SkydiveNFlorida

That's horrific! I don't understand how people can do that to a near helpless being.. not right! Somehow I doubt that! Angela

It is my understanding that you should be able to stall your canopy in brakes. If you cannot do that, you will not be able to fully shut down on a no-wind day. On a day with wind, you will stop fine because the wind will counter your speed. So, if you have a 5mph headwind, you will come to rest when your canopy if flying at 5mph. On a no-wind day, you need to be able to stop that canopy's flight... else you will be running out your landing. I am sure someone will verify this. You might want to get your brakes shortened a bit if you truly cannot stall your canopy when all the way in brakes (there will be a happy medium somewhere that you can stall your canopy in brakes, yet you do not have tail deflection in a riser turn.) Angela.

Whoa! You've loaded it a bit high for your jump number! I'm not a canopy nazi. But you are far beyond the recommendations. Don't want to see a new post in the Incidents forum (knock on the wood). As for Spectres, I've jumped 150 for ~30-40 jumps (w/l ~1.2). Soft on-heading openings, flat glide (really better than Sabre's), crisp turns with a lot of altitude loss. Riser pressure is high, I was unable to do more than 360 on the front riser. Canopy is easy to land, all my landing were stand-ups. Recovery arc is short, last turn should be done lower than with Sabre to get a good swoop. I think you're also above recommendations for your jump #s. I think Brian Germain recommends 1:1 then up by .1 every hundred jumps (assuming you know what you're doing!). I think that with your low jump #s and small amt of time in the sport, giving others recommendations on what canopy they should be flying is a bit beyond your level of expertise (and mine). There will be plenty of more qualified people to make those assumptions based on what they've seen and flown. jmo of course (I only have 200 jumps, so take it fwiw... but you won't see me yelling at someone for their w/l because I haven't even flown at 1.4). I especially wouldn't be advising people on swooping. Telling people their last turn should be done lower than with other canopies is dangerous. They can probably initiate at the same level as with, say, a sabre, get it in a good dive, and just counter the turn more with the other riser so as not to get to final as fast. These are things you will learn in a good canopy course, which is a better thing to tell people rather than telling them to go lower. Furthermore, I don't know why you need to do more than a 360 front riser turn.... unnecessary, especially for your experience level. Also "A lot" of altitude loss is relative. So, you are expressing that you feel this canopy has a lot of altitude loss in toggle turns... but compared to what? That is a pretty irrelevant piece of info with no comparison. Compared to what i've flown, I tend to disagree with your statement. Not trying to slam you, but be careful of the advice you give to those newer in the sport. And, be careful out there yourself. I hope you're not doing 360s to final yet. I am not a canopy nazi, either, fyi. Just trying to get you to learn more and fly more before giving others the type of advice you are handing out. Angela.

Can't argue with experience:D I sent a pm to Brian Germain asking if he might clarify things a bit for me. Who knows, maybe it's covered in his book (which I hope comes this week!!) Yeah, I forgot to mention that. I was told by so many that PD was the ONLY way to go!! PD is a great company, but I am also very happy with my non-pd canopy. So, certainly people should try for themselves. No comment there. I still haven't jumped at that w/l so have no basis for comment.

My understanding is that it depends on the canopy... althought i'm not sure of why that is (I guess trim of the canopies makes some better with rears and others deep brakes..?). I was advised by Brian Germain to spread my rear risers if needed to make it back from a long spot under my canopy. I don't fly a PD, tho, and I recall Scott Miller advising me differently under a PD Sabre II. I am curious to know why one method is preferrable over another depending on canopy (type/trim). As far as the spectre goes. I flew one for a day and didn't like it. To me, it felt like it had crap for flare... landable, but certainly not preferrable imo. I had been jumping a Sabre II then Stiletto prior to trying it out, so I was spoiled I guess. Although, I am going to guess that at a 1.4w/l you'll get better flare than I did at 1:1. Still, I definitely would demo more than one type of canopy before buying. Angela.

Well, I have this horrible habit of buying things I want as presents for others. So, I was casually dating a guy, it was going to be his b-day soon, and I thought it'd be fun to skydive. Well, I booked it, soon broke up with him, and went anyhow. And, here I am Then there was that time when I was 12 and jumped from my 2-story window... I think that was just defiance, though (grounding kids... better hope they aren't the daredevil type) Angela.

I would buy used gear... actually, I did. No regrets. Paid for everything cash, don't owe a dime. Buying a new rig is costly and something that I will consider when I get to a w/l that I will be on for a while (and, by a while, I mean like 500 jumps a while). OTOH, if you're already buying a 150, it might not be too terrible since you should be able to downsize a couple sizes in that and you'll probably be covered for sometime. But, I can't make the call as to if a 150 is a good thing for you, and I doubt anyone here can really make that call for you, either. Check with those who have seen you fly. Used gear is out there, and cheaper... so if you don't mind looking around a bit, it might suit your needs. Rereading this, I offered no real advice, just a bunch of random thoughts... oh, well... I tried Angela.

Anyone who doesn't care, I don't care to be in the sky with. Personally, I learn all that I can so that I can land safely and do it all again. My plan is to continue to do just that:) Angela

After reading a bit more, I was wrong. I did a search for you, tho, and here is another post that Phreezone did that might help you figure out what you have (?). http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=263226;search_string=sweptwing%20;#263226

Um, dead people aren't angry (unless you believe in ficticious ghost stories). Angela.

Well, you were there, so you should know:) I had read this, which is why I questioned it: Angela.

So, this did not happen, or it happened but there was reason for it? If it happened, then what she posted was an observation, not an accusation. Even if there was (debatably) good reason. People had the chance to give the reason as to why things happened, and they did. If it did not happen, then it was an assumption based on what was observed, and should have been written that way. Angela.

here, one better: : http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=931600;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;guest=5401499 This is to the post that was mentioned by Phreezone. Also, do a search on jedei and sweptwing and i'm sure you'll find all the info you need:) Angela.

Sometimes we post without thinking things though (been there, done that!). Even though this may have been uncalled for (I don't know), try to be understanding of what she saw. With 100 jumps, maybe not too much canopy training(?), it may seem pretty scary to make a flat turn at 200 ft. Of course, ideally, we should all be comfortable with that, but who knows what this jumper had running through her head. New dz, new landing area, and, all of a sudden she sees a truck and her auto-reaction maybe isn't flat turn or carve. Maybe she has never turned that low. I am not at all saying that you are wrong. I think that she should've addressed it with the dz before posting here. But, maybe she didn't think that through at the time. Try to be understanding is all i'm saying:) Who knows, there might've been two broken legs if she had made a wrong move in response to getting freaked out. Glad all is well, Murphyka:) Angela.

only bad if the pilot doesn't know! They will let you know if it is ok (could be airtraffic). Could also be bad if you live in cold weather and jump w/o gloves I s'pose. :) Angela.

Deland is definitely a cool dz. Bob Hallet (sp?) is a major cool cat. Good restaurant, nice planes. I had a lot of fun there when I didn't even have a license yet. I don't recall jumping with any locals, but I got jumps in with a few visitors. All around a very fun time for me as a low-#-jumper. Other fun dzs i've been to : Titusville, Sebastian, Lake Wales, Z-hills... and i'm at Clewiston now, Clewiston: it's got a really nice crowd and staff! My only gripe is the fact that i've never done a sunset load there. It closes too early due to lack of jumpers to put the plane up. I sure wish more jumpers would come out wanting to jump the WHOLE day! Z-hills: I went to z-hills as a student, too, and I got my A-license finished up in one day with Laurie Clark:) Plus, the locals were happy to jump with me, very cool place! Not to mention that the place is always fun at night. People don't just jump and leave, they hang out afterward! And, lots of times i've been there they have prepared meals at the end of the day for a small price. Bar is cool, too. Titusville: Didn't hit it as a student, but had fun when I went later down the road. Very laid back place. I would say that it is maybe more laid back than Clewiston, but you get to finish up the day. Nice view, too! Sebastian: I did my AFF there. I had a great time as a student. It really felt like home. I just watched my AFF1 video the other day, hehe. Cool crowd, nice view:) Lake Wales : I didn't jump with any of the locals cuz I was there for canopy training with Brian Germain (awesome btw!). It is really a big, busy place! Everyone seemed nice. They have excellent facilities, nice restaurant, too. People seemed to hang out pretty late there, too:) Pahokee : What can I say? My favorite dz thusfar. I am so sad Angela.

You keep it a big secret and avoid pie. That was my thought, too! hehe. congrats, Dee! Angela.

You might try contacting Brian Germain.. he posts on this site as BrianSGermain so you could pm him and see if he has any info for you. The sweptwings really look the part, so if you have one, you'd probably know. Someone else posts on here as Designer, he seems to have a lot of info on these canopies, too. :) Angela.

