DrewEckhardt

1. You are not flying the canopy at its limits unless you're pulling 90+ degree turns after planeout, flying over obstacles on the ground, using 180/270 degree turns to build speed, landing on rear risers, making dead centers, and stopping within a couple steps. Some of those things (obstacle avoidance, accuracy, shutting down the canopy) are survival skills you should know before down-sizing because the effects of not knowing them will become increasingly critical. More radical approaches and rear riser landings are probably not yet good ideas for you. This doesn't mean that you're not bored, or that a less radical downsize will be unsafe - it's just not possible to master canopy flight or even a single canopy in a few hundred jumps. 2. Any high performance elliptical @ 1.4 pounds/square foot is going to fly radically differently (it'll dive more, respond to subtle control inputs, etc) from your Omega. I had some problems flying straight after plane-out when I switched from my Batwing 134 to my Stiletto 120 - a change of one size between elliptical canopies. Two sizes at once is a bad idea, a size + shape change is bad, and both at the same time invites comments like "show us your femur." 3. Canopies have a wing loading at which they fly best; although when underloaded within reason they still fly great. If the DZs you jump at will let you jump a high performance elliptical and you're still going to buy one after people have told you it's a bad idea, something in the 170 square foot range will give you something more twitchy and ground hungry that's less likely to break you before you master it. 4. You don't yet have enough experience jumping smaller parachutes to predict how you'll do. Although canopies don't fly much faster as they get smaller, your perceptions of the speed are radically different. Altitude lost in a dive, control sensitivity, etc. are also hard to predict and potentially problematic. 5. An intermediate performance non-square wing of your choice (Lotus, Omega, Sabre2, Spectre, etc.) ~20 square feet smaller would be a good next step. Downsize again to the same class of canopy after your local canopy gurus feel you're ready and you've made at least 100-200 jumps on your new canopy. After similar experience under your Omega 145 it may be appropriate to buy a Crossfire 145.

Your main and reserve should be sized to give acceptable landings in all conditions you intend to use them. If you dump at a reasonable altitude (reasonable minus some is enough to keep you from sniveling through Cypres firing altitude when you open lower ) and use your reserve when low (1800 feet might be a nice number) you won't have a two canopy out situation. If that does happen, canopy sizing won't guarantee or preclude problems. I've seen a Stiletto 120 and Tempo 150 flying in a nice stable side-by-side; and more similarly sized canopies in a down plane and chopped. Assuming everything is perfect, you can load a modern main canopy much more heavily than a reserve before landings are compromised (ease of getting a good landing, ultimate stall speed, etc). In an asphalt parking lot I'd really rather land a cross-baced tricell @ 2 pounds/square foot or other modern elliptical @ 1.8 than a reserve loaded beyond 1.5. With all of the likely "what-ifs" I want an even bigger reserve. If you bought a CYPRES because it will save you if you get knocked out, you ought to size your reserve to provide a surviveable landing with the brakes stowed and no flare. This is a lot bigger than what I'd want to skydive while conscious. If you bought a reserve because your main might malfunction after which you'll cut away and be under canopy lower than usual thus resulting in limited landing options, you might want a bigger reserve. If you aren't jumping similar sized F111 seven cells in both containers, you'll be a lot less current under the reserve and might want something bigger. I usually jump a Samurai 105 (and will go smaller) and PD143 (will stick with it - bigger reserves just give you more options). Although Sun Path and Relative Workshop don't build rigs compatable with this philosophy, the Mirage, Racer, and Wings are all available in reasonable size combinations for those of us who want smaller mains.

It was wonderful until it wasn't. Everyone was happy, mellow (Marta & Jimmy seem to have a calming influence), and completely stoked - even the city council member I talked to on the inclined railway. Thanks to everyone involved.

If there were other people on final approach into the wind, I'd take the down-wind to limit the number of people I could collide with and make collision avoidance easier. I think a ~5 MPH tail wind is nearly ideal for swoop distance. With that sort of wind and no traffic, I'd down wind it for fun. Otherwise, I'd start with a cross-wind landing and turn as far into the wind as I could after plane-out. With some speed and a modern non-square canopy it's real easy to turn at least 90 degrees before you run out of lift.

