jose 0 #1 August 2, 2003 Hey all. I am currently at the crossroads for buying a new canopy. I have 167 jumps and have been flying a 150 for over 100 jumps. I weigh 165 before gear and currenly jump a Icarus Safire2 149. I have about 50 jumps on that canopy and I have had it for about 2 weeks now. I currenly wingload at 1.3. Now that all those details are out of the way. Let me tell you that I love being a canopy pilot. Its the next best thing to freeflying. I usually jump at sea level, but I was in Lost Prairie last week and I put 30 jumps on it. Every landing was a stand up landing, needless to say, and I found myself getting some decent swoops out of 90 degree hooks after a couple of days. That trip was really the deciding factor on wether I was going to stay with a 149, or go to a 139. If I had no problems there, I was leaning towards the 139. Now, the big question in my mind. Do I have enough experience to consider an elliptical such as the Icarus Crossfire, or a Stilletto? Of course I am optomistic about flying an elliptical at this time, but I have always been a more aggressive canopy pilot, as compared to most. But some people frown on such at my numbers. I know there is no magic number for ellipticals, but should I put all that money into a Safire when I will be ready for a more aggressive canopy not that far away? Are there other canopies out there that are not fully elliptical, but are more aggressive than the Safire2 or the Sabre2. How about a Cobalt? Ok, so the choices are: 1. Stay with the Safire2 149. 2. Go with a Safire2 139 and re-evaluate next season. 3. Consider an elliptical, but be sure to not be as aggressive for some time to come. Pardon the bombardment of questions, but I only have 2 weeks to tell Icarus that I do not want this canopy. HELP! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimbo 0 #2 August 2, 2003 BillVon's list of canopy stuff: QuoteOn your current canopy, can you: flare and steer through the flare? flare turn and flat turn? land in no wind, crosswind and downwind? land (at least start the flare) with rear risers? steer with rear risers, both right after opening and during final? initiate a landing with double front risers? land on a slight uphill and downhill slope? land reliably within a 10 meter circle? If the answer to all that is yes, then you're probably ready to downsize. If you are still wondering things like "should I do a 2 stage flare?" or "can I turn my canopy at 50 feet?" you're probably not ready. Finally, there's probably a LOT that you can still get out of your current canopy. Seek out professional canopy instruction and you'll see that you're probably only skimming the surface of your abilities and the abilities of the canopy. Until you've mastered the larger wing there's not much sense in downsizing. You won't necessarily get longer swoops from the smaller wing, what you will get though is significantly less margin for error. Good luck. - Jim"Like" - The modern day comma Good bye, my friends. You are missed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ianmdrennan 2 #3 August 2, 2003 what do the instructors at your dz say? I think they more than any of us know how you fly and what you are capable of. Blue skies IanPerformance Designs Factory Team Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
