DocPop

Those altitudes sound fine. There is no "perfect" answer. Your last turn should be high enough for your canopy to fly for at least ten seconds after the turn and before your flare. Other than that, try to fly your pattern as consistently as possible, hitting your altitude check-points accurately and, of course, keeping your eyes open for other canopies. Have a plan for your canopy flight, fly it the best you can, then after the jump evaluate how it worked out and adjust it for the next jump as you need to allow for accuracy, wind conditions etc.. This is one of the things you will need to re-learn if you change canopies. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Then I will: You can sleep with a blond, you can sleep with a brunette, you won't get any sleep with a redhead. Nope. "Ginger hair. Smelly box" That is all. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Why is this bullshit in this forum? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

There is something else about redheaded women, but I can't bring myself to type it... "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Flying in deep brakes is a dying skill IMO. It's a key skill and can be used on any canopy. I've seen braked approaches with small Velocities. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Really good stuff here! All I would add is that this is a skill that needs constant practice so that it is there when you need it (eg. being cut off on final at 40 feet). I fly my pattern using flat turns so I get at least a couple of practices every jump. They are slow, predictable turns so they are well suited to flying in the pattern. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

I can play soccer with a sandwich in my hand. Exactly. You only need one ball to play soccer; skydiving takes both Wait - there are no female skydivers? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

I understand what you're saying, and maybe master wasn't the right term to use. But one should be proficient at performing a repeatable turn at an appropriate altitude before one tries to hit a set of gates from that turn. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Yep. And it's worth remembering that the purpose of a pond is not to allow swoopers to pile into it vertically and walk away from mistakes that would kill them on land. It offers some degree of protection from skipping off the surface compared with ground and also allows for more accurate judging of "dragging disciplines". Additionally, of course, there have been cases of people pounding in on the ground just on the edge of the pond while "not giving up the gates"! (Well it was bound to come up!) IMO the pond should be reserved for those who have already mastered their turns and are now moving on to practice with gates. All others should give the pond area a wide berth to leave the airspace clear for HP turns and aborted runs. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

From the lack of an asterisk by the D requirement in the governance manual that JP posted, I take it the D-licence requirement is non-waiverable, hence there is no loophole. Seth I have a C-licence and an S&TA appointment. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

I suggested no such thing. I was just curious. Me too. Just curious. If it is possible, it seems like a loophole. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Do you have that in writing somewhere? I have looked and can't find it. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

So what's your point? Nobody should ever jump anything > 0.7 WL? you can't be this ignorant...I mean do we really need to lay out the difference to you? The poster said "I feel safer under a higher wingloading" what do you think is "safer" (ie, less chance of smashing your limp body into the ground with no flare) if you happen to be incapacitated, a reserve with a 1.4:1 WL or around a 1:1? If you feel the need to argue this, then there is no hope for you. Of course I understand that. But what I am saying is that this argument is independent of experience. If you're saying that the reserve should be sized for an unconscious landing (which I don't agree with) then everyone should be jumping reserves at well under WL of 1.0 "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Understood. But not what I asked. I see nothing for self-certifying for LICENSES vs ratings. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

I tie my reserve handle using the chest strap. Is it a bad idea considering I do check it (and the handles) many times in the plane? IMO if you are going to tie your reserve handle, this is the way to do it. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

If you keep breaking toes, maybe you should consider a Nav 210! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

So what's your point? Nobody should ever jump anything > 0.7 WL? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Can an S&TA sign their own application form for an A, B, C or D license? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

talk to us when you are knocked out and cannot fly the canopy. That's a bit of a pointless argument because nobody has any skills or experience when they are unconscious. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Katana 135. I wanted something fast, divey and demoed it and enjoyed it. This was from the Sabre2 150 I bought as my first canopy. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

"The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

interesting use of the word "get", it infers something other than "earn" like mail order, buy, trade for beer, etc. You may infer, the statement can only imply. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

This one was always going to be a fun thread! Settling down to watch the fun.... "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

You don't have to change canopies. You never have to jump an elliptical. Personally I am focused on CP and went from a SA2 150 to a KA135 at 150 jumps. It was a BIG jump and although I have not had any issues that is probably due to a combination of luck and the fact that all my jumps are CP oriented (high pulls and HnPs). If you don't have a clear idea as to why you want to go to a Katana, then I would advise you not to for the simple reason that it has drawbacks. The openings have more potential to mess you about than a non-elliptical and it is trimmed so steep that you may find getting back from long spots an issue. Canopies are designed with a specific purpose in mind (hence the huge range marketed by PD). Choose the right tool for the job you have in mind. You wouldn't want to turn up at a knife-fight with a spoon! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

XF2 > Katana True- if the measure is what is the what's better for a beginner. [If you're stupid enough to try to learn from this thread I should point out that the above is sarcasm] "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA