timrf79

Tough questions, I think I have always been atttracted by speed. Cars, Motorcycles... Used to ride my bike at 180mph+ and pass that where in the left lane (I would pass on their left side between car and well, end of road. So all in all, swooping is probably me starting to play it safe (as I get older)

In early AFF I was afraid of falling out out the plane (seconds before I jumped out, LOL). This went away once I changed my mindset of passing AFF to enjoying an amazing sport. I now jump about every weekend (weather permitting) and only get "anxious" if my time between jumps is more than 2 weeks.

Just my 2cents: Many of us jump old old canopies. However the performance is not the same as it was when the canopies where new. Canopies age, even if not jumped. Based on your profile you do aprox. 70 jumps a year. That is not super current, which makes me wonder if you shot be jumping an old canopy on t's last leg? While I understand the financial limitation, please remember that having a canopy in this sport is not optional (not going to argue about that the reserve is still there to save your a$$). You may want to look around to see what is on the market in your area?

While I appreciate the links, this does not tell me anything about the quality of the place? Is ti safe to jump? Is it worth lugging the rig around? etc...

Anyone here knows good place to jump near Sofia (Bulgaria) and Valencia (Spain). have a trip to Europe coming up later in the year and thinking about taking my rig (or not)

I have taken the Flight-1, 101,102,103,201 & 202 last year. During this time period I went from a 230 Sabre 2 to a 190 Sabre 2, 170 Sabre 1, 170 Sabre 2. Thank you, for your opinion. I am not sure I understand the difference to flying my current 170 Sabre2. Exit order is something clearly regulated by the DZ and something set by the type of jump. Outs are always to be known, as in case of wind change or a mal, you might need it. Not sure how jump run matters for canopy flight? At 1.6 loading (a bit heavier after the holidays) on a 170 Sabre 2 I come down faster than most jumpers at my DZ, hence knowing who is under canopy, how do they fly is important. I am not sure if I will get to a 150 KA this year. Got a 150 Sabre 2 at home that I will start jumping later this year. I plan on either taking another 201/202 course with the 150 wing this year or look into 1on1 coaching. Alternatively I heard that other (non Flight-1) programs are good too (Thankfull for any suggestions) However KA that are not too old, at a 150 size don't come along too often at a good price. Hence if I see one come up for sale, I might snatch it up and move it to my closet. With the KA2 rumors, I might get lucky this year. My experience is that gear for big guys, is rather rare in good condition.

Forgot about that risk assessment. Good tool, maybe with that my wife will let me downsize...

I also have taken the 101,102,103,201 and 202 courses from Flight-1. Excellent stuff and well worth the money. To be clear: If a 201 and 202 would be offered in driving distance I would probably take it again (different canopy now). My general take a-way for swoop progression: A long recovery arc lets you set-up high, if you set-up too high, just land normally and hang your head in shame. If you set-up too low, you got plenty of time to bail. I have talked to A LOT of swoopers, many of them former world-class and ALL advice me to stay SABRE 2 at moderate WL to learn the basics.

The reason I am asking is, because my friend (rigger & swooper) pointed out that a Sabre 1 loaded higher than 1.5 is a no-go as you will sink your recovery, rather than progressing into a swoop. Based on canopy progression for swooping, the advice i have gotten is to go Sabre 2 -> Katana -> Velo While not urgent, my thought process is should I plan on going from a 150 Sabre 2 to a 150 Katana or a 135 Sabre 2?

I know the Sabre 2 has an offical max load, but what is practically the max WL you can jump a Sabre 2 at? or in other words at which WL should you go from a Sabre 2 to a Katana? Or does size matter more than WL? (Exit weight ~ 260lbs)

On the 3rd jump in the video it looked like the canopy was going to spin up on you and yous topped it. Is that right? and how did you do that? Had that problem this weekend (in 10% slow-mo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfY7L-CX8zA

Hallo, in Skydive Alabama haben wir zwar keine deutsch sprechenden AFF instruktoren, allerdings bin ich (fast) jedes Wochenende dort. Daher waere ich gerne bereit mit uebersetzungen zu helfen. Selber habe ich eine Coach lizens und koennte nach Self_Supervision weiterhelfen. Wir haben neben mir auch andere deutsche Springer.

I have used: Analog Atlas ION Alter In short the Alter and Atlas are the best. If you want logging function and use Paralog, go with Atlas. Otherwise order and Alter (allow some time, be patient) and enjoy.

Which settings/sport do you sue? I coudl never get the "jumpmaster" to work just right

I got my first rig on jump 15 or so. This saved me money on my A-license as I no longer needed to rent. My container held a 230 and allowed downsizing to a 190. I bought the rig in January 2016 and did so cause it was a good deal and good fit (hard for 6'6" ~ 210lbs person). In regard to your budget, leave some room in case you need to repeat a jump or two. I ended up doing Cat C. about 3 times... If you want to save money, study the SIM and dry-practice at home (a lot). Get an app with a virtual altimeter and go through the dive, over and over again, then some more. Develop the habit for the CoA. Budget a lot of beer at teh DZ, to make sure they all love you and help you learn packing...

I am surprised the student did not chop. As the training is to count to 5, look up and chop if it is no Square, Stable, Steer-able

Sicne i got my FlySight I usdae it as a logger on every jump with Paralog. As I am working my way into swooping I often look back at the data and pair it with video to determine the altitude loss on 90's, etc... I also use the FlySight to evaluate the quality of my track, especially on Trackjumps. When teaching a canopy course I use it to review the position at which students set up the landing pattern, etc. Paired with Video

Looks off, it shows that me (exiting at 280ish right now) under a 170 is high end of advanced with 600-1500 jumps. But i dont have that many jumps.... Joking aside, you want to add currency, jumps in last 12 month.

Why was the turn required to land safely on rears? I understands rears gain impact with speed, but I have landed on rears just straight in...

Really? Maybe I've missed something, but not everyone wants to start doing HP landings. Some not ever, some not within a few hundred jumps. Some wouldn't even recommend starting to learn how to do them before 500 jumps or so... Bored at work, had to comment. A HP landing is everything where you don't let your canopy fly straight for 8 seconds on final...

When I started jumping, I also was looking at new gear. Then was able to find a used rig. Admitted I do jump a lot, but my first rig was back on the market after 7 month. If I would have bought new, I would have lost a ton of money on it. This way I was able to minimize my loss. Currently I am trying to figure out if Rig #3 can be my "forever" rig, which i would then custom order. (It may or may not be, due to downsizing)

Yes, thank you for pointing this out. This is an aspect that confused me as well. I am not sure if I would be ready for an elliptical canopy, however I am loading my (current) Sabre 1 at 1.56...

How does the Crossfire 3 compare to a Sabre2? On the site it states "is the all-round maestro", but also that it is fully elliptical. Or in other words is going from a 170 Sabre 2 to a 150 Crossfire 3 a "no-no" or "ok"?

You mean it is "no canopy in the sky"

https://www.facebook.com/nzaerosports/photos/a.142006912495692.24087.139399876089729/1456694831026887/?type=3&theater It states: "Sneak peak of some #crossfire3 prototypes flying over the South Island... 📷 Chris Stewart #comingsoon" Which is an official announcement that the X-Fire 3 is coming soon. Given the picture with 3 "prototypes" I doubt it will be long.