Geoff

...I saw the title of the thread and expected a list of rules for the use of the Orlando WT.

I had a new sabre 135 that opened much too fast for my liking, with a couple of nasty slammers within 50 jumps or so. I emailed PD and they sent me a new slider FOC. As I recall (I no longer have the canopy), the eplacement slider was 2 inches larger chordwise (front-to-back) but the same width. I did about a further hundred jumps before selling the canopy. It certainly made the openings more acceptable (no slammers), but still quite brisk compared to more modern canopy designs. I would definitely recommend (a) dont just try a random larger slider. (b) talk to PD or a least an experienced rigger. HTH Geoff

I'm not suggesting that each of the examples is a well known phrase, just that it's common to describe something as 'perfectly good' for emphasis- airplane or not. Maybe just in the UK? I just tried Google for "perfectly good" (with quotes to match exact phrase) and the first mention of planes is entry number 5. Not sure if that supports my point or not! Geoff

The 'perfectly good' phrase isn't specific to planes or skydiving- You often hear "why would you xxx with a perfectly good yyy?" in different contexts e.g. "why would you crash a perfectly good car?" "why would you spoil a perfectly good shirt?" "why would you swim when there's a perfectly good boat?" "Why would you eat out when there's perfectly good food at home?" etc etc etc.... Geoff

That's right for the UK - jumpmaster in charge (second only to the pilot) on every lift, but not most other countries, and not under USPA rules. We're definitely in the minority. Geoff

Firestorm Most James Bond films ......

I have an M0 G3, which originally contained a Sabre 135 - it was very tight. Now I have a Cobalt 105 in it (I would guess a similar volume to the K107). I (and my rigger) consider the fit to be adequately tight for freeflying - obviously the closing loop is as short as practical, and of course, it's pretty easy to pack. YMMV, but I would think you'd be OK. HTH Geoff

Leg strap systems do have a few advantages over BOC - you can see the toggle, and it can be easier to clear some types of horseshoe malfunction (if the canopy deploys with the pilot chute still in its pouch, the pouch will stay still against your leg where you can see it and pull the PC out, whereas a BOC pouch will flap around behind your back once the main is out). However, on balance, they are widely regarded as old fashioned, prone to premature deployments, prone to packing errors, require diligent and frequent velcro maintenance, and are definitely totally unacceptable for freeflying. Personally, I would not recommend a leg-strap system for any new jumper. The only reason to use a leg-strap system is if you've already been jumping one for years and don't want to change. The good news is that many containers can be converted from legstrap to BOC, and it shouldn't be too expensive - ask your nearest friendly rigger. Hope that helps. Geoff

I once complained to PD about a hard-opening Sabre 135, and they sent me a new slider - it was the same width as the original, but 2 inches longer chordwise as you describe. It certainly seemed to slow the openings. Didn't try it with a wingsuit, though. HTH Geoff

I'm sure airfoil, planform, line trim and wing rigidity during the flare all play a part. Probably some other factors as well.

I must correct this - nobody was killed in the swooping accident, but 2 people sustained serious injuries. Geoff

It's true for the original Safire and Omega, but not the Safire 2, which is now measured the same way as PD canopies. This has been discussed here a few times, and an official response from Icarus posted, so try a search for more details. Geoff

Just bear in mind the statistic that unhappy customers on average tell ten people, but happy customers on average tell one..... or whatever the numbers are.....you know what I mean. People shout louder when they're pissed off. Very happy with my Cobalt for the last 300 jumps. Much better openings, glide, and flare than the Safires and Sabres I jumped previously. Much less twitchy than a Stiletto. Best canopy I ever jumped by a long way. Geoff

thanks for the correction Craig.

There's an article about this in a recent copy of Skydiving magazine. Someone did some trials under 3 different sub-100sqft canopies with a test cypres (i.e. one not in his reserve container). IIRC he came close to quoted cypres firing speeds, but he could not actually make the thing fire, though he stopped short of concluding it was therefore impossible. But it's probably better to check out a copy yourself than rely on my half-remembered version. Geoff