7-cell and 9-cell

[ChefJoeR 0]

I am looking at purchasing my first canopy. I am fairly new with just aquiring my A licence. Looking for info on the different canopy types and which would be better for me. I am pretty conservative with my C.C. and not into swooping just yet. Looking to get the most for my money, but also with advantage of upgrade later. Any thoughts?

[phoenixlpr 0]

Congratulation, Sir!

It`s high time to start searching for this kind of topics.
I saw one two weeks ago.

[pilotdave 0]

This is only my non-expert opinion. Don't worry about the number of cells. Choose a canopy that has appropriate flight characteristics for you. I definitely believe in waiting a bit longer till you buy anything anyway, but read up on different canopies here and in the gear section. I think you'll find a bigger difference from model to model than from generally 7 cells to 9 cells. I mean, I know people that LOVE spectres and HATE triathlons, which are both 7 cells. When I was buying a new canopy, I narrowed my choice down to a spectre and sabre2, a 7 cell and a 9 cell. I picked the one I liked more after demoing both. I didn't decide based on number of cells. On the other hand, I was able to pack the 7 cell SLIGHTLY faster.

Dave

[BIGUN 1,483]

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1628710;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[rendezvous 0]

Don't worry about the cell count. Make sure you are going for a conservative wing loading. In general 9 cells will give you more glide than 7 cells. That said, a good canopy pilot can get a decent amount of performance from a ZP 7 Cell too. It's more important to learn good canopy piloting skills and those you can learn on pretty much any canopy.