frost

We do it every once in a while at the Ranch on sunset jumps. The problem is getting the people together, some are working, some want to freefly, some are just tired... but flocking is a lot of fun. And even though most of us are just ready to drink beer after a meet, we should bring back the tradition of doing a post meet flocking dive.

The cost of plane tickets - 300 bucks The cost of the comp and training jumps - $355 Rental car and hotel - $180 Seeing a PD Factory Team pilot face plant in the sand right in front of you - PRICELESS. Taste the American soil!! P.S. Honey, can you get my chest strap out of the bag - Ian Dennan after a distance run. The best line of the season so far.

Is my artist rendering correct?

Cutaway loss is not covered by renters insurance. There are 16 causes of loss that an insurance company has (mine is some company via Geico). And a cutaway does not fall under any one of them. Stuff like a lightning strike or a steam from the kettle is a good reason. Releasing your malfunctioning main canopy to save your life is not. If you want to have protection for gear loss as a result of a cutaway, MAKE SURE you find out if your company provides it. CLEARLY explain to them what the scenario of a cutaway is and how it goes. Then try to get it in writing. Otherwise, if you think any renters insurance covers gear loss after a cutaway, you will be in for a surprise when you try to file a claim.

I totally disagree with that. It's just not true. Any highly loaded canopy would be pretty twitchy and will require constant flying. I doubt any canopy loaded that high "flies itself". i've seen great pilots do average swoops with large turns on 27 cells. Also seen others put up very impressive times with 270 on velo's. And lets not forget a world record speed time by Hans under a velo with an old school style 270 ;) But I completely agree with this ;)

of course not. All it means is there's been no work done on the site, other than the new poster. It's still the same as it was for Swoop Week 2009. --- A general thought: what is the deal with the CPC? Is it still alive anywhere? AFAIK, the only competitions that feature 10 foot gates for Amateurs is FLCPA and USPA Nationals, and neither is associated with CPC or PST in any way. And with Nats just a few days later, the only incentive for an Am to compete in CPC championships during the Swoop Week would be the prize money.

Tri135 was my back up canopy for wingsuit jumps a few years ago. I loaded it at 1.6+, probably 1.7. i dont recall how much i weighed back then :) It flew quite well and actually even swooped a little :) http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=49606; http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=49608;

it's not possible to just switch canopies and start "pushing". "To push it", in my mind, means that you need to know your canopy really well. That takes quite a few jumps, even if you have thousands of HP landings on other x-braced wings. In fact, i'd say ESPECIALLY if you have thousands of HP landings on other x-braced wings. You could probably get away with Xaos/VX transition, but VX, Velo, JVX you need to put in the time to figure out the wing and step away from what you're used to. So if you put Fro or Batsch under a Velo, Jay under a Xaos or VX they will most definitely put up some impressive swoops... but i dont think they will "push" their new canopies on their first jumps. The only human i know that can easily swoop ANY wing and push it to the limit right away is of course GW. IF he is a human, that is.

I think that canopies like Velocity, Xaos, JVX, VX were designed with performance, speed and heavy wing loadings in mind. Some folks think that a cross braced canopy loaded less than 2:1 is "underloaded" or "not optimal". I've even heard people say it's "unsafe". Of course that's BS, there is nothing unsafe about a lighter loaded x-braced wing. While i agree that there is very little point in driving a Ferrari to get groceries, i mean jumping a velo@1.8, there is nothing wrong with it. In fact the x-bracing provides extra rigidity to the wing, which can be a nice benefit in less then ideal wind conditions. And lets face it, 1.8 is NOT a timid wingloading, it's a very mature one. And the man seems to be on the safe side in his choices. I bet you that if you tried any other canopy smaller than your current one you'd have the same reaction. I remember how much i loved my Jedei 170. It was so fast . Then the 150, i loved it. Then I had a blast with a 136. Then 120, 114, 111, 104, 97, 94, 87... you get the pattern . What i am saying is each smaller canopy you jump will be the smallest and probably the fastest one you've ever jumped. You WILL have a blast. Just dont go over your head with downsizing, it can be addictive, everyone here knows people who downsized too fast and now have something broken to show for it and tell stories of what not to do. Learn to fly your current wing first, then try something else. Dont be the guy sitting on the ground showing people scars and metal in his body. Be the guy with many years in the sport, thousands of skydives and no injuries, that's much cooler.

So this is what fame and immortality is like... I wish that was me... Look at me, Dad! I am on Google Maps!! and you said i'd never amount to anything!

