bobsharc

I got my fire retardant blankie out so bring on the flaming - In my opinion i reckon im safer on this(165 @ 1.1.1 ) than being 20 pounds lighter and being on a 150 @ 1.1.1 I dont mean safe tho just safer . I also have a kinda thing goin with someone and im sure he wont mind being named - skyhighkiy - thing being he is gonna be a crater before me.not that i want either of us to bounce but i know tis gonna happen its just about time .Being that im gonna do it anyway who has advice for me to learn how to swoop with minimal risk.I keep being told ( correctly im assuming) that if i have to stab out to avoid hitting the ground im doing it not just wrong but dangerously wrong . I also dont attempt this in unfavourable winds- in fact i hardly ever jump if there is wind i much prefer no wind at all - i think ( waiting on corrections )that the faster you want to come in the less wind the more ideal for landings Bob(the soon to be injured) whats cooler telling your whuffo friends you had a skydiving accident or them around your casket telling each other what a guy you WERE!??again sorry about the long posts people.BLUE SKIES ALL Know enough to know you dont know enough. Me , I know it all

Info to start- 200 jumps turbo Z 165 wingloading a pound or two over 1 to 1. Interests - SWOOPING. Ok I was gonna buy a 150 not 165 but at the end I made the decision but strongly influenced by others. I didnt listen to the people telling me youll be ok on a 150 vision or something similar - im glad right now i have a 165 . I spent a while doing straight in double fronts and eventually progressed to doin somewhere between a 90 and a 270 depending on the set up and the other canopys in the air and a couple of other factors - not doing to bad but i have had a couple of scares not quite close calls coz im getting used to the performance of the canopy but ones that get the heart thumping. Ive had plenty of onse where i come in too fast ( too fast for me) and have to stab a flare and end up ten foot off the ground again( they hurt most times)That said however i did have one 'bounce' not too hard and it was my fault for doing it in kinda flukey winds so i deserved it. For me i really wanna be like the big boys and be cool and swoop (correctly tho) so i pull a touch high do lotsa hop and pops and just generally wring out the canopy- I recovered from mild induced line twists a couple jumps ago so im gettin to know the limits (after about 70 jumps - sorry forgot to put how many jumps on this canopy)Anyway i do my front riser in watch the ground the trees the people whatevr and when i realise oh crap thats when i flare -sometimes i call it just before and plane out high but more often than not i have to stab out to prevent hitting the ground .I know that is not how to swoop or learn but we were all at this stage once (or will be) I havnt had any real 'coaching' but am getting a lot of advice from a lot of people . I know enough to seperate bad from good however and there is people id listen to more so i am getting some good 'ground coaching ' as such .I witnessed a real bad swoop gone wrong a while back kinda one of my mentors and it was just as i was starting 90s so it shook me up a little(loading a fx or maybe vx 104 at 2.6 to 1...nasty) - i know no matter how good you are its just more or less a matter of time before.!....One of my main guys i listen to has about 8000 jumps not really current anymore - but he wingloads his jonathon 120 at 1.2 to 1 and he even being uncurrent can make that thing talk just as good as any of the others jumping xaos etc at a 2 to 1 wingloading so from what i see im not in a hurry to downsize I know it takes time and practice and small doesnt mean better fast if you dont have the experience and im glad i dont have a 150 - my 165 has so much to offer still at least another 200 /300 jumps before i go downsize .Oh ive also worked two seasons as a packer so i think it helps a little more to be around all the time instead of just a weekend jumper.Sometimes i can picture me hitting the ground the wya the guy i saw did and that doesnt bother me so much as i know sooner or later i wont be lucky but im gonna go ahead and keep doing what im doing i know the risks and im willing to accept them coz it sure does look cool especially to the whuffo first jumpers that are watching.BUT i think i know my limits (for the moment) and im still gonna always be learning the canopys limits and when i am coming in i think im so safe coz i can see the ground and i know to flare before i hit (sarcastically said by the way ).I just thought id throw that out there and see what others say about me or just the thought in general. I welcome all opinions whether i disagree or not .This is my first post after reading for a while so i know i owe the beer but y'all have to come to Ireland to collect. Bob sorry about the length folks but i still didnt even say all i wanted. Know enough to know you dont know enough. Me , I know it all

300 jumps ..... velo ....... very bold . and you know what they say about old and bold.I know he was just askin about wingloading but i think canopy characteristics have a lot to do with it too.Inexperience + small elliptical = pain - sooner or later Know enough to know you dont know enough. Me , I know it all

Sorry guys I see you all wrote good openings. I got 50 jumps on my 165 loaded 1.1 and im loving it except for the whacks - I'm getting close to a new line set so that affects it a lot. Great front riser turns hardly any pressure till you hit the 270 degree point and if you do overcook the landing the canopy has a whole lotta lift at the end. End flare for me on this is usually a punch it out rather than a 1,2,3 - due to my overcook'ings and i usually end up between 10 and 15 foot back up. I also put 20 jumps on a Turbo ZX 185 before i got the 165. Had only soft openings on that and pretty much the same over all as the 165 but with allowances for the size difference . Overall this is a fast canopy with a great glide ratio and great toggle response. Thumbs up from me.