rmsmith

First, I'm no expert on the subject. I can tell you about several notable differences between the Crossfire and the Stiletto regarding line trim. The first thing I noticed was that with the Stiletto the pilot is hanging more in front toward the nose. The Stiletto's line trim cause the canopy to be smoothly arched over your head whereas the Crossfire has a differential trim causing the center portion of the canopy to be flatter overhead with the sides arched. I believe that the more tapered a canopy the more it will over-steer. As for the recovery arch, I don't know how they design that to happen, but it sure makes it easier to develop speed higher up giving the pilot time to get off the front risers and set-up for landing.

There is a company out there that will convert a Caribou to turbine power if you have the money. http://www.penturbo.com/

'Chicago Tribune' columnist resigns over sexual relationship with teen CHICAGO (AP) Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Greene resigned after acknowledging he engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a teenage girl, the newspaper said Sunday. In a note on the paper's front page, editor Ann Marie Lipinski said Greene, 55, acknowledged the sexual conduct with a girl in her late teens whom he met in connection with his column. "Greene's behavior was a serious violation of Tribune ethics and standards for its journalists," Lipinski said. "We deeply regret the conduct, its effect on the young woman and the impact the disclosure has on the trust our readers placed in Greene and this newspaper." The Tribune first heard of the allegation after receiving an anonymous complaint last week, prompting an inquiry by editors and other Tribune officials, Lipinski said in the note. The conduct occurred "some years ago," she said. Greene was suspended by the paper, which then sought his resignation. He submitted it Saturday night. Gary Weitman, a spokesman for Tribune Co., said the newspaper and company would have no further comment. He said Greene did not leave a statement and he did have a phone number to reach him. Greene did not immediately respond to a email message Sunday from The Associated Press. Greene's column on social issues and American life appeared in the Tribune four times a week and was syndicated, appearing in newspapers around the country. He also has written several books and provided commentary on Tribune-owned WGN TV.

Or the thrill of engaging a subordinate enemy with latest in high technology weapon systems. A good book about the Gulf War, Crusade, had a piece about a Lt Col. flying an Apache gunship helicopter. He identified possible targets in his "killbox", and he called it in to the intel folks. They informed him that enemy movement hadn't been reported in any of the adjacent "killboxes", and that it might be a US patrol that strayed outside of another "killbox". They did give him the go-ahead to engage if he could identify the targets first. Well, it was dark out, and he hadn't had a chance yet to be in a real firefight. It was the opportunity of a lifetime that he couldn't resist. Swooping his Apache gunship in fast and low, he fired two hellfire missiles from a distance, and orbited the targets while laying down a stream of fire from the gunship's chain-gun. Unlike any other thrill experienced before, he revelled in his victory as he flew back to the firebase. The mission debriefers informed him that he had just killed or wounded almost a dozen US marines.

I always use a U.S. Postal Return Receipt with Certified Mail too. This requires two signatures on the receiving end, and I feel that this is enough cover for me when sending something out before it is paid for. Of course, I also get the buyers phone and address first, and I try the phone number too. I haven't been burned yet, and I think the other people I've delt with were happy as well.

Right on--grab a real beer!

I have never felt confident doing any riser inputs near the ground. The Spectre planes out of a dive so fast that it is a tough canopy to loose altitude with as your arms will simply wear-out first. I'd still be floating by at 1,000-ft watching people on the same dive standing on the ground flaking-out their canopies! I think that the Spectre is an awesome canopy, it just wasn't designed to be flown aggressively. It's more of a "enjoy-n-relax" type of canopy. Certainly the finest openings!

Good call! This is why I have a fresh PD-235R next to my Crossfire-180.

