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Getting this thread back on course - thanks Frost. I searched on here but missed these pages on the manufacturers' websites. This is exactly what I was looking for. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Many canopy manufacturers publish recommended limits for canopy loading based on pilot experience (e.g.): Student Novice Intermediate Advanced Experienced Is there a published definition of these terms? If so - where? If not, then the whole idea of the limits has a big hole in it (ie. how does a pilot know which "bucket" to realisitically place themselves in?) "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

So what I'm hearing is that of my 3 options, #1 is the one to go for. Thanks - that does help. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Not quite - I have been using 300' and not getting the result I want. I am now asking for advice about which option will be best to address my problem to give me the best result in the safest way. I am not going to make any changes until after my next canopy control class next month because I know it's not really possible to coach canopy piloting on the internet, but I was hoping for some thoughts from the experienced canopy pilots here. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

I am currently flying a Sabre2 150 loaded at about 1.25. I am doing 90 degree front riser approaches (sometimes up to about 135 degree, depending on altitude) as follows: - base leg in brakes - double fronts - harness and slight let up on one riser - double fronts This was what was recommended to me by Luigi Cani. I have a Suunto on my wrist and a Viso on a mudflap mount which I use for determining my initiation point which is currently at about 300 feet for a 90. The trouble I am having is that I am consistently planing out too high, even after hanging on to double fronts as long as I physically can after the turn and trying to make the turn last as long as possible. It seems to me that I have three options: 1. Start my turns lower 2. Get a smaller (or different) canopy so it will lose more altitude in the turn 3. Increase the angle of the turn (maybe go to 180s) Any comments would be welcome (and all the usual warnings are understood and do not need to be repeated). "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

No, not me - I'll stick with my 150 for a few more jumps! Wendy told me she might be buying a complete rig, but doesn't want a 150. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Could you explain the reason for this, please? Giving harness input is a good habit to get into for swooping. Harness input works better if the harness doesn't deform and absorb the input. I do use harness input to assist with coordinated turns (although my rig is non-articulated). Do harness rings really impede the transfer of weight to the risers/canopy? This is not something I have heard before. (Sorry for the slight thread hijack, but this could be important in gear choice) "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Chris - If you can get on Luigi Cani's course at Skydive Midwest in June then he'll probably be able to give you advice about main canopies (and the other stuff) - then you could demo jump your short list. Alternatively there is someone at SDMW who may be buying a complete rig but does not want the Sabre2 150 that comes with it....might be an option. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Could you explain the reason for this, please? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Only downside I can think is pulling more breaks than using the dive loops. Using dive loops is more likely to pull on the brakes because you start with you hands maybe 2-3 inches lower down the risers than if you grab the slinks. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

I know Bear and he's a decent guy - if a little fucking strange! He is ex-SAS, too (although he was never in the Regulars). I am quite sure that he does what the producers/directors tell him to do. I don;t have any doubt that he would sleep in the cold or jump into a river for real if he needed to - any SF soldier would have done just that in the past. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Night jumps are not a requirement of the USPA B licence. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Dislocated shoulder (jump 2). "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Does anyone have a comparison chart of the various tunnels available? I'm thinking price per hour, power/windspeed, diameter etc... Did a search on tunnel comparison but came up blank. Thanks. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

I have no doubt that you will! With all that AFF practice you will be a world class skydiver in no time! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Third time's a charm!! Good luck! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Actually, with my Sabre2, even with factory brake settings I could not induce a toggle stall, and I was using the longest risers where I could still reach the slider. Were your Cobalt's brakes set up correctly "out of the box"? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

What Luigi Cani told me was that for canopies like yours (Sabre2 170) and mine (Sabre2 150), the factory recommended line trim does not take into account the use of front risers as PD set them up for more intermediate level pilots. I lengthened my lines by 2.5 inches from the factory mark as a result of his course (the canopy is almost new - 50ish jumps) and it works out great. I lost some bottom end flare, but the extra lift from the accelerated landings more than made up for it. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Have you tried flaring? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Here's a cover I created for use in Tandem videos at my DZ. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Hi Sue Good to see you yesterday and that you are all healed! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Wow .................... Some people dont listen/learn. Just cuase he did not say anything/ have the balls does not mean it is OK. You need to slow down sky god!!!!! He saw me fly - you have not. Just cause you say it's not OK doesn't mean that's true either. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

I recently took Luigi Cani's course and am flying a Sabre2 loaded at about 1.3 with 75 jumps. He said nothing about the WL and had me start on double front riser approaches. Eeveryone's different, but I guess my experience means that not every canopy instructor would say that such a combination of jump #s and WL is always wrong. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

While I agree with you about the small reserve, I fail to see how jump numbers relate to a no-flare, no-hands landing. If anyone does that, it's gonna be bumpy. The laws of physics don't change when you get to a certain jump number! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Welcome! Hurry up and get that "A", so we can jump together (and to beat the WI winter!). DaVinci "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA