jasonf

Fortunately in Australia all the new jumpers I have seen coming through recently and over the past couple of years have an awesome attitude and are great people to be around. This is reflected in the standard of jumping and the relatively low number of injuries in Oz. I am excited about seeing where the sport of BASE his heading and look forward to seeing more new jumpers. Jason F

Line Mod is obsolete. This is my opinion only and in no way do I suggest people should stop using line mod. I stopped using line mod about 2 years ago. I simply keep the brake line through the slider and keeper ring and place the toggle directly in the brake setting, just the same as slider up. I do not use the extra loop as it can hold the brake line after releasing the toggle. The main reason for this was when standing at the exit point I felt more comfortable knowing my pack job had the same brake line set up every time (not necessarily the same brake setting). The reasons for this were mainly local, I was jumping a slider up object a lot which would have meant changing my brake lines regularly and the most common jumps up here are slider down with 1000 foot + canopy rides. This led to me thinking about how important it was to use line mod. I know of no incidents where a line mod has corrected a malfunction where a tailgate was used, I’m not saying it hasn’t happened just I don’t know of any cases and I have tried hard to find one. I believe the chances of line mod saving me on a line over slider down are slim. If line mod worked so well I don’t believe the tailgate would have been invented. I have witnessed toggles release on opening twice, a slider up jump with line mod as well as 3 new jumpers using LRT incorrectly. There are also numerous stories of incidents of line mod being used incorrectly resulting in near misses, injury and one possibly resulting in a death (The List #55). I know the answer should be to never get it wrong but jumpers with less than 10 and more than 500 jumps have gotten it wrong. I am honest enough to admit that it is possible one day while packing multiple rigs slider up and down late at night with distractions I may get it wrong. I estimate that you would have to do a go and throw from 400 feet with an overhung object to give yourself a reasonable chance of line mod saving you. If someone has a better idea of how much height is required to clear a line over, correct heading and land safely it would be appreciated. For me on every slider down jump if I was to use line mod the risk of a packing mistake, dropping a toggle after opening and the added difficulty in flying the canopy is not justified. In the era of multiple rigs it can be a battle just to remember where the slider is without being concerned with multiple brake configurations as well. It is important to analyze individual cases but it is more important to review all jumps and incidents that have happened in the past 5 years and review them as a whole. If you do this I believe the case for using line mod is weak. At best it becomes a case of personal preference in regard to flight characteristics but I see no case for added safety. Slider up jumping is where I believe the risk of a line over is. People generally seem to be quite content to accept this risk and I have never seen anyone get worked up about jumping slider up without a hook knife or any other means of clearing a potential line over. I have not seen any release toggles that I would use as they either require you to release the toggle and the brake in such a way it would probably require the use of 2 hands while your canopy is turning uncontrolled. The Vertigo toggle is single action but uses a pin and press stud. I have only ever heard bad things about press studs. I believe any advantages gained from using these toggles would not out way the disadvantages. Since I have stopped using line mod I have ensured all my rigs have a hook knife, it may not save me but I see no disadvantages of having it. I also make sure to always have spare tailgates. This is my opinion only and we all have to live with our own choices. Jason Fitz-Herbert

For me it would come down to landing area. Generally when I jump a B where there is a lot of landing hazards I choose my Fox over my FLiK as it is easier to sink and is a little slower. If the landing area is reasonably clear I will go the FLiK for its better glide and flare. Both canopies work fine regarding inflation, heading and pressurisation. The fact the FLiK is a lighter canopy for its size lends me to choose it over the Fox for low FF’s if the landing area allows it. The landing area is normally my primary concern as this is where most injuries tend to occur. Jason Fitz-Herbert

