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Found 119 results

  1. slim_shady

    SWS Fire 2

    Time Left: 11 days and 23 hours

    • FOR SALE
    • USED

    SWS Fire 2 for sale DOM : 01/20 Number of jumps : 150 Made for someone of 1.86m and 85kg. Equipped with stainless steel hardware, swoop risers, 3D spacer foam, soft reserve handle, cut-in laterals, main PC ZP, lazy bag. The main bag had a Skylark Odyssey 120 and a Fluid Wings Helix 90/Katana 107. Reserve sizes are equivalent to a PDR106.

    NO VALUE SPECIFIED

    Antwerp - BE

  2. So new canopy from Aerodyne named Karma hit the market recently. https://www.flyaerodyne.com/karma.html Anyone has personal experience on it and would like to share with community? I'm mostly interested in how it compares to it's class competitors such as Fluid Wings Echo or Icarus XFire and similar. Cheers
  3. on a cut away my main canopy felt in middle of the road and I saw a car rolling on and stopping on the side. After landing my reserve, 5 min after I went there and the canopy was gone. I presume the driver took it and left. So if it pops up in sellin
  4. Killing the nation's symbol too: Chicago tribune, March 23 Illinois Raptor Center director Jacques Nuzzo shows bald eagles that died from lead poisoning at the center on Friday. A recent study found that nearly 50% of eagles have high levels of lead, and experts blame lead hunting ammo. The bald eagle was struggling for breath when it arrived at the Illinois Raptor Center in Decatur. Seizures shook the bird’s iconic snow-white head. Its dark wings rose and stiffened at awkward angles. “Aw, man,” program director Jacques Nuzzo said to himself. “This is lead.” He rushed to the eagle’s aid and stayed late into the night, dispensing difficult-to-obtain medication, as well as fluid for hydration and kind words for comfort. But the seizures continued, racking the bird’s body every five or 10 minutes. By noon the next day, the patient was dead. Such suffering is largely preventable, experts say, with studies showing a strong link between widespread lead poisoning in eagles and the use of lead ammunition by deer hunters. The ammunition fragments and disperses in a deer’s body, and eagles ingest it when they feast on “gut piles,” the internal organs that hunters remove and leave behind. Other forms of ammunition are available — including copper and tungsten options — but information hasn’t been readily available to hunters, and uptake has been slow. “It gets more frustrating every time I see one (of these cases). It’s really awful,” said Nuzzo, who treated the lead-poisoned eagle March 8, just two days after another eagle with lead poisoning died on its way to the same raptor center. “This is a problem that has been going on for over 80 years, and it’s a little mind-blowing that nothing has really, majorly, been done about it,” Nuzzo said. The Illinois Raptor Center, a 25-acre wildlife rehabilitation and education facility, has admitted 38 bald eagles since 2018, Nuzzo said. Of those, 19 had unhealthy lead levels and eight died from lead poisoning. The lead poisoning issue got additional attention in February when the journal Science published a study of more than 1,200 eagles in 38 states that were tested for lead from 2010 to 2018. Almost half the eagles in the study had chronic lead poisoning. The study found that cases of recent lead poisoning rise in winter, when eagles are most likely to be feeding on contaminated deer carcasses and gut piles. Other studies show similar correlations and older research — conducted with portable X-ray devices up to 20 years ago — found that hunters’ discarded carcasses often contained lead fragments, according to study co-author Vincent Slabe, a wildlife research biologist at the nonprofit Conservation Science Global in Bozeman, Montana. In addition, wildlife rehabilitation centers with X-ray machines have been able to show that when eagles have high lead levels, they often also have lead fragments in their digestive systems. “When you start piecing all of that together, there are very strong correlations suggesting that this is the pathway whereby eagles are lead-poisoned,” Slabe said. The U.S. banned the use of lead ammunition in waterfowl hunting in 1991, due in part to concerns that the birds were experiencing lead poisoning, and California banned all lead hunting ammunition in 2019. A lead hunting ammunition ban was introduced in the Illinois Senate in 2019 but didn’t gain traction. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, which has opposed lead ammunition bans, could not be reached for comment. Some eagle advocates lean toward a ban, with Nuzzo saying that at this point “it’s probably the best bet.” But Slabe disagreed, saying that bans can easily backfire, putting hunters — who tend to be pro-conservation and sympathetic to eagles — on the defensive. “I’m pro-hunter. I’m pro-conservation. I’m also pro-eagle,” Slabe said. He said information about the effect of lead on eagles hasn’t been widely available, and he cited an Arizona study that found that after a comprehensive public relations and education program, more than 80% of hunters took steps to protect California condors from lead poisoning. The hunters either switched to non-lead ammunition or put their gut piles in trash bags and removed them from wildlife areas. Slabe said that when a deer is shot, lead bullets fragment and disperse in the animal’s body, leaving dozens — or even hundreds — of pieces of toxic metal, some of them only a little larger than the head of a pin. If an eagle eats the contaminated meat, lead can cause problems with breathing, circulation, reproduction or respiration. Some eagles with lead poisoning lose their ability to fly. Eagles can also suffer brain damage or get food stuck in the crop — a storage area in the esophagus — and starve to death. The lead poisoning problem is serious enough to suppress population growth for the estimated 340,000 eagles living in the United States, Slabe’s study found. The bald eagle population, which currently increases by 10% a year, would increase by about 14% without lead poisoning, the study found. Similarly, the golden eagle population would grow at a rate of about 1% a year, up from zero growth today. A hunter and fisherman, Nuzzo had already eliminated lead from most of his outdoor equipment when he treated the lead-poisoned eagle earlier this month, but that experience has inspired him to go further. Now, he said, he’s working on removing the last remnants of the toxic metal from his fishing gear. “It has to start with us,” Nuzzo said. “It would be a lot easier if you made the choice, rather than the government telling you what to do.”
  5. You are right, but changing planform does not necessarily mean "optimize everything for performance". Things like openings, and harness responsiveness have nothing to do with performance. Other stuff, like how far the wing can carry you in rears for a given airspeed has to do with performance, but has nothing to do with the aggressiveness of the canopy (aggressiveness is for me, in this context, how much speed you can produce by making it dive). The top line is both very high performant and very aggressive. Nothing speaks against having high performance (lift produced, distance in rears, flare power) and medium aggressiveness (don't dive until the end of days) One can always tweak and tame down some aspects. A "VC" with Schumann planform is not necessarily a VK. The Gangster from Fluid Wings is Schumann, but dives less than the VC for instance. The X-Fire is Schumann and it is not even cross-braced, and it dives less than the Gangster. A "VK lite", with the great openings of the VK, its rears, its harness responsiveness, its flare power, but with a shorter dive sounds good to me. I can imagine a future PD progression like SA3 -> KA2 (updated Katana with a bit less dive than the actual one, but all the good things of canopies like the X-Fire) -> "VK lite" -> VK In any case, that's just my view, I am also not a canopy designer. Maybe I am just missing something.
  6. The same is true for almost all manufacturers. The entry-level cross-braced canopies are all old designs, except the Gangster from Fluid Wings. The JFX2 is a nice refreshment, but looks to me basically like a JFX1 with a couple of small changes, not a completely new canopy. I really would like to see in this category a canopy with inflatable stabilizers, miniribs, and Schumann planform. Maybe these things would drive the manufacturing cost too high for this category? BTW: The Katana also needs an update
  7. Exact prediction is impossible. It's basically fluid dynamics, and while experts use supercomputers to try to simulate as many variables as possible, it's just not possible to collect enough data. Ever heard of the Butterfly Effect? "A butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil can cause a typhoon in Japan". A bit exaggerated, but not too much on how hard the Navier-Stokes equations are to solve. You'd have to cover the entire earth in sensors and the smallest thing you miss could have a cascading effect. But scientists are still trying to come up with improved models and gather improved data, and people like brent are still saying they know better.