Heavier control lines are used with both flavors of spectra (550/825) and might need replacement arround 300 jumps. This costs about $25 from your local rigger and isn't a big deal. 550 spectra seems to go out of trim within 600 jumps. Depending on how symetrical the shrinkage is you might want a reline at this point, which will cost about $200 from the manufactruer. 825 might last longer - I didn't put enough jumps on my canopy with the heavier lines to find out. ZP fabric will last a long, long, long time. My old Stiletto has 1200 jumps on it and is fine apart from needing new lines. At that age the fabric isn't at all slippery and the stitching holes have opened up some so it's real easy to pack.

You should start packing when you can continue packing. If your DZ isn't too busy, you might be able to pack the rigs you jump so now might be a fine time. If there's too much of a backlog, you might wait until you buy a rig. If they need packers and you want to finance your habbit, last year would have been even better than now.

The PDs land best, have the most reinforcement, are rated for higher deployment weight/speeds than others, and some effort from PD to obtain desireable TSOs (slinks are legal on PD reserves; and they were trying for their own 6-month cycle). Give PD a call, they'll send you a demo with a bridle ring attached, and you can see for yourself.

When I was buying gear, I was skinny (probably 155 pounds, 180 out the door). The DZ was new and had only Skymaster 295s for rentals. After graduating AFF, I asked people what I should be jumping. The replies were evenly split between 190 and 210, I found a used Turbo Z 205, and started using that on jump #13. Found that it was surprisingly fast, it planed out on landing, I didn't finish flaring, and I got a bit grass stained. That said, I wouldn't recommend such a large jump. It's less easy to hurt yourself under a larger parachute but still possible (I think the small woman I know who broke both wrists did it under something arround 200 square feet). While physics mean that smaller canopies aren't much faster, they seem a lot quicker. Individuals react differently to this and the increased control sensitivity - I didn't have any real problems until I got my Stiletto and couldn't fly in a straight line when landing.

On consecutive weekends, I did AFF1 at my home DZ AFF2 at my home DZ AFF3-6 on a business trip AFF7 at my home DZ. No repeats and I finished 3 weeks sooner than I would have if I had to make my schedule fit the available instructors at home. If you're in a similar situation (it's slow where you are, you'll be gone on a trip, etc) I'd recommend it - skydiving is a lot easier when you've done it recently. If you just want to travel, wait until after graduation - it's easier if you're using the same equipment, landing in the same area, etc. and you'll get to know the local instructors better.

I think I use my first two fingers. Never had any problems on any of the canopies I've owned or jumped; only the FX104 and Lightning 143 (without using the 2:1s) seemed excessive.

If you're going to buy a new canopy, I'd get a Samurai. I did.... Otherwise, it would depend on your wing loading, how much money you want to spend, and how long you plan on keeping the canopy. If you're going to be

Can I ask why you thought the crossfire (2?) fell short? Crossfire 1 - presumably the 2 is a different beast. It's been a while, although IIRC it surrounded subjective control influences. Sensitivity, weight on the toggles/risers, etc. Swoop & bottom end flare were nice.

There isn't anything wrong with Ravens, Sabres, or Stilettos. Each still offers the same level of performance it did when brand new; although newer designs have eclipsed all of these canopies especially when loaded more heavily. Every one who is ready for an elliptical canopy should put some jumps on a Stiletto. If nothing else it will teach you to land a responsive canopy (I think FX 104s and Samurai 105s are easier to land than a Stiletto 120 at the same weight) when you still have some square footage over your head and provide a useful benchmark for comparison. The one reservation I have about making an absolute recomendation is how it recovers from a dive. Newer designs take longer to come out and give you more lattitude in where you start. Many will stay in a nose-down attititude so where you finish is less critical. With the Stiletto, you will be in the habbit of starting lower, and may prefer to err towards the too low side because of the speed you loose if you finish your turn too high. This is based on about 600 jumps on a Stiletto 120 @ 1.7-1.4 pounds/square foot (belly shrinking is good for hiking and dating but bad for wing loading); 20 on a Samurai 120 @ 1.7; 80 on a Samurai 105 @ 1.7; and a few on other ellipticals up to 1.9. Mostly at ~5000 feet MSL.

