Jalbert Parafoil

[ripcord4 0]

Guys 'n' gals...what are the pros and cons of the Parafoil, specifically the Foil 2000 270 sq ft? Any particulat quirks in jumping, opening or packing?

[tso-d_chris 0]

The pros and cons will depend on the application of the canopy.

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[ripcord4 0]

I just want a docile, forgiving, stable canopy that will let down my 62 year old bod without too much trouble. I am just getting back into free-fall skydiving after a loooong layoff - PC days. I have 2 square jumps and intend to take an AFF course to knock off all the rust and learn the squares. I have an opportunity to buy the P/F 270 reasonably priced. I am not going to be making a lot of jumps.

[phoenixlpr 0]

It is designed for accuracy jump. Its made from F111, so the its lifetime about 600 jumps. You may get better/softer landings with a ZP canopy.

[ripcord4 0]

Yeah, I know it is an accuracy canopy which is why I thought it might be more stable in deep brakes. I doubt I would put that many jumps on it.

[EAerodyne 0]

Not sure you are going to love the unreasonably quick openings associated with the foil either.

Personally I am only 40 and hard/fast openings are not something I consider comfortable.

I'd suggest contacting a couple manufacturers for a demo which would:
a) open nicer for terminal openings (this canopy was designed for accuracy)
b) land nicer again, this parachute was designed to sink onto an accuracy tuffet and may not be best suited for regular fun jumping.

That said, the foil is probably the best accuracy canopy ever made and is still the choice of 90 % of all accuracy jumpers out there.

Kind Regards

[ripcord4 0]

Thanks, Ed, I appreciate all the advice. Any recommendations as to a good "beginner's" canopy. I am 62 years old, 5' 9", 170#, have 2,611 jumps, both military and old sport rounds. As was said in "TOP GUN" I do not need to tear through the sky at Mach 2 with my hair on fire. I want reasonable performance and slow, steady landings. I'd like to stay above 200 sq ft.

[tso-d_chris 0]

As a general rule, a similarly sized zero porosity canopy is going to have the potential to produce more lift on landing compared to a comparable F111 canopy. This is especially true if the F111 canopy has many jumps on it; its landing will degrade faster with increasing jump numbers (the canopy's, not yours!).

You did not mention your exit weight. This will affect the flight characteristics of a ram air canopy. While there is no need for you to get a high wingloading, you would likely be happy with the flight characteristics and landings of a zeroporosity canopy loaded at O.8 lbs:1 sq ft up to 1lb. per square foot. If the winds in your area are typically pretty mild, I would go with the lighter loading.

Models you might consider are Performance Designs Silhouette, Navigator, Spectre, Sabre2, Aerodyne Triathlon, or Pilot.

Be warned that large zero porosity canopies tend to hold their used resale value best, so if you are looking for a used canopy it may take a while, and the savings may not be as great as you might expect. Be patient and get an appropriate canopy, don't just buy the first big parachute you find.

Before you purchase the Parafoil, make sure you have a rigger check it out to make sure it is in good condition. Since you do not plan to make a lot of jumps, if it is a newer canopy, it may serve you well. Also, talk to your Instructors, and your drop zone's Safety and Training Advisor.

*Edit to remove references to the Parafoil being an appropriate canopy if it is near new.

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[mark 107]

I have several recent jumps on a 9-cell Para-Foil 282. it is the only canopy I've jumped that opened hard and had end-cell closure at the same time.

It seemed like the brakes affected only the forward speed of the canopy. Flaring for landing resulted in very low forward speed, very little swing forward, and very little change in descent rate. I don't have much experience with accuracy canopies, but I think these flight characteristics would be desirable for accuracy with a tuffet or pea gravel target.

A smaller canopy would allow you to land going forward in higher winds than a classic accuracy truck optimized for winds within compeition rule limits, and modern non-accuracy designs are more likely to allow softer landings than a canopy intended for thumping gracelessly onto a tuffet. Stable in deep brakes is not the same as soft-landing.


Mark

[JohnRich 4]

Quote

the foil is probably the best accuracy canopy ever made and is still the choice of 90 % of all accuracy jumpers out there.

I believe the "Classic" has taken over much of the market for the accuracy canopies, and now represents at least half, if not more, of all the accuracy canopies you see at National competition. The Foil tends to be used by the Army Gold Knights and the Air Force Academy, while most civilians seem to tend to use the Classic.

[EDYDO 0]

Same age, same height (within 1"), same weight, similar experience.

I said the exact same thing upon return to the sport. That was over 500 jumps ago. The new equipment and skills will hook you for sure!!! After your refresher jumps, get something around 210 at first to keep you safe and then drop down to a 170 for the fun. More forward speed equals more flare and easier landings after you learn how.

Know this, many years have passed and these guys are WAY better than the best of us years ago. They have the experience of years of 13,000 foot jumps. You have a lot to learn and it will be more fun than you can possibly know. Get with POPS!!!!!

www.thepops.org

Ed

[ripcord4 0]

Thanks, Ed. It good to know I'm not the only returning geriatric case. I intend to stay above 200 sq ft to take it easy on my old bod for a while. I actually have a line on a military MC-4 with 370 ft canopies. Very cheap so I may start with that. I am well aware that I will be starting over and have to relearn everything - hence the AFF course.

Larry D-2238

[EDYDO 0]

Larry you don't need to buy new, but at least get some decent modern gear.

Ed

[ripcord4 0]

If it's good enough for Uncle Sam, it's good enough for me! LOL, ROFL, PIMP.

Seriously, the MC-4 has 8 jumps on the main and is only 6 years old. Yes, it's really big and ugly and not all that fast, but it is reliable and for $400 I can overlook a lot.

[mjosparky 4]

Quote

If it's good enough for Uncle Sam, it's good enough for me! LOL, ROFL, PIMP.

Seriously, the MC-4 has 8 jumps on the main and is only 6 years old. Yes, it's really big and ugly and not all that fast, but it is reliable and for $400 I can overlook a lot.

$400 is a great price for a MC-4 but it is not what you want for sport jumping. Look around for a used rig with a 210 Spectre and PD-193R. These will give you what you are looking for and will come in at less then half the weight of an MC-4. The toggle pressure on a MT1-X would kill an old man like you in any case.
Welcome Back,

Sparky

PS: Some places will not let you jump rigs like the MC-4 because they do not understand how they can be legal without a TSO.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[ripcord4 0]

Yeah, I have already run into that, especially with riggers.