  8. Katana is an old engineering. There are number of modern canopies: Crossfire3, Czech Raptor, USA Fluid Wings Gangter, Russian Rave, Ukranian Odyssey Evo. I think Evo has a number of advantages if we take into account price and proximity of production. Performance and flying characteristics are outstanding compared to competitors.
  9. Most federations recommend 1000 jumps before flying cross-braced canopies. Besides that, loading a cross-braced at 1.05 is kind of, for lack of a better word, useless. These canopies are designed for higher winloads, without exception I would say. Loading them so lightly is probably counterproductive. The wing will be less pressurized, and that could be dangerous. To give you an example, Fluid Wings recommends the Gangster for wingloads starting at 1.5. Most other recommend 1.8 at least. I am unsure what is the local culture at your DZ, but judging from the first post looks like the understanding of the different canopy designs and their effect on flying characteristics is a bit lacking. When in doubt, try to be conservative. It is better than been scrapped out of the ground.
  10. This is a very interesting thread as it speaks to a range of canopies that I’m very interested in. Given the time that has passed and the new wings now on the market, I wonder if I can trigger more conversation. We now see the PD Sabre 3, pitched in a way that seems to narrow the gap between the “predecessor” Sabre 2 and the Katana. We’ve also seen the NZA Crossfire 3 and the Icarus World XFire in circulation for a few years. Finally the Fluid Wings Gangster has become a mainstream contender in this class, and the PD Katana still popular. So five canopies, with various pedigrees, all somewhat overlapping in the performance range. My experience with them is limited to a few dozen jumps on the Gangster & Katana and a couple of hundred on the XFire at between 1.4 - 1.6 and Sabre 2 at lower loadings (and I have a Crossfire 3 still in the bag from the factory but never even demoed), so I wouldn’t pitch my opinion as expert - or even necessarily particularly well informed, so I won’t share beyond the fact that I found the Gangster to have the most confidence inspiring range and flexibility, the XFire to be heavy on the fronts, wanting to load higher, do longer turns and have a shorter recovery arc, and the Katana to fly very nicely, light on the fronts, allow setup with more altitude thanks to the long recovery arc, but controls fall off sharply at lower speed. I anticipate that I’ll find the Crossfire 3 to feel like a good training platform as I Continue to build experience, but imagine that sooner or later I’ll want to return to the Gangster, given its long recovery arc, impressive range on rears, powerful flare and manageable fronts, as well as perfect openings and long spot capability.
  11. Hi everyone. I'm selling my beautiful Helix 75 if any one is interested? Less than 300 jumps. Comes with spare line set. Removable slider Any questions please ask.
  12. I'm also 70kg and started my 90's at similar height (~420) on a Sabre 2 it dives more than a Saf2 and possibly more than both the Crossfire 2 & 3, the 3 doesn't dive a whole lot more than the 2. The Gangster from Fluid Wings is the one I'd choose (and I did) due to the recovery arc, I prefer it to the JFX (haven't tried the JFX2) but it's still a high perfomance wing and please please check with some smart people whether you're ready for it!
  13. So I have around 500 jumps and want to buy a 135 canopy (1.05 wing load). I have researched different designs and think I prefer cross braced, besides their bad openings. I don’t really understand the difference between 500IB Vectran and 750 Vectran lines. However, I have found myself looking a lot into either a 135 katana or 135 fluid wings gangster. What would you guys recommend for a good snappy canopy that can keep dives pretty well and do fast spins. Open to other suggestions for canopies. But really don’t like saber 2. Also good to state I do a lot of front riser dives atm but hate the fast recovery that takes the toggles out of my hands, but love the quick response time for doing loops or spins.
