Downsizing intelligently

[petur 0]

Hi all, "a few" details first. I'm getting my new Sabre2 135 next week. I have a total of 118 jumps, all made in 2001. Of the 118 I have 95 on a Spectre 170 and 1 on a Sabre 150. I weigh 167 pounds having added 20lbs as gear weight. My calculations indicate that I've previously been loading my Spectre 170 at 0.98 and will be loading my new Sabre2 at 1.24. My canopy experience includes quite a few pretty-extreme weather conditions as I live in northern europe where temperature, windspeed and -direction changes pretty rapidly.
I plan to spend a couple of jumps (~5) on a 150 before eventually downsizing to the 135, but It's not just the difference in size that encouraged me to post this, it's also the difference in characteristics between the Spectre and the Sabre2. Nonetheless, PD categorizes my weight pretty close to the expert class for this type of canopy.
What's YOUR gut feeling on this scenario?

[PhreeZone 20]

I'll let you know after this weekend. I used to have a Spectre 170 at 1.1:1, I've got a Sabre2 135 demo at 1.4 for the next 2 weeks. I've got about 150 Cobalt 150 jumps in there, but I'll have a good feel for the differences after jumping the 135 on Saturday and Sunday... Check back for a more detailed answer soon...
Cause I don't wanna come back down from this cloud... ~ Bush

[Kirils 1]

Too many variables. My fiance jumped from a 220 to a 160 and her landings are excellent! She had all kinds of problems
landing the big student canopies. I was flying a 150 elipitical
and went to a 135 eliptical and it scared me to death! You need to be evaluated and have video to make an objective decision. Everyone's different. Good Luck
Skydiving is not a static excercise with discrete predictability...

[diverds 0]

I like that you are planning on doing some jumps on a 150 first. When you do go to the 135 just fly it conservitivly(spelling?). Do some hop-n-pops at 10'000 and learn the canopy. Find the stall point. Practice several flares at altitude to get the feel. Do both toggle and riser turns to learn all aspects of the canopy. Then fly it straight in on landing (no speed building manuvers) for a couple hundred jumps until you are fully aquainted with it. Know your parachute! Oh, and have fun.
-Dave
"Gas...Undercarriage...Mixture...Prop...Beer"

[ramon 0]

Do you stand up all of your landings.
Have you ever slid a down wind landing on your ass instead of turning low.
Have you ever had to do a low braked turn to avoid an unforseen obstacle.
How do you feel about landing the 150 off DZ?
These sorts of questions run through my mind. If you feel comfortable with your current experience being able to handle these, then downsizing might be fine
If the thought of downwinding the 170 is scary..maybe you should spend some extra time on a largeer canopy.
Good luck I remember being in your shoes..and in some respects I still am though my canopy is small.
ramon

[petur 0]

> Do you stand up all of your landings.
Yes, I do stand up all of my landings on the Spectre 170... I remember once landing crosswind where I fell on my knees after aborting a very low 90° turn to final while aiming for a target... beside that occasion I remember falling 4 times when I was just off student status.
>Have you ever slid a down wind landing on your ass instead of turning low.
I've never slid a down wind landing "on my ass" instead of turning low... I think I've only once gotten me into a position where landing downwind appeared unavoidable... I ran that one out :o)
>Have you ever had to do a low braked turn to avoid an unforseen obstacle.
No, fortunately I have not been forced to make a low braked turn to avoid an obstacle, but I've practised this technique a few times to prepare for such circumstances.
> How do you feel about landing the 150 off DZ?
Landing the 150 Sabre was not a problem. Do note that on that specific jump the windspeeds drastically picked up during flight to altitude so the Sabre actually flew backwards on an "inverted" final if you catch my drift... It was a weird experience... fortunately the winds were calmer close to the ground :o) Regarding off DZ landings I'll see how the Sabre2 150 flies and flares, I'm expecting a totally different type of glide/swooping effect while flaring than on my previously owned Spectre which I would be comfortable landing almost anywhere.

[ramon 0]

My first downsize was from a triathlon 175 to a Space 150 (loaded 1.5). the difference between a 9 cell and a 7cell combined with the downsize was a bit much for me and I biffed one day. Luckily it was a 150 and I just a little low (mis timed flare fell on face, no real injuries)
It seems that downsize was as hard for me as my recent downsize to an FX 109 from a vengeance 135. I am a better pilot now, but the challenges my brain was going through to estimate where I was going to at what altitude on my first downsize were considerable.
Good luck, remember its better to cross/downwind it than turn low to avoid an obstacle or turn into the wind.
ramon