I used to make the same mistake thinking that working on flying your canopy involves lots of low hop and pops. What a mistake. Making full altitude hop and pops and practicing each move in the chain of moves that make up your turn, flying in close proximity using various inputs - that's the way to learn to fly your canopy. Not beer line swooping. Cross sides?? you're serious? These are PROFESSIONAL skydivers. They earn their living in skydiving. They were offered a job. They accepted it. If you worked for Microsoft and got laid off, but later got an offer from Apple would you not take it? Really? I see a ton of canopy reviews and feed back on this forum, still open and not locked. XF15, Sensei, Xaos, JVX... And when i did call out JT's multi posts on Italy Expedition, it was promptly locked. Can you give an example of what you refer to? I used to think that too. No offense to the original PST pilots and swoop pioneers, the game and techniques have changed dramatically. Much more than the JVX design. And those who started and still compete did change and evolve their techniques. I have been flying Icarus stuff pretty much since the first days of my skydiving. I've owned 4 different JVXs, have been competing under JVXs for two years, and before that i competed on VXs. I have 20 comps under my belt in 3+ years. I fly a JVX now, it is by far my favorite canopy and i plan to fly it as long as i can. But i also try to keep my mind open, try different wings when i have a chance. If the time comes when i am not happy with my current canopy anymore, and a new better wing comes along at a good deal that i like - i will get it. With all that, i still dont know fully what the deal is and how to fly my wing to its max. But you say you do, so i must concede defeat. You win. PD sucks, Icarus rulez and pwnz all.

JVX brought very little truly "new", just better options and some cool mods. But options and upgrades are NOT "next generation design". By default. Same is true for the Comp Velo though, to be fair. Bro, i have ~1500 jumps on VX's and ~600 on JVXs. I am not a canopy designer, but i can tell you based on my experience that they are not. As a wing, JVX is very similar, if not the same as VX. Unless someone actually took apart these wings and laid out the panels on top of one another or at least measured the chord/span to prove that statement wrong. and JVX line trim on VX makes no changes to the wing itself. It's just a mod. That is FUNNY! can you explain to me how you came to that conclusion? And what flight characteristic you feel make Velo just "OK" and "no JVX"? please. the only person setting records on JVX is Nick Batch. Oddly, though, he did apply for the PD team recently... hmm? Also, there were nine competitors under JVXs at the last USPA Nats, most with at least a full season of jumps under their canopies. Only two made it in the top 10. How come the other 7 were not there? They had the best wing on the market! YOU dont compete because YOU dont compete. Period. Dont blame it on the lack of talent. Tell me you dont have the cash, tell me you're busy with something else, tell me anything, but dont tell me you are not trying cause you lack talent. There are may be 5 talented individuals in the world in this game and the rest of us are just bums that like to compete and have a good time and do reasonably well. Or are you referring to PD Team and the rest of the people that consistently place in the top 20 in the world? Dude, they are very experienced pilots with many thousand skydives. Jay has talent? May be, sure. But he also has 8 thousand skydives and 100 comps under his belt. But less then ten years ago he was chowing under a Jedei on the Ranch pond. Greg Windmiller (sorry buddy) was swooping 10 foot gates and not always hitting them less than two years ago. Take the top 15 of the last World meet and i bet you 10 bucks nearly all of them have more than 5 thousand skydives, some 3 times as many. The only thing that stops you or me from being as good as those top guys is PRACTICE. That's it. And my be a little bit of luck, since anyone can have a bad or good comp. Why dont you try? Invest some time and money and try? and then, when PD comes to you with this wonder offer... refuse it and laugh, claiming that your success is due to the fact that you fly the best wing on the market, the JVX! :) Could you give me a couple of examples of winning competitive pilots that you speak of? What do you think PD offers them that they cant refuse? $100K per year and free jumps for the rest of their life? LOL. You may wanna do some research on the subject of sponsorships. Well, lets say PD do approach top pilots. And why not? PD are a business, a well ran, well established business. And their business is selling canopies. If getting another good pilot helps them sell more canopies, thats a good business decision. Icarus are in the same business. If Icarus wanted to make more money and sell more canopies, they could employ the same policy as PD. Sponsor best pilots with free or heavily discounted wings and service. I have a feeling you dont get my point cause you dont want to get my point. My point wasnt about ethics, sponsorships, formula racing sales techniques and all that. I was saying that there is NOTHING next gen about JVX, just like there is NOTHING next gen about comp velo. They are just upgrades. P.S. sorry Ian i should have started a new thread...

i dont really wanna start a debate in this topic, i think we might have similar thoughts on this but... What "next gen" features did JVX bring? JVX was to VX what Comp Velo is to Velo. Minor mods and changes to the established and proven wing design, resulting in better performance. Nothing "next gen" for either wing, IMO. A nice step up? for sure. Next generation? i dont think so. For either JVX or Comp Velo. But you have a velo in your profile! :)) So, here is a hypothetical situation. That new canopy finally comes out, JSX or JFX or what have you. Due to z-bracing and all the extra parts, the cost of it will probably be no less than $3000, or even more. No demos. No discounts. takes 6 months to make it. Takes another year and lets say someone sets the new distance or speed record on it. I rush out to get this wonderful canopy, jump it... and what a disappointment, I still swoop the same 250 feet as I did on my JVX. Where is the famed performance?! Where is the 600+ feet?!! Where is the 2+ second world record?!! I just bought the best and the most expensive wing in the world, shouldnt i be the new champion??! Oh, wait... I dont even compete... (well, i do, not sure if you do) Hey well at least i look cool with my new canopy, it's worth the 3+ grand. Isn't it? Lets hope the sail material doesn't fall apart on me after 200 jumps, so i can continue to look cool and not jump someone's beat up old canopy waiting 4 months for a replacement. Also, are you waiting for someone else to set these new records? Or are you planning to set them yourself? If you want to be the next Michael Phelps of swooping, here is what I would do. Instead of spending 3+ grand on a new wing, i'd buy a used one for $1500 (actually skip this since i already have a good canopy), invest 3-400 in a nice one-on-one or one-on-two canopy camp with PD Factory team, another 1000 in practice jumps and go have a 100 dollar dinner with drinks to toast my new skills :)