  14. Fluidwings announced new canopy couple days ago. WairWolf. It took place between AirWolf and HKT in Fluidwings lineup. It is not minor modification of AirWolf, it is NEW wing, based on AW. New features: - Improved opening performance - New planform shaping - Steeper line trim - 5% reduction in line drag - All FT30 construction for a more rigid wing and less distortion - Increased roll rate and overall more harness response - Steeper longer rollouts with more power - new FT 30 fabric colors specifically for this release - New mini-rib profile
  15. Meso

    Introducing The Kraken

    “She’s a wing of legends. The Kraken is the ultimate 'party in the front and business at the back', she's super responsive and holds tight when pushed hard. She is the canopy equivalent of Che Guevara, Marilyn Monroe and Brian Jones all in one. The Kraken is a must have for any wingsuiter and will have the pilot grinning ear to ear as they fly back to whatever landing area they can make it to. Kidding. Kinda.” We have released the Kraken, finally! Designing the Kraken was a long process because it was new to us: the Kraken is our very first wingsuit specific parachute. Traditionally NZ Aerosports has focused more on flight performance than on opening a canopy in a wingsuit wake. So it took us a few years, but ended up with a very technical end result: a canopy full of cool features and ideas that makes it very different from any existing wingsuit canopy. The result is a low bulk, long lasting canopy with very reliable and stable openings that lands like a dream. Typically, canopies low(er) in aspect ratio and ellipticity (fat 7-cell canopies) have better heading performance, and stability in flight. The problem with this is that wings shaped like this are not exactly renowned for their glide performance and sharp handling. The solution to this problem was a combination of ideas floating around the head of NZ Aerosports’ aeronautical engineer Julien Peelman, and the production and test jump team. We looked to our deep understanding of modern day wings, aerodynamics, and type of ingenuity that produces world class skydiving parachutes – our trademark. Key features of the Kraken 3D Designed: We are now using Catia V5 to design canopies. This is one of the most advanced 3D CAD softwares available. It gives us more freedom to design the canopy down to the finest details and helps generate the most accurate panels possible. The result is a more accurate shaping, a smoother surface, and better aerodynamic efficiency. CFD Tested: The Kraken shape has been tested using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), which gives us, among other things, a better understanding of her behavior in turbulence and during recovery. Photo Chris Stewart Anticipating the zag: First debuted in our Crossfire 3, The Kraken is designed so its panels are designed directly in the shape they will have during flight by taking into account the Zig-Zag distortion. This spreads the load evenly through the fabric and makes the wing more structurally efficient. New Rib Shape: The Kraken has benefited from research on rib shaping that was originally used to design our new range of hyper-performance wings, Petra and Leia. New Crossport Design: Crossports have been strategically placed in the Kraken to have the least influence on the upper surface shape while allowing a good air circulation between the chambers. They are bigger toward the center of the canopy to help with symmetrical openings. They have also been designed with an elliptical shape that optimizes their area while reducing the upper surface distortion. Powerband: We've added the split leading edge Powerband to all our new canopies since we pioneered it with Petra. It allows us to better control the aerodynamic shape in the nose area, which prevents parasitic drag. Curves in the right places: We’ve realised that by sewing our reinforcing tape in parabolas (arcs) on the ribs, we spread the load applied to the top surface more efficiently, meaning less distortion and a more efficient top surface. Don’t say slit: We’ve put a vent on the lower surface to help promote fast center cell inflation. This means better, more on heading openings in the messy wake of a wingsuit. It’s not a gaping hole like a BASE vent, it’s a… horizontal opening... that seals after full inflation. There’s a hole in my slider?!: We became so fond of vents that we put one in the slider! We found that by creating a channel for the air to go straight through, we reduced the crazy oscillation often seen during parachute openings. Those oscillations can contribute to off headings etc, so that’s nice! Big holes: To help out its closest neighbors, the crossports leading from the center cell to the closest outboard cells are enlarged. Promoting symmetrical central inflation means promoting on heading openings! Keeping it short: Shorter lines mean more flight stability, and easier rectification of any pesky line twists – both good things for the whole wingsuit deal! High-tech, low bulk: Because it’s 2019, we