Watcher

I have seen some Fusions, And one of the online merchants were selling them. I have not seen a Raven MAX -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

Unless you ask for type 8 instead of type 17. But both are significantly lnoger than older javelins. That was the reason I opted for type 8 so I have have the stop sewed in. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

Thats funny cause I jump one and have never ever had any problems once so ever with the chest rings. I think they are the most wonderful modification to the original harness ever made. If RWS offered chest rings I would consider a Micron, well and if they were more comfortable and offered cut in laterals. I have the 2 inch webbing on my chest rings, you can ask for that. I personally like the 2 inch because its eaiser under canopy to pull out the chest strap to its max without having to worry about it coming out. I don't have chest rings on my back up and wish I did, they make the harness so much more comfortable and flexible. I would also recommend the low profile metal reserve handle. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

The javelin was the best part of all his gear. Unfortuantly everyone wants one right now hence the back log. The comfort, security, and looks are well worth the wait. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

You should (especiially with acrticulation) get the chest strap fit right then adjust the leg straps. If you do it the other way around you end up over tightening the the webbing that runs up your side so when you go to tighten your chest strap you cannot get it the correct tightness because it is pulling that lift webbing in and if the leg straps are already tight you cannot bring the chest strap in tight enough and its too loose on the shoulders. Some might call it bull or crap but if you think about the physics of what you are doing it makes a lot of sense. Chest strap then leg straps, And I tighten my leg straps up a hair or 2 right before exit because sometimes they will loosen a bit on the plane riide up. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

Jumpsuit, used from the DZ just after student Status. (8 Jumps) (14 Jumps) bought rig on ebay, great buy. (got my altimeter too on ebay) rented on jumps 9-10, then used Club gear after changing DZs. Also got goggles and log book from DZ after AFF. Bought Helmet at Sports authority. Protec half shell. Got a really nice pro comp merlin suit used at aroun 45 jumps, and a Full face helmet (would never want to go back). Around 80 jumps got an audible. bought main at 50% off deal from precision at 130 jumps, bought used Javelin NJ and used reserve at 130 jumps. rec.skydiving bought Cypres at 170 jumps. 200 jumps started team training, spent all kinds of money, got really really nice gear. Oh, BUY USED GEAR!!!! Buy new when you are ready for something more permanent. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

Yes that is where mine sits. Right on the top on the hip bone. Near the actual connection point (the base of the curved triangle if you think of it that way) is just above with the hole sitting right on top of the highest point of the hip bone. Ideally that would be were the best articulation would be also since thats the pivot point of your leg. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

Welcome to the most comfortable conatiner club. Looks good, feels good, safe and easy to close. The wait for such a nice container is well worth it. Don't ever settle for substandard . Wait till you get in it under canopy (and on the plane), responsive yet super confortable. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

Other than not knowing anything about the container, the 2 canopies seemed like a good deal to me. I know a few people that jumped Falcons, not the fastest canopy out there but was a good first canonpy that doesn't collapse. Its not zero P so its a different canopy somewhat, but at the same time it has so few jumps on it right now its still probably in great condition. For $600 and you have a full rig I would say thats a pretty damn good deal. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

Are they winging it? I would say no. Are they lucky? Maybe, lucks a funny thing like that, does it really even exist. Anyways, to answer a question I have been thinking about for 2 years. About how 50-100 jumps can land the more sensitive canopy and be ok? I'll preface this with I bet a whole lot of people might disagree but here goes. New jumpers that are entering the sport and jumping more progressive wingloadings and canopies tend to be slightly younger than those same slightly older jumpers. Why is this trend happening? Many would say its because we are young and stupid (well they might be right but lets assume they're not). Lets put the jumpers age at around 20-30 years old. This puts them growing up the eighties and nineties. And what huge events happened in the 80s and 90s. The world of Atari, Nintendo, Sega, Sony Playstations.... Whats my point you ask? Well my point is for the last 20 years we have grown up with a instrument that honed hand eye coordination. That quick mental reflexes were developed to fast appearing visual and audio stimuli. That same mental and physical conditioning has gotten to such a point that it really seems to push the reflexes to a limit not encountered in earlier generations before us. And it keeps getting faster, I know 13 year olds that can dominate me in recognizing stimuli and executing the required action. So we now can apply this to canopy control. The same stimuli recognition and rapid hand eye coordination is now transferred to recognizing situations, taking quick and accurate actions to handle the situation. Reactions are faster and can get you out of bad situations. Are they always fast enough? No. I would say also sometimes the wrong conclusion is made, or the right conclusion is over amped and bad things happen. But I think the increased mental training growing up is a major factor for many more people to accept more progressive canopies at higher wingloadings earlier. It seems to produce more natural canopy pilots. Currency and education and especially moderated forums like this help a lot also. Just some thoughts, the small data set I have seen has led me to this conclusion but it could simply be coincidence and totally unrelated. And that there is some other factors that play a major role (stupidity and luck)

