rhino

I'm asking for other opinions.. Mine was limited at best. Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

That's what I was looking for!! Interesting.. Rhino Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

Smoothness.. Don't just let go of the front risers, let them up smoothly... Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

Don't rule out the crossfire... Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

Have to call it on a case by case basis.. I was tought "providing the pilot tells you to get out" to exit with both hands on the reserve rip cord, hit the wind and BAM!! The reserve should be open in no time. If the pilot was unconsious or left the building? I'd get the hell out and take my chances with the reserve. If the plane was on fire I would get the hell out or if I got the impression he didn't know what the hell he was doing I would get the hell out. One thing is for sure I wouldn't hesitate if told to get out. Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

You have SOOOOOO missed the point..... And it was a year ago... And actually after it happened I wouldn't even touch the front risers for 30 jumps.. Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

I don't think I would have gotten my ass chewed if trying to carve or hook a canopy with a shallow recovery arc was the right thing to do.. Trust me when I say 300 feet is easier to judge than 100 feet, just like 500 feet is easier to judge than 300 feet. I have seen a few people hooking canopies with shallow recovery arcs get "tunnel vision" fixating on one spot on the ground for some reason and WACK! Damn it looks bad and it is embarrasing. The LAST time I carved my Triathlon150 was when I put my knees in the ground in front of 100 people. Luckily I am flexible, it was a wet day, and I had hit the rock point of the canopy before I hit. I had enough speed for the canopy to take off again and I had a flare landing. I walked away without a scratch. But I had to sleep with a pillow between my legs for 2 months it hurt so bad that night and for a month. It was a humbling experience and I am glad it happened on a 150 rather than on a 110!! Now.. Had the Triathlon had the handling capability that my diablo has and the response time I might have avoided hitting the ground because it would have responded quicker. Or I would be dead?? One or the other. I learned. That's the point.. And it backed me off BIG TIME!!! I was LUCKY!!! Damn lucky.. Everyone I talked to said I should have broke both femers that day. And I have it on video.. I caught shit for a month.. Learn from my mistake!! And trust me after it happens to you and you hear that distinctive THUMP your stomach turns for that person.. I've seen it happen 4 times since I did it.. Twice because they made the same mistake I did.. Trying something they shouldn't have tried under the wrong type of canopy. Rhino Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

Jason, Find the best swooper at your DZ and pick his brain.. That's the best way to learn. If you are going to carve with what you have you should start with double FRONT risers not toggles. Then move to a 45degree FRONT riser carve, then a 90degree FRONT riser carve. This is a high energy move not a low energy move. When you use rear risers you are actually killing your energy.. When you use fronts you are gaining energy which can save your ass if you get in a hot spot. Speed is your friend here, you can always pull out with too much speed but you can't if you are in a stall.. Best bet is to find the best and pick his brain though.. Rhino Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

That may be true.. But if a student is learning to hook a PD190 then the teacher should get his ass chewed. And we have top assume he is a damned good canopy pilot before he even startes to carve or hook.. Maybe if the student was put on a similar sized canopy designed with a longer recovery arc his chances of learning to hook without braking something are significantly higher. And I'm NOT saying lets start a newbie on a HP canopy loaded at 1.7. . I'm not the person to get into alot of details here but I know the concepts.. When I flew a Triathlon150 and started learning to carve. I still don't do those 180 degree snap hooks and I don't go inverted, this leaves me an out if I screw up.. "By instruction of Charlie Mullins and a couple other REALLY good pilots on how to LEARN" I started with double fronts, then a slow 90 degree carve, then to a 180 degree carve , I started to get my ass chewed because it was too risky with that shallow recovery arc and was told to move to something with a longer recovery arc. Now under the Diablo110 at 1.6 "although I am switching to a crossfire at 1.6" I have a few hundred feet recovery arc to judge distance instead of a hundred feet.. Granted I have more speed but I have more outs as well. The chances of getting in the corner are smaller if I use my head and plan ahead. Rhino Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

Providing your senses aren't overloaded and you aren't scared by the responsiveness of the higher performance canopy the extra control is a good thing "In my opinion and as I've been told". I am a kenesthetic learner. Very much by feel. I love to touch the toggles or lean in the harness and feel the canopy react instantly.. Makes me feel as if I have more control, I FEEL safer and more secure under a more responsive canopy.. Maybe I'm crazy!! :) .. Better to "control" every aspect of the canopy than have the canopy control you?? So I'm told by the swoopies :) I feel the same way.. Opinions are like assholes :) Luckily we all have our own.. lol Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

