Experienced novice needing selection help.

[Airviking 0]

Started jumping 1980. Quit in '88 with 283 jumps, all belly flying RW. Was jumping a 210sqft Pegasus, in a Mirage, with a small round reserve. Suits were ig, but getting smaller.
Came back and got current a couple of weeks ago, on student gear. I want to get back to conventional belly flying, but freestyle looks like something everyone should at least try.

So, I'm in the market for a used rig, suit, helmet. My budget is $3,000. I am the kind of guy who always looks for value. I buy stuff that is good value for my dollar, and then take very good care of it. My body weight is 195lbs.

So, the breakdown:
Main: I was a very conservative pilot back then, wasn't into hotdogging of any kind. But it meant that the fun was basically over once under canopy. That said, I wouldn't mind starting with higher loading from the start. (My pegasus carried only 0.9lbs/ft2.) What would be a good canopy to look for?

Reserve: What are the selection criteria?

Container: Again, what to look for. I am 6'2" which probably limits the amount on used options significantly.

Jump suit: This is tricky: Looking for a standard RW suit, but would also like to do some freestyle. Is this realistic?

Altimeter: ???

Helmet: At some point, my daughter is going to ask for her skateboard helmet back. The carbon helmets are cool, but I'd settle for the old Protec to start. But I'm betting that Protec is a problem in head-down flying.

I know that this is a lot for one subject, but any help, advice and comments are greatly appreciated!

I believe you have my stapler.

[riggerrob 643]

Dang! Dude!
You are almost as old as me!
I can remember when Pegasus first fell into fashion: Z-Hills, Easter Boogie 1980.

Main: Canopy fabrics and aerodynamics have improved dramatically since Pegasus was fashionable. The nearest modern production canopy would be a (Aerodyne) Triathlon 210. However, there are bunch of slightly tapered 7-cells that do the same job as Pegasus/Triathlon with lightler toggle pressure and softer openings. Stick with a canopy in the 200 square foot range.

Reserve: Chose a square reserve that was designed within the last 20 years (Amigo, Optimum, PD, R-Max, Smart, Techno, Tempo, etc.) and is almost the same size as your main.

Container: Again, any container built in the last decade will be "freestyle friendly." It is difficult to chose between the top half dozen models (Icon, Infinity, Javelin Oddessey, Mirage, Talon, Vector 3/Micron, Wings, etc.), so ask your local rigger which model he/she most enjoys packing.

As for height, that is a harness question. Try searching dz.com's classified ads for second-hand containers that were built for guys close to your size
If you find a great deal, but the harness is too small for you, a Master Rigger or the factory can re-size a harness for a $100 to $300.
When buying second-hand equipment. ALWAYS have it inspected - by a rigger your trust - before handing over money.

Jump suit: "This is tricky: Looking for a standard RW suit, but would also like to do some freestyle. Is this realistic?"
Realistic?
Hell yes!
Just pick a medium-sized jumpsuit without booties.
Who cares whether or not it has grippers!

Altimeter: Something with a big dial that is easy for old eyes to read. Whether you go analog or digital depends upon what type of watch you can read FAST.
For example, I learned to read clocks back before digital clocks were invented and I can quickly read the angle of a needle, but my brain is slow to process simple numbers.

Helmet: Protec helmets are inexpensive and provide better impact protection than most "freefly" helmets. I have made a few thousand jumps wearing Protec helmets. They saved my brain hundreds of times, when loving students tried to jam my skull into the doorframe.
The only disadvantage of Protecs is that you will lose fashion points.
Hint: check your local snowboard and skateboard shops for bargains on helmets. Most full skull helmets will work for skydiving.

[skybytch 273]

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That said, I wouldn't mind starting with higher loading from the start. (My pegasus carried only 0.9lbs/ft2.) What would be a good canopy to look for?

Demo, demo, demo. But if you can't, get yourself a PD Spectre 190 or 210. 190 if you have mastered flaring (new school flaring, not what we used to do with big ol' F111 mains), 210 if you're still working on mastering the flare. Resale value will be high on either size when/if you're ready to downsize.

Reserves today are a lot like mains from back in the day. All F111, 7 cells. Keep your loading to about 1.0 body weight for now - around 190 sq feet.

Any container built after about 1996 is going to be safe for just about any type of jumping you get into in the future. If it fits the canopies you will be using and the harness fits your body, it's fine.

Get a jumpsuit for RW and a jumpsuit for freeflying. Don't try to drive a nail with a screwdriver.

Protecs are awesome for all skydiving disciplines.

[Airviking 0]

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Dang! Dude!
You are almost as old as me!
I can remember when Pegasus first fell into fashion: Z-Hills, Easter Boogie 1980.

I was at the RW world championship in Z-Hills in 1980! I had 60 jumps, was jumping a PC with a chest-mount reserve. Guess what...I wasn't competing!

I believe you have my stapler.

[Airviking 0]

Thanks for taking the time to compose helpful replies. This is exactly the kind of info I'm looking for!

I believe you have my stapler.

[wmw999 2,589]

I also quit jumping in 1988, but started back up in 2001; I've made about as many jumps since starting again as I made before quitting.

You've gotten some great advice. I'm still jumping the container and reserve I bought using that same advice.

The only addition I'd make is to see if you can borrow a rig for until you find the perfect one, instead of buying one ASAP. I had the luxury of still having my old gear.

Not only did I have gear to jump, but I had a snappy comeback for people who gave me crap about my old rig (also a Mirage): "I bought it new"

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[davelepka 4]

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I was a very conservative pilot back then, wasn't into hotdogging of any kind. But it meant that the fun was basically over once under canopy. That said, I wouldn't mind starting with higher loading from the start. (My pegasus carried only 0.9lbs/ft2.)

Just a quick word on this, one of the things you 'missed' in the last 20 years was the evolution of the canopy, and the emergence of fatalities under open canopies as the number one killer of skydivers.

Of course, this was a good thing for you to miss out on, but keep in mind that if you follow along with the current fashion in terms of canopy size and selection, you run the risk of negating the benefit of the 20 year break you took.

By virtue of some simple math, I'm going to guess you're at or around 50 years old, and with that in mind, you might not want to stray too far from what you're used to. It's true that .9 is a fairly low wing loading, I don't think you would be disappointed or 'missing out' on anything if you kept in the 1.0 to 1.1 range.

The performance of a modern day canopy is a world ahead of a Pegasus, but for every .1 up in WL you go, you're giving up some of the safety aspect that the technology can provide. The more responsive and reliable flare and improved glide will all take a hit as you ratchet up the WL. If you keep your wingloading conservative, you have a net gain in the safety and reliability of your canopy becasue of the added technology.

In terms of containers and reserves, any of them built in the last 10 years, that can pass a riggers inspection (if you're buying used) will be fine. There are some that are known as 'less than', but if you recruit a qualified rigger to help you locate and inpect possible rigs, you'll be fine.

In the jumpsuit department, invest in a new RW suit and if you want to try freestyle (or freeflying), get one of those too. You don't need all the fancy options, but just like back in the big jumpsuit days, you'll get the most out of your jump if you wear what everyone else is wearing.

[Airviking 0]

Thanks Dave,

Regarding under-canopy incidents: Yeah, I could see that coming even back in the '80s, and so could the USPA. Canopies were evolving from practical life-saving devices to performance vehicles even back then. Every month, there were new incident reports involving hook turns at low altitudes, and USPA kept repeating the mantra "NO LOW HOOK TURNS!"

Now that swooping (which includes low turns) is a discipline, I suspect that USPA has been forced to adopt it and try to make it as safe as possible in order to not disconnect from the community.

Very good point about wing loading: perhaps the advances in canopy design are enough to make the canopy ride fun, even at wing loads I am used to.

I believe you have my stapler.

[Airviking 0]

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I also quit jumping in 1988, but started back up in 2001; I've made about as many jumps since starting again as I made before quitting.

You've gotten some great advice. I'm still jumping the container and reserve I bought using that same advice.

The only addition I'd make is to see if you can borrow a rig for until you find the perfect one, instead of buying one ASAP. I had the luxury of still having my old gear.

Not only did I have gear to jump, but I had a snappy comeback for people who gave me crap about my old rig (also a Mirage): "I bought it new"

Wendy P.

Yeah, I'm looking for someone to lend me a rig...

I'm not too concerned about style or state of the art, but back in the day, if you wanted to get picked up on a hot RW dive and you weren't known, it sure helped if you at least looked like an experienced skydiver.

I believe you have my stapler.

[riggerrob 643]

"

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Thanks Dave,

Regarding under-canopy incidents: Yeah, I could see that coming even back in the '80s, and so could the USPA. Canopies were evolving from practical life-saving devices to performance vehicles even back then. Every month, there were new incident reports involving hook turns at low altitudes, and USPA kept repeating the mantra "NO LOW HOOK TURNS!"

Now that swooping (which includes low turns) is a discipline, I suspect that USPA has been forced to adopt it and try to make it as safe as possible in order to not disconnect from the community.
...

"

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Just to clarify: "hook turns" died a disgraceful death - a decade ago - because too many people toggle-hooked themselevs into the cemetery.
By "hook turns," I mean large toggle movments at low altitude.
A primary disadvantage of toggle hooking is that you end up with slack lines, at low altitude and low airspeed and are just waiting until you swing under the canopy again, before you can do (new control inputs) to slow your impact with the planet.
Low altitude, "toggle hook turns" were dangerous with first generation square canopies and they are still a leading cause of death today.
"Stabbing a toggle" is unfashionable today because it is a sign that the skydiver is rapidly running out of altitude and ideas.
The other disadvantage of "toggle stabbing" is that it disrupts airflow over the top skin ... an inefficient process that negates all the excess speed/energy built up during a "mad" 720 degree, carved approach.
Modern canopy-piloting competitors use a variety of leg turns and front riser turns for most of their approach. They usually do the first two-thirds of their flare with rear risers and only use toggles to finish their flare, after they have turf-surfed the first 100 feet at an altitude of less than a meter.
Most of us can survive a fall from one meter.

[Airviking 0]

Thanks Rob,
I clearly have a lot to learn about modern canopy piloting. But at the rate I'm picking up new info, I'll be an armchair skygod well before my debute in the spring!

I believe you have my stapler.