New guy needing a suite

[mxr73 0]

Evening folks,

Very new to skydiving andmy first post in your forum. I have a bit of a question for all of you pro skydivers out there.

According to my instructors I fall very fast. To the point that my instructors usually have to weigh a weight belt. My question is this....what is the best jumpsuit for a new (15 jumps) jumper that needs to slow down? I have been wearing a cotton type of suite, anything in the nylon are is a no go for me. I'm 5'8" and roughly 195-200lbs. Any information you can provide will be very much appreciated.

Thanks for your time

[chuckakers 426]

No one ever wants to hear this, but the answer is to lose weight.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[mxr73 0]

I appreciate the responses folks. Don't worry, I'm not offended by the weight comment. Unfortunately losing weight is not really an option, I am involved in other sports that require me to pretty much stay where I'm at. I have a mesomorph body type, and I keep myself in very good shape. That said, I can go down 10lbs quite easily before I start to notice an energy loss. Losing energy poses a problem for me as I race motocross as well. When I start cutting down, my stamina for racing sucks.

My DZ operator is a very accomplished jumper; he's got something like 17,000 jumps. He suggests that I look into a very baggy suite in order to increase drag while I fall. I will attempt the suggestions the both of you have offered.

Thanks

[pilot-one 0]

That's pretty lame advice.
I too fall very fast at 198 pounds. For those with athletic and muscular builds losing weight is not an option in most cases. Learning to fly slower helps but there's only so much you can put out there before it affects your manuverability. Flying your body free flying to slow down has more options than on your belly. While free flying you have your torso to throw into the mix. Since your torso is already a factor on your belly there's not much left once you figure out how to de arch etc.
The last option such as my case is is to get some fabric out there too.

[chuckakers 426]

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That's pretty lame advice.

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Whether or not my advice is lame depends on why he's heavy. Besides that, fall rate issues in noobs - fast or slow - are often flying skills issues. The same people who go too fast or too slow early on often don't after some time. Good tunnel training can be a big help.

Adding fabric only works to a point. Beyond that a big floppy suit becomes a liability during FS. That's why we quit jumping those big rags and started pouring people into weights instead.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[sundevil777 102]

A lot of little things can help add drag for the same amount of "floppiness" in the fit of the suit. Excessive "floppiness" will make your flying sloppy, and you don't want that.

A good jumpsuit mfg will suggest heavy fabrics, and double layers of those fabrics in the arms and legs - for a given amount of loose material, this will add drag. Padded knees will also add drag, as will getting the lower legs/booties made of a really heavy fabric like cordura. Some like vented booties, I've never tried them. Even having the really fat 2 in grippers will add drag because they add overall width especially to the legs (definitely get inseam leg grips). Make sure they put the outside leg grip along the side of the body, and don't route it along the back of the leg.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[BIGUN 1,488]

6'6" 240-250#

While there are numerous good suit manufacturers out there, the two I know most about are Tonysuits and Flitesuits.

Flitesuits developed an "Anvil" suit when one of their staff who was 6' 200-220 lbs and an AFF/I that needed a greater range of fall rate. What they came up with was a 10" wing between the elbow and waist with swoop cords. That particular suit gave me a belly fall range from 86-136MPH. I found that while flying in the mantis position.... I didn't even need the swoop cords, I could just dig in my elbows and the wings would tighten enough to slow down.

While at Skyfest in 2007, I was yakking with Tony at Tonysuits about not having bought a suit from him in awhile and told him about what Flitesuits had developed and he told me he had developed something similar; except he used an 8" wing and placed ZP inside the wing. He took my measurements and built me a suit. I found with Tony's suit that I could not slow down as much, but when falling with fellow Anvils in a formation dive could turn a bit snappier and was not as head-high as with the Flitesuit.

Both suits are in my locker and I love them both equally. I would alternate suits depending on the dive... using the Flitesuit when I was working with students and the Tonysuit for formation dives.

Hope that helps.

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

[thrillstalker 0]

i am about your size. 5'10 and 210 lbs.

put aside all the "you need to loose weight." you need to learn to fly your body. i fall around 109 mph with my suit on in a relaxed arch.

a lot of people will tell you to hug a beach ball, but you have to figure out what works for you.

when i am in my slow fall, i drop my knees down around 45 degress with my legs out (basically making a huge cup). i get my arms out in front of me with my shoulders at a 45ish degree angle (elbows even with my ears but about 8 inches below my head). keep you hands cupped close together (or even touching) and you can also turn your toes outward. that way you are presenting more surface area of your feet to the wind, and cupping more air with your hands.

you have to get the ratio between arms and legs out so you dont backslide or track forward.

find someone with a fall rate close to yours and get it to where you can fall together easily. then start slowing it down.

i spent my first 80 jumps as the low man, so dont get discouraged.

i have a homemade suit that is constructed of cordura. it is hot as hell but really works good. it is pretty baggy too. you might want to get one that is a little long in the legs so it stays baggie when you cinch it down under you leg straps.

you can see how baggy it is in the attached photo (black and red is me)

good luck and blue skies

"Never grow a wishbone, where your backbone ought to be."

[mxr73 0]

Everyone's advice is appreciated, this site was suggested to my by my coach as a fantastic site to talk and learn from experienced folks like yourselves. During my last jump my coach strapped on a 10lb weight belt which resulted in a great, level jump together.

It sounds like my options are learning to modify body position and get a suite that offers as much drag as possible.

On a side note, I am thoroughly addicted to this sport, so much so that I am considering backing out of MX racing. Neither sports are cheap and there is no way skydiving is going to lose out. I'm a bit of a YouTube junkie, I found one of the funniest videos of a tandem jump....I thought perhaps I would share it. It's really quite funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_rfvcNYUks

Thanks again everyone,

Jeff