Hi all,
I'm a newer jumper, started last year, and have been wondering about types of canopy progression. I'm taking my own progression pretty conservatively and with the input of coaches/riggers at my DZ, so this question is more out of curiosity than to guide my personal canopy choices right now.
The setup: I know that size and shape both contribute to how aggressive/responsive/potentially dangerous a canopy is, and that often people work towards flying smaller and more tapered wings. Most people seem to downsize first on a more square canopy, then when they hit a certain threshold transition to more elliptical canopies, and might continue downsizing after advancing in platform type. So for example, flying Pilots until you get down to a 124, then switching to Katanas and downsizing in more tapered canopies from there.
My question: What are the pro/cons of transitioning to a more tapered wing earlier on? Say, moving from a Pilot 168 to a Stiletto 170, and downsizing with elliptical canopies from there?
Thanks for any input!
