CloudCompanion

No landing vids. Sorry. The rears on the x-fire took more input to get a response. The crossfire2 is trimmed so flat that the rears are really snappy. Almost unrealistic. I think I'm just too use to how the crossfire2 recovers. Its such a short recovery arc. It's such a narrow window to hit just right. I was being timid with the x-fire on landings. 90-120 degree turns at 380ft with all fronts. Had a few that almost went as far as my best 180+ on a crossfire2. Loads more potential there that I didn't even tap into. Just buy the canopy. You'll be stoked.

I've been told "its pretty hard to get truly prepared for a cross braced wing. It's always a big change". Maybe this fills the gap better than anything out there? Going from the crossfire2 119 to the x-fire 119 was wise. It was the increase in performance that I wanted, but I never felt like I was behind the wing. Everything felt pretty intuitive after the first high pull. When Dusty Smith jumped the demos a few months back I was still asking around about the crossfire3, Katana or Tesla. I've talked a lot of canopy w/ Dusty. All I got out of him in regards to my next wing was "fuck everything else. buy this canopy". The opening alone made up my mind. Oh, FYI... that 90 off heading in the video is the worst opening I had with it. Also, I've noticed every manufacturers flight characteristics descriptions are vague and relative. Everyone's experience, technique and natural ability are so varied that its really hard to get an idea of a wing without flying it and seeing where it fits with you. I've had a lot of wings described to me and thought they flew WAY different than described. Also, from an objective perspective, the development of high performance/midrange/advanced canopies has been stagnant. PD only makes newer HP cross braced wings. The progression of a canopy pilot 10 years ago is probably very different than the progression of a CP today. Every other sport progresses because younger generations learn on better equipment than their predecessors did. Other wings that were hot shit back in the day aren't in some peoples progressions today because their characteristics aren't what people want anymore. What people expect out of a canopy has changed and is becoming more uniform. Look at motocross. Dirtbikes used to be SO different from brand to brand. Now they're all damn near the exact same design. Each brand incorporated all the hot/new changes into their design.

When I downsized to the crossfire2 I immediately noticed how much faster the fronts loaded up. It had a much shallower glide as well. It took me a good 40 jumps to get my brain to allow me to crank a 180 at 400 feet. Even now, if I watch someone do a perfect 180 on a crossfire2 it looks stupid low. The sabre2 felt more ground hungry, but wasn't as strict, for me. If my set up and turn weren't just right, I could always muscle it into holding a dive a bit longer. The crossfire 2 just loads up and recovers positively. I hated that thing. I haven't flown a Katana. I was told by a few experienced pilots that it might be exactly what I was looking for. Then I noticed that the people with CP metals kept telling me to get a crossfire2. Haha. In regards to ultra high performance, I'm assuming they meant "ultra high performance, non-cross braced". So it flies more like a cross braced wing? The sabre2 and crossfire2 both feel responsive enough with fronts and harness, but when you give full input, it just loads up and tries to recover. They "act" like there is a lot of power waiting for you to use, but there isn't. All bark and no bite. Zippy at first, but safer because they'll load up and recover. Possibly harder to get into trouble with? The crossfire2 recovery arc was always felt like hitting a wall. I just couldn't get more out of it. It was an unbreakable law. Once you feel it start loading up, theres no stopping it. Even snapping it around won't help it. On the other hand, you can keep the x-fire diving. The X-fire feels quiet in the harness, but if you reef on it it'll build power and speed for A LOT longer before trying to recover. All bite and no bark. Feels like a no stress wing, care free opening, but when you want it to dive and keep diving, it will. Probably easier to find yourself in the corner. If you build more power, it'll take longer to recover... unlike the crossfire2. Please don't share this video. I'll leave it up for a few days if anyone wants to watch. https://vimeo.com/217050938 Most turns are full harness w/ some front pressure. I kept airspeed up so the wing was flying pretty rigid. Still pretty playful even when its trying to load up. The 540 after opening was going to be a 270, but I decided to keep it going. You'll see the hesitation in my POV. I could barely get a crossfire2 around before it would load up, let alone with any hesitation. The last 360 in the cloud that I depressurized for is all harness with some front right pressure. Comes around easy and would have loved to keep diving.

If you could find a 119 x-fire, you'd enjoy going to it from a sabre2 120. Sabre2 135 to crossfire2 119 was good and bad for me. I liked the rears, but it was trimmed too flat, coming from the sabre2. The recovery arc was dramatically shorter than the sabre2. The crossfire 2 was strict, in that it had a very narrow altitude window in which to initiate your turn. It just loaded up so fast, so it was hard to prolong your turn. I could force the sabre2 to keep diving if I needed to, which was nice. The crossfire2 would recover positively if I really wound it up. Really f*$king annoying. The X-fire is my first wing that gives me everything I want. It's not intimidating, but should be respected. On a 119 @ 1.8 it has power, but I still had to give full input. However, it does demand smooth controlled inputs. If you tug a front too quick, the wing will respond and snap in that direction faster than it can translate through your lines and to you. It felt like an extension of my body within 3 jumps, but I've still kept my turns high, looking for more power to keep it diving... just so I don't accidentally find it later on. To whoever said "how can it be a transitional canopy if its in its own class" or however they worded it, I believe they were aiming to make a stepping stone to cross braced wings. I'll let you know when I get on a cross braced.

Was hoping to try the tesla since their wings seem to have good harness response. I'm sold on the x-fire. Care free openings. Slider stays high on opening and the canopy just flys for a second before the slider comes down. Nothing off heading more than 90 degrees. Fronts are WAY more responsive than the crossfire 2 and there is way more power. "Snappy". If you tell it to go it goes! I was laughing my ass off for an entire high pull. Its easier to be quiet in the harness than the crossfire 2, but when you get on it she'll give you everything you want. The power just builds and builds. The crossfire2 feels responsive but just loads up once you lean into it. Rears are good. The crossfire 2 rears are more snappy, but only because its trimmed so flat and it doesn't dive long enough to build any real power. Overall, both canopies being [email protected], the crossfire2 feels like a turd. The x-fire is pretty intuitive and the power it can generate is surprising. Definately a stepping stone. Glad I dialed in the crossfire2 first, but glad I don't have to deal with its flat trimmed crap anymore. Buy one of these as soon as it hits the market. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Crossfire2 pilot here. Just jumped the Xfire today. Had to tell someone. Anyone. I've got her for a few more days. Everything I wished a crossfire2 was. Sooooo sexy. Flare is lower in the toggles so you can get forward in the harness without accidental toggle input. Dives longer the more you tickle her sweet spot, unlike the crossfire2 that just loads up no matter what. Wooooo she's a giver. Trimmed steeper than the crossfire2 for sure, but not katana steep. Opening in the video was exactly the same as in person. Oooooooooh! Sooo stoked for the next couple of days with her. Im F#*king buying one as soon as they're out. I was stoked on the tesla and now I don't care. Woooooooooooohoooooooooo! Will report back after more jumps. Titties