FreeFlyFridge

Torben, I dont know you, but you probably should´nt go any smaller than your 5sqft Sabre that you´ve stated in your profile! A wl of 41,80 is fairly high for your jump-no.! I wanna see your container!! Ride on! ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

No, I´m not sure that it´s officially called the GX, but that name is stated as the canopy flown by Jim Slaton at the IPC. And from what I´ve heard, from people that were there, it should be the same canopy. But, I´m not 100% sure, so...., don´t nail me down to that. And, as you said canuck, I´m with you, some companies feed us with a little bit of info way in advance and let us wait forever for the final product! Damn,I´m waiting for my Katana demo for nearly 1 1/2 month now, way too long. Oh, btw, I don´t think that this canopy is out soon. I was just curious if anyone knows why it´s designed that way and what the advantages could be. I could´nt come up with more then pack volume. But I´m not a aerodynamic engineer or something like that. So what could be the advantages of such a design? Why only the middle cells xbraced and do I don´t see any stabilisers? ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

Ahh, interesting, another new prototype. But I wonder why they want something inbetween the xfire and the safire? What competitors would it have, or is it a replacement of the safire? I guess this new "GX" is then somewhere inbetween the xfire and the extremes, or maybe a replacement of the fx. BTW, count the cells you see, how many do you count? I´m a little confused on that. ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

That´s what I´ve found on the german web site of HighPerformance Canopies (manufacturer of the Nitro) who used the line as the first company, as far as I know. Ok I´ll try to translate that, lets see how that works. It´s roughly, so if anyone who can translate it better, feel free to do so. here we go: Technora Lines (formally HMA) do not shrink, so the canopy will fly in the the correct trim for the lifespan given by us. Also they withstand abrasion and folding significantly better than Aramid- or Kevlarlines. Our lines end directly (without cascades) at the attachment points resulting in a better profile of the canopy, as well as for an easy replacement and less maintenance costs. Each single line can be changed without using a sewing-machine. And here´s something from the Precision Aerodynamics web page they manufacture the Nitro in license of High Performance Canopies for the US market it´s called the Nitron. C-ya Jens ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

Well, when I look at that picture I just see a pilot fucking up a swoop and i see the double diamonds. So what tells me that? Even Atair factory pilots do get wet some times. I don´t see a Cobalt performing bad, I see a pilot perform very bad on a canopy that is well known for it´s swoop capacities. And even if... Do you need to SEE that evidence? Should´nt a skydiver know what kind of things leads to such pictures? In most cases it´s NOT the canopy! So if one is a mature and a thinking skydiver one should take that ad for what it is, a pretty funny ironic ad, which should´nt be taken too seriously! Thats, if it´s an real ad from atair. But thats just my 2cents...... c-ya! ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

Hey I just saw this pic and wondered what canopy this is? Maybe a new prototype from Icarus? Does anybody now something about it? I attached two photos, the one is Jim Slaton with the "new" canopy, and for comparison, the other one is Clint Clawson with a VX. Maybe you have to look closely, but you´ll see that there are a number of differences, not fully xbraced, different air intakes on the 3 inner cells, nearly no stabilisers, etc.. What do you think? ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

Hey I love it! That guy seems to have an hilarious humor! At least I laughed my ass of!! BTW, why not "writing" or "signing" on your belly what´s inside and what made it that big!

Note to myself! Read the posts more carefully! DAMN! ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

Don´t be scared of me, I think I´m a few thousand miles away from you. And I don´t think ANYONE can swoop that far! But if you see someone doing a 270 with a big smile on his face and a lovely song on his lips, that would be me then! And then you can be scared! So don´t come over to Germany, it´s very dangerous here, you see! C-ya! Jens ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

