DaVinciflies

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Everything posted by DaVinciflies

  1. There are much better tools for long spots than a Katana 97 though! In fact almost anything would probably be better for a long spot!
  2. I think the difference here is that you are talking about strong headwind where you are being pushed back. In that case you could be right that rears will not help and fronts MAY. In a moderate headwind, a touch of rears will not appreciably reduce your airspeed but will result in an improved glide ratio. Getting small will further increase penetration due to reduced parasitic drag. That statement is incorrect.
  3. I got it from Flight-1. And personal experience. And "The Parachute and it's Pilot" (page 57) Checkmate?
  4. I am not making this up! I have tried it, and it works. Of course there will be a point where nothing is going to get you to penetrate the wind. That's the time to be on the ground! With a few exceptions the rule is: Tailwind - get small and use brakes. Headwind - get small and use rears. This is quite simply wrong, and is a common misconception. Can someone who we respect around here as a canopy coach (Ian, AggieDave) chime in? It is no wonder new jumpers are getting confused about canopy flight when there is some much misinformation around. I half expect someone to say "You should get big with a tailwind to act as a sail"!!
  5. I can't comment on Curt, but I just got some coaching from Jimmy Tranter yesterday and I have to day that his way of explaining things really helped me. I would highly recommend him.
  6. Wrong. Brakes are best when you're upwind. Downwind, getting small and using rears is all the hope you've got of getting back. Wrong again. 359 degrees of every spiral you are not facing the wind. If you are worried about getting pushed back, face directly into the wind. Fuck dude - stop giving shit advice.
  7. I am interested in why you would ask this question. The answer is "it depends". If I miss my IP at 550' I can still do a 180 to as low as 450' by speeding up the turn (this is not a guess - I know this from performance enveloping up high). Another option is a flat turn 90 and then a front riser 90, or a gentle toggle carve or a flat turn or land down/crosswind. Which of the above options I choose depends on how low I am, space/outs available, traffic, winds etc etc... I hope this answer demonstrates that there is no one right answer which is one reason why swooping is so much more than just flying to a point and hauling on a riser.
  8. I tend to agree with you. This sort of attack does not do dz.com any favours, but it is all too common. Now we have a potential new convert to the sport who was told to fuck off by a dropzone, and again on dz.com. Then we have threads about retention in the sport and berating "tourists" who don't stay the distance (a term, by the way, which I think is designed to confer the message of "you're not worthy of being in my club"). In the words of Pops; "Fuck that".
  9. Both of those solutions will make a huge difference ... and they're going to happen! What on earth makes you think there will be a ban on small canopies? What constitutes "small"? Edited to add: You keep trotting out these wild statements and you still have not answered my questions at the top of this page. At the moment your posts are just noise.
  10. My experience is that Sabre2 150's and 135's need 3-4" extra on the brakelines even with a new lineset for stable front riser use.
  11. Well, I have heard experienced swoopers say that it can be better to skip a 180 and go directly from 90 to 270. But I suppose you don't agree on that. FWIW - I certainly don't.
  12. I believe you are experiencing an unstable body position!
  13. I believe that the issue here is with the terminology. I use "line dump" to refer to the premature release of non-locking stows, and "bag strip" to mean the premature release of the canopy from the bag. Bag strip is likely to result in a hard opening, whereas line dump is less likely to. Using the above terminology, both the above photos would fall into the bag strip category.
  14. You could argue that in the not-all-that-common situation where a substantial wind (say >8mph) changes 180*, it would be better for that load to all land downwind in a predictable pattern than for individuals to start changing the plan "on the fly". It might make people better canopy pilots, too.
  15. What is "skydiving" in your opinion? What disciplines are in, and what are out? For some of us, canopy flight and piloting is the primary reason for being in the sport. Are we not skydivers?
  16. I totally agree with you about the incapacitated/unconscious jumper but I tend to view that as an unlikely event. In that case the risk:benefit ratio of having a smaller reserve is something each individual has to weigh up (in the same way that we all weigh up the risk of skydiving and the risk of other activities such as swooping or jumping on big ways). I have a 143 reserve and am not going to ever go any smaller. I have no doubt that a no flare landing with the brakes stowed on that is going to leave a mark!
  17. I suggest you get in contact with the PDFT guys (and girl!) who are involved with Project XRW as they are using trim tabs on their Comp Velos and probably have done as much work on them as anyone.
  18. If a person can safely jump a main of x sq ft, they should be totally fine under a 7-cell square reserve if x or more sq ft. If not, the main is TOO FUCKING SMALL. This is not the fault of anyone but the jumper (except very new guys who get bad advice from others).
  19. So how exactly are the canopy manufacturers misleading customers? PD recommend a Max Exit Wt of 149 lbs for an Expert jumper jumping a PDR 99. An expert jumper should be able to handle a reserve loading of 1.5 with now issues. If they can't then they are not expert. You're one of those who are trying to remove personal responsibility from life and I disagree with this in the strongest terms.
  20. Either of those would probably work. I look at the horizon and try to keep my shoulders level with it and put my feet and knees together when the opening sits me up vertical. Hope it helps you out.
  21. That is quite simply naive. Business exists to create and satisfy the needs of the consumer. Just because a product doesn't exist does NOT mean there is no demand for it. What if I could make a 200bhp engine that also delivered 200mpg? Don't you think that I should have the right to develop it? It is called a free market economy. Nobody forces consumers to buy anything (except the government with respect to things like insurance or emissions testing). Just because PD makes a 99 sq ft reserve IN NO WAY compels anyone to buy and jump one. That's fucking bullshit and the world needs to be a little more personally responsible and a little less willing to blame anyone else for accidents and poor decision making on the part of the individual.
  22. Why the witch-hunt against manufacturers? We are all responsible for our choices as experienced skydivers, including the gear we chose to save our life.