A Vtec Fox or FLiK only require one brake setting. Using a non Vtec slider down brake setting with Vtec results in a surge backwards after opening. I have experienced this with a Fox I had retrofitted and also on an early Vtec Fox which came with 2 brake settings standard. There is footage on the 2003 ABA video of Jesse doing his first jump (a PCA) using a Vtec Fox packed using the old factory non Vtec deep brake setting, the canopy opens and then surges backwards. At Petronas this year I was using both the old slider down and the slider up setting for sub terminal slider up delays, both worked well. I would not use and do not see a need for a shallower brake setting than the single setting currently available on a Fox and FLiK. Basically I have found sub terminal slider up it is possible to use a deeper brake setting than slider down. A lot has happened since I first suggested removing the 5th upper control line. More jumpers have had issues with the 5th control line and more jumpers have removed it. In relation to DBS the problem is the 5th line condenses your control range. With 4 control lines 4 inches between brake settings works well on a Fox or FLiK. You can then really fine tune your DBS setting by using 2 inch spacing between settings if you wish. The condensed control range of the 5th control line means you have to use 2 inches between settings and if you wanted to fine tune your DBS you would have 1 inch between settings. If your DBS is not quite correct and you have 5 upper control lines it will effectively be twice as bad as with 4 upper control lines. There is also the issue of lengthening the brake line from the brake setting to the toggle to help prevent stalling on landing. A lot more toggle input is then required to initiate a turn after opening. I also found that with 5 control lines forward speed on opening would vary greatly with delay time. A PCA would require a much shallower DBS to a 3 second delay slider down to achieve similar forward speed on opening. The problem I have with the 5 control lines on a Fox or FLiK is that it works great when your jump goes to plan and you are jumping in good conditions. It’s when your jump doesn’t go as planned and you find yourself trying to land down wind or trying to avoid unexpected obstacles that the sporty nature of the canopy causes problems. Jumpers in Oz have found the 5th control line will work great and love it until they do that jump where they have to do the unexpected. There would be about 10 jumpers who have now removed the 5th control line and so far none have felt the need to replace it. I am not sure how much of this applies to other canopies but it would be interested to find out. Jason Fitz-Herbert

In reply to: "I've always seen more available forward speed as alwayspositive". You definitely have a valid point, a faster canopy has a wider range of possible speeds. It also enables better penetration into strong winds and has potential to generate more lift during flare. If two canopies were identical in every aspect of their performance only one had more available forward speed - then I would choose it. However, in reality if two canopies have different forward speeds then they will also behave differently in other ways. There are many different factors that need to be considered when selecting a canopy such as - nature of landing areas primarily being used, types of approaches needed for landing areas, available height/time to set up for landing, type of jumps being performed, jumper's background and personal preference etc and how the canopy performs in these areas. I do not believe it is possible to fly and land a Black Jack at the same speed as a FOX and if it were I believe it would take a lot of practice. Flying in brakes is necessary sometimes but it means you are deforming the wing and hence the more brake you have to use the less efficient your wing is going to be. I do not believe all canopies should have as little forward speed as a FOX, there needs to be a balance. I have owned a Mojo but no longer jump one, not because of its forward speed but because it does not sink as well as a FOX with Vtec and it is sensitive to surging or stalling on opening. To date 6 jumpers in Oz believe the 5th upper control line on a FLiK/FOX make the canopy to difficult to fly safely. In my opinion a faster canopy has the potential to result in the following disadvantages: * Harder to sink at steep angles for extended lengths of time (as required when sinking into a small landing area surrounded by 20ft trees) * Landings with little forward momentum tend to be harder to achieve * Landings with forward momentum require several steps to be taken when touching down (more suited to landing areas without large rocks & not on steep slopes) * Object strikes when landing have the potential to be harder * Has potential to generate more speed in turns * Potential to surge more erratically when transitioning from a deep sink to drive * More difficult to establish ideal brake settings for various openings (slider down, sub-terminal slider up etc.) due to increased sensitivity * Less time to make decisions while under canopy In Oz the landing areas are primarily steep slopes or covered in large rocks and sometimes both. When your feet touch the ground you want as little forward speed as possible. The landings I have seen in nil wind with the Ace/BJ indicated that the canopy planes out in the flare. I have not been in a position to measure the speed but when you hear the suspension lines whistle through the air, the thought of jumping one is Oz scares me. There is an experienced Oz jumper who even believes a FLiK is too fast for our conditions. While I understand where he is coming from you have to balance the overall performance of both canopies. I am about to purchase a larger FLiK but I would be willing to change the order to Blackjack. I have considered purchasing a Black Jack in the past, without the ZP composite, but decided to purchase a canopy that was more likely to fill my requirements. I would love to be able to jump other manufacture's gear and see if it possibly out performs the gear currently being used but I don't have to funds available to do this. I'm not interested in getting into a debate about which canopy would be best or which gear manufacturer is better etc, all canopies work it's just important to know if it suits your needs and understand the flight characteristics of each. Like I have stated in the past it would be good to see a wider range of gear used in Oz, but on the up side of one gear dominating the market the information exchange is great. Jumpers do own Black Jacks in Oz and maybe one of them will post how they feel. I suspect they would rather have a slower canopy regardless of manufacturer. This discussion is very subjective and who knows what the next generation of canopies will bring. Generally speaking, the current generation of new gear seems to lean towards being higher performance. As a whole I am not opposed to this, there just needs to be a balance and care needs to taken that we don't go too far in performance. You don't have to BASE jump a 9 cell skydiving canopy to know it may not be a good idea. Tom as someone who has a lot of jumps on a Black Jack do you believe a Black Jack is likely to out perform a FLiK in Oz? I have come close to buying a Black Jack in the past and may consider owning one if you believe it would be a wise investment.

