Dang12457

I'm just a little outside of DC and go to Chambersburg and Delmarva depending on the weekend. Feel free to shoot me a note about catching a ride. Once I finish up my A I'll be adding The Point and Orange to the list, but for now I'm sticking with those 2 DZ's.

Cant go wrong with any of the 3 decompression mentioned. I haven't jumped at Orange yet, but hit C-burg last wknd and going to Delmarva this wknd. They're all about 2 hrs, so no real difference with time. This time of year you won't have an issue with beach traffic over the bay bridge going to delmarva. Summer is a different story.

I just finished my student jumps this summer so I've got about a 10 jump headstart on you. Time and weather permitting, I never got more than 2 jumps in a day. Usually it was one and sometimes due to winds etc it was 0. Conditions play a big part that will impact your "plans." That said, the comfort level on the second jump of the day was really pretty nice. A lot of the tension and jitters of the first are gone making the second a whole lot of fun. For me, after finishing each jump, I would take my time to "decompress" and think about what made the previous jump a success and what I'd like to improve upon for the next. If I was mentally drained, I'd quit for the day. You have a LOT to think about, don't rush it.

Thanks for all the advice on the rigs! While I fully intend on getting as much feedback as I can from my DZ, it always helps to get as much preliminary info as possible. Davinci- I appreciate the first hand newbie experience with the Fusion. Good to know. Thanks!

Thanks Wendy. Good to know. And i'm definitely going to have everything inspected. Gonna channel everything through my DZ one way or another.

When you say "older" would a rig made in 1999 with 1200 jumps on it be getting past it's usable life? (just a random example). If a rig has been in someones closet for 12 years, is that something I should be concerned about? I'd like to freefly eventually and have it AAD compatible. But the freefly thing is a "nice to have" not a necessity. I don't need it to be pretty, I just don't want to have it on my back on its last jump. I'd like it to comfortably have 400 jumps remaining on its life. And I figured I'd put the same size reserve in it. But if I did as you suggest and put a 230 reserve with a 210 main... I suspect that will be hard to find. Which is fine. I plan on building this slowly, one thing at a time, and when I've got my 2 chutes and container, then add the AAD.

Seriously... I can't thank you guys enough for all your feedback. It has been extremely helpful. While I've got you engaged, can I ask your suggestion on containers? For a used canopy, I've been able to find enough info on age limits and wear being basically a life expectancy of 1200 jumps and re-lines at 400+/- (subjective of course). But this helped me get dialed in for a target range and price. But what about containers? I'd like to find a container/reserve combo for $1000-$1500, preferably closer to $1000. Any advice you can throw my way to help me start getting it dialed in?

Thanks for the extra info dragon. While I'm definitely budget conscious, I'd much rather buy the right one first and do it right the first time even if it costs me a little more up front. I (over)analyze big purchases. But then again, it's what I do for a living, so I can't help it. Add to that the fact that my life could depend on this one. I toyed with the idea of looking for a 230 or a student, but figured I'd be better off sticking with the rental at the DZ until I was ready to go all in with a 210. Thanks!

Thanks for confirming. That's really what I was thinking. A 210 is still a really big canopy no matter how you look at it. But I'm definitely not going smaller for a long time. That's kind of why I was leaning towards a 9 cell and fly it conservatively as I gain more experience with it. I just wanted to get as much opinion on that before I opened the wallet. For as little self control as I have in many aspects of my life, I can reel it in for 1500 feet so I have many happy landings. Besides, I'm sure it's going to take me a long time to find a container that fits me and the chute thats in my target price range too. Thanks!

Sundevil- are you saying that the ones that dragon mentioned would serve well provided I managed the wingloading and respected the performance differences? Just that you referred to "novice canopies" and dragon referred to the ones mentioned as "intermediate."

Thanks dragon! Appreciate it.

It's a 210. I started in a 260 for my first 9 or 10 jumps and the last 5 went down to a 210 on their recommendation. Only got 1 jump on the 210 before the season ended. I figure when it starts back up in the spring, I'd step back to a 230 for a few jumps while finishing my 'A'. Based on the input from my DZ, a 210 is the way to go... but now that I'm starting to really start looking, a little overwhelmed with all the choices. Thanks for all the feedback! It's all very helpful.

It's a Fusion. Precision Aerodynamics is the mfr. I wouldn't pull the trigger until I had a live conversation with someone at my DZ, but like I said,snow on the ground... so not really expecting a quick reply. The wingloading would be 1:1.

I'm looking at putting together my first rig and found a canopy that is the size that was suggested at my DZ. They recommended a Spectre if I could find it, the one I'm looking at is a 9 cell eliptical. Is the flight dynamic of the eliptical that different that I should hold off and buy the spedific one recommended? I'm 10 jumps away from my "A" and figure to use a rental until I finish before transitioning. I've got snow on the ground, so I've got time to work this out. Thanks

Thanks for the feedback! It's much appreciated