I have two Crossfires, a 189 with the trim modification, and a 180 that is newer and doesn't require it. I bought the 189 used with about 400-jumps on it, and I had it relined right away, which included the trim modification. The original owner said the canopy sniveled too much for him, so he installed a smaller slider on it. Now, with the trim modification, it opens hard if you dump while in a track. If you flare out and wave-off properly, then it opens crisply and on heading. Yes, there is increased riser pressure on the order of the Spectre for example. But, it is still easy enough to get 90-degree riser turns before the tension increases. I think that many people who watch canopy pilots perform their manuevers don't appreciate how much physical effort is expended to do it. My newer Crossfire definately reacts faster to all control inputs. You really need to have your muscle inputs react as second nature as there is little time to look, evaluate, and react. I don't jump enough to have this instinctive response, so I often end up sliding if an unexpected crosswind hits me during final approach. Both of my Crossfires have lots of bottom end flare power, but the toggle stroke is long--not like a Stiletto for example. Personally, I like the longer toggle stroke as it makes the canopy movements less twitchy for a moderate pilot like myself. I've stalled my Spectre at altitude and it was bumpy at worst; stalling an elliptical is a frightening experience the first time at altitude. The recovery is typically an off-heading diving turn--not for someone who panics easily! The Crossfire canopies of all flavors are really fast flyers even on straight approaches. However, I think that they can be safely flown by an intermediate pilot at lighter wing loadings if the basics have been cemented. These canopies dive steeply and you need to apply toggle pressure to recover from the dive as the large recovery arc was designed to let the canopy dive to develop speed. These canopies are very dangerous when flown carelessly near the ground--the acceleration of gravity has new meaning for those "low-turn" folks. Anyway, back to the openings: I am getting a new larger slider for my 189, which will probably be stock size issue. Simon at Icarus called earlier today to discuss the slider size, but I missed his call, and he said he was leaving the country later in the day--he said Rob could help me out. I think that Icarus has really effective customer support. My 180 has a large stock slider that gives a 800-1000-ft snivel, which is fine with me as I still like to dump out of a track once in awhile. I am really happy with my Crossfires, but I think that I would stick to buying used canopies until I found the right sized canopy. These 9-cell ellipticals are just too expensive to by new and roll over.

LOL? So, are you going to be supplying your own roof, or is he going to be suppying two of them?

Yes, I know what you mean. My two Crossfires are a 180-sqft and 189-sqft, loaded roughly at 1.4:1 and 1.3:1, respectively. I doubt that I'll ever develop the skills necessary to fly a small cross-braced canopy--just getting too old for that high energy stuff.

Based on sampling an elliptical canopy or two that has a large recovery arc, right? I've bought, flown, and sold a variety of canopies over the last two seasons ranging in size from 165-sqft to 230-sqft in both 7-cell and 9-cell construction, semi and fully elliptical, with and without a large recovery arc. I've found that I prefer the Crossfire canopy's opening and flight characteristics, and I currently own two of them. I haven't flown either of these canopies anywhere near their limits as I don't have the moxie, but I can relate to the large recovery arc fight characteristics from personal experience.

I completely agree with you. This is something that is difficult to explain to someone who has never had the chance to experience it.

You should also learn with a canopy that was designed for swooping, which usually means something with a large recovery arc. This will enable you begin your dives up higher and "ride-the slope" until its time to flatten your glide prior to the flare. For example, trying to swoop a Sabre or Spectre will be more difficult than a Vengeance of the same size. Be careful out there!

Don't forget that dacron lines have more mass, which means that it is critical to balance the mass of the bights in the rubber band stows as there are acceleration forces at work when the d-bag is pulled out of the container.

So the twitchy openings and ground rush took some of the wood out of mr. wiggly?

Was your Crossfire on the modification list, and if so, was it re-trimmed? Thanks! BTW, glad to see some humor from you considering the injuries you've sustained. I can't say that I know what you are going through right now as I've never been seriously injured. Best wishes to you and those helping you too!

You should wait for your Cobalt, and in the future you should always have a spare canopy around. Skydiving is a small industry of mostly hand-made gear. Live-n-learn!

Now *that* is canopy control!

My dream canopy is reality...a custom Crossfire!

I was a California skydiver in the seventies and eighties, and I visited Lake Elsinore, Perris, and Taft several times too. I used to enjoy lounging in Bernie Danato's "living room" at Perris. Primarily, I was a Pope Valley, Antioch, and Livermore fixture. Now I'm in the Pacific Northwest where the skydiving season is roughly 22-weeks, and a twin otter DZ is 3-hours away; [sigh].

This explaination sums up my thoughts on the matter quite well. Thanks!

Well, looking at your profile, I see that you are a Perris jumper, which means easier landings with the head wind available there. I'm jumping in the forest of the Pacific Northwest, which always has no-wind conditions below the tree tops. I've found that a little extra speed means an easier landing.

An over-loaded canopy like a Spectre at 1.3 requires very precise timing in the flare if you are flying it on a straight in approach whereas a little riser input for some extra speed will allow the pilot to flatten the glide considerably from a little higher up.

Bending the knee as a beginning to an equal partnership is a bit excessive; do the ladies really require this sort of submissive display?