BigL

Long time no post, head up is still definitely my favorite discipline!

When I can't wear my swoop shorts I usually just run the $14 Jeans. Fairly rugged and not super expensive to replace if they blow out. That being said, if you're new to the sport, moderately athletic, and you're flying a modern parachute you should be able to stand up landings.

The CF2 is known for that, and that was my experience when I borrowed a 119 for a few loads. The CF3 dives more from what I've seen, still quick but fine to learn 90's on. I liked the Katana the most and that's the way I went.

You should make your decision on the type of canopy piloting you'd like to do. The CF2 is not suitable to learn HP turns, the recovery arc is too short. Nice and safe everyday canopy designed for the non-swooper. The CF3 is fine for learning HP turns. It's most peoples introduction wing for doing 90's etc.

I used a Removable 96 JFX2 slider on my KA107 for about 150 jumps. The RDS for the JFX was bigger than the stock KA slider. I think the openings got worse. Always firm, with some slammers.

Yeah cartwheel, it feels the safest because I can keep easily keep reference throughout. I just try and give myself a bit of speed from the HD side because it takes some time to find the angle get on the gas pedal once HU. Another easy-ish one is HD Backfly and float up to the belly slot then go through the back to HU Belly.

I feel pretty maxed out when following HD yeah, but there is more range for sure. At the moment I think the head and the arms are still creating lots of drag. Focused on keeping the head neutral and looking down with my eyes, and to fly on level and not behind. The arms are going to take some time because they feel like my main source of stability. Thanks!

Here are 2 recent jumps. At the moment my focus is flying on level on my belly, and getting more range to play with. The HU backflying is still in the building blocks stage.

Do you roll the tail at the top? If so, don't. Only roll the tail at the bottom (2x 1 inch folds is good) so the air can get into the slider ASAP.

4 Fans* Helpful comment bro

I'm unfamiliar with who has what designs, but the freefliers at the DZ will know what's good and what isn't in your area. The diffusing - might make first flights safer/easier but I'm not an instructor so I could be wrong there. My home tunnel is an iFly 14 Footer. 2 Fan Recirculating design.

Here are some things to consider, assuming you have more than one tunnel to choose from. Choppy Wind Modern tunnels are generally smoother than older designs, they've been improving over time. Patents in your country may restrict a company to a certain design which may be better or worse than their competitor. Reach out to the flyers in your community for a consensus on this. Diffusing Flight Chamber Some tunnels (including modern designs) the glass gets wider as the flight chamber goes up, meaning the wind speed drops off considerably from 1m --> 2m --> 3m above the net. This is not ideal, and not a good representation of the what the sky is like. Size 12 Foot is cheap but small/cramped. Good for initial solo stuff but once you start moving around does become quite small. A lot of 12 footers are the diffusing type described above. 14 Foot is reasonably priced and big enough for all solo coaching stuff. Really good for 2-Way Dynamic. 16 Foot is expensive and good for big formation stuff. No real advantage over the 14-footer for solo work. Wind Speed Limitations Some tunnels are not powerful enough to fly Head Down in comfortably, becomes more of a problem the heavier you are. To be avoided if HD is your goal. Coaching Staff Finding a coach you click with and progress quickly with is probably one of the most important factors. A good coach will save you $$$ of tunnel time in the long run. I'm lucky to live in a city where we have a modern, non-diffusing 14-foot tunnel that is very powerful and smooth. I haven't flown in any others but everyone I've talked to who has been around loves our tunnel. This is all just opinion of course!

To me the fear logically goes away when you properly accept the small chance you might die doing this. Sometimes when I'm at height I think, "What if this is the jump I go in on?" It's always followed by, "Oh well, fuck it. It was worth it, what a ride up until now, lets go!"

I put my first 13 jumps on my new JFX2 94 this weekend past as well! I came from a KA107 loaded at 1.69 and I'm loading the new wing at 1.93. Initial impressions:- - Way more responsive to harness, I can do the flick in my 270 all harness now. - Fronts are easy to get down after my bump, but they come up earlier after being held down than my KA. - The rears actually work, compared to the KA rears which were terrible by comparison. - Toggle stroke is a lot shorter than most of the wings I've flown, stalls just below my armpits. - Dives a touch more than my KA, felt like a pretty easy transition between recovery arcs. - Swoops for days! The thing cuts through the air and is just so efficient at converting vertical speed to horizontal. Super stoked, so much to learn!

Has the guidelines on the V306 changed? The V306 has been paired with the OP126 all the time, now it's not listed in the full fitting reserve size?