Invader harness with Cruiselite main - advice please?

[bluefingers 0]

Ok, I'm a newbie. I have 42 jumps, mostly on a skymaster 285, but the last 4 have been on the 230, which I am thoroughly enjoying after being flown by the 285!!
My current wingloading on the 230 is 0.59. In a few jumps I will be converting from ripcord to BOC. And from that moment on, I'll have to pay gear hire, seeing as I can't afford to get anything of my own just yet. (slot R140 + R50 gear hire per jump)

An instructor has told me he has an old Invader with a Cruiselite 220 main that I can use until I can sort my own gear out. He says it's fine, I must obviously get the reserve repacked.

Obviously, I will
1) get reserve repacked
2) ask a rigger to have a close look at everything on that rig
3) get clearance from my CI.

But, even if/when all these checks have been done, I don't know if it's a good idea. THis rig is old. It looks like a square floppy sack. (Note, I'm still trying to learn how to fly on my belly, so freeflying isn't an option anyway). I'm a small person, so it will more than likely be too big for me. (although all the student gear is too big for me at the moment).

ALso, I've been told that the Cruiselite is really unresponsive, and I battle enough on the skymaster, and that I'm likely "to pound in, until I figure out that I need to flare higher, and pull the toggles down really fast".

Also been told I'm not going to learn much flying this.

My other question:
If I bought a second hand main to replace the Cruiselight, what would you recommend? A 210? Would a 190 be too small? I honestly don't know what the reserve is yet.

Thirdly, could I have an AAD fitted into the invader?

I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, and I'm not too phased if I don't look "cool". (Well I won't with that on my back), but I do want to be safe.

I'd appreciate any and all comments

Kerry

[wmw999 2,589]

The cruiselite was very popular when it came out. It's different from current mains, but plenty of people your size jumped it then. I don't remember the toggle pressure, although I jumped one a few times when I weighed about what you do.

It'll be somewhat ragged out most likely, but at your wingloading, it'd have to be awfully porous to land you hard. The one thing is that it just doesn't really swoop.


I't take it in a heartbeat over something I had to pay for, and replace it with the next transitional canopy when you're ready to downsize somewhat significantly. Remember that with its likely porosity it won't be the equivalent of jumping a 220 (I think it was a 220).

I have a 220 Firefly (added a couple of cells when it got porous) that's in my backup rig.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[dragon2 2]

Personally I really don't like Invaders. I jumped a couple when I was downsizing. These were modified to allow limited freeflying/-flailing. (Mods: walrus teeth for the main flap, and little bands to help hold the risers somewhat in place. Headdown was absolutely forbidden, tho.) These rigs all have FXC's I believe.

I suppose for bellyflying they're okay, but I really don't like the riser covers, or rather, the complete lack thereof. I wouldn't buy one myself, except for maybe a cheap CREW rig. However there are a couple of skydivers who have them at our DZ.

Like I said, not for me. But people who jumped these rigs didn't always bellyfly, they were also used for freestyle! But there are way better rigs around (tho maybe not as cheap).

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[dragon2 2]

As for the cruiselite, I've never jumped those myself. But we have a couple at our DZ meant for downsizing. I suppose they fly alright, just till you get ready to downsize again. And hey, if it's free, ...
You can also do CREW with them I believe

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[bluefingers 0]

Quote

But there are way better rigs around (tho maybe not as cheap).

I'm quite sure there are ..... which is why I am only going to be borrowing the Invader and Cruiselite, until that blissful day when I can buy my own gear

Kerry

[councilman24 37]

The cruiselight was nicknamed the cruisefright. It was a good canopy but had more forward speed than we were used to then, with out the flare power (swoop) of current canopies. At your size it would be ok. It will be plenty responsive, compared to your student canopies. Even compare to a Sabre it won't be that bad, just little flare. About not learning much about flying. You won't learn a whole lot about flying modern nine cell ZP's, but they will seem a dream if you jump the cruiselite some. You'll learn plenty. Make sure the harness isn't too big. Shifting rigs in freefall can be annoying and dangerous if it moves you deployment device out of reach. Also a harness can be so big the either the chest strap hits your chin or you can reach the toggles. An Invader 58 is listed in the riggers packing checklist for a cypres. If this is what your rig is then yes it can be added. Depending on the rate in your area it would be $60 to $100 dollars to add the pocket etc. for the cypres. Also I doubt that this rig was a BOC originally. Double check that it has been converted.

But you better find out what the reserve is. If it isn't a ROUND it's likely to be an older Paraflite reserve. May be ok but I chose not to pack original Swift, Orion, or Cirrus Cloud reserves. These designs are old enough the I'd rather a customer find a reserve from the next generation.

Probably wouldn't want something any bigger than a 190 9 cell zp as a replacement. Depending on your skill maybe a 170. The lift and flare of a 9cell zp versus the cruiselite are worlds apart.

Anyway, be careful about harness size, reserve, and deployment system. And someone remind what an Invader Harness is? Only altavista hit is the cypres riggers checklist.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[riggerrob 643]

I bought a brand new Cruislite in 1984 and put about 300 jumps on it (accuracy, CReW, demos) before I started building my own canopies from kits. My first kit canopy was a close copy of a Cruislite and I put another 250 jumps on it until I "filled out."
At 175 pounds - I tended to load a Cruislite much heavier than you around 0.9 pounds per square foot.
At your lighter wing loading you will find the Cruislite slow and more forgiving, but it will take you a while to bored under it. The Cruislite will let you get away with some sloppy flying that will hurt you under a smaller and faster 9-cell. So any time the local jumpers tell you to stop doing something, drop that bad habit like a drunken boyfriend!
Any time you start to get bored with the Cruislite, concentrate on your accuracy skills. Learn everything the Cruislite can teach you. Stick with the Cruislite until you can consistently stand up your landings in the bowl.
No matter what size you plan to jump in the long run, I still urge you to do a few dozen jumps on a canopy in the 220-200 size range to refine your skills before trying anything faster.

Invader harness/containers were built in South Africa (I think by PISA). They look like a Racer main container sewn onto a Vector I reserve container, not glamorous, but as long as your local rigger says it's okay, eminently airworthy.
The biggest risk is harness size. The best way to determine harness size is to strap on the Invader in front of your local rigger.

At this point, your money is far better spent on jump tickets than shiny gear.
If I were in your shoes, I would have my rigger look over the Invader, then jump my **s off!

[TheBile 0]

Did you say Invaders harness the use of Cruise Missiles ? They are not as reliable as you think. If they miss the target they just keep on their current path until they run out of fuel and drop out of the sky. The current model doesn't even have a self destruct on it. The war is a terrible thing isn't it. Have you noticed lately that the majority of threads that start off with a completely innocent topic seem to be hijacked and turned into an argument about the war. Let's hope no-one brings it up in this thread, eh Kerry ?

Gerb

I stir feelings in others they themselves don't understand. KA'CHOW !

[ZigZag 0]

Once I got off the Freefall Progression Program at Pretoria Skydiving Club, one of the best D.Z.'s in the world, Tony Hoffmayer loaned me an old Invader harness and a Cruise(Bruise)Lite so I could get up in the air and jump. In the mean time I was saving bucks(rands) for some better gear. In April '95 I went to the SA nationals at Klerksdorp(as an observer and fun jumper) and had to go through gear check. Christa(Jones), from the good ol' USA was there as a judge and she was a rigger as well. I was very disappointed when she grounded my rig, but may have also saved my life, as the harness stitching of the legstrap-junction was done incorrectly and had led to a fatality in Germany. On that particular Invader, the stitching had failed badly and the poor jumper fell out of the harness. A rigger must check the harness stitching and if required, it needs to be oversewn. Obviously everything else must be airworthy too. Should the Invader you have be an old faded Blue, maybe you have the one I had. That would be funny. I gave it back to Tony once I bought a Vulcan. But before, it was sent to PISA for the repair. and the harness should be fine. If you see more Invaders out there, spread the news...you never know, some could still have weak stitch patterns at the legstrap-junction. And off course you want to make sure that the harness fits, because you can fall out, just to scare you more. No, I think you should know, because what you don't know will kill you!!! You can also get some advice from Manny Cordero at Icarus or Chris Dales at Chute Shop. Also see if you can talk to Long Pete. He may still be involved with safety & training and PASA. So there you have it,skatty.
Ziggy
P.S. The faulty stitch pattern can be identified by counting the stitches per inch and were the 4-point W stitch pattern begins and terminates. The bad stitch pattern has 3-4 stitches per inch and begins and ends inboard of the main lift webbing adjacent to the lateral. Harness stitching should have 5-6 stitches per inch and a double row of stitching forward or outboard of the MLW. People interested can refer to a service bulletin of the RWS pertaining to 4-point W stitching on tandem harnesses.