Request for anyone attending the PIA syposium next month

[NewGuy2005 53]

While you are there, please take note of any gear that fills the gap between paragliding and skydiving. I've been told that there is a manufacturer or two that is working on such a project.

[billvon 3,114]

There are already such canopies in existence. Gin Gliders is making a "stunt" paraglider that looks remarkably like an elliptical 9-cell, and at least one person I know (Christian W) makes a deployable paraglider. The tradeoffs are pretty significant though, so make sure you know what you want.

[councilman24 37]

The French have been working on deployable, high glide ratio canopies for military use for years. Maybe first discussed at 1997 or 99 symposium. Don't know whether they ever finished development and deployed or marketed them.

As a newbie skydiver I would suggest concentrating on the right size and type SKYDIVING canopy when skydiving, and Paragliding canopy when paragliding. Get the appropriate instruction for each. When you good with both see if a hybrid is available.

For the most part you wouldn't want to be over a skydiving dz with a high glide ration paragliding canopy.

Also be aware there are big differences which I'm not qualified to comment on. Only that know it all experienced skydivers have died under paragliding canopies.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

The french company making freefall deployable paragliders is Nerverous. Paraflite has apparantely bought a patent from them and is now marketing their "high gliding HAHO chute" as another name. I can tell you for a fact that four years ago the Nerverous main was free-standing. At the last PIA, I had a ParaFlite guy argue with me that it was not the same canopy. I laughed and told him I could prove where the overlap was.

Chuck
Retired Moderator

[NewGuy2005 53]

I think the Paraflite PARIS system HAHO rig is probably the closest we'll see to the fusion equipment I'm talking about.

I e-mailed them for a price about a week ago, but got no response. I'll call them tomorrow. I bet it's a pretty spendy item.

[rhys 0]

>As a newbie skydiver I would suggest concentrating on the right size and type SKYDIVING canopy when skydiving, and Paragliding canopy when paragliding. Get the appropriate instruction for each. When you good with both see if a hybrid is available.



C'mon Man this guy knows what he wants. he wants to go ground launching and yes there will be many new canopies for this in time.

Ground launching can be safe and compliment skydiving with a better understanding of a parachutes responses. Maybe you should give it a go?

Paragliding and skydiving are very different to groundlaunching/speed flying. Don't try to put someone off something they want to do. Guide them in the right direction of where they want to go, safely.

I suggest reading the ground launch forum on canopypiloting.com as well as any speed flying sites you can find. There is much to learn before you decide what canopy you want. It is important to know there is a safe progression to what you want don't learn the Hard way.

any new technology announced at the pia syposium will most likely not be released for some time.

Have fun and be safe

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[BlindBrick 0]

Ken,

Likely as not you won't get a response. Due to liability issues, Paraflite prefers to deal only with the military and PMC's. There's a few civvies that can wheedle stuff out of them, but almost all of them were prior military.

-Blind

"If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

[NewGuy2005 53]

Thanks Jack. Your probably right.

[NewGuy2005 53]

Don't want to ground launch. No place to do it around here. I want to stay aloft as long as possible by riding thermals the way paraglider pilots do.

[rhys 0]

well you want a paraglider then!

anything between paragliding and skydiving would have too steep of a trim to stay aloft for periods of time.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix