johnny1488

We'll just see how hard core you are, Ari. I'll be out there when we have to wait for kenny to defrost the cessna to do 2 loads on a sunday, will you? Dont forget to pay your dues and help shovel a path to the loading area! Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

Talk to Jack. I heard they used to do them all the time under excalibers. Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

I was leary of downsizing from a safire 209 to a xfire2 169 (I wanted a longer recovery arc and to start swooping more. I had done a bunch of work on my canopy) I went with a safire2 169. It got me swooping more and I liked it but knew I wanted a xfire2. I wasnt sure after 150 jumps or so if I was ready for a downsize so I went with a xfire2 169 loaded at 1.35:1. (under Icarus' recomended loading by the way) After almost 200 jumps I would be ready for a downsize, but my rig wont be ready until the end of the year and Im glad. every weekend I but my baby through the wringer and am having a blast. I have jumped much smaller canopies and had no probelm but know I learned much faster than I could have on a smaller xfire2. I have jumped my gf's safire2 139 and a buddys safire1 149 and 2 135. They have been faster and a bit more responsive but I felt I got more performance out of my xfire2. I also feel I've learned enough that flying the smaller stuff was easy. (by easy I mean after 20 seconds up top I felt fairly comfortable with the canopy and was doing 180 harness turns and carving almost 90 degrees during the flare.) Dont be afraid of slightly underloading a xfire2. I am getting some killer swoops out of mine and they are getting better every jump. Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

I havent jumped a nitron (I would if it was there, to try it) but the xfire2 is incredible. It is, in a word, awesome. Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

I wouldnt put too much faith in that chart. It listed the following: Icarus Ext-FX74 237 74 Para Gear Icarus Ext-FX79 253 94 Para Gear Icarus Ext-FX84 269 84 Para Gear the second number is said to be the area. a 74 is a 74. an 84 is an 84 but a 79 is a 94? It has a tremendous amount of inconsistences. I have jumped original safires and safire2s omni's and xfire 1s and 2s. Anything other than a safire1 (and omega as I trust the info) flies the same size as a similar sized pd. I dont know how they measure canopies but Simon at Icarus has told me they measure the same as PD because almost everyone is going to relate size to a pd they have flown. After all they are the industry heavyweights. As for the xfire2, I can not get enough of mine. I am swooping the crap out of it (and getting better hopefully) at a 1.35 wingloading. The range of this canopy is unserpassed by any other canopy I have jumped. I would like to jump the katana (and some stilletos for that matter) to compare but from what I have read the katana has a somewhat positive recovery arc. Not as hard as the stilletos but people have said it isnt a balls out diving canopy. It may not be what people want though. I can only attest for the unparalleled performance of my xfire2. Do yourself the favor and give it a shot. Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

I've never jumped a stilleto, but the short recovery arc is why I went to the xfire from my safire. I have a broader range of altitude control with the xfire. I also feel I can keep it in the dive longer but that might just be I have more expierence now. Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

I personally think 270's are better for overall swoop accuracy (for me at least, I can judge my distance and deviation better and seem to have a bit more range on the control of both) but if you cant get it down yet I also think you should take a step back. A 180 is a bit wierd but takes deviation almost out of the picture. Keep at it and try to see why you are missing your target. Ill gaurantee you it's not the 180. Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

I started with my xfire about 150 jumps ago, or so so take it for what its worth. The swoops that I have thought my entry into my lane was 10 feet too high have been the longest ones yet. They arent as fast as the ones that I level off right at ground level, but those ones end sooner with more speed left for what should be more swoop. I have found that the second or 2 of full flight before the initial input makes the swoop go much further, whether toggles or rear risers. They more input I give, the more it kills the swoop. When I can get on line with my target and let the canopy plane out high enough to let the recovery arc drop me 10 feet, all I have to do is "be there" and its the best possible swoop I can get (i think ) If I were you, I would make sure you are taking advantage of the xfire's nice, long recovery arc and let it transfer the power of your turn to your kick ass swoop. Good luck and be safe! Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

Dust off that camera and I'll give you something to take pictures of! As long as you catch me in the first 75 feet cause after that Im moving in slow motion! HAHAHA Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