As an experienced Australian jumper I would recommend a canopy that is best suited to classic accuracy style landings. The following characteristics would be highly desirable: - Able to sink with little forward speed in nil wind conditions - Forgiving flare - Easy to fly - Consistently land with little forward speed in nil wind conditions In my opinion the canopy that performs best in this area is a FLiK with 4 upper control lines. The superior flight characteristics of the aerofoil with improved glide make it a better choice than a FOX. I have not jumped a Blackjack but I have seen them jumped and consider their forward speed excessive, unfortunately this applies to most BASE canopies with respect to jumping in Australia. There is also a question about Blackjack openings sub-terminal slider up. I would not recommend pioneering a Troll, but if you do there would be a number of people who would be interested to hear how you go. Any BASE specific canopy will work, it's just a question of which is going to fulfill your requirements best. At your weight, I would recommend a canopy in the 260 sq/ft range. The .7 wing loading formula is outdated and a larger canopy I believe would be beneficial in your circumstances. I would suggest a Prism 2 or Vertex 2 as it will simplify your ordering process and may save you some $ allowing you to spend more on safety gear (a solid pair of padded knee pads is highly recommended). Ignoring the looks, I have always found the Prism to be the most functional container and is my personal favorite. If you don’t have anyone to help with packing you may want to consider a Velcro container for easier closing and more consistent heading performance, though Velcro is not suitable for wingsuit jumps. I believe containers are a very personal choice as they all work. I don't believe the sites we jump in Australia are any harder that those jumped in other countries. We just jump hard sites on a regular basis due to a lack of objects at the easier end of the spectrum. The height of the objects is not the big issue; however the nature of the landing areas we regularly use is. Not to many of the landing areas are flat or have grass. I have personally used a FLiK/Prism for everything from 110 feet to terminal and wingsuit. Jason Fitz-Herbert

Sorry it should read that the brake setting closest to the toggle is the shallower setting. Sorry for any confusion it may cause. Jason Fitz-Herbert

My opinion- The number 1 or deepest brake setting was removed from the Fox and then the FLiK because after Vtec was fitted, using the number 1 brake setting for slider down jumps would result in the canopy surging backwards on opening. The shallower or number 2 brake setting became the preferred setting for slider down jumps. I have witnessed this many times and experienced it myself when I had my first Fox retrofitted. I have Video footage from above of a jumper doing his first BASE jump recently from a bridge using a borrowed Fox, using the number 1 or deepest brake setting the canopy surges backwards on opening. I don’t know of any objects where this would be considered a good thing. I know a jumper with 300 jumps on a Vtec Fox with the single factory brake setting and it works fine for him. What I do- When I receive a new canopy I jump the factory setting for at least 20 jumps to ascertain weather I think it is too deep, shallow or spot on. If the factory setting was way off the mark then I would change it immediately but it has been a quite a few years since I have seen a factory brake setting that far off. I then add 2 more settings 4 inches apart. If I think the setting is spot on I will add a shallower and deeper setting. If I think the setting is too shallow I will add 2 deeper settings. If I think the setting is too deep I will add 2 shallower settings. When the opportunity arises I try the different settings to confirm I am using the optimum brake setting. The most important thing is then to log all your jumps noting delay and brake setting used. I number the brake settings starting with number 1 being closest to the toggle and 3 closest to the canopy. If your canopy has 5 upper control lines or has a steep angle of attack (such as a Mojo) then 2 inches between brake settings (instead of 4) may be required. Without you going through this process it is unreasonable to expect a manufacturer to provide you with a range of brake settings and an accurate description of how each will respond to openings for various delays. Where you have your brake settings can be very personal. I believe we generally should all try and achieve the same thing, minimal forward speed on opening while losing the least amount of height. Using the stall point as the deep brake setting will result in minimal forward speed (and possibly surging backwards) but result in non-ideal height loss and a canopy that is slow to respond to riser input. A brake setting shallower than the ideal deep brake setting will result in losing minimal height but not enough to justify the extra forward speed. If you find this balance the resulting brake setting should enable the best possible response to rear riser input. The most important thing is to understand where your brake setting is, why, and what it means for you on opening. On slider up sub terminal jumps, in order to achieve the same forward speed on opening, I will often use a brake setting 4 inches deeper than what I use for slider down jumps. To say I am using a deeper setting is not quite true as both jumps were made using the deep brake setting for the given delay and configuration. In my experience with jumping low objects the effect of the brake setting on canopy pressurization is irrelevant. When selecting a brake setting it becomes more important to consider the glide and canopy control achieved in the first 3 seconds after pressurization. Jason Fitz-Herbert Quote