TimDave

I jumped a 1 for about 10 jumps. I own a 2 and think the openings are the best on the market for non-corssbraced. The canopy is decent in turbulance. The riser pressure I find to be quite high (campared to a Sam). I like the crossfire 2 overall. It flies very fun, has very good response to harness input, and swwops nice.

I have about 300 jumps on my Xfire2 (1.65:1) and about 30 jumps on a Sam (1.7:1). The openings on the Xfire2 are unprecidented and the canopy is fun to fly and has great swoops. The Sam openings were nice also but were a little quicker. I liked the swoops on the Sam better and the riser pressure was much lighter. You won't go wrong with either of these but you will go more right with the Sam.

I own a Crossfire2 109 and about 300 jumps on it. I have also about 30 jumps on a Sam 105. I am so wanting a Sam 105 now. The openings on the Xfire are without comparison the best I have jumped. The swoops on the Sam for me were much more consistently long and easy. So any body that wants a great Xfire 109 let me know. I want a Sam.

If you go to www.bigairsportz.com you should get a hint of what Brian has in the works for a cross-braced airlocked swoop machine called the Sensei. I have seen and flown next to prototypes and can only say WOW!

I have taken the Evolution canopy flight school, talked at length with Scott Miller, John LeBlanc, and also listened to seminars by Brian Germain as well as gone through a canopy control course with Brian. IMO, I would strongly recommend getting Brian. I was impressed by all I talked with. Brian blew my mind. He is in a word amazing. You would be served well by any of the people previously mentioned. You will be amazed by Brian.

I guess that I why I am not a fan of Ravens *** they wanted to make sure it didn't have a built in turn (as many Ravens do). that would be aking to buying a car that has a propensity for breaking down.

Just remember that if it is jumped as a main, it is no longer suitable to be used as a reserve.

I wear 4. One under each mud flap and on each leg strap. I sure would hate to have an arm pinned and wish I could get to the one under my arm. It may be overkill but they are not that expensive and the consequenses are obvious.

Just a thought on the trim. I have seen new canopies fresh from the factory with very bad trim. If you are waiting for the weather to break, measure it with your rigger, good use of time on the ground. It can't hurt. Try pulling the slider towards the rear more and make sure that you are not pushing the nose in and you may see a difference. I am curious to hear of the results. Tim

I have used both and prefer to use a tongue switch with the chin cup.

I totally agree with all that has been said. I have a Sony PC-100 and it has been a perfect performer for over 500 jumps (without a condom or D-box). There a many at our DZ and I have not heard any bad things. On the other hand there are some JVC cameras and I have not heard good things from them. Go with Sony. You will be glad.

This sounds like a really weird opening. I have jumped the Sabre2 and noticed that it seemed to be "searching" a bit. They did not seem overly strange but enough to make you notice. 3 of the 4 previous canopies are teeth looseners since I have put jumps on both types and you are right. Have you tried moving the slider slightly more to the rear of the canopy just before wrapping the tail (assuming you PRO pack). This would allow the nose to catch the air more cleanly and hopefully open cleaner. Another question (if you PRO pack) is doe you push the nose back into the pack? If so, try not doing this as another experiment. Try only one thing at a time to see what happens. One last thiing, has the trim been checked?

I recommend buying a used 7-cell such as a Spectre or Triathalon. I owned a Tri 160 and 150 before going for my current canopy.

I am glad that there are other people that think about safety as much as you. I agree that this situation is potentially an accident poised to rear it's ugly head. With a wing loading of at least 1.4:1 and a high performance canopy these are things that in and of themselves are reason for concern. Add to this a camera and limited time in the sport = danger! If this person cites pure jump numbers and thinks that he has more expreience than you and therefore knows more you should point him towards this forum and get others involved that can turn those jump numbers around. The more people tell him to be cautious will either make him step back or push forward. If the latter happens, unfortunately there is nothing that anybody can do to stop him except for being grounded. A similar situation happened with me and a freind. I refused to jump with that person because I felt that they were dangerous and now I have 1 less freind. (At least they are still alive). Keep at it. Maybe he will take it slower or be good enough.

Have you tried to use your altimeter to check your alitutde instead of relying on your Skytronic? I am pretty confident that the opening is less than what you think. What was your previous canopy since you said that this is new? It is possible that you are having an adjustment problem with your new canopy. If your old canopy opend more quickly your preception may be that it is taking so long. I am pretty sure that if you checked your altimeter you would notice that from the time you pitch your pilot chute to the time that you recognize a good canopy above your head that it will be 1000' or less. People like Brian Germain say that an opening of 800' is a malfunction. So when you you pitch at 3500' and look at your altimeter and it is reading 2000' feet when you are comfortable in the saddle, this is not a 1500' opening. Just a question and comment