rhino 0 #26 July 15, 2005 I'll keep you posted.. I'm likely going to miss the light front riser pressure of the xf2.. Man that was a great canopy.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ccowden 0 #27 July 15, 2005 Probably the openings too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhino 0 #28 July 15, 2005 Quote Probably the openings too. I do mostly subterminal openings anyways ;) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
superstu 0 #29 July 15, 2005 QuoteTo each their own and I do think the FX is a great canopy with lots to offer, especially as a transition from non-crossbraced to crossbraced, but if you go through all the toruble to make an educated decision on canopy and then just buy the best deal, then I think it is a poor choice for a couple reasons couldn't agree with you more, good point.Slip Stream Air Sports Do not go softly, do not go quietly, never back down Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TALONSKY 0 #30 July 15, 2005 Quote To each their own and I do think the FX is a great canopy with lots to offer, especially as a transition from non-crossbraced to crossbraced, but if you go through all the toruble to make an educated decision on canopy and then just buy the best deal, then I think it is a poor choice for a couple reasons. One is that the FX is not the best for this situation, and two, that making this decision based on price is never the best call. Just my opinions. I agree totally. Personally in my limited experience I have always researched the canopies in the class I was looking and made my decision based on performance. Then I would wait around and eventually I would find one for sale at a great price and buy it that way. Kirk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skygod7777 0 #31 July 15, 2005 QuoteThats good. At first, in the other thread, you were carefully considering each and every trait of all the canopies, and the different reactions they have to this WL or that. In the end, it's, "Hey, I found a good deal on this one, so this must be the model and size I really want." I always think it's stupid when newbies want to buy the rig they found the best deal on, regardless of it's size or make. Don't worry I know your not a newbie, but you sure are wearing a newbie's uniform. dave while i do agree with you on buying the canopy because it's 450 bucks may have not been the greatest decision, but the fx is still a good canopy. i put 350 jump on an fx before i got my vx and i loved it. the fx is really a nice canopy. is it up to par with a vx, or velo, not so much, but then again vern got the longest swoop of the comp on his fx. and will go 350 easily on a no wind day. i don't find the fx to carve as well as the vx or velo, but it does the trick for sure, and it gets you way ready for the next step up when you go to it, it's a much smalller gap between a crossfire and vx, or velo. later Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ashtanga 0 #32 July 15, 2005 ...http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1732890;search_string=Jetta;guest=14585500#1732890 Instead of buying that new VW Jetta by writing a check why didn't you buy a used one at a considerable discount to transition you into the new Jetta that had more features down the road? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhino 0 #33 July 15, 2005 QuoteInstead of buying that new VW Jetta by writing a check why didn't you buy a used one at a considerable discount to transition you into the new Jetta that had more features down the road?Laugh Wasn't possible. Needed a warranty. And NO jetta TDI's were available used within 500 miles of here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psw097 0 #34 July 15, 2005 Nothing wrong with a $450 FX. I haven't paid more than $600 for any of my last 4 canopies with a loading between 2:1 and 2.5:1. The last 105 Viper was the best 400 bucks I've spent and if I chop it in the woods I won't care that much. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhino 0 #35 July 16, 2005 The canopy is beautiful and crisp. Needs a reline at the end of the season for sure but other than that very nice, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Swooopa-x 0 #36 July 16, 2005 interesting thread - I posted some time ago about vx velo or xaos. Didn't get any of the feedback about how differently they handle being loaded + 2 Due to financial reasons I'm still jumping my fx tho I cant wait to move on. I load at 2.1:1 at 5500ft and my longest swoop to date is 127m thru a 10ft entry gate but its tough to repeat. At our Nat's recently(at sea level) I thought why not load it up to 2.25 - Wow did I lose performance drastically.No bottom end whatsoever! won silver overall - my friend won gold - loading his xaos27 to 2.4 .He is currently playing around the 3:1 mark at 5000ft asl and flying closely with a friend in a brdsuit. F*#*ng AWESOME and the landings are sweet - massive distance on the rears then shutting down on toggles to easy touchdowns. My machine is so clearly inferior. I just dont have that faith in it anymore but I have enjoyed the journey and I have learned a sh*tload so I say to rhino have a blast dude and enjoy your new toy.Stay safe and remember these canopies are all awesome and its usually the pilot that needs an upgrade . That said - cant wait for my velo. hehehePeople dont care how much you know until they know how much you care. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhino 0 #37 July 18, 2005 Put 4 jumps on the fx86 today. Nice canopy Flies kind of like a Diablo with that thin bottom end and all. Speed is good. Harness turns are more. Dive is about 20% better than the xf2-97 was. Bottom end seems good but will know for sure on a no wind day. Openings are a tad on the WAKE UP side. snivel, snivel, snivel BAM.. lol Front riser pressure is extremely tolerable. Not much different at all than the xf2 I was jumping. Over all the FUN just got injected back into my canopy flying. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hookncrater 0 #38 July 18, 2005 QuoteOver all the FUN just got injected back into my canopy flying. I think that's what it's all about right there! Have fun!________________________________________________________________________________ when in doubt... hook it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhino 0 #39 July 20, 2005 Here it is. Not me flying the canopy but I'm pretty positive it's the same one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Swooopa-x 0 #40 July 21, 2005 hey rhino, sounds like you enjoying your new little machine. good to hear it dude - use those rears right an its like a turbocaharger out the bottom of the dive. also - i found a reline sorted my snivell snivell bang enjoyPeople dont care how much you know until they know how much you care. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 4 #41 July 22, 2005 QuoteQuote20lbs for gear? Thats pretty low. Really? My rig weighs 16.8 pounds. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #42 July 22, 2005 QuoteQuoteQuote20lbs for gear? Thats pretty low. Really? My rig weighs 16.8 pounds. Well, either the scale at Perris was off, or me with tshirt and shorts, and me all geared up is a 30lbs difference. And those who met me know I dont wear any weights....Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ashtanga 0 #43 July 22, 2005 QuoteReally? My rig weighs 16.8 pounds. But Chuck you only weight about 60lbs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brains 2 #44 July 22, 2005 QuoteWell, either the scale at Perris was off, or me with tshirt and shorts, and me all geared up is a 30lbs difference. And those who met me know I dont wear any weights.... Way off topic but what the hell. We played with this the other day at the dz during a weather hold. One of my rigs weighs 18.5 pounds and the other one weighs 19.2 pounds. I weighed myself with swooping gear and again with camera gear (with each rig) I was amazed at how much jumpsuits, shoes, cameras, helmets etc. added. Try it you might be surprised. Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
superstu 0 #45 July 22, 2005 i've only weighed my self w/ rig, clothes, helmet, goggles,alti, shoes, ect., basicaly the standard stuff i wear for my jumps and out the door i weigh 187. naked i'm 165, so 22 pounds of gear aint that bad to meSlip Stream Air Sports Do not go softly, do not go quietly, never back down Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
murps2000 86 #46 July 23, 2005 You've obviously gotten responses from some of the many rich kids in the sport today, and I'll agree with them in that there are better performing canopies to be had than the FX. For $450, however, you'll probably get what your after, and don't waste any money on the X-mod, as that will negate any financial gain. If you ever start taking that thing to terminal and it cracks you, PM me before you buy the dome slider. I won't tell you what to do, since I am not even a rigger, let alone a designer, but I will tell you an interesting story which Mel has made fairly clear to me that he wouldn't want you to hear. In fact, I've posted it before, so you can find it if you search. And I will say that my FX is one of the sweetest opening canopies I've ever owned. It wasn't always that way, but it is now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhino 0 #47 July 24, 2005 k.. so how do I get the fx to open better? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
murps2000 86 #48 July 25, 2005 Like I said, I won't really tell you what to do. I can't because I have no idea how Icarus may have changed the FX since mine was built. I only know what I tried, and what worked on mine. My FX was a Precision built model, and some may tell you that that alone is the problem. I don't buy that, and I've also heard differently. I think the real story with inconsistantly performing or opening Icarus canopies may never be known by the general skydiving population. I even wonder if they themselves know the cause of all the early problems. My gut feeling (and it is just that, I have nothing to back this up) is that the dome slider takes care of the openings no matter what the problem actually is. With that said, these posts should tell you what I went through, and what solved my problem: http://dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1338713;#1338713 http://dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1607843;#1607843 http://dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1608959;#1608959 http://dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1567902;#1567902 Now, Mel has recently PM'd me to take issue with my statements about my steering line mods vs. the dome slider, and even suggested that I have made my canopy more hazardous to fly. I can assure you that it is not. In fact, based on criteria I consider important, it is safer after opening, and I am much more comfortable jumping it. However, you may want to consider a few things: 1)He has a vastly greater amount of experience and knowledge about this canopy than I. 2)He knows about the effectiveness of the line mod on the older Sabre 1 canopies, but has stated to me that the line mod is a band-aid, and that the dome slider is the real fix. 3)He seems to have a vested interest in whether or not the dome slider continues to be purchased by FX/VX owners to fix their openings, while I have none. 4)Your FX is a different size, and probably was manufactured around a different time than mine. 5)I obtained the info about my steering line mod from a competing canopy designer. 6)I don't care, because after 100+ stellar openings, I'm reasonably confident that it worked. 7) I'm no rigger or designer, and at best just a decent beer line swooper. 8)I have no name entered in my profile. To some, it seems, that is a clear indicator of the need for sceptisism when reading anything I post, regardless of any lucidity such posts may contain. 9)Bottom line, consider the source of all your information. After what I went through with my FX, I honestly just wish that we could all get the straight story on what causes our canopies to open hard, but I'm not holding my breath. If you have any specific questions about what I had done, please just PM me. I'll tell you everything I can, and I'll try to point you in the direction of any other information you may need. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Widgeon 0 #49 July 25, 2005 Are your problems with the openings subterminal or terminal? Have you tried it with a psycho pack? If so, how did it open? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrigger1 2 #50 July 25, 2005 Quotebut I will tell you an interesting story which Mel has made fairly clear to me that he wouldn't want you to hear. Really?! I don't remember anything like that! Clue us in! I remember the PM's between us regarding FX's and openings, domed sliders, and brake set changes. You made your upper control lines longer in the center of the canopy if I recall correctly. The end results are this: a domed slider will give you great on heading and soft openings. Offsetting the uppers will result in a loss of flare power on the FX. You are the first person to not approve of the domed slider. I have almost 200 of them out in the field and everyone else loves them. the offer still stands, if you do not like it I will give you a full refund. Actually, I just installed one on my 104 FX and love it. I am going to build one for my 84 VX this week. MELSkyworks Parachute Service, LLC www.Skyworksparachuteservice.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
