Jumping a Strato Flyer - Hints please..

[dgw 8]

Folks,

I thought this a better thread for the old school pioneers rather than Gear and Rigging.

I am the current owner of a Strato Flyer (160 sq ft) in good condition, and I am currently planning on jumping it in a few weeks.

I'm after any views on the canopy, flying / flaring / packing techniques, and the benefit of any other adive you might be able to offer (I have had the advice about not jumping it, booking the ambulance in advance, etc :-) )

I am planning on using a D-bag, which I am advised wasn't the norm, back in the day. Wing loading on the Strato Flyer = about 1.15. I have about 720 lobs, currently flying a Safire 2 169 and a Stiletto 170.

Thanks,

Darren

[JerryBaumchen 1,445]

Hi dgw,

Quote

I am planning on using a D-bag, which I am advised wasn't the norm, back in the day.

Whoever told you that was not there 'back in the day.'

My one & only suggestion is to lose as much weight as you can. My first jump on a Flyer, I weighed ~175 naked, and that was the hardest landing I have ever encountered.

JerryBaumchen

[Marisan 0]

And the slider only comes 2/3 of the way down the lines

[ryoder 1,590]

Friends don't let friends jump Strato Flyers, unless they weigh less than 150#.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[stratostar 5]

I was going to say, land in the peas!

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[kd5xb 1]

DON'T jump it if there's much turbulence in the air, those canopies are somewhat sensitive to turbulent air and will sometimes collapse and drop you in from 60 feet or so.

I'm a jumper. Even though I don't always have money for jumps, and may not ever own a rig again, I'll always be a jumper.

[oldwomanc6 60]

Quote

Friends don't let friends jump Strato Flyers, unless they weigh less than 150#.

Never a truer statement was uttered!

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[skypuppy 1]

I was a lot lighter back then myself, but that was a pretty hard-landing canopy....

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[mjosparky 4]

I used to watch Dean Westguard land his and he was about 225 without gear. You could feel the ground shake.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[ryoder 1,590]

Quote

I used to watch Dean Westguard land his and he was about 225 without gear. You could feel the ground shake.

Sparky

That sounds more like "controlled flight into terrain" than a "landing".

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[Mbranch202 1]

I weighed 135# and busted my ass unless the wind was blowing about 15 knots..

Mike Branch
NSCSA #7

[dks13827 3]

Why not do a water jump ? from the sound of things.

[headoverheels 333]

I ordered a new one when they first came out. Lucky for me, they were back ordered, and the word got out soon enough that I could change my order to a Strato Cloud.

[dgw 8]

Well,

Thank you one and all. I am picking up a fairly unequivocal trend here, which is giving me pause for thought (about legs and ankles and other fragile bones, and all the things that I need those bits for).

I have watched Mike Swain's DVD that accompanies his book 'The Endless Fall', which is my entire experience of hard landings (aside from the occasional mild stoof).

Water landings are not, to my knowledge, do-able, in the UK so that is a bust. I would really like to give this canopy a day out, and I'm thinking maybe with a cutaway rig. I know a chap who might let me use one.

Jerry, the chap who passed on the advice about the free-stowing of Strato Flyers is, coincidentally, experiencing his 30th anniversary of his first lob tomorrow. He has (I think) about 10,000 lobs. The fullness of his comment was, in fairness, that 'Everybody went through the 'system'. Buy a Strato Flyer, free pack it (with description), have a mal, guaranteed, within three lobs, and then use a different packing method.' His counterpart (the other co-owner of the DZ) added that they used to be called Strato Splats.

Anyway, I have picked up the lesson, and it is appreciated.

Thanks and kind regards,

Darren

[jonstark 8]

Darren,

I had around 1000 jumps on my Flyer. I weighed 145 pounds and had legs of spring steel from running stairs. It served me very well. I would jump one today. I would hesitate if I weighed more than 150 though.

jon

[Rover 11]

Known as a Stratobrick in these parts

2 wrongs don't make a right - but 3 lefts do.

[jumpsalot-2 3]

I've heard many quotes of naked weight on this thread, but you have not commented on your naked weight. What is it ?

Life is short ... jump often.

[mjosparky 4]

Quote

Jerry, the chap who passed on the advice about the free-stowing of Strato Flyers is,

I can’t comment on free packing the Flyer but I made over 400 jumps on a CruiseAir free packing it. At the time it was called trash packing. Only had one problem and it damn near killed me.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[JerryBaumchen 1,445]

Hi Sparky,

Quote

Only had one problem and it damn near killed me.

I stand by my statement: It was not the normal thing to do.

JerryBaumchen

[RogerRamjet 0]

Quote

DON'T jump it if there's much turbulence in the air, those canopies are somewhat sensitive to turbulent air and will sometimes collapse and drop you in from 60 feet or so.

I never heard that before; in fact I believe the Strato-Flyer became the first square reserve. They were d-bag deployed originally, but of course a lot of people got into the free packing thing (not me). I have a hand full of jumps on one and stood it up every time (135lbs) though not as easily as my Strato-Star.

-----------------------
Roger "Ramjet" Clark
FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

[andrewhilton 1]

Darren - Headcorn, UK do water jumps annually, or at least used to.
A memorable comment from Zing on these forums, was that the Strato-Flyer's landing put the acceptance of the ram air reserve in the sport back by about 10 years. I have an almost new one but am not drawn to trying it out!
Andrew

[JerryBaumchen 1,445]

Hi Roger,

Quote

in fact I believe the Strato-Flyer became the first square reserve.

Yes, it did.

Personally, I will never forgive Para-Flite for using the jumping public as their test dummies for the development of the square reserve. IMO they never had any intention of the 'Flyer being a sport canopy for the masses. It was just a test project & we were the dummies.

JerryBaumchen

[ryoder 1,590]

Quote

Hi Roger,

Quote

in fact I believe the Strato-Flyer became the first square reserve.

Yes, it did.

Personally, I will never forgive Para-Flite for using the jumping public as their test dummies for the development of the square reserve. IMO they never had any intention of the 'Flyer being a sport canopy for the masses. It was just a test project & we were the dummies.

JerryBaumchen

I thought it was rather clever. The lemming skydivers were always flocking to whatever was smaller, and it was inevitable that someone was going to bring out a canopy too small, and they would finally learn that one-size-does-NOT-fit-all.

I had the Safety-Flyer reserve, and it actually did not land that bad with a 175# jumper. The one bad landing I had was when I failed to notice one end cell was closed, (no cross ports). I never made that mistake again!

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[oldwomanc6 60]

My hubby, Mike had a Safety-Flyer, too. At this point, I wish I had one instead of the Piglet reserve that broke my calcaneus. Probably could have avoided that. Still wouldn't choose one as a main, though.

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[sundevil777 102]

Quote

one end cell was closed, (no cross ports)

That might be a reason why an earlier comment about not being so great in turbulence makes sense.

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