skyhawk 2 #1 July 9, 2001 i to like Merrick am looking to downsize and get a new canopy My particulerscurrently flyen sabre 150 loaded about 1:1looking to go to either a 120 or a 135 prob more on the 120Stand up everytime in all wind conditions at 2 difent dropzones and about 6 of dz landings (last out of a skyvan does that :-) )i can put my canopy pretty much where i want within 10 meters at the dz and pretty much exact on off dropzone (for eg landed in the the middle of the track on a race course which was the width of my main)have over 60 jumps over 30 on current canopyim an aggresive canopy pilotfront riser turns for approach on last couple (still with 30-70 on the straight, slowly very slowly working lower and only on good days)EVERYONE suggest a semi ellipticle at about 120 if not less these are ppl that have 500+ jumps and have seen me landing/flying in all situationsreason for downsizingrecently at a boogie i only got 8 jumps because i didnt want to jump with my wingloading in the wind & turbulanceeg landing out so oftenone jump going backwards others getting little foward speed at all, one of my mates 500 odd jumps great canopy pilot even had a close shave cause of turbalanceso pretty much i needed somethen smaller to make progress in to wind and thought i might have some more fun as well(even the 120 would only be moderatly loaded)my questonwhat canopy should i get (of course im not just gunna buy for what ppl on the net tell me, ill be adding it to friends advice as well)suggestions so far safire or spectre Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 4 #3 July 9, 2001 Not like it isn't posted everywhere else too, but the Hornet would be a good choice. Contrary to what others would tell you also, a lightly loaded Cobalt would be OK. They truly do fly differently under different wingloads. You really do have a lot of choices. I would test jump a bunch of stuff and see what you like.Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aviatrr 0 #4 July 9, 2001 Quote I like the spectre.I dumped my sabre for it.If you only have over 60 jumps with 30 on one you are not ready to downsize.Learn to fly what you have now,there is still a lot of performance you have not found yet.I jump a spectre 230 at a 1.0-1.2 most of the time.I jump in high winds all the time and still have forward drive. I recently had a Spectre from PD for demo, and put about 20 jumps on it over the weekend.. I like the canopy overall, but there were a couple things I didn't like.. While many people say that the Spectre glides better than many nine cells, I don't feel that's the case when compared to most modern ZP 9 cells.. I noticed a much steeper descent than under a Hornet, Sabre, or Spinneto.. The other problem is that it seems very ground hungry.. I know - it's a 7 cell, so it's to be expected....but 500ft altitude loss on a 180 degree front riser turn seems a bit much to me.. My first jump on it, I started my 180 riser turn around 300ft......got about 120-130 degrees through it, and knew I wasn't gonna make it all the way around in the altitude remaining.. Oh well, crosswind landing.. I haven't decided if I will get a Spectre or not.. It has many good qualities - great openings, great landings, easy to sink into small spaces.. Of 20 jumps, 19 openings were soft and on heading.. I deployed in a belly to earth position, a slow flat track, a full track, and even after transitioning from BTE to sit.. No problems.. The one opening that was not good had many line twists, and began to spin.. It was easy to clear the line twists, then the canopy flew fine.. The canopy will surf after a nice front riser turn(loaded a bit over 1.4), but will also sink into a very tight area in deep brakes and make a decent landing..It's a tough call.. Great canopy - but I'm not yet sure if it's the one for me.. Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cobaltdan 0 #5 July 10, 2001 who says a 7 cell spectre can out glide many 9 cell canopies? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #6 July 10, 2001 Quotehave over 60 jumps over 30 on current canopyim an aggresive canopy pilotfront riser turns for approach on last couple (still with 30-70 on the straight, slowly very slowly working lower and only on good days)You already know what I'm gonna say.... but I'll say it anyway. 30 jumps on that canopy isn't enough to know everything about it. Stick with what you have for 40 more jumps or so, then think about going smaller. Just like I mentioned in the other thread, if you can't get 40 jumps in by the end of the summer you don't jump enough to fly that wingloading at your experience level. Sure, when you have a couple hundred jumps you'll be just fine - but right now you are still learning about flying a parachute. Keep working on those high performance landings. The extra jumps that I'm suggesting you put on what you have will make you an even better pilot under something smaller - you'll already know the correct way to pull off a kick ass swoop. You'll only have to tune it for the increased speed created by the higher wingloading and canopy shaping instead of having to learn it at that speed. Plus, the extra square footage of your current canopy may help you avoid an injury when you make the inevitable mistake. Have I ever mentioned that pain and being stuck on the ground really, really suck?Quotesuggestions so far safire or spectreIf long surfs are your ultimate goal the Spectre is probably not going to make you happy. I've seen good canopy pilots getting really nice swoops out of Spectres at 1.2 - 1.4, but imho in the hands of most jumpers it's not a pond swooper. Personally that's why I love the Spectre so much - you don't have to land it aggressively to get a good landing like you do with some other canopies.If you can get ahold of one, demo a Safire. The flare is different from what you are used to, but it's super fun to fly and usually opens nice too. I'd strongly recommend jumping a Safire 149 a few times before trying a smaller Safire - size for size the Safire is faster in the air and through the turns (bringing the racing theme over into this thread) than the Sabre.pull and flare,lisa----I don't think much, therefore I might not be Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyhawk 2 #7 July 10, 2001 i guess i should of mention that due to my poorness by the time i actully get the canopy i will have between 100-50 jump (and it will be by the end of the year, unless something unforseen happens)im asking now because i feel i do/ will need something smaller and if im going to spend that amount of money and my life i am going to do as much research/test jumping as i can Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