I´ve just voted for the xfire2, cause I´ll maybe buy one soon. But since you asked, I can tell you what´s popular here in Germany at the moment. This is just for the 4 dz where I jump at a "regular" basis. Mostly you´ll see Stilettos & Crossfire´s 1+2, I see more and more Faqtor`s and Nitro`s (maybe cause they are from German manufactures and cheaper) a few, but very rarely Vengeance´s and Fandango´s, Ive only seen one Demon and no Blade`s (I though they haven`t been released yet?). I personally don´t know anybody that flies a Cobalt or anything from Brian Germain (Samurai, Jedei, etc), just seen a Heatwave once (from an Indish Jumper). And myself, I´ve jumped the Stiletto, Vengeance, Crossfire2 and the Faqtor (but I don´t consider it as hp, semi hp would be more suitable for that canopy). Just my experiences..... Ride On & Blues! Jens ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

OK, sorry Remi, then I got it wrong! For that, I do agree that any high speed approach is an "aggressive" maneuver. So, lets say I´m not conservative. Ride on & Blues! Jens ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

I think you don´t need to be aggressive on a 180 or 270, they can be executed pretty smooth. Why be aggressive? I´d rather "go with the flow" than yank down a frontriser. Why not "gently" pull down that frontrise and do a long carving turn? For me there´s no "aggression" in that maneuver at all! I even know people who don´t use their frontrisers at all during their swoop, they start out high and just use harness input and then rear risers, and they swoop long and good. An aggressive pilot would yank a frontriser and yank his toggles during normal flight just to experience the g-forces or what ever reason. Spiral down, get in other peoples landing pattern because they can´t make a good setup for themselves, those type of things! That´s what I meant with "aggressive" But that´s just my opinion! Jens ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

I was just curious, sorry that I was so persistent on that thing. These thoughts just popped up in my mind as I was reading the earlier posts, and I just had to ask! But as I said earlier, I´m gonna take some more time to get my flying skills to the level where I can actually see for myself where the differences between the two types of canopies are. I´ll go with something else, maybe even a little bigger. And hopefully be save and still have a lot of fun (i´m sure of that!). I´m going to test a xbraced at a similar wl somewhen next year, just to see what it´s like and if I like it or not. Thank´s again for all your advice and help, I appreciate that.

Thanks Mark that helps a lot! I think I´ll stay with that wl around 1.8 at least for the next year and going to try as hard as I can to get my skills as polished up as possible. Ok saying I´m not a aggressive pilot was a little understated, i try to stay within my abilities but try to push my limits alittle every time, that would get the point. but i don´t want to be too aggressive, I think that is dangerous for yourself but even more so for everybody around you, which is even worse! But I still have that question. The difference between xbraced @ 1.9 and hp elliptical @ 1.9? Maybe I should wait another year and see for myself then! Ride on & Blues! Jens ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

Thank you chris for your honest reply. i see your point and I think you´re right. I do 180 and 270 carving front riser approaches with all the canopies I mentioned quite precise and without hitting the ground harder than I wanted for the last 250 jumps (no rear riser landings, yet and no hooks, they seem more dangerous to me), but still you´re right, if I have to think about going xbraced or not it´s maybe a little too early to do so, one should feel ready for it and then start thinking about it. I feel very safe and aware under canopy and during landing, but as you say, maybe even a small mistake may be the last one you do. So, in the near future I don´t see myself under a xbraced canopy. I think i can still learn a lot under a hp elliptical a little more docile. But the question I still do ask is the difference between a hp elliptical @ 1.9 and a xbraced 21cell loaded at 1.9! Any opinions? Just facts, and remember I´m just curious and don´t want to go xbraced! Any testpilots out there? Ride On & Blues! Jens P.S. Maybe I should start an own thread?! And Chris, my condolence! One can see that it must have been a dear friend of yours. ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

Just got into and home from the US with my gear as carry on, no problems there. When I passed the controls at LAX I had to open my bag cause the lady at the x-rays didn´t know that it was a parachute and wanted to take a look, but I was very nice and patient. She called her supervisor as she saw the rig she knew what it was and within 2 min. it was ok and I could pass, no big of a deal. Just don´t put it in your suitcase, they scan them for explosives at the airport, that might cause some trouble. Oh, and I wouldn´t mention that you have a gear with you, only if someone askes directly, low profile, you know. Ride on & Blues! Jens ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

