Floflo

I owe one and made around 100 jumps on it. Great container, very comfy when seating in the plane and piloting, and I really don't feel it in the air. The only con in that area is that due to the very thick padding, leg straps have to be set really tight. Packing is easy with the magnetic D-bag. You see every little detail has been thought about a lot. The openings are really good, more on heading and less prone to line twists than the Atom and Javelin I tried (Same canopy). Regarding durability, can't say much yet, but it seems strong. I'd stay away from the free fly handle and cordura hand deploy pouch, I really don't like their design and have witnessed problems with both of them. Bottom line is: get one!

You'll have to get a temporary FFP Membership (Price is around 25 Euros). AADs are mandatory. If your canopies are not too small for your experience, that's all you'll need. Around Paris, you can easily get to Saint Florentin, Orleans, Brienne, by car or train. If you plan on spending a few days on a DZ, you can go a little further down south and have more options. PM me for more details.

He's blaming everything on the strong winds. Look at the canopy on the ground during the "rescue"; It doesn't move. There was no wind at all.

And so what? Skydivers would never ever put looks before safety, would they?

Of course you can, it's just a very bad idea... If the friction is strong enough, the brake might not come back up; You just had line twists you could get rid of, and now you have line twists under a spinning canopy.

As Fish wrote, the Ninja 2 is known for its extremely short recovery arc. The Instinct's recovery arc is only very short , and its openings very fast and quite hard. The pro is that you can find them second hand with few jumps and cheap.

???? Of course it happens elsewhere. We have quite strict rules in France regarding canopy size - and that helps a lot! - and make less jumps than in the US, and still had one again last year (One dead, one injured).

Sorry to be nitpicking, but as you use the definition in your reasonning, "Parachute" means "Free fall Stopper" and not "Safe fall".

If you want an accurate answer, please give us your exit weight. The wing loading is an important factor: In my opinion, for swooping, the Xfire needs to be loaded more. But it "forgives" more than the Katana. IF you're ready for (example) a 109 Xfire and want to go with a Katana, go for a 120 and not a 107. Don't know about the Nitro, I only have 5 or 6 jumps on one.

Yes, go for the medium. I had a tight one, it is really... tight. No need with the medium size. I prefer cotton, I find it more comfortable. I always had an answer, but sometimes had to wait a long time. To start, 1 piece is better. Too many changes while learning is not the best idea. At the time (two years ago), they told me three weeks and it took 4.

Do not exagerate their dangerosity neither. I had PdF reverse risers and cutaway a fast spinning mal with no trouble at all, like thousands have done with no problem. I've witnessed three cases (and heard of more) when the risers did not release on their own and had to be helped. That's why I changed mine for "regular" risers. What I mean is, if they may not be the best idea in the world, they're not a death trap. Actually, they have not killed yet at my knowledge, after hundreds of thousands jumps with them (You can see this system everywhere in Europe). I would not say the same thing of soft housings with highly loaded mains.

Techno 115 at 1.65 to 1. 1 nice ride.

There is no official time limit on the Technos. Riggers used to the PdF products start looking at it very closely after 15 years, and most of the time stop packing them after 20 years. If it's a good deal, go for it.

You made your 150 jumps in TEN YEARS??? I understand better, the only reason they wouldn't let you jump is because your Xfire was underloaded. Get a 119, or even better a 109, and you should be OK.