ianmdrennan

1200 feet?? Err that's quite a lot more than any canopy I've ever jumped out there for a 360. Sure you got the alti correct, and what are you using to determine it? Or is your dz just very high msl? Blue ones, Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

yeah BZ (name?) said you'd enjoyed it

Done a couple of jumps there. Seemed nice. I think my friends Frank and Abby are still working there. Oh and by the way I think your caps lock key is broken Blue ones, Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

Ok, so I got my hands on a Blade today. Little background info, I currently jump a velocity 90 and prior to that a velocity 96. I only got one jump on the canopy so I really can't give an in depth review, but here are the initial impressions of the Blade 98 I jumped. Packing: The 98 packs up about the same size as my velo 96 did. It's made of the SA zp but the material feels very thick and durable. The line lengths are noticeably shorter than the velo 90 and 96 and are made from HMA. Opening: In a word sweet. If it always opens as nicely as it did on my jump, it's a cameramans dream. Soft and on heading with no dive whatsoever to either side. Flight Characteristics: It was fairly nippy using the toggles to turn, but not as responsive as a similarly sized stiletto. The canopy responded well to harness inputs, with a little oversteer on turns. Front riser pressure was moderate and I was able to comfortably hold a riser turn for more than 360 degrees. I tried to immediately turn the opposite way with the other riser and while possible, the riser pressure was very high at this stage. I did a couple of rear riser practice landings up high and found the canopy to be extremely sensitive and prone to stalling with the rears, much more so than the velocities or a similarly loaded vengence. Landing: According to my neptune I threw my final 270 at approximately 550 feet, at a dropzone that is 1000 feet msl, on a warm dry day. The turn was approximately 50 feet higher than an ideal turn, but still in the range enough to get a good swoop. Flown properly I believe this canopy is capable of quite some distance. It is very sensitive to harness input at slower speeds and attention must be paid by the pilot to keep the canopy flying straight in with no "weaving". The canopy levels off very quickly with a little toggle input and has a lot of bottom end flare. The recovery arc of the canopy was not "positive" or "strong", but definitely not as "weak" or "negative" as a velocity. The canopy did not pop me up, as some positive arc canopies do, at any point during my maneuvers. That's about all I can say after 1 jump. I'd definitely like to get a few more on the canopy and update this when I do. Hope this helps. Blue skies Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

I'd expect Ivan to step in soon

Most of the swoop competitors (that I know of) use the belly band weights. Something else to consider with belly bands is that they can easily be removed prior to a water landing if necessary, unlike a vest which requires the rig to be removed first. Weights for canopy performance are for the advanced only, and only to get that extra edge of performance that can be gained by putting the wingloading in the optimum range. Blue skies Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

Like when you're coming outta the closet Trav? Blue ones, Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

Bring yours. First jump at a new dropzone isn't really the time to be jumping a rig/canopy you aren't familiar with. HERE HERE!! Just check out elfanie's post on what happened because of switching gear at a new dz. Lisa has it bang on the money...1 variable at a time folks

happy

http://www.rockstargames.com/upload/swf/winners/multimedia/drewcope.swf EDIT: Whoops - used quote instead of URL - DOH! Performance Designs Factory Team

Depends on the canopy I'm jumping. On small canopies (like my velo 90) I try not to pull lower than 3500, pref 4000. I have no problem pulling lower if I need to, I just prefer not to. One of the tradeoffs for jumping a highly loaded canopy imo. Blue skies Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

Roger, Roger......What's your vector victor? Performance Designs Factory Team

Yeah, we're going to Disney or something after the tunnel, then heading up your way. See you soon

If you know what to look for Vectran makes it's wear very easy to spot. Pitting is the most common sign of line wear. Problem is that people A) don't know what to look for, and B) Try and squeeze more life than they should out of their lines under the excuse that Vectran just gets dirtier faster. Blue ones, Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

Katie and I will be there Friday night

Get well soon. Blue skies Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

Awesome! Glad to hear Bodypilot1 is looking out for you. Enjoy your progression in high speed approaches, don't let it frustrate you when people are trying to tell you to slow down (they're doing it for a reason). Pay attention to good advice and you're well on your way to becoming a good canopy pilot

Point taken...and no worries man

Ok - go back and read my post. I said if someone needs pot (or any other drug) not to be suicidal they need counselling. I may not have said it in those exact words, but if you read the quote and my response the context was quite clear. Seriously - all you did is drop your arguments standing with me a couple of notches sprouting off without taking the time to comprehend what I was saying. And yes, if you ask me - they should legalize and tax the crap out of it. I have no more issue with weed (other than it's illegal) than alchohol. Performance Designs Factory Team

It should be the exact opposite. With more speed comes more flare power, if you felt that there was no power (ie the canopy didn't react fast enough to your flare input) you probably let go of the fronts too late. It's also worth noting that before doing riser approaches close to the ground (besides practicing up high) you should confirm that your brake settings are not too short and causing the brakes to be pulled taught when using a front riser. To test this (up HIGH + 2000 ft in CLEAR airspace) pull down on a front riser and look at the tail of the canopy. There should be no deflection of the tail. If there is deflection then this can cause the canopy to feel like it's bucking and unstable. All that said, there are plenty of other things you should be working on before increasing your approach speeds that will better prepare you for HP landings. Just be safe and take it easy. Blue skies Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

yep that's a pretty standard deal at any dropzone (some measure of a non refundable deposit). Glad it's all sorted out, and I'm sorry that the experience was soured. Hard as it may be, I hope it hasn't put a bitter taste in your mouth - unfortunately you just ended up speaking to the wrong person (it seems) initially. Blue skies Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

I doubt it. I can't see Trey running that kind of business. I'm sure this will all get cleared up. It's just unfortunate that it happened in the first place. Blue skies Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

Banner from http://www.beetlegeiss.com It's not a work friendly site, but it can be really funny....if bordering on offensive at times. Blue skies Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

Not to sidetrack the poll, but sounds like your friends need some counselling. Anything that is deemed "necessary" in the circumstances described is an indicator of a larger problem. Performance Designs Factory Team

Those seem to be his speciality Performance Designs Factory Team