haven’t used untreated cloth (F-111) for our wingsuit canopy. Instead, we’ve tracked down a low bulk ZP (treated with silicone) fabric, and used that for the majority of the wing, with the Powerband and top center panel made out of standard ZP for extra longevity. Riser equality: We’ve included a bit of internal structure that means your bridle will load both your risers more evenly during the early stages of deployment. Because of how it looks, we’ve called it the ‘Bow-tie’ – and as we all know, equality is classy! Photo Chris Stewart Little tail thingys: Mini-ribs in the tail of a canopy sharpens its profile, which reduces drag and increases glide performance by “a lot more than we thought”. This translates to more fun in the sky, and a better flare on the ground. 7 cells are not usually known for their amazing flare power, so it all helps! Improve your pull-out game with a snatch: Symmetry is good, and so it is with your pilot chute. We’ve discovered that using snatches help with our wingsuit openings, so we have stocked up on them and highly recommend to purchase one with all Kraken purchases! Inward Rotated end cell: While most ribs are perpendicular to the lower surface, the end rib is rotated inward to reduce the size of the end cell and prevent it from losing its shape. This reduces tip vortices and induced drag. Photo Chris Stewart New line trim: Despite being a relatively docile canopy, the rectangular planform has been compensated with a trim just a notch steeper than you would think. This helps with up wind penetration, fun and is one of the reason for the great flare. New Stabilizer shape: The shape of the stabilizer has been modernized to prevent it from flapping too much in flight. It also helps the slider to sit in the right position. Custom Sizing The Kraken is available in any size between 119 and 189 so that you can get the perfect wing loading for you at this stage in your canopy progression. See the Kraken’s key features interactively on Emersya: https://emersya.com/showcase/5GFIH0C9Q0 Key flight characteristics of the Kraken Openings The modern day wingsuit is capable of incredible glide, but this efficiency brings its own set of complications when designing a parachute to match. The biggest factor is the turbulent wake formed behind the wingsuit – right where the parachute is deployed. Kraken openings are quick but not hard – you’ll feel inflation immediately. The vent helps control the heading. Once the center cell and adjacent cells inflate, the canopy slowly pressurises with a predictable reliability. The Kraken will sail on level seas even with linetwists! Inputs Intuitive and precise, each input delivers a predictable response. From opening to landing the Kraken is a confidence builder. Toggles Big inputs will produce an immediate response - the pilot will feel in control from first point of contact. Stall point The slow flight characteristics were a very important design factor for the Kraken, so there is plenty of warning before she stalls, and will recover to normal flight in an easy and stress free transition when slowly letting the toggles back up. Rear risers There’s lots of feel and response – the Kraken has fantastic glide! Milk those rears and disprove the myth that all wingsuiters land off! Front Risers F is for fun! Yep, the Kraken can dive! Performance The Kraken has loads of zip! Fly her nice and slow for those busy landing patterns when you want lots of vertical separation. Or dive her at the ground and drag some turf. There’s plenty of fun to be had! Recovery Arc The recovery arc is longer than typically experienced with similar 7 cell designs. For someone who wants to have their cake ( a nice sensible wingsuit canopy) and eat it too (swoop the shit out of it), then go go go! Flare The Kraken has a wide range of performance, the flare is one of the most important aspects - she wont disappoint. Those nil wind tiptoe landings will feel very natural. More information available from:
  16. PD has done a full review video series on line types https://www.youtube.com/user/PDBlog/search?query=line+types, watch parts 1 to 8. Vectran is part 4 and HMA is part 5. It's an 8 years old video, so more knowledge is available since then. The video also contradicts skow's comment on HMA being more stretchy. The extra word of mouth knowledge I have is that Vectran lines are easier to evaluate for wear, while lasting about the same number of jumps as HMA, making them, theoretically, safer to jump. I also heard that depending on where you jump, a line may be preferred over another, because of how they react different due to local climate. Fluid wings (Airwolf, HK), PD (valkyrie) and NZ (leia) all ship their xbraced canopies with vectran lines by default. I couldn't get an information on the Petra and Peregrine, but the HK is also shipped with vectran.
  17. I am using a fluid wings RDS (slider only) on my Crossfire3 129 (loaded at 1.7) and it works great. No issues, and it still opens beautify. I just like being able to get the slider completely out of my way.
  18. Pretty sure one (the skydiver) of Fluid Wings' original band members is an engineer (not sure which specialty) by training............Did I read it on their website?
  19. Check the multiple designs too. The icarus ones are the slowest ones to attach IMO, then PD. TST and latest Fluid Wings models are the fastest.
  20. The Echo is now avaliable from Fluid Wings Super strong offering that will really be a fun addition to the sport jumpers quiver. Lots of good technology used in ultra class wings being brought to the canopies we all fly. Enjoy the openings, and love the flight. Flare for days and rears that feel right. LMK If you have any questions. 107, 120, 135, 150, 170
  21. So, Icarus world ended up producing a new wing. Fluid Wings had something (Tesla) and then there's no more info...The Echo seems to be th the new proposition... -- Blue Skies NO FEARS, NO LIMITS, NO MONEY... "A Subitánea et Improvísa Morte, Líbera nos, Domine."
  22. As my 'starter fluid' was being topped off, I found this old idea I totally forgot about: how to measure L/D on the ground, either with real wingsuit/pilot, or a scaled experimental model - all without a wind tunnel! [inline LDMeasurementWithoutWindtunnel.jpg] Imagine a WS model suspended from a balance scale, precisely balanced with counterweight, outside on a windy enough day. The model is held in place by horizontal rope as to keep the suspension cable vertical. Then, rope is released. What will happen? Aerodynamic force (with lift and drag components) will push the model at some angle up from equilibrium state. As shown, horizontal and vertical accelerations in the first moments after release will be ax = g*(D/W) ay = g*(L/2W) (this assumes that scales' arm weighs negligibly little compared to model; if it can't be neglected, then the factor 2 will be replaced by a bigger factor that takes both extra weight and moment of inertia; or instead of balance scale, a lightweight pulley can be used as pictured on the left of the scales) So if we measure these accelerations with a smartphone's accelerometer, we can find out L/D! L/D = 2ay/ax If we're only interested in measuring L/D, even accelerometer is not necessary - since ratio ay/ax is equal to the tangent of the angle alpha of initial movement to vertical, L/D = 2*tan(alpha) We can also find out absolute values for lift and drag, if weight is known: L = 2W*(ay/g) D = W*(ax/g) And, if we measure wind speed with an anemometer, we can find out Kl, Kd: Kl = L/V^2 Kd = D/V^2 And from these, sustained horizontal and vertical speeds for this flight mode: Vxs = Kl/(Kl^2 + Kd^2)^(3/4) Vys = Kd/(Kl^2 + Kd^2)^(3/4) And these, for different AoA, will form the polar curve! How cool is that?! We can do fast-iteration wingsuit improvements right on the ground, and without making rich richer at $1000/hour! All you need is to build a balance that can support the model or even the pilot, and probably ~20mph wind should suffice. A model can be built using modeling clay and armature like this one: [inline ModelingArmature.jpg] With polymer clay, the shape of wings, angles of incidence, body position, etc. can easily be adjusted and studied. Or, 3D-print a model, make it from several parts and connect them with adjustable armature. MWGA! Android+Wear/iOS/Windows apps: L/D Vario, Smart Altimeter, Rockdrop Pro, Wingsuit FAP iOS only: L/D Magic Windows only: WS Studio
  23. the Fluid Wings RDS has been very well received from the community. it pairs exceptionally well with the Fluid semi-stowless bag. Ido work there and am biased (can you blame me?) :) but the new slider design is one of the easiest to use in the industry, and we will happily make it to your size and color specs. Cant best the price.
  24. I need to get an RDS for my VK (the seller only included the drawstring slider.) Does anybody have any thing to say on the TST or Fluid Wings RDS' from Chuting Star in relation to PD's stock slider? I want to make sure I'm not making a mistake by saving money on these other companies. Thank you for any and all help.
  25. The Tesla isn't on the Fluid Wings website anymore. There's a spot labeled "Coming Soon" where the Tesla used to be on their canopy comparison chart. Any info about this new canopy? Has anyone seen or flown the prototype?