DocPop

I wouldn't make those comparisons, honestly. Such different animals. I find the VE96 a chore at my loading, and far preferred the 90 at that time. Thanks. The above was going from what the PD Tour guys told me about the sensible way to move from a KA to a VE. Good luck tomorrow! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

I loved the KA 107 at 1.7-1.8. Just saying. That's about where I would have been with a 107. Question: if the KA107 translates to a VE96, does that mean that for a given jumper the KA107 is more aggressive than a VE103? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Thanks man. I looked for a long time for some kind of description of what to expect when going to a "scary x-brace" and didn't find much. What I wrote is, of course, just my own opinion, but I hope it will give people about to make the change some idea of what to expect. If you're heads up and in total control of your Katana, the right sized Velo shouldn't be a difficult move. BTW, the "right" sizes are as follows from what I can gather: Katana 120 --> Velo 103 Katana 107 --> Velo 96 I'm glad I didn't buy the KA107 as I had once planned, although I might have jumped one a few times if one had been available on my DZ. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

But unconscious on the ground is not as much of an emergency as unconscious on the bottom of a pond. I have seen someone lying on the bottom of the pond while their canopy floats above them and believe me, you know the clock is ticking. In answer to the OP, having someone there to act as safety staff is just common sense should the unforeseen happen. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

To update this thread: I bought a VE103 a couple of weeks ago and have been really enjoying it. It wasn't what I had been expecting. It doesn't feel more of a handful than the KA120, if anything it feels more reliable. I feel my turns have improved on this wing. I can start higher and keep it diving better than the KA, but when it comes time to assist the recovery arc it has so much more power on the rears than the Katana. After transitioning off the rears it keeps on going on the brakes and then shuts down really well. I think I trust this wing more than the Katana. The response to both normal rear riser input and to emergency dive-arrest drills is so solid. I hate being low, but I feel like the VE gives me more confidence to really fly the wing to the ground knowing that the rears are so strong. I'm only loading it at 1.9 and these are very much first impressions, but I think if someone is proficient on a KA then a correctly sized Velo is a good next transition. It feels like a KA but with tightened up controls. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Your profile says you jump at Sky Knights. If you're not happy, try Skydive Midwest. The Otter always has space on it! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

If there's one thing Chutingstar is known for, it's customer service. Call them up and talk to a human - I am confident they will sort you out. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Nobody here can tell you. Ask someone who has seen you fly. What people here can tell you is that that WL is beyond the conventional advice of many canopy coaches. But you probably knew that. You might get away with it. Many, including me, have done but it reduces your margin for error and it's not the smartest progression. What do you want from jumping a smaller canopy? What type of jumps do you usually do? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

http://www.johnnyutah.com/freefallchart1.html "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Can I ask why you assume that? Out of ignorance. I have only seen a few HMA lined canopies and they were non-cascaded, but I guess that is because they were all from Precision, and that is what Precision does. I see now that PD does cascade their HMA canopies. Seth Cool. That makes sense. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Can I ask why you assume that? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

My initial thoughts: - Some oversteer is natural with elliptical canopies; less so with semi-ellipticals (I know...when does one become the other..?) - Are you leaning to the inside of the turn? Harness input becomes more noticeable as WL rises. You could probably stop the turn with some opposite harness input. I do that during roll-out from a turn to stay on heading. - It sounds like your lines may need changing. Is this oversteer more noticeable in one direction that the other? Have you checked the length of the brake lines against each other (particularly the uppers)? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Interesting mixture of metaphors! [Yes, I am more interested in this type of thing than what the OP had to say!] "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

ugh... touche', sir. The things English as a second language speakers end up saying... (and get away with) Just messing with ya - no offense meant! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

If you drink at the DZ long enough - someone will come in you. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

It depends if you mean beer-line swooping or serious, competitive swooping. As a huge generalization (which are always dangerous!) I'd say a higher percentage of freefliers are beer-line swoopers than would be true of belly fliers. This maybe because they are a younger group more concerned with what the cool kids are doing. Or not. As has been said, most serious swoopers prefer HnPs. Primarily because they can concentrate on their set-up, turn and swoop with out the canopy traffic of the rest of the load, but there are the other added benefits of HnPs including cost, and the ability to make it on more loads per day. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Duh (to me)! Apparently I am not either thinking or communicating well! Please disregard! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

I do, of course agree with you about the dangers of going against the pattern, but I was using the SIM's list for Cat A to illustrate that there is no reason why a downwind landing cannot be achieved safely, even for a Cat A jumper. On the other hand, expecting a Cat A jumper to execute a flare turn to avoid a building is quite a stretch, and is more likely to result in a last-minute jab at one toggle. Hell, they do that when they are trying to land straight - as do jumpers with hundreds of jump (subsequently claiming that a gust of wind blew them!). "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

If you don't like it - don't do it. Nobody here is going to care. You're not the first person who couldn't get over the fear so hardly ever jumped. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Well, now you have three different versions of your landing priorities so I am sure everything is as clear as mud. Back to "ask your instructors", I think..... "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Personal experience? Logic. Smaller canopies have shorter lines. Sorry, I meant can you describe your personal experience of this. I haven't jumped the same model of canopy more than 1 size apart (KA135 to KA120) and the difference to me was not that great - except for opening characteristics. Did you have a bigger Katana before your 135? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Not in the SIM it isn't: "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

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

What were you taught? What are your landing priorities? Is landing direction one of them? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Will that stop them bringing their kids to the DZ? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA