Should I jump this...

[tetra316 0]

Hi ya'll
I been looking around to buy some newer gear. I've been jumping a F111 170, I weigh 165 out the door, and want to find something newer, smaller and ZP. I have about 90 jumps and stand most of my landings. Would a 135 be too big a jump down? What about a Sabre type versus a Stiletto? My 170 feels sluggish and I want something that's more fun to fly. Any advice? Thanks a bunch and blue skies

***If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving is not for you!!!

[AggieDave 6]

Does your DZ have a ZP 170 to jump? Maybe you could demo some ZP canopies that are a 170 before jumping down? You might find that a same sized ZP canopy might give you some fun for a while, too, before you downsize. If anything it'll give you a good starting point to have for if/when you start a downsize progression.

Note: Besure to ask people with more experience then I have, I am by no means any authority on these matters.

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

[hookitt 1]

Nah.. Dave's right.

The wing load isn't too bad but jumping right to the 135 could prove to be well... lets say, very exciting. By the looks of your profile you jump near a lot of trees, tall pine trees. Is that correct? landing out is quite a challenge and the zippy little 135 could very quickly go from very fun to not so fun in a matter of moments.

It sure wouldn't hurt if you could find something like a 170 or MAYBE a 150 for a while. I'd leave the 135 alone for a bit.

C-ya

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[aneblett 0]

I agree with Dave as well. Try a ZP 170 first and see what you think of the difference.

That being said I have recently gone from a 170 to a 135. I fly very cautiously and have the luxury of having many open flat fields around the DZ to land in if trouble were to arise (The flat prairies are good for something.)

I did however do some jumps on a 150 and 3 different 135s before I made the switch. I also made spent a fair amount of time landing crosswind, into wind, and downwind on my old canopy.

I am not sure if you were planning to buy brand new gear or not but my philosophy is that,except for the choice of colours, it doesn't pay to buy brand new canopies especially at the stage when you are finding out what kind of canopy you are going to settle into. There are plenty of people almost always selling every kind of canopy and you can save a ton of cash.

I don't know if it means that much to Americans but I think this way partly cause of the exchange rate and the tax I need to pay at the border so it might not be a big deal for you guys.

my 2 cents

Age

S.E.X. party #2

..It is far worse to live with fear, than to die confronting it.

[BBKid 0]

Also, exactly what is the F-111 170 you've been jumping? If it's a 7-cell then maybe you could enjoy a 9 cell more. Maybe even a bigger 9 cell. This is what some people I know have done, and they said they are glad they didn't downsize for the sake of it.

Warning: my opinion is worth feck-all.

Nick
---------------------------
"I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

[tetra316 0]

It's a 9 cell 170. Most of the gear I rented before I got my rig was ZP newer canopies. And although our landing area is pretty much surrounded by trees on three sides there are a ton of fields and pastures right next to it that are easy to land in, (speaking from experience!). I wanted to get some others opinions, some people were saying I should get a stiletto 135, that I would have a lot more fun with it. And I am a pretty conservative pilot.

[jlmiracle 7]

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I wanted to get some others opinions, some people were saying I should get a stiletto 135, that I would have a lot more fun with it. And I am a pretty conservative pilot.

I would stick with square canopy and not an eliptical at first, especially since you will be going from F111 to ZP. I would try a Sabre (1 or 2), a Saphire, or some other square canopy.

Going from a 170 to a 135 is a big step down. You should really try a few jumps ona 150 before you try any 135.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

Judy

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[amir1967 0]

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It's a 9 cell 170. Most of the gear I rented before I got my rig was ZP newer canopies. And although our landing area is pretty much surrounded by trees on three sides there are a ton of fields and pastures right next to it that are easy to land in, (speaking from experience!). I wanted to get some others opinions, some people were saying I should get a stiletto 135, that I would have a lot more fun with it. And I am a pretty conservative pilot.

get a Velocity 90 or 84 I can promise you will have fun

AM67

[skybytch 273]

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get a Velocity 90 or 84 I can promise you will have fun

Smart ass comments are not welcome in the topical forums.

[DaveFabian 0]

Hmm, better stick with your current canopy, and then stand up ALL your landings. You indicated that you don't stand up all your landings. Work with others to find out why.... and fix it first before buying something smaller.

Why downsize if you can't properly use what you currently own ?

[PhillyKev 0]

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Hmm, better stick with your current canopy, and then stand up ALL your landings. You indicated that you don't stand up all your landings.

Couldn't that be because of ragged out F111?

[wmw999 2,584]

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some people were saying I should get a stiletto 135, that I would have a lot more fun with it

The first job of your main is to get you to the ground safely every time it deploys. That's a cooperative effort between the main and the pilot.

Fun needs to come after you've mastered the main purpose. Really. See if you can try a few canopies before you buy something -- sweet-talk a friend into letting you jump their 150 for a few jumps, etc.

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)

[masher 1]

This is similar to what I face.

I'm about 165ish out the door, and the only stuff I've jumped so far are student canopies (270s) and old(er) F-111 canopies (170, 195).

I jumped a brand new Safire 180 last weekend, and it was easy to fly. Demo gear is non-existant, and I want to try things out before committing to anything, but the option basically isn't there.

One of my instructors has offered to let me try his Sabre 135, that he's thinking of selling, but all the other rigs have mains that I can't jump (Crossfires, and 120s, 109s...) so I'm sort of between a rock and a hard place.

I think that what I'll do is try the 135, and I think there is another jumper with a 149, I'll see if I can jump that, and see where things go from there...

--
Arching is overrated - Marlies

[CRWBUDDHA 0]

Perhaps by now you realize that you are the one who will make the jump, the decision and the money to purchase YOUR DECISION...........Now for a guy who can obviously use a computer, I suggest you go to all the canopy maker's web sights, click on the style of canopy you wish to inquire about, scroll down to the particular unit and then read recomended weights for beginner, novice, experienced and expert. All the makers for some 20 years have published some sort of recomendations in this area.
Perhaps you might agree with the premise that no canopy knows where the ground is and whether on any occassion, whether it may hurt or not......
I would suggest you zero in on a specific canopy with specific maker's information and then filnd some one who has experience with that set of circumstances, then you might get something worth while........
No matter how much you want to fit in with your local DZ situation, until you have much more experience, trial and error, bruises, torn jump suit pants, death defying stories, of your own, you will probably feel somewhat inadequate . Learning to survive by your own ability is a good thing and should not take back seat to someone elses opinion, time frame or ego.
By the way, don't be surprised to learn that you've screwed up and bought all the wrong stuff and you should have listened to me or hell I could have got you a better deal or anything like that......Those who would belittle you for your choices would never show up to pay your medical bills.

[tetra316 0]

***Couldn't that be because of ragged out F111?

That's what I was thinking. The canopy is about 10 years old and who knows how many jumps, probably 800 or so.

[mikkey 0]

You have 85 jumps... you should really think hard if you want a Stiletto loaded above 1.2 at this stage. Not only is your margin of error smaller at landing, you also have a slightly bigger risk of spinning malfunctions compared to other canopies.
I would recommend a semi-ellyptical like the Sabre2 or Safire2 at a wing loading of around 1.1 if I was you - but I am not you of course.
From my own experience, I own a Safire2 189 loaded around 1.2 and I have lots of fun. You just need to know how to fly it. I can spin myself to blackout if I wish and I can out glide a lot of canopies at the DZ. But I have forgiving openings (even when my body position is not perfect) and I have a larger margin of error at landing - but lots of flare and fun at landing. Why buy a Stiletto if you want to fly conservatively?? More risk for less reward?
Anyway, its up to you. Just my 2 C.

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When people look like ants - pull. When ants look like people - pray.