Vlad

Do you thing that Diablo is WAY much different from other 7cell zp's (spectre, omega, tria.) ??

HAve anyone flown a diablo at 1.3 wing loading ? How is it ? Forgiving enough ? I have about 100 jumps, thinking of switching to another canopy. I'm used to fly 160 Omega, now want to try my new Diablo150, but worried, if it's too extreme...

Wings rigs are equiped with BOC pouch made from cordura, which is awesome ! Maybe a rigger can put it on other rigs, as well ?

to Scottjo : I have an Omega 160, which opens very good : not as slow, as Spectre, but still very soft. I do have a hole in the slider, it just was manufactured this way by Presicion. You can call 'em and ask for a new slider . I know, that PD does that for no charge, not sure about PA, however. Blue Skies !

Their container looks great ! The problem is that in America it would not have a very good resale value. Somehow only american rigs are popular here.. I have yet to see a single Atom in US dz's..Anybody knows why ?? Also the customer service would be way too expensive (shipping to Europe)

As far as I understand, the newerer several rigs (G3, Vector, Voodoo, Wings, Infinity, Odissey) are very much equal in quality and comfort. The comfort depends more on such factors as presence of rings @ hips, the way you pack your canopy, if the container is sized correctly for you and your canopies and so for. To BFK : yes, Wings is made from the same 1000-cordura as Mirage or Wings. The main container closes the same way. The principal difference is that Wings has a pop-top, just like javelin. Some people say, it is safer, I'm not sure how true this is. But that is a great container !

You can spend less money and get the same quality/comfort/safety if you buy either Wings or Infinity. I bought a Wings for myself and could not be more happy. But I know people who are jumping Infinities and love them ,too !

Have not heard of somebody bouncing during those jumps. Rounds deployed by s/l open fast !

In Russia sometimes they have a 100-meters jump. The plane is flying at 300', jumpers jump with round canopies deployed by static lines. I have not done it yet, but surely will. I know couple friends who have done that.

I looked at RI webpage. Wow !! Genera looks like having a new generation main closing flap, like one on Mirage or Wings. Is that right ?? What kinda riser covers does it have ? Why are some containers (Talon, Eclipse, Genera) less popular than others (Javelin, Dolphin, Mirage) ? I've tried the Eclipse once, and its comfort was awesome ! Opinions ?

Jan Devis is dead (see the front page) ? Is not she the one who bounced last year in Yosemite ????? Check the page http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/parachutedeath991023.html Anyways, blue skies, black death

Have not seen the new Dolphins, but the old ones ('96) that I've jumped in Lodi were awful. The velcro on the riser covers was tiny and insecure. I had a riser out @ 8K. I understand, that it was partly rigger's fault, because he had to replace the velcro. But other rigs with tuck tabs DO NOT require that maintanance. The harness was very uncomfortable, especially when I was doing hard spirals under the canopy. I think, there are better rigs out there. Again, I have not seen Dolphin 2000. Just my 0.02.

to skybaby: I was definitely bellyflying. When I asked the rigger if I could freefly those Dolphins he almost had a heart attack...

I'm with Wildblue. AAD is just a backup, you should forget that you have it ! DOn't you feel capable to safely open your parachute by yourself ???

HopnPop, That's right, that's the pilot who kills himself. Do you think that person with 25 jumps (and may be even 250 as well) is a GOOD PILOT ??? I have not flown the Stiletto, but have talked to a lot of persons that have. Their opinion is that you should have several hundred of jumps before you can swithch to Stilletto/ Crossfire. Landings can be similar to Spectre of Safire, but the difference is that Stilletto (especially highly loaded) will not forgive mistakes, that Spectre would. 2Snowfaller : read the incident reports in Parachutist and/or on the web. Calculate the percentage of those deaths that are due to pilot's inability to safely handle his canopy. Would you rather be bored under your canopy or in the hospital or grave ? By the way, this month's Parachutist has an interesting article about demoing high performance gear. YOu should read that. 2HopnPop. I have the same number of jumps as you do. And I know for sure that I DO NOT KNOW my canopy (Omega 160) that well. It takes hundreds of jumps to really understand its flying characteristics. It is your choice to jump it but you should not convince people with low amount of jumps that this is a very safe canopy. Call Performance Designs and ask them if they would recommend Stiletto for a jumper with 25 jumps...WHy do you think there is a jump number limit for Stiletto at any reputable gear store ? Those rules have been written by blood...Just my .02 Prigaite bezopasno ! :))) Edited by vlad on 3/28/01 05:34 PM.

I did get mine in 4 weeks ! It was supposed to be 8, but I called Sunrise Rigging and asked them to make it ASAP (I was going to California for my spring break). And they did it ! The service was excellent, people were EXTREMELY friendly, and container is awesome !!!

Stiletto at 25 jumps ? Hmm, very wise advice...... :((((((

I have this type of handle on my Wings.I like it better then hackey. There is nothing to worry about, you do not have to be current or have lots of jumps :) I only have 62.

>>.ps: my new wings container solves all my problems. :) Mine too ;)))

I think it would be useful for everybody if we write about bad experience with brand xxx gear as well. So, which containers/canopies/helmets/accessories you would NOT recommend to buy ? I have a bad experience with an OLD('96) Dolphin. In the Parachute Center, Lodi, CA , they have Dolphins and Reflexes for rent. Reflexes are perfectly fine, but the Dolphins... The velcro on main riser covers does not work at all !!! 2 weeks ago I rented a Dolphin . and guess what: on 8 grand I had the whole riser outside the container !!! Was not the most pleasant feeling. I think that those containers that use a lot of velcro do need frequent maintanance. P.S. Have not seen the new Dolphins, they could be much better and need less maintanance... Edited by vlad on 3/24/01 07:57 PM.

Try the Wings as well ! I got one of them couple weeks ago. Awesome freefly container !!!! It is becoming more and more popular . Check the reviews .

I am supersticious , that is why I never jump without a rig on my back :))

Received my Wings couple weeks ago and already made about ten jumps on it. The custom made harness is way more comfortable than my old Talon which I bought used. Now I feel much safer doing freefly, because Wings is freefly proof : no bridle visible, excellent riser covers which start almost at 3 rings, so no risers are exposed to airflow. THE BEST RESERVE cover flap that I know of : it is simple, but very very very safe ! I still have not seen a safer one. It does not catch the air at all, low profile, does not have those flaps at the side (like on Javelin or Vector), so it is much easier to do a pincheck. Freefly handle is another great feature, which i like more than hackey handle. P/C pocket from 1000-cordura is much more durable than spandex. Main cover flap is the new generation one that tucks into itself, like on Vector, Voodoo, and Mirage. Chest strap is double layered which makes it very durable. I would recommend ordering WIngs w/ articulated harness. Those rings increase the flexibility greately ! I ordered Wings sized for Diablo 150 main. For now I've put an Omega 160 it it, so that makes it very tight, but still looks much better than a Talon with a oversized main in it. Actually, my rigger told me that I would not have any problems in putting even a 120 in it. The bottom line : a new generation durable and excellent looking container . Would recommend it for everyone !!!

I'm loading my Omega @ 1.2lb/ft^2 . It's very fun to fly. Turns are very rapid , quicker than on Triathlon at an equal wing loading, but that is no wonder, because Omega is slightly elliptical, just like Spectre. Opens faster than Spectre, but still very soft. Great landings ! It wants to swoop even without low turns ! Omega surfs for quite a long distance , and then will put to down on the ground very soft ! A+++

I'm a happy owner of this altimeter. Altitude is the easiest to check, you can just take a QUICK look at the "pie" . It also has some pro-track features, like exit and opening altitudes. I would recommend Altitron to everyone (in the matter of fact I even convinced my dad to buy one for himself !). Blue ones