A longer recovery arc is not more forgiving.. lol Apparently he has experience if he has been swooping.. Read the past posts.. It is easier to judge 200 feet than 100 feet when doing a "hook turn". I fail to see how it is an ignorant statement. Maybe you are just trying to be too politically correct. I've seen people get their ASS chewed for hooking canopies with short recovery arcs by the people that actually do hook turns.. They frequently say "That isn't made to hook!!" So yeagh.. I guess coming from a person "not myself" that jumps an Extreme VX 60, loaded close to 3.0 better than God himself that would be an ignorant statement. And no.. I don't have any pins or plates. lol Neither does the guy that flies the VX60. Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

A Pinto will kill your ass trying to swoop!! ;) It's not made to swoop :) Better to get something with a longer recover arc. Maybe a Mustang off roids!! lol Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

O.k. Lisa.. Food for thought here ;) Regarding cross braced canopies.. IF you have the money. Wouldn't you agree that a Velocity at 1.7 is a better canopy all around than a Stiletto at 1.7? I'm talking all around performance. What can a Stiletto do at 1.7 that a velocity can't do better? I put over ten jumps on a fx114. I have made 60 on my Diablo110. The extreme didn't seem THAT much different other than MUCH higher front riser pressure "probably because it wasn't being loaded properly". It didn't seem really ground hungry? No more than my Diablo? At 1.7 they all scream at the ground anyways requiring you to pay damn good attention. The fx114 KICKED the hell out of the bottom end of the diablo at a similar wing loading?! I would think that having that extra control that the extreme gives you would be a good thing not a bad thing. After all even when your feet are on the ground the extreme still wants to fly and the Diablo is DEAD. I am being a devils advocate here... Give it to me baby!!!! Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

Where would you put the Air Lock canopies? Between High and Med performance?? Just curious? Referencing a category of their own. Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

Good point.. There is no way in hell I could put that Diablo down in a small backyard.. Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

I think you are taking what I am writing out of context. I always have my shit together.. I appreciate the constructive criticism!! Thanks a million.. Rhino Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

If I said that it's the truth... And if you don't goto Spaceland that's your loss my friend.. It is the best DZ I've ever seen.. Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

Kelly!! Holy shit!! I didn't know that was you!! lol Yes I know he is qualified,,, Without a doubt.. He is the person that really showed me how to track!! :) lol What was he jumping? A VX 60????? He is definately fun to watch!! I miss Texas!! Rob Cowan Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

Don't get me wrong.. I WRENCH and I do mean WRENCH the hell out of the canopy.. I am stepping down slowly.. I am just VERY carefull to learn everything the canopy does before I get around other canopies. I frequently do 120 to 180 degree carves that build up MASSIVE amounts of speed. Way too much fun!! I don't think I will ever be able to fly a bigger canopy after experiencing a high performance one. I really enjoy doing a 180 front riser, hanging for as long as I can hold it and ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!! I'm always high but that's a good thing!! :) I don't intend to hurt myself or anyone else.. I have definately had spinning, diving openings.. I have come to expect them and compensate as they come. Considering I can lose 2 grand pretty quick getting out of one I always pull above 4500 feet.. And I will until I feel a bit more confident with the openings.. I am learning quickly how the weight distribution in the harness can correct the problem before it happens.. Flying through the opening I guess you can say. The Diablo at my wing loading likes to dive.. I find myself frequently on the rear risers on opening just to level it out so I can get my shit together and let the big dog eat.. I like what my diablo does and I land it well I just want a bit more at the bottom end.. I have seen a few crossfires POP up at the end of the surfs.. I would like to have the energy and performance left at the end of the surf to do that.. Most of my landings are 90 plus front riser carves.. Rhino Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

Don't think I would safely want to hit a Safire or Sabre2 at over 1.6 if you know what I mean.. I'm having lots of fun where I am wing loading wise. The faster it turns and the faster it dives the more fun It is. I must be nuts but it is fun as hell!!!! Damn I hate winters!! Thanks for the info.. Rhino Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

I'm looking for performance info on the Crossfire and the Vengeance??? Any opinions on speed, turn rate, landings?? Example would be loading it at 1.7 ish.. How comparable are the 2, which do you like better and why? Rhino Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

Who makes the cobalt?? Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

When you reference the crossfire "issues not withstanding", are the new crossfires o.k.??? Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

Standup as in I haven't busted my ass :) lol, The crossfire is starting to sound pretty good about now.. Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!

I'm hitting my Diablo at 1.7 ish.. If I were to load a Xaos the same would I get that last bit of bottom end the Diablo seems to run out of?? Rhino. Blue Skies and Smooth Rides!!