Kristian_AUS

This is the body position; steeper now than when the photo was taken. After doing some math it looks like the optimal angle of attack is 85º with respect to the ground; right now I'm flying my J3 at around 70º - 75º, working on improving a few things: https://eugeneciurana.com/fotki/_data/i/upload/2018/09/20/20180920145353-71a88329-xl.jpg Air pressure is on my head, shoulders, and upper chest, the rest of my body is in the burble; air pressure anywhere else means I fly slower than I want. My current rig is a 1995 Javelin J3 with heavy free fly customization (free fly pull, bridle flap, new chest straps, masking tape over shoulder flaps before every speed jump, etc.) that our pals from Sun Path engineering and USPA vetted for competition since I couldn't get my hands on the new gear in time for USPA nationals. The canopies for the CURVs will be a Safire 3 169 and a Sabre 2 170, both with PD 160 reserves. I spoke with Scott at RI this morning, chatting with my rigger later about next steps. Your comments are very helpful, I'll bring them to the conversation with them later today. Take care and blue skies! pr3d Ah, I remember you from Nationals. Based on the position in that picture your head looks to be blocking the airflow from the yoke so it may not affect you. I tried a similar head position for WS Performance and it reduced instability a touch but created more drag for me as my chest was presented more.

I have a Curv 2.0 (VC0) that I use for regular jumps and initially used for WS Performance. I found that the Curv bio yoke, while comfortable, lifts the actual yoke off your back and cups air which has a noticeable effect on stability at 160mph+ during WS Performance runs. I did 4 back to back jumps with a Javelin Odyssey (yoke comes almost to a point and sits flush against your back) and the difference was easily noticeable. The Curv forced me to move my head back to deflect airflow from the yoke to improve stability. I switched to an Aurora for WS Performance which has the same reserve tray as the Odyssey and solved my instability issues. Having said that, I spoke to an accomplished freeflyer that has a Curv 2.0 and he hadn’t noticed issues when he’s head down. I'm not familiar with body position in Speed Skydiving, so this may not impact you. For regular jumps I'm happy with the Curv.

I have about 50 jumps on mine now. I'm 6'2" and have the smallest container with an Epicene 130 and PD113. My main focus is performance flying and WOWS events. Regarding the points raised previously with respect to my container: - the BOC holds the PC firmly - when the adjustable laterals are correctly adjusted my container hugs my back nicely, at the beginning I did one jump with what turned out to be loose laterals and the container lifted off my back at the bottom. - I haven't done any back to back comp runs with my old container (Curv 2.0 VC0 - same canopies), but the most noticeable difference is high speed stability. Buffeting at around 160+mph has been significantly decreased and has made speed runs much more enjoyable. I would attribute it in part to the way the Aurora's yoke tapers into the neck area. The Curv cups air before it spills over the container and between the bio yoke and regular yoke onto the arm wing. This alone was worth it to me. - the taper of the container can change somewhat depending on your packing method and how bulk is distributed. A nicely packed main and PC give a nice taper into the tail wing. - the container is about 2-3" longer than my Curv so the PC is in a more comfortable area.

No energy needed, just order a new PC from a different supplier. I've personally seen two choked PC's, both pilots were experienced. I know of a few more through friends. I can't tell you exactly how much a light handle will reduce the odds of an entanglement, but for ~$50 more (or 16 cents/jump @ 300 jumps) I'll stack the odds just a little bit more in my favor.

A point that hasn't been brought up that I quite like is the fact that is has to my knowledge the lightest handle on the market. Anything that allows the PC to accelerate quicker in the airstream and reduces the chance of the bridle beating it (and potentially choking the PC) is a plus in my opinion.

Not the video in question, but Josh Sheppard picked up someone after an exit didn't stick. If I remember correctly he was in an Aura, the rider was slick. Just found it: https://jointheteem.com/sky/skydiving/skydiving-wingsuit-rodeo-fail-and-win/

I had no choice but to add 2.5" to the booties as a temporary fix (didn't have time for manufacturer to fix it) on a new mattress class suit I bought. It changed the balance and characteristics of the suit significantly, not to mention you're also losing surface area. The new suit I received later flew noticeably better. The effect is likely to be less pronounced on a smaller suit, however I would keep looking.

Thanks for the info, that's new to me.

Not sure if I follow, would you care to elaborate?

Try this instead of sports drinks to get your electrolytes up. It's much healthier. http://www.amazon.com/EMERGEN-C-ELECTRO-MIX-Lemon-Lime-4-2/dp/B002HWRY5S Also, shorter calls such as 20's are much easier to deal with physically than longer calls. Use packers, you'll be much sharper on the jump especially at the end of the day.

Thanks, the Sabre 2 has been the canopy that most people have recommended that I've spoken too. I was also considering a Lotus 2, from what I've heard it's basically a Sabre 2 with airlocks but with a bit more of a safety margin if you happen to run through some heavy turbulence.

This is likely to be an age old question here, but I haven't found a good answer explaining it. I'm looking to downsize this year sometime. I haven't decided on my next canopy type yet and would like to choose something that would give me a good foundation to get into higher performance canopy flight if I decide to go down that road. What sort of qualities should I be looking for in my next canopy? Something trimmed a little steeper than a Pilot, such as a Sabre 2? Longer recovery arc? I'm looking to stay with a semi-elliptical planform. I know people typically say to test jump different canopies, but I'd prefer to base my decision on suitability for skill development and learn how to fly it. Here's some background info - Total jumps: ~600 Time in sport: 2 yrs Current canopy: Pilot 168, ~400 jumps @ WL 1.22 -1.26 Next canopy: ? 150, which would put me at WL 1.39 - 1.43 Disciplines: FS, WS