Jiggs

Who wants to watch footage of the ground anyway? Seriously though - less distractions are always better regardless of the student. My job as a coach/cameraflyer is to be there and I will get footage that is of a good quality to aid the debrief. I always inisist that people go without camera gear - I know what I look like in freefall "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Nice to see that you are getting a new toy; hehe - John is going to be gutted when you beat him at nationals. See you at the pond this weekend (well hopefully if the weather clears) "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

New sail is different from the old sail cloth. It will start out much bulkier. On the old sail I have about 50 jumps (canopy probably had 500-600 jumps) - canopy would fit in a 135 bag, tight but no problems. New sail started out even more massive, but the volume seems to be settling down as the canopy ages. Over the last 100-200 jumps mine is getting easier to pack and I am shrinking the bag to suit. Edit to add: The canopy flies incredibly well! I love it; the power on the rears is amazing. I am using this as my main canopy (and for comp). I think it is worth the pack volume! "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Wow - that 83 must be tight!!! Have now got the 79 into a 170ish bag. Seems to go okay, now all I need to do is get a big container! I borrowed an old 79 that fit into an OJK bag as a comparison. The canopy flies like a dream but packs like a nightmare! "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

What containers do you pack the 77 amd 83 into? When did you get the canopy? "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hey all, Does anyone know if the fabric of the sail cloth offered by icarus has changed? I recently picked up a new JVX 79 and it packs up unbeleviable large. I am talking about a 170 or so! I had previously borrowed a mates all sail (made a few years ago) and put a handful of jumps on it in my container. With that canopy, it would pack up something like a 135-150 and was not a drama to pack in an OJK. Packing this one up I end up with it overfilling the bag by at least 2-3 inches! So I am wondering if it will age a bit and have a smaller pack volume? Or is just that the sail material is now different and the volume has jumped up again? Any thoughts? Or experiences? "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Just an update: Just got a new lineset from PD so will change the 84 to the current lineset revision in HMA 500 rather than the current 750 Vectran - will be interesting to see how it goes. I will post an update on how the 84 goes if I can get the reline done next week. Will be interesting to see what the changes are in flight characteristics and what it does to the feel of the 630. At the moment I am leaning towards selling this one and keeping the 90. I also need to get my RDS back so I can have a proper feel of what is going on. Also the JVX (sail 79) should arrive next week. "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Thanks for the feedback, quite interesting stuff. I might post a photo when I get home. With my reserve risers the damage is far less than the one pictured, basically is about a centimetre in from the edge and is not continous. (Just a few small tufts) Anyway thanks for the knowledge! Cheers, DG "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Interesting post One of my rigs - an old NJ has the exact same thing on one of the reserve risers. - I have heard mixed things on this with some riggers saying that it is okay (my rigger is in the former camp), versus others saying that they would not accept it as airworthy or at least get it checked out. I must say that I know virtually nothing about the consturction of the reserve risers (and never having had a rig with an RSL) I would like some more information on the possible effects on riser strength. I thought that scruffing of the hook of the velcro would not alter the structural integrity of the riser? Is there a way to test or check the riser (without stress testing it to the breaking point?) Would this mean a trip back to the factory (e.g. equivalent of some harness work to get this sorted?) Cheers, Griggsy (BTW I have had a terminal reserve ride on this container) "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

I intend to use the canopy for both competition and 4way camera. At the moment my loading without lead is 2.3 (fattened up after stopping gym). I will get back to a loading of 2.1-2.2 without lead and will run at different loadings for comp: Probably max loading (and lead) @ 2.4-2.5 for speed and 2.3 or so for distance and acuracy For comp - I used to run the 90 with max lead and that would take me upto about 2.3 (which felt fantastic!) "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hey all, Quick question to the velocity pilots out there - especially the ones that are running 84 or 90s What have been people's experiences on the canopy's that have had the PD lineset revision? Has the 84 velo had a line set revision in the last 3 years? The reason I ask, I had 2 velocity 90s that were quite disimillar in how they felt. One was about 3-4 years old (but very few jumps) and the other was less than a year old. Anyway the newer one has front riser pressure that built up more rapidly but seemed to maintain it's speed and power far better than the older canopy. The other one felt like it the riser pressure built up much slower in the dive but seemed to lose power quicker than the newer canopy. Technique was the same across both canopy's (lets just look at 270's) - deep brake initiation, followed by double fronts, slow turn initiation followed by fast finish aided by a lot of harness. I believe that there was a line trim change between the two; (P02 vs. P04)? The reason I ask - I got rid of the older 90 and now have an 84 velo. Strangely enough I can generate more power on the 90 (and strangely more speed) than I can on the 84! I know I have few jumps on the 84 comparatively but it seems like the 84 does not carry the speed through the turn like the 90. (I am not talking about bottom end flare - but it seems like I generate more speed on the large canopy and continue to maintain it!) I am guessing that my technique is the main issue, but it is a strange feeling to say the least! Has anyone had any experience on this the transition to an 84? Or Does anyone know if there was a similar lineset revision for the 84? Edit: (the 90 is on 500 HMA, the 84 on vectran - maybe 700?) So the current situation is that I have an 84 and a 90 at the moment, but I need to sell one to pay for a JVX that I am will be using with my 4way team. I am wondering which one to keep?!?! Thoughts? Experiences? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My experience: I have 500+ jumps on velo 90's Between 50-100 jumps on velo 84s I also have around 500+ jumps on VX/JVX sized from 79-95 Thanks! "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

I have a Raynox 3032 and it takes some amazing quality footage - but I need something wider still. I guess the Optica (0.3) might be the go. Any other suggestions? Or the best place to order one? Cheers! "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

What are the differences between "new" and "old" sail fabric? "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Thanks for the input. I have one on order now! The canopy seemed as eager as my velocities to enter the dive, but did not continue the dive as much as the velo once the input had stopped. The rears felt so much more powerful that the velocity - which is a characteristic that I really like. The canopy feels considerably faster than the 79VX that I have. Riser pressure was pretty light and openings were excellent. Will post an update once I chuck another 100 jumps on one. (might also get a ZP one as well) "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hi all, I am looking at getting a JVX 79 (in all sail) material for my next canopy. And I was hoping to get some info from people that are currently running this canopy. 1. How does this canopy open at terminal with the normal slider? I.e use it for work canopy? 2. When new - is the material much more slippery / difficult to pack? 3. Does anyone have much expereience packing a 79 into an OJK? (Seems okay but curious - have previously had as large as a sabre 150 in there and the JVX was tight!) 4. In terms of dive - is the sail any different from the ZP version? 5. General performance impressions compared to ZP JVX or hybrid 6. Wear and tear - does anyone really know how well the sail lasts? I did 6 camera jumps on a friends 79 all sail and it was amazing to fly - it felt so amazing to me and really suits the flying technique I like. I think I prefer it more than my velocities. Plan is to use the 79 for 4way camera and for comp. (Without weights loading at around 2.3.) My JVX experience is limited having only flown two previously - a 95 and a 88 I think. So I am curious to hear about the experience of other canopy pilots. Any thoughts or experiences? Thanks! "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

