much a pilot's canopy with a long recovery arc. Seeing how I have exactly *one* jump on a Sabre 2 (a 150), I really can't compare it. But a Vision might have been a good choice for you at this time if it weren't for the fact it seems to be out of production, and a Mamba has some qualities that make it a real alternative to a Katana. However, consensus seems to be you ought to stay at the Sabre 2 for now, so all of the above might not be applicable in this case. While I am a big fan of PD canopies (I own I think four), I think Aerodyne have some good offerings as well, even if not for accomplished competitive swoopers, then for the rest of us. Johan. I am. I think.

Where are you? There is probably no need to do static line again, or a full AFF course, but I would suggest to take your questions to a dropzone, and a real life instructor who will work with you to get you back in the air. It will probably turn out to be easier than you think. Welcome back!

Stop the presses! There is a Diamant 210! Johan. I am. I think.