spectreflyer

I currently jump a Spectre 150 and have jumped the 230, 190 and 170 also. I love them and think they are great. The larger in size the slower the opening has been my experience with the Spectre. Great openings and great landings and a performance envelope that will keep you excited. Make sure you get credible advice from an instructor if you are downsizing or have been away from the sport for any length of time. Enjoy!

Where is here? Your link doesn't work for me.

Plank, I jump from a trike all the time. There is nothing to it (if you have a good pilot) that is! Some things to remember. 1. Do a complete check of your gear before going up. Things coming loose or getting out with a spinning prop behind you can have nasty consequences. 2. Keep your hand on your pilot chute handle on the way up (keep it secure). 3. A trike glides very well. Get the the altitude you wish to jump and have the pilot kill the engine. Jumping from a trike is almost like making a base jump. The trike will feel as if it is not moving, because it is moving so slow. When you jump it feels like you jumped from a fixed object. 4. Make sure you are clear of all the wires and landing gear when you leap off. P.S., It's addictive!

Only one of the Golden Knight's team uses Flight Concepts canopies. There are two different GK teams, Gold and Black. The other team uses PD canopies.

Many years ago I saw a guy crash onto a persons property while performing aerobatics to low to the ground. The property owner would not allow the owner to move the plane until payment was made for the damage. Don't know how this relates to a skydiver, but just thought I would pass it along. I have landed off several times. Luckily, no nasty property owner or damage. I've also seen a skydiver strike a parked airplane. Needless to say, the owner was not a happy camper!

Everyone has their reasons, here are mind. If I can afford it I will have it. I can and I do. There are times I have not jumped with one. Demo or training jumps (solo) where the risk of a collision is not there (with another person that is). I would not jump without one on a RW dive. I recently saw a cypres save in July. A C license jumper couldn't find his hacky or reserve handle. He had already given up and prepaired to die. His Cypres and only his Cypres changed all of that. YES, I'm pro Cypres!

Fellow jumpers, For those who follow demo post like I do, this is not just about dues and raising the bar for the PRO rating. If something doesn't happen soon, skydiving in general as we know it will forever be changed. I fully believe we are facing a major crisis! Just take a look at the events of 9/11. Boeing and the owners of the World Trade Centers are now being sued for causing 9/11. Does that make any sense? If USPA doesn't realize soon what they are facing, they will wake-up one day and say, what the heck happened! Where did all of our members go? No insurance, no members! That's how most jumpers feel. If there is no insurance, why pay the dues. If DZ's no longer can afford the insurance, it want stop me from jumping. I have a place to jump besides the DZ, but most people don't have that luxury. Without DZ's, the gear manufacturers will go away, etc., etc., etc. Guys, this is serious business! If we start now, we may be able to save our sport. Some will think I am crying wolf and over reacting. Some have already, like myself, seen the light, no light in this case, at the end of the tunnel!

Go back and re-read the article slowly. I thought it was very informative. He (Glen) said that the insurance companies settled the claims rather than going to court to fight them. It's happening in all areas of life. Insurance companies have a far better chance settling with a claimant, rather than facing a sympathetic jury.

e-bay will not allow firearms to be sold on their site. I'm supprised they allow rigs, base or skydiving!

Anyone know the pack volume and weight of an Ace 280?

Twardo, I think the post is misunderstanding me. I am not going to exit an airplane at 1200 feet. I am looking for information on different types of canopies for demos. I have used a Spectre 230, a PD-253, a GPI-245, a Spectre 170 and am just starting to jump a friend of mines, MoJo. But I haven't jumped on a demo with a MoJo. The demo I saw with the 1200msl exit had a form 7711 for his jump, but I don't know if the FAA had a official there to observe. Tell me what keeps a jumper from exiting from 1200 feet and what ramifications the pilot would suffer? The BSR's are voluntary, not mandatory! Again, I am not going to be exiting at that low of an altitude...I prefer to live to be an old jumper.

I called CR and the MoJo is still available. BUT, the manufacturing time will be very long. CR manufactures the MoJo. The Ace and BJ are contracted out to PD, I think. According to CR the Ace and Blackjack were refinements to the MoJo and if I purchase a new one, it will probably be an Ace.

Compliance with the BSR's are voluntary, not mandatory. I personally would not exit at 1200 feet. Demo insurance calls for compliance with the BSR's which opening at or above 2,000 feet should meet the requirements!

The MoJo is still available according to their website. The topskin is an option. The reason im considering a base specific canopy is that I want to exit the plane on demo jumps at low altitude so the crowd can see the jumper. That's what my customers are asking for. I normally jump a small Spectre and I demo'ed a large one. The larger the Spectre the slower it opens. I jumped a 210 and 230 and they open too slow for these domo's. I would love to stick with the Spectre as a demo, but I would have to exit higher, which my sponsor does not want. A friend of mine does demo's with a MoJo. He exits at 1200 feet and has an open canopy within a hundred feet or so!

I'm looking for feedback from those whom have used a MoJo canopy, (mainly in a skydiving configuration), such as for demo jumps. Looking for information on how the canopy flys, sinks, lands and flares. I'm considering one for doing demo jumps. The main reasons: It opens fast because it is designed mainly for base, and can be purchased with a ZP top skin.

I'm looking for feedback from those whom have used a MoJo canopy, mainly in a skydiving configuration, such as for demo jumps. Looking for information on how the canopy flys, sinks, lands and flares. I'm considering one for doing demo jumps. The main reasons: It opens fast and can be purchased with a ZP top skin.

Does anyone have experience with a Laser 7 reserve? Who makes/made it? Are they reliable and trustworthy? I'm looking at a rig that has one it it. That's why I ask.

There was a girl at Rantoul demoing a smaller canopy than she normally jumps, opened at normal altitude, had a mal., finally got it cut away, and ended up having to land in the backyard of a sub-division (about 10 square feet of yard). She landed about 15 feet up in a tree and fell to the ground. Needless to say she fractured many bones in her body. Micro canopies are great as long as you are landing perfectly, but like the last post said, when someone cuts you off, or you find yourself downwind and too low to change direction, or you have an off DZ landing, you would give both balls to have a lot more material above your head! Swooping in to look cool like your friends will not look so cool out the window of a hospital, or even worse, your friends may be looking down on you as you lie in your casket. Down sizing too fast is and can be deadly!

Yes, I currently and will most likely always jump a Spectre! I am considering a larger Spectre for a demo canopy. I am looking at carrying an American flag and jumping into mostly level one areas. I got a Spectre 230 demo from PD and it was great, except it took forever to open, as PD had told me that the larger the Spectre the longer it would take to open.

How long will an F-111 canopy last (give a good flare) considering that it is taken well care of? Trying to decide between ZP and F-111 for a demo canopy.

Thanks for the info Sparky. I made my first jump in 82. I still use an RSL and AAD. Take a look at the fatality that happened at Rantoul a few weeks ago (I was there). Sounds like a RSL could have saved this man's life. He had a malfunction, cut it away, but ran out of altitude trying to get the reserve out! We could argue this point forever. It's your life and it's your death. You decide!

I have been jumping a Spectre 170 since 2002. I'm loading it 1 to 1 (conservative type) I want a slow opening, but I have never had the feeling that it was taking too long. I've only had one hard opening on my Spectre (slack or hurried packing probably) and it ripped my risers, but did no damage to the canopy. I love mine, in fact I'm getting ready to order a new one for demo jumps with a flag. If you are a new jumper, you would be much better off in a spinning Spectre than a highly elliptical, highly loaded wing, Believe me! You will have plenty of time to deal with the problem on a Spectre.

Jim Wallace is going to sell me a flag package like this set-up. $300 bucks for the flag, rigging and video on how to use it. I need to start with something small and gain some experience before moving up to something larger and more complicated, such as a flag hanging below me. Thanks for the advice!

Anyone have any experience flying the flag from the main canopy lines? I think this would be safer, less danger of snagging the weight or flag on an obsticle, plus you need a ground crew to catch the flag when landing. A jumper with the Golden Knight's told me they used a simple process (bag sewn to bottom skin of canopy). Has anyone seen the Army's set-up, up close and personal? I think I would like to use the Army's set-up, but I have to see one first or find someone who can rig it for me. Ed Cummings wanted about $1500 bucks to do this for me.

Jim, I'm looking to start out on something in the neighborhood of an 8x10 to 10x12. My weight without gear is 170. The Spectre 210 is probably more in my exit weight range, I would like something I can grow into if I want to move up to a larger flag which requires more weight on the flag, so I may go with a 230 . Where can I get the book "Demo Details"? Does USPA sell this or does the gear stores carry it? Thanks for your advice and help!