Ok, got me there, i should update the my profile again, sorry. By the way, I do agree that a jumper with 300 jumps or so should not consider a xbraced canopy, period. The thing with the changing canopies is that I do not own one myself, I´ve just been lucky and could jump demos and canopies from friends, for that reason i haven´t made all the jumps on each canopy in a row, unfortunately. But at least I found that I liked the xfire2 the best from them and was considering to buy 119 or a 124. But now i´m just wondering what would be different from a Velocity120? I talked to a lot of different people here at my dz (ampfing), which is a dz with very good hp pilots and swoop competitors, i would call most of them my friends and some were my instructors in aff, so I think they try to educate me in the best way they can and have always a look after me and my developing flying skills. I am not an very aggressive flyer, and i would rather bail out of a swoop than getting into a foreseeable unsafe or somehow scary situation. As I said the guys at my dz now me and the rigger, which is again a very good canopy pilot, and the dz owner/manger there wouldn´t hesitate to let me jump a canopy @ 1.9. But they also say, that´s my momentary limit and i shouldn´t go any higher, for my own safety and the safety of all the people around me in the air, what I accept and see the same way. Ride On & Blues! Jens P.S.: Please, Chuck you can call me by my name Jens or FreeFlyFridge.You don´t need to use a phrase like "the original poster". Thank´s. I hope it´s ok that I call you chuck even if we don´t now each other. No offense! ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

Ok, I´ve got about 600 jumps in total, 300 of this year. The first 250 jumps were under a Spectre 150 (wl @ 1.53) the other 300 from this year started out with the Spectre (about 50) then for - about 70 jumps a stiletto 135 - about 100 jumps avengeance 135 - about 30 jumps a vengeance 120 - about 100 jumps with a xfire 129 Don´t get me by the exact number, i didnt look it up in my pro-track. But these are roughly the numbers. And we´re talking bout getting the canopy in the beginning/mid of next season, so you can add roughly about 100-150 more jumps on the total numbers. Ride On & Blues! Jens ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

Ok,here´s why I postet. I´m right now at that point where i´d have to decide which way to go, xbraced or not?! I´ve jumped stilettos, vengeance and xfires for a while now with wl @ 1.7-1.8. Now I am thinking about getting a non xbraced canopy with a wl around 1.9, wich would be a 120, but the only canopy that has it´s sweet spot around that wl is the xfire2 and maybe the Katana. Sorry forgot the Cobalt and Samurai, but it´s not in the race for me, but not for any special reason, don´t want to say it´s not a good canopy though! And they´re hard to get and hardly seen on dz´s here in Germany. My choice would now be either the xfire2 (or Katana), because I think it´s just marginal below the performance of a xbraced, or something like a Velocity or a Xaos21. And the price isn´t really that big of a deal, I know dealers that offer the xbraced canopies at nearly the same price as an xfire2, and pack volume would´nt be an issue, my container is big enough. So, the question is, are there any safety reasons you would mention or special flying skills that I need under a Xbraced canopy, other than with a similar loaded non xbraced? Ride On & Blues Jens ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!

Just curious. From what wingload on would you (or anyone else) suggest to get a crossbraced canopy? Assuming that you have the profound technique of flying skill, off course. If you read (i.e.) the PD weight charts for a Velocity 120, they start at 156lbs. for an "advanced" (wl @ 1,3) and 228lbs. for an "expert" (wl @ 1.9), and the max. is 264lbs. (wl @ 2.2). And as far as I know is the sweet spot for that canopy is around wl @ 2. Would the difference between, lets say, a xfire2 120 and a Velocity 120 (both loaded @ 1.9) be that big? Besides the steeper glide and maybe a little more dive on the Velocity? As I said, just curious. And if I´m in the wrong place with my question I´m sorry! My first post in this forum, BTW, I hope i got that quote thing right, and sorry for my english, i´m german and have only my "school" english from a little while ago! Ride On & Blues Jens ------------------------------------------------------ ROCK ON,.....HARD! Proud European!!