Dude, you are not going to make many friends making statements like this. Not to mention, YOU are the one "slamming" someone. Ian was offering his advice and insight, just like anyone else, and he is entitled to it. Ian knows ALOT about canopy flight and is someone I look up to very much in his efforts to do it the right way and to teach others. He has seen the effects of someone getting in over their heads. But you are right, we should just sit back and not say anything if we think someone might be moving too fast.
This isn't about personal attacks, this is about offering advice and stating our opinions that 245 jumps is too soon to be on a Crossfire2. I personally don't think it matters what the wingloading is. It is a high performance canopy and is the type of canopy that should not be used at this stage. With 245 jumps, you may be a good pilot, but you certainly have not done enough landings on a previous, less performance canopy to be ready to know what to expect in all situations. You need more experience with canopies, plain and simple.
I have been there. I hurt myself on jump 999 doing a simple 180 front riser to landing, because I got behind the 8 ball and wasn't prepared to know what was happening. Looking back now, I can see exactly where things started to go wrong, but at the time, my experience level wasn't enough to see it. And let me tell ya, I was as confident as anyone of my abilities and NO ONE would have said I couldn't handle myself. Luckily, that was on a Sabre 150 and I got away with it. Had it been on a Stiletto, Vengeance, or Crossfire, I am not so sure.
I watched my best friend and teammate die right in front of me on a landing. I now know where he went wrong. He had over 1,000 jumps and had jumped a Crossfire2 loaded at about 1.8 for 600 jumps prior. He was a great canopy pilot, smart, and respected things greatly. Then he went to a Velocity loaded at about 1.9. Again, no one would have said he couln't handle himself under this canopy. But on one particular day, we did a hop n pop and with some wind and traffic complications, he found himself having to fly his approach in a manner that he wasn't used to. He got behind the 8 ball with a canopy that doesn't allow it, just like the Crossfire2, and he never jumped again.
Now, through my own experience, and through learning all these things over time, I can tell people about these types of things so tha they might learn from it and be more prepared for what to expect. If they don't listen, fine. But I will be damned if I am going to sit back and not say anything at all!
So, in my opinion, a Crossfire2 is a terrible choice for someone with 245 jumps OR someone with any amount of jumps at this same stage of learning canopy flight. Regardless of wingloading.
I have learned by mistakes. I have learned by seeing others make mistakes. I will do everything I can so that others might not make those same mistakes. A Crossfire2 at 245 jumps is a mistake. Can he get away with it? Sure. And I hope he does. I don't want to see anyone get hurt.