I know and know of many who fly highly loaded Crossfires, Samurais, Cobalts etc but I don't know anyone keen on highly loaded Stilletos. If you're going to wing load beyond about 1.6-1.7 pounds per square foot (depending on elevation), you'll have more pleasant stall speeds, longer swoops, and maybe a better glide from something else. Up to that point, a lot of us believe that the Stiletto's overall package (responsiveness, control pressures, glide, opening firmness/consistancy, swoop length, etc) was unequaled until very recently (the Samurai beats it; Extreme FX, Crossfire, Vengance, Blade Runner, Jonathan, Batwing, etc. all fall short for different reasons). A ten year old design holding up that long is impressive.

Skysurfing is neat but it lacks social aspects of other skydiving disciplines which keep them fun after many jumps and isn't scary enough to stay interesting without that.

However many it takes to be able to land it (as suggested by previos experience under a 135, 150 before that, etc.) in any conditions - down wind, in a concrete parking lot, in some one's back yard, etc. While speed is essentially determined by wing loading, a parachute's control sensitivity comes mostly form size. Either can be the limit for the size below which you're more likely to have problems.

The one which requires the least toggle input to plane out.

Yeah. Naked RW, naked freefly, naked cloud jump (at noon, fell through my shadow), naked swoop. Lots of fun provided there are naked members of the opposite sex, it's summer, not too early in the morning, and you keep your leg straps tight. Will definately have to get naked @ couch freaks

There are DZOs who'll sell you a CYPRES at their cost because they think everyone should have one. Along those lines, I paid about $900 brand new for each of my Cypres units - one in 1998, the other in 2000.

A different colored center cell knocks a couple seconds off my pack job; although that's not significant even on a 7 minute pack job. Looking at the bottom skin, you can keep your pack job symetric by counting/eyeballing the lines - there need to be the same number on each side. From the top, I've never seen a canopy that didn't have a warning label and/or piece of tape on the center cell at the trailing edge.

Hand-held drogue chutes.

If I setup higher than I'd like, I slow down my turn with opposite front riser. In the right place, I use just one because it builds more speed.

Dave is much better at getting wet. I only managed to get my slider, lines, harness, and a couple of main flaps wet on my second pond swoop/first chow. Looks good, although turning too low meant finishing with a carving toggle turn that ate up lift mediocre and I then let myself sink up to knee deep which really didn't work worse

I'm between jobs, open to travel, and a couple of friends want me to go to Burning man (from Colorado); although I think I'm leaning more towards Couch Freaks. I figure that the popular bridge in Idaho would make a nice halfway mark. And while Moab is still too toasty to hike all day, stopping there on the way back and getting some morning loads off would be nice. Any one from points east of Nevada share the same idea?

Provided that you cut away before landing and don't have a marginal spot. Every canopy has a wing loading beyond which increases start to degrade the performance - the glide gets steeper, swoops shorter, and there's little lift left when you use it for something other than flaring after plane-out (this could lead to an injury). There are also wing loadings beyond which you will find the stall speed unacceptably high if you can't reduce it by partially unloading the canopy, especially with a slight tail wind on a hot summer day (this could lead to an injury if you opt not to slide in on your ass). At elevation (4500-6000 feet MSL), I'll jump air locked and cross-braced canopies at 1.9 pounds/square foot but won't load a square beyond 1.5. Even at that point, larger squares or more efficient planforms are better (more enjoyable and safer) options. With a 200 pound exit weight, Monarch and Sabre 135s (1.48 lbs/foot) seem to stall with more speed than Stiletto 120s (1.67) and Samurai 105s (1.90). Their poor response to toggle input at that loading make it more difficult to be leveled out at ground level for a gradual weight transfer and slower stall, and there's little lift left if you use some to go arround an obstacle. Having shrunk my belly+exit weight by 25 pounds and played with the canopies in question at different wing loadings, I suspect that up here squares seem to perform optimally at 1.3-1.4 pounds/square foot, Stiletto class canopies 1.6-1.7, and air-locked chutes more than 1.7 and less than 1.9 (ordered mine after my belly shrunk, and haven't played with lead yet). Down at sea level a size smaller would definitely be nice with the Sabre+Stiletto (don't know about the Samurai yet). Those numbers aren't too out of line with the maximum loadings from PD (1.5 for the Sabre, 1.7 for the Stiletto, 1.8 for the Vengance) and Big Air (1.8 on the Samurai).