Weapon of choice

[mchamp 1]

Just curious to all the swoopers/canopy pilots out there....

What type of canopy do you use? Comp Velo, Velo, Daedalus JVX, Extreme VX, Xaos-27, Sensei etc etc ??

What size with what wingloading? Of course some people have various sizes depending upon the event such as speed vs distance.

Just wondering what people around here use and why they chose it

For info regarding lift ticket prices all around the world check out
http://www.jumpticketprices.com/dropzones.asp

[AggieDave 6]

Standard Velo 111 with HMA 500 and RDS. I'm loading at 2.7 and some change.

Why did I choose it? Well, the Velo has a very powerful dive and incredible slow flight characteristics. It opens well and the front riser pressure isn't too high. I used to have a Velo 120 and have jumped a 103. A Comp-Velo would be nice, so I'm saving my pennies...

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Wings-n-Things 0]

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Standard Velo 111 with HMA 500 and RDS. I'm loading at 2.7 and some change.

2.7!? Dang!!

Card carrying member of the
Nanny State Liberation Front

[superstu 0]

VC 71 - probably the most fun to fly canopy, and when you hit it the thing is amazing. loading 3.0

VC 79 - best all around canopy I currently own. has the speed of the 71 but a little stronger recovery arc allowing me to carry more speed more consistantly. loading 2.55-2.7

VC 90 - Fantastic on the water. accuracy, wingover's, freestyle, doesn't matter, just feels like you're riding on rails going across the water. and up here in Colorado it goes faaaarrr. loading 2.2 - 2.35

If i could only fly one canopy for competition and everyday jumping it would probably be a VC 84. i think i would be satisfied with the speed and its ability on the water.

i won't fly a jvx or vx cause of how I was treated by the company and the xaos i have never really had any luck swooping them.

Slip Stream Air Sports
Do not go softly, do not go quietly, never back down

[Wings-n-Things 0]

Thanks for posting that. Good info for another thread I started. I'm reposting it there. See the "diminishing returns" post.

Card carrying member of the
Nanny State Liberation Front

[rhys 0]

JVX79 ZP loaded at 2.4. This is a nice all round canopy for me. I use a para concepts RDS.

My next canopy will be either an all sail 72 or 69, havn't decided yet.

It was amazing to see the difference betwen the all sail and the zp.

I was super current after 2 comps and a training camp on my zp jvx79, then I tried an all sail jvx79 and geeeeeeez what a difference, we checked the lineset, no difference at all. I was skeptical about any difference but there sure is, more dive and more speed and more distance it is quite surreal.

I am busy starting new DZ so my swooping comp training is dormant, after our first summer sometime we will build a pond and I will be back into it.....

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[matt002 0]

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If i could only fly one canopy for competition and everyday jumping it would probably be a VC 84. i think i would be satisfied with the speed and its ability on the water.

Agreed. this is my weapon of choice. WL 2.3 - 2.5 Perfect balance for all three events and regular jumps without lead.

[mchamp 1]

Did you choose the JVX because you felt it performed better to your liking and gave you better results in terms of speed and distance compared to that of other manufacturers?

For info regarding lift ticket prices all around the world check out
http://www.jumpticketprices.com/dropzones.asp

[lilchief 1]

it's nice that you're gathering info for the future when you want your own x-braced.

But there's only one important thing regarding, canopies at all levels. Demo them all(or as many as possible) and see for your self. We have all our own preferances and will of course preach our preferences as the best.

...and yeah..avoid the ditch digging business.

"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci
www.lilchief.no

[mchamp 1]

Oh yea absolutely definitely planning on demoing them when I'm ready for it later on down the line

Actually just asking these questions out of pure curiosity at the moment, don't plan to go x braced anytime soon.

Just wondering why people prefer a certain x-braced canopy to the others

For info regarding lift ticket prices all around the world check out
http://www.jumpticketprices.com/dropzones.asp

[rhys 0]

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Did you choose the JVX because you felt it performed better to your liking and gave you better results in terms of speed and distance compared to that of other manufacturers?

No,

I graduted from an FX89 to a jvx 84- then 86 now 79.

I was fortunate enough to be offered a discount on the JVX as I was competing for New Zealand in freestyle skydiving with my wife.

I have jumped velos and vx's and once a xaos, but few jumps is not enough to determine the difference. as each will have their own pros and cons.

The JVX was the most advanced design and it had nice openings.

The Velocity has more results in cometition as it is made by the most prominent manufacturer and there as many many more velos out there than JVX's.

I like it for an all round canopy I have had 3 different JVX's now and all three have opened great.

Even with heavy camera equipment doing up to 10 jumps a day consecutively I have had no problems.

I also support NZaerosports because;

They support me,
The are a New Zealand Company,
They are at the forefront of high performance canopies, even though their company is significantly smaller than the other manufacturers.

I get great results from my JVX and I am nowhere near perfecting my technique.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[AggieDave 6]

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The Velocity has more results in cometition as it is made by the most prominent manufacturer and there as many many more velos out there than JVX's.

The easy and cheap to use demo program may have something to do with it as well. After jumping a Velo demo and having a VX 114 demo for a while I wanted to check out the JVX.

I wasn't willing to put over $3k down on an unknown and there is no demo program, especially when the VX really didn't impress me at all, so I bought a Velo. Then I bought another one. Now it looks like I'll be buying another one again.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[JohanW 0]

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Oh yea absolutely definitely planning on demoing them when I'm ready for it later on down the line

Actually just asking these questions out of pure curiosity at the moment, don't plan to go x braced anytime soon.

Just wondering why people prefer a certain x-braced canopy to the others

My experience is limited and I don't compete. Apart from a few jumps on a Xaos 93 I can really only compare the Sensei and the Velocity, both mostly jumped at a size of 111@2.0 (a few jumps on both one size smaller). But I definitely have a preference.

Both have decent openings and were (much to my surprise) easy and relaxed to fly. But the Sensei is trimmed a lot flatter than the Velo, the front riser pressure is higher and the dive levels out sooner after you stop turning.

That made the Sensei a lot better for recreational HP CRW with the Sabre 2 a friend has (slight touch of the rear risers on the Sensei, slight touch of front risers on the Sabre 2, and we flew perfectly relative).

But the Velo made the turn and dive to final a *lot* differently than the Sensei, and it just was more like my own turn. I had to adapt to the Sensei, the Velo was perfectly adapted to me (cq my turn).

So I bought the Velo, as an everyday canopy. It's so well suited to my style and feel of flying a canopy that I can jump it, in that size and at that wingload, on almost any jump I make (except for wingsuit jumps, CRW with (much) bigger, lightly loaded canopies and, of course, Classic Accuracy).

I might be happy as well with a Crossfire, Sabre 2 or Xaos, then again I might not (I know I would not have been this happy with a Katana or a Sensei), and I already knew I was *very* happy with the Velo, the price was right (not free, just worth every penny) and it's a PD product.

So I did not prefer the best opening, the longest recovery arc or the steepest dive. If you want to compete, you will want what you can ultimately .. with practice .. force to go the fastest or farthest. I preferred what matched my flying style. The only way to find that out .. is demo, demo, demo.

Johan.
I am. I think.