richclive
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Everything posted by richclive
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Names will be in the UK papers tomorrow.
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Last night had someone tell me just that - the canopy goes up when it opens - and they had seen a film of it. I started to explain, then the devil tempted me and I said that must be one of those advanced chutes with elastic lines.
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Learned on Javelins but I've done most of my jumps in France, so was used to the quirks of PdeF containers (reversed risers, minis, double RSL), so when I bought new I had a straight choice of Javelin or Atom. Went for the Atom Legend because you seemed to get a lot more for the cash. After 100+ jumps I find it incredibly comfortable (well, sure, it was built for me), and a few tweaks that make it better than the older Atom. Things like a redesigned closing flap making it freefly bombproof, extra flaps to stop your lines wrapping behind the reserve tray, and not one scrap of velcro. I'd advise hip rings - makes everything more flexible / comfortable. The build quality gets more impressive the more rigs I see. Long wait, and not so good on the exchange rate now, but still a terrific rig.
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Agree with most of the review alongside - although the Porter is the only thing permanently at the DZ (they do have the Skyvan every so often, but not full time). France can be a great place to jump, but sometimes if you're not speaking the good French it can cause communication problems. Having the Airwaves school there helps a lot for non-Frenchies by smoothing the way from registration to jumping (although all the natives are extremely friendly), and it means you can do BPA qualifications in a country where they know how to cook. RW teachers were excellent, and freaks should watch out for Steve Blincoe who often pops up during the summer. There's world-class surf 60kms up the coast, a well-tended bunkhouse and campsite, and a surprisingly good bar/restaurant. But if flying there Ryanair - beware the excess luggage charges. They bite hot.
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I've got a 170 and have had that on 2 out of 100 jumps. It cleared both times after I unstowed the brakes and gave a couple of mild pumps on the lines. Hasn't happened since I started wearing my chest strap a little looser - not dangling around my knees, but with a couple of inches of slack in it. It could be that this helps sread the lines a little more to help bring it down.
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Turns a lot faster than a Sabre, and overall is much more responsive, but doesn't have the twitches of the Merit, the PdeF chute it replaces. Nice and stable in turbulence, and big long surfs are easy. More impotantly, compared to a new Sabre, they're a LOT easier to get in the bag. I'm waiting for mine right now . . .
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Twitchy little sucker, this one, not for the novice, because you have to work when landing it. It comes in 120, 140 and 160 sizes, as opposed to the Merit or Electra (150, 170, 190) and as an elliptical is very crisp in the turns. Not as extreme as, say, a Stiletto, but a canopy you should treat with a bit of care - especially if you're not jumping regularly. Doesn't have the nut crunching openings of the merit, but then again it doesn't have the forgiving stability of the Electra.
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This is the basic intermediate chute from PdF, and although it's now been effectively replaced by the Electra, it's still a great piece of kit, sort of a French version of the Silhouette. Drawbacks are the openings, which tend to be brisk unless you roll that nose, and the fact that anyone with American kit tends to look at you in disbelief when you tell them what you're flying (no idea why). Advantages are that it's very responsive - going from a Sabre 190 to a Merit 190 is a major jump - and you can surf in some lovely landings. Easy to pack because of the F-111, and pretty much the standard rental chute in many French DZs.