danielcroft

I'd be interested to hear what your definition of balance and flexibility are. (I'm not being rude, actually curious.)

Prices will come down when there's competition so, since ISG are contractually precluded from operating in the US including franchising, our best hope for the foreseeable future is Airborne San Diego: http://www.airbornesandiego.com/ They'll be getting the bulk of my tunnel dollars once they're open.

I have panniers on my bike, rig goes in one side, helmet and other gear in the other. I have a gear bag that I'd put everything in if I couldn't fit my stuff in the panniers. Kinda depends on the size of your rig of course. I've ridden that from SoCal to Eloy and back a couple of times using a tail bag for anything extra I needed.

* like

Remember, if you get the top of your turn working better, you'll likely lose more altitude for the optimal turn so, might be worth adding a little altitude. Grown ass people rule, though.

As I mentioned, I'm still trying to get my head around the change and its impact on the rest of my turn and, the turn I posted included a change of direction in the bottom end so, I'm losing speed etc. The other factor to remember is that I'm deliberately trying to keep my rollout > 3.5 seconds to allow a margin for error. Since I'm not a CP person, I want to have more room to deal with errors in my turn and, calculations around required altitude. As you can see from my profile, I'm flying a VK79 @ ~2.2:1 with a removable slider (not full RDS). The change I've been trying to make is: keep my speed up while on my "base" (it's final for 270º, the same location as a base leg on a normal landing so I use that terminology) and then do a 3 second-ish flare, hold for a breath, let up for 1.x seconds to allow the wing to surge and then get on the fronts and do my normal turn. What are you loading your JVX at?

I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the degree of rotation that you're seeing in my turn. I've changed the top end of my turn recently to try to address that dip and, I'm still getting my head around that change. Far from perfect again (let's be honest, I'll never call a turn perfect) but, you can see a significant difference in the attached turn (the other I did that day wasn't as good but, similar results) based on the change implemented.

If the option was full "trust" I'd have picked something else...

Be careful not to displace lines if you choose to use this method - the same is possible when people roll the tail too much depending on the wing, etc.

Linky at appropriate time: https://youtu.be/vhEHdKemr1M?t=489 :-)

It really depends on how much you want to invest in your canopy progression. If you want it to be slightly faster and put little effort in, then the comment above about picking a wing size higher is probably the way to go for a KA/XF2/ST. If you're actually willing to invest a little energy in your wing, then you could choose a more elliptical wing, recognizing that you're really going to need to pay attention and get coaching. Go demo a KA 150 and see what you think, I've not heard anything specifically bad about a KA 135, try any of the other wings you're considering but, set yourself up for success, don't be throwing it in your rig when you have other things on your mind or the weather is iffy. TL:DR if you want to swoop KA but, you need coaching and focus. If you want something that's fun to fly, ST or XF2, Crossfire's a little better for that than the ST. If you're not into actually swooping, STs are great to fly IMO.

I already sent Lucas an email about getting on the demo list when that's a thing.

Looks like it was designed for first timers, no? So, those behaviors would be acceptable if not desirable for them?

Thanks for adding your comments, Alex. Thoughts on openings? I'm super keen to demo all these new, HP, Schumann-y, non-crossbraced 9 cells. @nad The openings on the KAs I've flown haven't been a big deal, scary for sure but, as you get more experience, they'll stress you less.

Looks like Fluid Wings is wanting to get in on the "high performance, Schumann-y Planform, non-crossbraced wing" action, as well: https://vimeo.com/180641619

I mentioned in another thread that I think SA2-120 -> KA-135 at your loading is a more manageable step. If you're inclined to take the "safe" route (none of us would be swooping, or jumping in that case) and you were leaning towards the KA, you could totally do that. Based on my experience doing that step at a similar loading to you. I think I had a few more jumps than you when I did but, I don't remember now.

Yeah, I know a lot of people who love their Katanas, not sure what PD's plans are for the wing once the "new thing" comes out (whatever it's called). My guess is that, if NZA comes out with the Crossfire 3 and X and, they're both Schumann-y planforms, people will become less and less interested in "old" style wings. This, in spite of the undeniable performance of the "old" wings. I'm pretty confident that PD's "Whatever it's called" (katana 2) will be Schumann-y and so, plenty of people will want it. Subsequent problem will be getting people to step from an "old" style wing (SA2/SF2/SF3) to a new style wing (XF3/X/KA2) and back to a "beginner" (

The first time I flew a KA it was a KA-135 and I'd been flying a SA2-120 - that felt like a reasonable step to me. A bit later, I tried a friend's KA-120 while I was still on the SA2-120. It was a fucking beast compared. I could harness turn bigger, longer turns on the KA-120 than I could ever riser/harness on the SA2. I will say, that "ground hungry" isn't a term that I use with the KA (not, at least at "normal" loadings). It's an active pilot's wing. You must fly it at all times. Unlike any of the other wings we've been talking about, if you look at the scenery, you won't get back from a long spot, if you fly it back, it's fine. Same goes with openings and HP turns. Point is, like the Stiletto, the Katana is often the first *actual* high performance wing people start flying so, they're often surprised by openings and landings, if you're not aware enough to be actively flying the wing during those times, you stand a good chance of getting bitten.

I've had the "pop" up problem mid canopy course with Curt while I'm actually doing it right *and* on video (XF2-109 ~1.6:1) - that is doing a 90º and actually getting some power. The only way I found I could get that wing to actually recover nicely from a height that didn't make me want to poo was to slowly let the fronts out after the turn was complete. I am always happy to admit my lack of skill (in just about anything ) but, this was consistent. Yes, I could have dropped the turn height but, at my loading, on that wing (SA2 was the same) generating power resulted in a "pop" up. Mind you, if I wasn't actually trying super hard, it was really nice to swoop. I'm hesitant to give specific advice since, I have never seen you fly your wing and, I don't know how you approach your swooping, etc. The obvious (and somewhat "conservative") answer would be SA2-120 -> XF2-119 -> KA-107. You make the transition from a less elliptical wing to a more elliptical going to something less aggressive first. You could also go SA2-120 -> SA2-107 -> KA-107. You'll likely find more people having an issue with you going SA2-120 -> KA-107 as that's quite a big step in performance. I wouldn't comfortable with any of my friends doing that unless they were pretty much just hop-and-poping all the time. Some people might be ok with SA2-120 -> XF2-109 since the recovery arc isn't hugely different but you'd have to have demonstrated that you could bail and save your ass on your SA2 pretty convincingly. It's generally held that changing to a more fully elliptical wing and downsizing is a bad idea though so, you start getting into the lower percentage success outcomes. The path for a KA isn't the same as a XF2, all things being equal, the KA is a higher performance wing. I encourage you to discuss with people who've seen you fly your wing and know you. You're in the danger zone (#TopGunReference) of experience and that's crossing over with your progression. Asking people on the intertubez isn't a good sign. Please understand that the "how you approach it" and "your attitude" are both totally valid considerations when it comes to one of the higher risk versions of our sport. Having said all that, you're an adult so, you can do whatever you want.

I think you're barking up the wrong tree if you feel like there's a magic number for WL.

If you're talking about slowly letting your risers up once you've completed your turn, I strongly object to this technique. I'm only aware of that method of dealing with a SA2/XF2's tendency to pop up so, maybe there's something I'm missing (wouldn't be the first time!)? To the OP: wait for a few months, Crossfire X and Katana 2 are meant to come out "soon". If you're wanting to get one of these two wings - and I'd agree that their respective recovery arcs are similar, all things being equal - given that you're talking about moving to something more aggressive after that, I'd go XF2. Given your experience and currently loading (and, that that's actually correct ) you should definitely consider the Katana. I personally preferred the XF2 at that stage in my canopy progression but, really should have gone to a KA given that I'd been doing double fronts and then 90s for hundreds of jumps prior. Actually, what I ended up doing was Jumping a SA2 120 for a while and then trying KA120 (felt like more than one step), XF2119 (liked it) and demoing a Skylark Odyssey 115 (got my Pro rating on it). I ended up on the Odyssey (again, looking back, KA was probably a better choice) after 20 ish jumps on the KA, XF2 and, 50 or so on the Odyssey. You're not me, obviously so, YMMV. You get a grown-ass-people canopy, take grown-ass responsibility.

"Arch" isn't the same thing as an "arc". https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/arch / https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/arc I'd agree that the Katana, loaded at around where you're at would be a better choice if you're really planning on focusing on your swooping. Keep in mind that the KA is a very high performance wing so, treat it with respect. You'd be transitioning from a Storm which has a recovery arc that will generally result in some positive gain when swooping (as the Crossfire 2 does) - they "pop" up at the end of the swoop - to a Katana that is generally returns to natural flight without that positive component. That means you have to do something to bail, the wing won't "help" you. At a 1.5 loading on a KA120, you'll find it's not a huge beast but, if you choose to step to the 107 (a large step in terms of taper and loading and probably not recommended without flying the KA120 first for a good few jumps) you're likely better off going back to square one as, everything about your wing and its performance will change. It's important that you understand how to bail and to be honest with yourself as, that kind of step comes with it some significant risk. I'd say that the same is true for the Neos since its recovery arc is more similar to the KA than the XF2 (depending on loading, turn, etc.). For me, the Neos was always a little weird since, if you want to go crossbraced, there are lower performance crossbraced wings (like a Xaos or maybe JFX depending on loading) that won't be a huge distance from that, all things being equal. Point is, I'm not sure there's huge value in partially crossbraced wings (although, I have friends who've loved their Neos so, YMMV). Out of the two canopies you suggested, I'd probably get the XF2 if I wanted to all the things with the wing, I'd get the Neos if I got a deal on it and wanted to focus on my swooping and a Katana if you really wanted to be serious (and *need* to be) about your swooping. KA should also pack smaller than the same sized Neos. n.b. not a pro swooper so, take my comments for the opinion that they are.

I've done a few hundred jumps on Crossfire 2s (119 & 109) but only a few on a Neos. The Neos definitely has a longer recovery arc and, given that you're hardly a newb, I doubt you'll have trouble going to the Neos from the Storm (treating it with respect, of course). The CF2 is an awesome all around canopy but, it's not really ideal for swooping IMO depending on loading and technique, of course. You don't mention what your current turn is, how many jumps you've got doing that turn, if you've got any coaching or, have a canopy mentor so, it's hard to say if the longer recovery arc is a great idea (nor do you have your loading mentioned). Given your experience, I'm not sure why you're asking on DZ.com but, I guess that's maybe because you don't have swoop peeps at your local DZ to ask?

I didn't do a great job of actually quartering the slider in the demo video but, here's a video description, hope that helps. https://vimeo.com/179668832