jacobwaerness

Does anybody have any info on a new FX EXTreme canopy from Icarus Canopies? Will they launch anything for the PIA symposium? I just got rid of my grounded Ninja from PdF and I'm looking for a replacement..... fallskjerm

Hi Dan! I've tried Ninja 94 and 102. Here are some facts: 21cell cross-ribbed elliptical, aspect ratio 2,88. It is rigged a bit flatter than most other crossbraced canopies. The high aspect ratio leads to different aerodynamical qualities: Less induces drag and faster turns. The turnrate depends on the wingloading, but on 2,0 I found the turns very snappy. Openings were onheading and consistent. Due to a flat glideangle it is easier to fly back to the DZ from a bad spot. The radius of the recovery arch becomes shorter, but still large enough due to a high wingload. I lost 1000feet on a 360 frontriser turn. That it swoops best with the use of toggles is nonsense in my opinion. I'm curious to know where you get that info from.... The canopy packs big, but that is a fact of life when it comes to crossbraced canopies. In fact the ribs on the Ninja is made of F111 so that decreases the packingvolume. I liked the canopy, so I bought a 94. PS: Be a bit critical to some of the posts in this forum. Some people doesn't have a clue what they are talking about

I'm planning to make a movie next summer. It will be about the esthetics of landing a parachute. A film of tranquility and wonderful scenery. And a bit of action.... I want the skydiver to make a carve across a flowery field which is quite steep. The plan is to make a downhill 180 degree carve. Do any of you think it is possible? What is the distance you could expect to swoop (approx)? Would you gain distance by using the rear risers? I would be very glad to hear any comments. Maybe you will see your name in the subtitles of the film if you contribute with useful advice! Jacob (Norwegian filmmaker in spe)

Hi! I have just ordered a Ninja 94. I've tried both the 102 and the 94. My wingload on the 94 is 2.0. Nice openings, very fast diving turns and relatively easy to land. Compared to FX/Velocity it is trimmed much flatter. This results in a shorter recovery arch, and it requires more skill to achieve the same high approach speeds. However, on a high wingload the arch will still be big enough to make your final turn in a safe altitude from the ground. Just because it requires a different technique, doesn't make it a bad canopy. It will also fly much longer with a flatter trim (nice with a bad spot). The flat trim also make it swoop better with equal speed, because you don't need to brake as much (thus distorting the shape of the airfoil) to get a horizontal path prior to touchdown. Some some of the repliers to your mail claims that it packs very large. Yes, it's fact that crossbraced canopies packs bigger than conventional ones, but the Ninja packs smaller than both FX/Velocity (check factory numbers). The Ninja has F111 type fabric ribs which decreases the pack volume/ease. My opinion is that the Ninja is a different canopy built more for flying. It's easy and fun to land, cost a lot less than FX/Velocity. But it's French: A bit different, but that doesn't make it bad. Jacob

I've just tried the new Ninja 94/102 form PdF this weekend. It is a crossribbed ZP elliptical canopy with the ribs of F-111 fabric. This makes it pack smaller than e.g. Velocity and a bit easier to put into the d-bag. I just got four jumps on the canopies, but got an good impression on how they fly. With the 94 I got about 2.0 in wingloading. It turns extremely fast and dives quite a lot on both toggles and frontriser. However in straight flight it has a very flat glideangle. This makes it a bit different from other crossbraced on the market. It requires a different technique to achieve the same speed prior to a landing. It has a lot of power in the flare which I was far from been able to get the maximum out of. It should be a good alternative for Europeans due to the disfavourable high dollar exchange rate. I would love to hear impressions on the canopy from others who have tried it. Jacob

Has anyone heard anything about or tried the new "cross-ribbed" canopy "Ninja" from Parachutes de France? The manufacturer claims that they have made a canopy that packs smaller, is easier to land and is cheaper compared to competing products as Velocity, FX etc.