udder 0 #1 July 21, 2004 Looking at a Raven 2 for a first canopy. It 218 sq ft and Im 85 kg's or about 185 pounds no gear. Is this a suitable wingloading?"In one way or the other, I'm a bad brother. Word to the motherf**ker." Eazy-E Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #2 July 21, 2004 I think you would be just fine at that wingloading under a Raven2. I had a ride on one in March. similar wingloading.. and brought it down and stood it up in the peas. Its a 7 cell F-11 canopy.. if you can find a demo to jump... try it so you know what its like to fly one before you have to use it as PLAN B. . You might contact Chris Martin at Precision (GROUNDZERO here on this website). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FrogNog 1 #3 July 21, 2004 I think he wants to use it as a main, not a reserve (i.e. Plan B). -=-=-=-=- Pull. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #4 July 21, 2004 Yeah it was late. and I had been looking at VERY long lists of DNS entries in zone files for hours and hours. that is my story and I am sticking to it. I put a few jumps on the Raven last summer as a main.. Nothing spectacular, It opened it flew it landed fine. Good practice for when I had to land the reserve. Single stage flare.. just a typical 7 cell F-111. Lightly loaded there was no problem landing my tired old decrepit body under it. I have a Raven reserve in both of my Infinitys . You could say I trust them with my life. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites dterrick 0 #5 July 23, 2004 I'm the same weight +/- and i jumped one until very recently (#25 through #200 with a bunch of demos thrown in). The wingloading issue will depend on the condition of the main - mine became tired enough that anything less than a full speed aproach could lead to a THUMP on landing (aka not enough lift). Depending on how "tough" you are, this may or may not be a problem. Good points to consider, the pack volume of the Raven II is not far off many 170 ZP 9 cells - this is basicly what I've transitioned to so if you have a container that fits the main snug, you're in good shape. The Raven opens briskly. This is a good thing considering it is a reserve design. If you're inclined to do other than belly flying, beware that faster speeds = spankings. The Raven flies like a Volvo station wagon drives - it's boxy, safe, and not that fast (contemporaries of the Raven include the Cruiselite and the Fury). It's stable enough to let you stall it COMPLETELY (ie: fly it 'backwards'), without undue concern (warning, get coaching first!) - few dare do this on "modern" 9 cells or any tapered wings. Riser and toggle pressure is high enough to make it a workout to fly, but it's also great training to learn how to really use the risers to good effect. You'd find the jump to a Sabre 1 (170) very manageable; a Sabre II might scare you a little at first. There are two schools of thought on canopies: First, "forget the worn out antiques". Second, "learn to fly and get the most out of the old, slow, unfashionable gear and THEN make an educated decision about your skills and interests". I've follwed plan #2 so far. I'd say I got about as much out of it as I could within 100 jumps or so - after that it started to hold me back. If your budget allows, a far better alternative would be a Spectre 190 / 170 (kicks up the performance a notch, has many of the same forgiving flight characteristics, and it has modern opening and flaring properties (the biggest weakness of the old F111 stuff). I'd ride a Raven reserve any day. That said, both my reserve rides have been 24' round rides on borrowed gear ... if the rig you're looking at has a round reserve, be SURE you learn to spot well Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
dterrick 0 #5 July 23, 2004 I'm the same weight +/- and i jumped one until very recently (#25 through #200 with a bunch of demos thrown in). The wingloading issue will depend on the condition of the main - mine became tired enough that anything less than a full speed aproach could lead to a THUMP on landing (aka not enough lift). Depending on how "tough" you are, this may or may not be a problem. Good points to consider, the pack volume of the Raven II is not far off many 170 ZP 9 cells - this is basicly what I've transitioned to so if you have a container that fits the main snug, you're in good shape. The Raven opens briskly. This is a good thing considering it is a reserve design. If you're inclined to do other than belly flying, beware that faster speeds = spankings. The Raven flies like a Volvo station wagon drives - it's boxy, safe, and not that fast (contemporaries of the Raven include the Cruiselite and the Fury). It's stable enough to let you stall it COMPLETELY (ie: fly it 'backwards'), without undue concern (warning, get coaching first!) - few dare do this on "modern" 9 cells or any tapered wings. Riser and toggle pressure is high enough to make it a workout to fly, but it's also great training to learn how to really use the risers to good effect. You'd find the jump to a Sabre 1 (170) very manageable; a Sabre II might scare you a little at first. There are two schools of thought on canopies: First, "forget the worn out antiques". Second, "learn to fly and get the most out of the old, slow, unfashionable gear and THEN make an educated decision about your skills and interests". I've follwed plan #2 so far. I'd say I got about as much out of it as I could within 100 jumps or so - after that it started to hold me back. If your budget allows, a far better alternative would be a Spectre 190 / 170 (kicks up the performance a notch, has many of the same forgiving flight characteristics, and it has modern opening and flaring properties (the biggest weakness of the old F111 stuff). I'd ride a Raven reserve any day. That said, both my reserve rides have been 24' round rides on borrowed gear ... if the rig you're looking at has a round reserve, be SURE you learn to spot well Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