yeah, what the smart man said. Replace with lineset or sooner if needed. I also examine my slinks every weekend when jumping, especially with RDS and steering line mods (if you have that). And after some incident that involved worn out slinks i feel that it's a small but vital piece of our gear, that deserves a bit of extra attention.

They also have decent customer service. i've bought an HC3 from them awhile back. It was in like new condition, but some errors started popping up in a week or so. They offered to replace it and when they couldnt find same exact model with no missing parts, they refunded the money in full, no hassles.

Why dont you keep all the updates in the original thread? There are at least three now, i know PD team and all, but rules are rules

aw, i feel almost like a rock star, people are posting pics of me! Not quite Shane or AggieDave's caliber though, more like a mini rock star. Like the diet coke of swoop stars - one calorie, not quite swooperish enough. Hence the small resolution. P.S. there is a swoop pic thread already.

Why just Velo? Sigh... ok this is not me, but this is a GREAT shot of Jimmy T at PD Challenge http://www.performancedesigns.com/pdzone/images/Galleries/PD_Fastrax_challenge/PD-Fastrax%20Challenge/images/img_1526.jpg

let me see, WWGW say? Lock it up, Drennan!! Nah, you're still a winner in my book.

oh i am not doubting that people will be buying it :) I am saying how many people can actually benefit from it? I will not be surprised to see a Comp Velo or two at the 10 foot gate meet, but still not hitting the gates. :)

comes out to just about right, no? $2600 for a brand new regular velo. $300 for a new HMA350 lineset, $300 for an RDS I am very happy the "new" Velo finally came out. But realistically, how many people is it geared towards? How many "regular", non-sponsored pilots will switch to a comp velo and show results close to PD Team results in competitions? I think we can count them on two hands, if you dont count the currently sponsored pilots. If that.

i liked my VXs best probably between 2.3-2.4. At 2.5+ i felt a drop in distance and glide. I've put a combined of i'd guess 1300 jumps on various VXs (114, 111, 104, 97, 96 and 94) with wing loadings of 2.0 to 2.5+

if it did the same exact thing and had same horsepower and less fuel consumption? hmm, probably not, i'd just get the Honda ;) Just want to be fair. I, as you and as most of us here, have seen most of the RDS's available to the general public as well as some experimental ones. I dont think there is anything safety wise that distinguishes PEA RDS from the rest of well known and established ones out there. To use your car analogy, the myth of "I should only put the premium unleaded in my stock factory car even though the manual recommends 87" comes to mind. There is no need to put emphasis on "how much is your life worth" when it comes to recommending a good solid RDS, as it might make newer jumpers think that anything else is "unsafe", which, of course is not your intention and is not true.

Beek, you really feel that other serious and proven designs, like MEL's, Kirk's and some others are more prone to malfunctions and/or damaging a canopy?

There are recommended wingload charts for various types of JVX's on Jim Slaton's site, take a look. He suggests sail to be loaded at 2.8 to 3.0, if i am not mistaken... It's A LOT of loading :) Mine is a ZP JVX92, also a "custom" size which i ordered to be at exactly 2.5. that was based on my experience with 96 ZP, 87 top/bottom sail and 80 top sail. But I dont wear weights and lately find myself wondering about the possibilities of a ZP JVX at a higher than 2.5 wingloading. It's always been said by many JVX pilots that the canopy is asking to be loaded. I dont think 2.0 is strong enough for a zp JVX. But 2.4 is good and 2.5-2.6 is even better :) BUT! Just to be clear, I do not think that an 82 @ 2.0 dry, 2.4 w/lead is petty! It is a very mature and aggressive wing loading and i think you WILL see improvement in performance as well as major differences in flight characteristics with a JVX over your old Xaos. Consider this: even if you dont get the maximum possible performance out of you 82 because you dont load it @ its "optimal" wingloading, whatever that means, it'll force you to learn to be able to compensate for it with your technique. There are small guys at 2.2-2.4 kicking our lard-asses consistently :) That's skill. And really, lately i feel that the "optimal wingloading" is a very loose term, based on your own skill and flying style P.S. i definitely agree with you about too much wingloading for your own comfort/skill level, thats very smart. So many people feel like they need to be like the top guys that set records under super heavily loaded canopies, so they buy the same small wing expecting same results... boy, how disappointed they feel when they jump it :)