Get the sabre2. At that light a wingloading on a conservative canopy it should not be a problem, Not that it couldn't happen, just not probable. Don't drop shoulder on deployment as that gives unequal tension to risers and creates a turn at deployment. Keep the eyes level on the horizon though opening. and be very nuetral, relaxed, and even in your harness. This gives me beautiful on heading openings on anything I jump that I packed (normally a velocity), however our last team training camp i had 5 line twist on my velocity on one opening that I got out of, when I got down I gave my rig to the other packer. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

I'm 5'11-6'0 (does depend on how sore my back is). I wear a C-18. Its an RS so its kinda small. But when it sits with the leg straps tight it sits on hip bones, Which seems to me to be right where it needs to be to allow perfect freedom of movement. About 1-2 inches below belly button level. It really feels weird at first but after you get used to it its really amazing. My back up javelin (my old rig) does not have any articulation and I really really feel the difference. I put it on and really pout. To me it sounds like you got a perfect fit container. I hope you enjoy it, I have never had a rig that is so comfortable from the time I put it on till the time I take it off after landing. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

Touche.

Very Cool, Thanks for letting me know. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

I've known PD to take the Dbaged canopies with them when members of the PD staff goto Boogies and have Demo weekends. On the other hand when you get a 2 week demo then they just send them on Risers, and you use your own DBag and Pilot Chute. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

Same, went from a 288 manta on jump3 to a Pro170 on jump 14. Hit a bunch of different size safires on the way down. From Jump 4 on a 269 - 189 by jump 8. I weighed 160 at the time so an exit weight of 185. Did not seem any more difficult. Stayed at the 170 for a hundred jumps. to each his own. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

9 cell typically has flatter glide and gets you back easier. 7 Cell typically has a bit steeper glide going to go down faster You can put a Stiletto anywhere including a 2m x 2m accuracy box once you understand how to fly it. I find the normal 9 cell easier to land than normal 7 cell. Openings all seem to be the same. Stiletto is alittle more senstive to harness inputs, but is nothing difficult, I know many people with far fewer jumps that have no problem on that canopy. Its a proven design, that you can pick up a nice used one pretty easily. A Velocity will out glide them all with rear risers but thats another story. I would say go with the stiletto, its a nice easy fun loving canopy that can easily be flown docily especially at the 1.2 wingloading a 135 would give you. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

4 point 4 way? E J O B Meeker - Donut - Satelite - Stairstep diamond. All the transitions are quick and require less than than 90 degrees of turn. A dive like this you should be able to bust out 10-15 pts no problem. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

It'll fit, it'll be tight, Cypres will make it even tighter. If you can get the D bag closed, then it will fit in a Javelin (and NOT look bad). They are great like that. You shouldn't have a problem, but if you doubt you could just get a RS.5 or RS1, they just give alittle more depth to the container to get a slightly bigger canopy in them. --- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

I have my FT-50 (my absolute favorite, like it over an Alti-III) on my main rig, and the digitude on my backup. I like the FT-50 much much better, Both are very accurate, and only see changes at around 13-14 K range (digitude reports 500 ft higher than the FT-50 or Analog counterparts). Its easier to read than the digitude for a quick check, I like it. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

Really? My Javelin Odyssey with articulation, my PD 113R and my Velocity 103 only weigh 13.5 lbs. A really large reserve I think is listed around 8lbs. same for the Main. A 235 Monarch (9 Cell ZP main is listed at 6.8 lbs, a 260 Manta at 9.8 lbs. A Javilen J7 I would put around 9-10 lbs. That totals 27 lbs or so. Are racers that heavy? -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

My suit had 4 hours of tunnel time, and 350 jumps put on it. Not a single problem with the entire suit (other than stinky knees because the knee pads make the knees stink, but man I miss the knee pads in my bev suit.) All 3 of my merlin suits are holding up great for that matter, except for the small bit of red clay that got on my white suit (anyone know how to redye white?). We ended up getting Bev this year just because she had our suits to us in 2 weeks, and I was able to send my suit back to get the booties shortened (I like mine really tight) in a week. Both are great suits, the merlin has supreior booties though. I like the grips on the Bev better. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

I dont think you can order them individually, they come std with PDs softlinks when you purchase softlinks. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

Anyone see that he took over Skydive America in Pahokee? That 2 Florida DZs....The empire slowly grows larger. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I

Thank you, I see what you are talking about. I had never seen those before. I asked just to make sure there was not a problem with the interation of the webbing with dacron, or Dacron and spectra or Vectran. FCI created some for us that are dacron, The line is finger trapped back into itself and stiched creating a line with a small loop on the end. ________O then you thread the lines on, take the end of the line back through the loop and tie it off with a figure 8 knot. Its an interesting design I think, and its been pull tested down at RWS and had superior results, but I just kind of wondered. -- Jonathan Bartlett D-24876 AFF-I