Taken from Icarus' web page. Its not everything but at least it address the problem. It has been there as long as I've been visiting the page. Spectra: Spectra line has a limited life and will generally need replacing any where from 300-600 jumps for 500lb line and 500-1000 jumps for 725lb line. Note: your canopy may need re-lining sooner as a result of being out of trim (refer above). Vectran: Vectran has become a popular choice due to its superior dimensional integrity. In other words, they won't shrink or distort nearly as much as will Spectra. As a result your canopy will retain better openings and flight characteristics for the duration of the line sets life. NOTE: Vectran does not have as much abrasion resistance as Spectra, and the lines will "fuzz out" sooner than Spectra It is recommended that you check line wear regularly. In particular, check out the lower control lines; they wear out fastest. Once again we recommend a line set replacement anywhere between 300 and 600 jumps but due to the variables involved, we recommend that you pay close attention to line wear and if in doubt at least replace your lower control lines regularly. The life of your lines will depend on several factors like your weight, the cleanliness of your packing environment, the number of lines (7-Cell or 9-Cell), how well you look after them and the condition of your slider grommets. Linesets should be monitored for wear and trim and retrimmed or replaced as you would a set of tires on a car. The things to look out for are trims, wear spots, snags and worn stitching. Often wear spots can appear quite bad but still retain much of their strength (such as wear by Velcro) and sometimes a line can appear in quite good condition and be weakened considerably (often underneath a fingertrap). A simple test is to squeeze the line between your thumb and finger and slide it along, if the line or wear spot gets thinner it is more than likely weakened. Other common wear spots are the lower brake lines and the corner lines where they meet the connector links. You can monitor the condition of your lines easily while packing, about every 50 jumps have a closer look, If you are unsure of something check with your rigger. One of the best things you can do to improve the life of your lines is to use soft links and monitor the condition of your slider grommets If your canopy is equipped with brake set loops rather than a cats-eye configuration, check them periodically for wear. These finger-trapped loops are especially susceptible to wear and, if not in top shape, can result in premature brake release. Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

I look at "wild bill" and kenny and kay now and wonder about the old days. Ralph the beast has stories now and then. I knew another guy named billy (worked at a brake dealer I dealt with). Crazy skinny irish guy from what I can tell of his stories of crater parties and "3 man african safaris". I am such a newbie Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

And to think I shopped in a sex shop in the keys with a skyding celebrity! I feel like a have reached the apex of my skyding career. Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

Sell everything you own, buy a 67 beetle and drive everywhere. Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

Ask sunpath if a smart 150 and a sabre2 170 would mean a J1KL. It looks like a j3 would fit those just fine. If you asked for the rig to be cut for canopy sizes then they might have just done that. They might know about the packing size of a smart 150 being slightly larger than say a tempo 150 so opted to use a j3 container (I have no clue if this is true, just giving a maybe senario.) If you asked for a j1kl then you should have gotten a j1kl. I ordered mine an ojk cause thats what I wanted. If you didnt specify the container size and only the canopy sizes, they might have done the work for you. Either way call them monday morning and put your mind at ease, they are good people and they do whats right as far as Im concerned. Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

The entire control range of the lotus was down to my chest. It was more agressive than anything ive jumped. Who knows. Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

Thats exactly what I like about it. Some people like very responsive canopies. I prefer the longer control range of the xfire2 (and all the Icarus canopies for that matter). I jumped a lotus once and it had the fastest turns of any canopy I've ever jumped. It was also the most uncomfortable canopy ride I had ever had. Brain Germain was extremely disappointed when I told him I had no intrest in his canopies. To each his own. I have a buddy who has a xfire 169 in one rig and a stilleto 170 in the other, and he definetly prefers the xfire for swooping. I love mine also. Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

here is one. I have heard of others but thats only second hand crap Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

I would be careful about increasing the time between relines. Vectran you can see when its time. HMA you cant. Some people have alreay gotten real broke from snapping HMA. I dont think their advertisement of longer life of the lines is very safe. How do you know when to replace a line that doesnt go out of trim and shows no wear but can break with out notice? Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

They are putting out 50 rigs a week. Thats with a lot of staff and a lot of work. I ordered my odyssey and got a date of december. I dont want any other rig so I'll wait for the one I want. Plus I knew I wanted one so I ordered it earlier than I needed it, Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

Well how about this. 10 days later and I have #2!!! Asshole that I am popped a toggle when I reached for the rear risers when it was snivelling. Spunn me harder. Something smashed my glasses as I cut away and broke the left side, 3 ring maybe? more to come Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

My buddy's g4 was never as comfortable as his g3. He is getting a new rig and is gonna make it another g3. I jump an odyssey and have never had a problem. I was a bit leary of geting my new rig so I just gave them the serial# and are having them duplicate it for my new rig. Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

So thats why you were grinning about stalling yer canopy! hehe I thought you just wanted to fall out of the sky! Whats up Pete! Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

Thats why when we decide to follow the first person, we look to see who the first person will probably be. The problem I have with that (at my dz) is no one person is landing really ahead of anyone else. Plus picking a direction gives everyone more time to fly into a lefthand pattern (or whatever is standard at your particular dz). Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

I dont But I'm an out of control ranchhand so dont take my word for it. If skydive lane was swallowed by the earth and sunpath wasnt an option I would have a vector3. Bill Booth is the man and the pig still looks cool on the rig! Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome

My gf still gets the "stomach feeling" on every jump. She says it kind of like a roller coaster. She gets a bit tense then it goes away. She hit 400 this weekend and it shows no sign of stopping. It does make for great video when she exits and screams her head off every freakin time! Johnny --"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!" Mike Rome