I really like the unit, though I do have a few small gripes. For several jumps, it wasn't logging my exit altitude properly, I was losing a couple thousand feet before it started to log. That was on linked hd exits (I can't fly hd by myself yet). I had the software updated, and haven't noticed any of those problems since. I rode the plane down recently and it logged it as a jump. My boyfriend's protrack did not do that. Not a huge deal, can be erased, but odd that it logged it, especially since the plane was NOT very fast, lol! Also, sometimes I *think* that the ff time is off, I had one jump where I exited 14k+ feet deployed at 3k, and it logged a 42 second jump. I am just not all that fast, so I don't think that's right... but, maybe I may be wrong. I just ordered a protrack so will be verifying one against the other now. I do really like the unit as a visual alti... very accurate! I'll update soon on how things check out between my unit and the protrack I ordered. Also, the service is excellent. Roger and his team are top notch! Angela.

Never had a 1-pc, but I love my 2-pc! When it is cool out, I wear the top... otherwise, just the pants and a tank or tee. I live in S. Fla, so it is usually too hot for a full top! And, I haven't had any problems with it coming untucked in freefall when I do wear both pieces. Mine was made by Ouragan suits in Deland, and I love it! Angela.

LMAO!!! Angela

pro-life/pro-choice, this has always been a difficult issue for me. I hate the idea of killing unborn babies (and, yes, at a certain point, that is what I consider them!), and I think that beyond a certain point, it should not be allowed (late-term abortions). I don't know exactly where i'd draw that line... As for birth control pills that make the lining of the uterus unable to be attached to, I don't like the idea, but I don't know if i'm completely opposed to it. I would personally need to do a lot more research to form a definite opinion of the morality of them. But, having said that, I think that the right to choose is important. Especially seeing that many will do what they please anyhow (ie, deliver at home and dump baby, or abort by other means or in other states/countries that may be less safe). And, therefore, the right to choose to use birth control is also important! And, considering that this isn't the primary function of the birth control pill, I don't think that I consider them that horrendous. (I myself am on birth control, so it would also be pretty hypocritical for me to state otherwise.) I am curious now as to how my birth control works, exactly. I was told it inhibited ovulation. Angela.

I recommend spending time with Brian Germain if you can make any of the seminars he's doing (see schedule in canopy forum). You'll learn a lot about how a parachute actually flies, and what you can do to be a better pilot. I guarantee you'll come out a more competent and confident pilot if you go into it with an open mind and really want to understand and be better. If you want a good competency course that is less comprehensive, I recommend Scott Miller in Deland. And, I agree with bodypilot, if you don't feel comfortable under a 170 spectre, why would you feel comfortable under a 160 reserve? If you really think you should be flying a 190, why wouldn't you want a reserve that size as well. You'll likely be a lot more freaked out under the reserve, and maybe more prone to making mistakes. Not to mention that you won't likely be landing under your main unconcious, it is your reserve you'll have to be landing under. Also, a spectre flown at 1:1 is a pretty docile canopy, ime. (note, I only made a few jumps on one, and "docile" was with compare to Sabre II and Stiletto). And, you can't expect to have been nailing your landings if you weren't very current (i'm not expert, but 50 jumps / yr is not all that current imo). But, if you buy a canopy, and jump only that one canopy and make an effort to learn, fly and land it well, you will get better. Canopy courses can only help. And, like Skybytch said, it is fine if you do go up to a 190sf canopy, that's your choice to make, do what you feel is safe... but be aware of the winds and make sure you don't go up if they are high (I think she said >15mph) because that could be very dangerous. Take care:) Angela.

Well, now I pay 20$ because SoBe is closed:( But, the going rate in Fla seems to be 18$/lift to 13,500. Angela

I will vote for Kerry. I do not think he's AS evil as Bush. I didn't bother to vote last time, and look where it got us And, regardless of what kind of tax break i'm getting, i'd rather be proud of the leader of the country in which I live (I don't know that Kerry will be the one to make it so, but might as well give someone else a chance since Bush won't be!). And, I hope that we do pull out of Iraq. Maybe not... there may still be WMDs, right? Plus, all the Iraqis aren't dead yet... so there is still work to be done I suppose. As far as serving in this war. I'd sooner go to jail if that is what it took. I will not fight for something I don't believe in. Angela.