degeneration

Not exactly much help just now, but I have just got a Pilot 132, which I have gone to from a 150. I am hoping to get it swapped over with my 150 this weekend and get a jump in, but as I'm at a specific event, that might not happen. If there are no people giving their experiences here over the next few weeks to months, I will try to make sure I come back with my exact thoughts and feelings on how the 132 is compared to the 150. My exit weight out the door is between 170-185 depending on whether I am wearing my weight belt. I started jumping my 150 on jump 104, and have loved all 300-ish jumps on it. Now my reason for going for the 132 rather than the 140 was similar to your thought process, but I also asked someone that did the same downsize a while back for his advice, and he was happy with his choice. After looking for a 132 for many, many months, a 140 came available on UKSkydiver, so I figured I'd go for that (out of frustration), but someone got their reply and offer in minutes before I did, so they go it. Assuming the 132 is all I'm hoping for, I'm going to be glad! Be a vulture over the classifieds and swoop in when one appears. But like you said, Pilots don't hang around for too long on the classifieds, so you have to get in quick when they appear. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Very old thread being resurrected, I know, but it was the closest I could find to answering my question, but it didn't have the specific example I was after to answer my question. Basically, attached I've copied the Icon sizing chart with annotations. I'm planning on getting an I3. For reserve I was set on an R-Max 138 as I've been told it will fit fine in the I3. My main is a Pilot 132, so with having an Aerodyne main and container I'm thinking for sentimentality I would like to have an Aerodyne reserve too. However, the 'x' marks on the chart only indicate a 110 or 120 reserve - too small for me. But the min/max reserve pack volumes correspond to sizes 110 and 135. Now a 135 reserve I'd be happy with. Does anyone have any experience of a Smart 135 in an I3, cause I don't know what bit of info to trust - the 'x' marks, or the min/max volume. There is a cross over on all other sizes, I6-I5 on a 190, I5-I4 on a 150, I3 - I2 on a 110, I2-I1 on a 99. So a crossover with an I4-I3 on a 135 would fit the pattern. I emailed an Aerodyne rep last week asking this, but am awaiting the reply, so thought I'd ask here too while I wait. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

I've just got myself a new to me Pilot canopy, DOM May 2006, which on the label says version 0.3. It is a downsize from my current Pilot canopy, DOM June 2008, which says version 0.4 on the label. What is the difference between these two versions? Anything significant regarding performance? Want to make sure I know my kit well, so am curious about the differences to expect. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

I don't know what size I've got just now, will measure them next time I get my rig out. Problem is though, I've no idea if they are working for me as well as they could. My rprevious rig was my first noob rig, so like you I had no idea about riser length. Then got my current rig, with a completely different and much better main, so yeah it handled better, but how much of that was as a result of the risers? No idea. Having had no basis for comparison, I don't know what is best! I do know just now that on my current risers, I am unable to stall my Pilot 150 by pulling the brake lines down as low as I can. I can reach my slider and dive loops comfortably. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

I am soon going to be ordering a new Icon container, and one option that I'm unsure about is the riser length. The options are 18, 19, 20, 22 or 24 inches. I'm 5'7" and will be flying a pilot 132 with the container. What factors should I consider to make my decision, or should I get Aerodyne to choose the ones that they think are best for an I3? I want to be able to make full use of the flare, so don't want them too short, but at the same time I want to be able to reach my slider, dive loops etc, so don't want them too long. But what "too short" and "too long" is for me, I don't know. Any advice? Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

For anyone that is interested, I got a reply from aerodyne confirming that the R-Max 138 should fit in an I3 with a Pilot 132. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Has anyone got the Icon Fire09 or Stealth09 design? Am tempted by both designs, but would like to see what they look like in a real rig, rather than a colouring program!! So pics of either would be appreciated! Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

A bit more reading up I found that: The min/max pack volumes for an I3 are 275-333 for the reserve, and 340-368 for the main. The pilot 132 is at the upper end of the main. An R-Max 138 has a volume of 318 according to its tech specs. Given that that volume is well within the range specified on the Icon container tech specs, it should fit... yes? Or am I making a dumb assumption here? Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

If you don't use it already, www.ukskydiver.co.uk has classifieds for kit sales, so is always worth keeping an eye on. Other places are the kit sales notice boards at various DZs. If you are close to several, give them all a visit and see what's advertised. As for time of year... I don't know, so can't help on that one. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Does anyone have first hand experience on whether an R-Max 138 will fit suitably in an Icon Pro I3? I've emailed both Aerodyne and Precision Aerodynamics (the latter a few days ago, Aerodyne a while back I think) and I'm waiting on a reply still, so thought I'd ask here. I recall reading a post on this forum about how surprisingly small the pack volume of the R-Max was, some people have said an Op.143 is a tight fit in the I3, so maybe the R-Max will fit. It will be paired up with a Pilot 132. If anyone knows, letting me know would be appreciated Thanks. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

What container is actually designed for a 188 main and 120 reserve any how? Surely there aren't any like that? Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

First off, I would ignore the DZ.com dropzone map for the UK dropzones, as I just did the 50 mile radius search from Fairford and the results are all messed up. There are DZs where the results indicate, but they got the names associated with the wrong DZ. And not all DZs are listed Or at least that's what happened for me... Go here instead to see all the UK DZs. http://bpa.org.uk/where-can-i-jump/ The 3 DZs that are easily the closest to Fairford are: Silver Stars (South Cerney) Skydive London Netheravon Cerney and Nethers are military DZs, so full ID will be needed to enter the base. Passport and FAI licence book are best, and generally is a good idea to call the DZ staff ahead of your visit to get your name put in at the guard hut. Will make your entrance easier! I've jumped at those 2 but not skydive london, and it has been a while since I was last at South Cerney, but based on facilities and aircraft I would recommend Netheravon the most. I was there in May and it was awesome. They have 3 Cessna Caravans, HUGE packing area, mock ups, nice canteen, plenty of camping space if needed and a free bunkhouse. There is also an on site bar for the end of the night. It has the cheapest jump ticket price of the 3, and goes the highest (based on info from the site in my sig.). There's my opinion, hope it helps!! Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Pilot 150 - about 10 mins under normal packing, 6-7 mins when rushing. Like someone else mentioned. I don't bother flaking any more either. Just make sure nothing looks out of place, all the stabilisers are clear, give it a good shake then start wrapping it up. Had 1 hard opening in the last several hundred. Check my kit at the start of each jumping day, and after the last jump of the day. Usually. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

I got a GoCrazy freefly suit (or hybrid suit) made for me. Really like it, but the best thing about it is that Terrie will make whatever design you want. Forget about a standard template, make your own unique design, and she'll make it for you. Yeah, there may be a surcharge depending on the complexity of the design, but you can get what you want. Build quality seemed pretty good, and all in I was very happy. Alas, I joined a 4 way FS team later in the year I got the suit, so haven't really put it through its paces. A simple email to them will help with your decision. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

In fairness he sent me emails like that all the way through my order with him. Emails saying that there had been errors with the order, delivery had gone wrong etc. All were jokes. Despite the negative feeling on here for him, he did have a sense of humour, so I doubt making a joke comment like that was really what he then went nad did with your money. I'm obviously one of the lucky ones who ordered a full rig from him, got it in the time frame stated and at easily the cheapest price available at the time. £2200 or £2300 for a container, main and reserve was pretty good. Anyway, my point being despite all the wrong things he has clearly done, don't jump on and blow out of proportion small things that were almost certainly just jokes. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Granted this was about 3 years ago, but I got my first rig for £400 (approx $650) without an AAD. Served me great for 70 jumps, then sold it on for minimal loss, I guess you could get really shit cheap gear, or you could get decent enough cheap gear. Get someone in the know to check it out and tell you which it is! Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Sell you an Argus... Make a good deal for ya! Cheers for the offer, but I'm good thanks!!! Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

As per the title really. Looking into the possibility of new kit, so am doing my research. I am liking the look of the Icon - the sizing chart for the I3 has the reserve size for the smart reserve as a max 120. That's smaller than I'd be comfortable with, so with the lower pack volume reserves, will a optimum 143 be likely to fit? Can't find info on pack volume, but not sure if one company's pack volume quotes are comparable to another's. I'd have a pilot 132 main in with it, which is the largest of the main canopies it is stated to hold. There will also be an AAD in there too. Anyone with experience on this one, I'd be happy to hear from you!! Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

About jump 30 I got a 2nd hand Dolphin with reserve and PD190 main. Bought an almost new Vigil to go with it. Put about 70 jumps on it (downsizing to a PD170 in the process). About jump 100 got my first brand new kit - Wings Vision with a Pilot 150 main. about 115 jumps on it now and will be sticking with it for a while I think. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

While the category is for the Freefly suit, Go Crazy have replaced it with the Hybrid suit now. First thing that makes the Go Crazy suit so great is the fact that you can design the suit any way you want. There are no set templates to colour from, you design it how you want it - pattern and colours. Yeah, more complicated suits may have an additional fee for this service, but if you can get a 100% unique suit that is completely you, it is well worth this service! It is completely customisable to your specifications! The build quality is good, communication is excellent and the price is fantastically competitive compared to other suit manufacturers. I think base price for this suit is $200 (at time of writing). I'm well happy with my suit. Just cause they are not one of the bigger, major suit manufacturers does not mean they should be overlooked. I think there is a pretty good chance that whatever my next suit is, I'll be looking to Go Crazy to make it!

In the original pic all the excess bridle was tucked away to minimise image obstruction. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Tried lengthening the closing loop and it did stop the main flap overlapping, but it did not feel tight enough on the pin. Think I'd prefer having the little overlapping and being secure in my mind that the pin wasn't going to come loose!! The grommets on the Wings sound the same. The first 3 are pretty much on top of each other and the fourth is off to the left a bit. The first of the two pics is the closing loop showing the current length - it's been shortened by about 6 inches since I got it!! The 2nd pic was with the bridle as out the way as I could get it without taking the pin out! The pin is nice and tight with the loop the current length, but I do think i would be able to shorten it another 1/2 inch to an inch. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

My concern was just that the left and right closing flaps were obstructing the main closing flap's tuck in bit, but if all is ok then that puts my mind at ease! Cheers! Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Got a new Wings Vision in the latter half of last year and all has been good with it. I had it made to fit a pilot 150. Right from the get go when closing the container the closing flaps overlap the bit that I tuck the main flap into. This has meant that it has been a really tight squeeze with the main flap. It all still works ok, but having seen other people's standard Wings recently I've seen that their closing flaps come in nice and neatly underneath this tuck tab bit, rather than overlapping it. I've attached an image to show what I mean. When closed properly the main flap would ideally be where I've put the yellow lines on the image. Is this normal for the Wings Vision? I'm not that concerned at the moment, but as I got this rig made for me with the idea that it will last me a long long time, if/when I downsize to a smaller canopy, as there will be less volume in the main, I'd imagine that the overlapping will be more pronounced then? Am I getting concerned over nothing here? Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Hey, how much were jumps there? Would you mind adding the DZs details to my site linked to in my sig line? Cheers.