4way comp is complete. Rotor Out is the new Australian champions with a 16.2 average. The Rotor out jumps can be viewed on youtube under the username darrengriggs Cheers! "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hey all, I recently managed to get an old VX 79 that was owned by a mentor of mine who is sadly no longer with us. Anyway - I had a bunch of reasons for wanting the canopy but after a dozen jumps on it I was starting to like it more than my Velo's! It had a surprising amount of performance and actually opens really well with my velo RDS. So well that I have been using it when shooting tandems! Anyway am loving the feel of the canopy and maybe thinking about flying the canopy at the nationals (in just a few weeks). Realise that it is not enough time to dial in the canopy (maybe get 50 jumps on it) but would be really cool to run his canopy. - At the moment - not keen to load up on weights at the moment with this canopy but curious to see people's experience on VX's have been at higher loadings? More specifically relating to comp, where did you notice a drop off in performance? What did you prefer to fly it at? Next weekend (not working) I will jump the velocity with weights so that I am at an equal loading and see how they fly one after the other. (I normally jump a velocity 90; in comp (and whenever I can!) I usually go with about 10kgs of lead for a 2.2 loading. Without weights I am around a 2 wingloading. With the VX79 I am running at about 2.2-2.3 without weights. I have about 300-400 jumps on VX's and about the same number on my velocities.) "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Sorry to clarify - only had the removable slider hooked up - not the full RDS. "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hey all, Quick question - how is it possible to get line burn on a RDS? I recently purchased a PEA RDS and have done about 10 jumps or so on it. Anyway as I was doing a back to back camera jump a friend packed it for me. Which while saving me time did not have the best outcome - had probably the hardest opening I have ever had on my velocity! It literally took my breath away! When I got back to the hangar I notice a cut in the slider (times x2 in a parrellel line). The cut is around 1-2 inches long about an inch in from the slider. Unfortunately did not take some photos prior to bundling it off to a rigger friend but there seems to be little doubt that it is line burn. Any thoughts on how this can happen? Thanks! "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hi all, Just a quick one for you all - a friend of mine picked up a neptune for me recently from a major gear store in the US about 6 weeks ago (I am in Australia). Ever since then I have had nothing but problems with the unit. I was intending to use this for swooping as a visual altimeter to replace my viso (larger face and waterproof) however I have come across an odd problem with the unit. The unit seems to randomly reset itself with an error message telling me to press any key to continue. At which point it (if it comes back on) has lost any data that it had and most importantly has lost reference to the height. Now this has been happening on the ground, in the plane, during skydives and under canopy. Last weekend out of the 10 jumps, I had a working altimeter for about 3 jumps. Fortunately I was filming tandems so no major worries but right now it is more useful to me as a paper weight than anything else. I had an original neptune some years ago that was far more reliable! At any rate I am not happy Now to rule out the obvious - I have replaced the batteries (twice), not sure what version software it has but it does have the new swoops beeps so can't be that old. It has never been mishandled So any suggestions on who to contact? Anyone have any advice, thoughts or experience with this? Regards, Darren Griggs (E2040) "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

hmm think I might go for the normal one for the main set of gear and then re-assess for the other rig when they come out. Cheers "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hi All, Just a quick one - does PD actually have a development plan for a follow up to the velo or is more of a case of just chatter? Is PD looking to follow up the canopy with a new x-brace or is it all just talk? Does anyone have any knowledge of facts? "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

"Mamba has quite a short recovery arc or at least shorter than Katana" Have to call bullshit on this one. On a 117 I was turning at 570feet for a 270 - and I turn in at 620 with my VX. Maybe you are thinking about the vision which is very stiletto like I don't agree with what Dave is saying about the relative performance but what I will say is that the Mamba definetly seems to kick on later in the flare stroke - particularly when in rears - you really need to give it more as it seems to have a long stroke. The katanna and mamba are very SIMILAR canopy - my mamba opens in very deep breakes and is definetly the most sensitive canopy I have jumped on opening. Once you get used to it - no worries but is a little weird at first. The trim is similar to a VX (slightly less) but is not as steep as Velocity Which would I get either - katana might be a bit more user friendly but both work great. Go with whatever feels better, is cheaper, or whatever is most important to you. "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hi All, Has anyone packed a 95VX into an OJK - will it be too loose? I have a PD143 and Cypress in the reserve tray but I am thinking that the 95 will probably be pretty loose in the main bag? Has anyone had experience with this? Thanks "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

I have a mamba 117 and do not jump it with my wingsuit. I have only put about 100 jumps on the canopy at the moment but I don't think it is the best option. Sure it can be used, but it is not the right tool. The mamba is generally a fantastically opening canopy. When it does go pear shaped however it can be quite a handful. I would also say it is one of the most "active" canopies on openings that I have flown. More so that a stiletto or similar canopy. I would recommend against it (that was the same decision that I made for myself!) "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus