BrianSGermain

Give me a chance... I am guaranteed to blow your mind...

I hear there is a good book on the topic...

Ok, if I don't say anything, I will be missing an opportunity to get this all on the record, so here goes… The Samurai is basically the Jedei 10. I have evolved the design over 10 years, and this is what I found pilots liked the best. Here are the general design differences: 1) The Jedei has a straight bottom leading edge, and a curved top leading edge. The Sam is curved in both parameters. This causes a very different feel to the canopies. The Jedei has heavier front riser pressure than the Sam, and points itself at the ground more in a toggle turn than the Sam. The openings are also effected, allowing for softer inflation on the Samurai. These are generalities, but I have found them to be true on most canopies. 2) The lines are the same length on both parachutes. This length seems to be the cross-roads of quickness and dive. I do offer a reline option for those that want more dive, but this does make the canopy a bit slower turning. Most people seem to be happy with the standard lines. 3) The parachutes are constructed very differently. The seams of the Sam are stronger, and the reinforcements are heavier. I had to fix some of the Jedei canopies over the years, and I addressed each of those issues so that I would not have to do that work again. I am really good at fixing parachutes, but I would rather be out in the world teaching. 4) The Samurai is laser-cut, and build by PD. The Jedei was first hand-cut and then by a hot-knife plotter. There was some variance in the part shapes, as well as the sewing tolerances, at least at first. There will always be variance in parachute manufacturing, but the differences at the beginning were significant. Now that we have focused on methodology and fastidious inspection, we have not had a single built in turn. We have not had a single repair. I have a lot more free time. Now the problem is, the damn things won't die. I am putting myself out of business!! :) 5) The first several hundred Jedei canopies had "Inboard Stabilizers". Theses were fins extending below the bottom surface, at the "D" lines, located at the 3rd and 6th cell. This helped the canopy to track straighter, and promoted coordinated turns. Elliptical canopies have very small stabilizers, and this was done in an effort to gain back what we lost by going elliptical. I noticed a difference, but most people did not, so I scrapped them. There are ways of flying your parachute so the turns are coordinated. I focus on teaching that art, rather than adding fabric to solve a lack of understanding and skill. 6) The Jedei had equal length "A" lines, while the Samurai and Lotus Max have increasing lengths as you move out toward the wingtip. This flattens the Anhedral arc of the wing, which promotes glide ratio in full flight and allows the parachute to fly more like the slider is pulled down, even when it isn't. The wingtip is drooped, however, which inhibits the wingtip vortices. This reduces drag and promotes lift. 7) The Jedei had no shape to the top surface panels. The side of the top-skins were parallel lines. This made the canopy more rigid in flight by tightening the top-skin, but it reduced the inflated area as well as causing some wrinkles across the top. It also balloons-out the bottom, which reduces the span in flight. The Samurai, however, has carefully shaped top-skin panels. The top-skins are widest at the highpoint of the airfoil, and match the bottom-skin span at the tail. This allow the top to follow its natural arc, which is a larger radius than the bottom. As a result, the Samurai has significantly improved slow-flight characteristics, and consequently lands softer. 8) The Jedei had a smaller slider. This necessitated the use of a slider lip on many of the Jedei canopies, just to make the openings tolerable. By altering the size and shape of the slider, we were able to remove the lip altogether. There are a Jedei pilots out there that bought Samurai's, and they still want a lip. I will build it for them, but they usually remove it as it can make the openings too slow. 9) The lines on the Jedei were made the old fashioned way. I would wrap the lines ten times around two pegs, spaced apart at the appropriate distance. I would bar-tack the bottoms, larks-head the lines on the canopy, and then hang it in a stair-well. I would proceed to pull tension on each line, lock the knots, and "hand-trim" the entire parachute. This allowed me to feel a part of the whole process. It also meant that the overall length varied up to two inches. OK, it seemed like a good idea at the time... Now we mark the lines under severe tension, and make the loops and bar-tacks at both ends before putting the lines on the parachute. This has allowed us to be accurate to the millimeter. Although I sometimes miss the Zen-labor of sitting in that stair-well. 10) The Jedei went through seven different revisions, and the Samurai went through two. It is a long process to make a wheel round. We built many of each type of Jedei, not just a single prototype. There were hundreds more that we tried only once. There was the Original Jedei, the Eagle-trimmed Jedei, the Sweptwing, the Eagle Sweptwing, the Fat top Jedei, the Fat top Sweptwing, the Fat top eagle trim Sweptwing, the Original Samurai with the curved Airlocks, and the final Samurai, which has not changed in three years. I like it just where it is. That's a good thing, because John Leblanc is going to kill me if I try to change it…lots of work to make a change at such a large and complex facility. The Jedei was not a canopy but a process. Now that process is complete. Hallelujah. What a long, strange trip it's been... + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

Nope. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

Nope. The Samurai has not changed at all, Just the Lotus. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

Sorry Nick. The specs are meant to allow customers and riggers to be able to check the lines on existing canopies. Making the linesets is my job. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

The new Lotus Max trim specs are here: http://www.bigairsportz.com/trimspecs.php + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

QuoteNice, do you put this on just one side or both? reply] Both sides, always. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

I never stow my slider at all. Once it's collapsed and pushed down behind my head, it stays there. Never had a reason to need to hold it down with anything. The faster the descent rate of the parachute, the more the slider will want to climb back up. Your Stiletto 135 may not need slocks, while my Sensei 81 does. If you are using your rear risers to plane out for landing, having your slider all the way down is absolutely essential. If it gets in your way when you go for the rears, you may be in trouble. BG Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

what do you do when packing - I assume just leave them alone - like they are not there? rm Yup. They usually sit under the riser covers. BG Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

I am a bit confused by the diagram. To me the red material on the right illustrates the actual piece to be sewn on the riser, and the red material on the riser itself shows its general positioning and stich pattern. Brian, is the correct distance from the confluence wrap indeed 2 inches (51mm)? I see what you mean. Yes, the slock is sewn about 2 inches up from the confluence wrap, although you may be able to get away with going a bit closer. The slock is sewn on the INSIDE of the front riser. I guess I forgot to mention that. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

There are a great many methods of holding your slider down, and only some of them are safe. The most important issue is whether or not you will be able to cut away safely once the slider is stowed. The method that seems to have the least chance of hang up is the slider locking mechanism located on the risers themselves. This method does a great job of holding the slider down, and does not increase the number of attachment points between you and your main. I have placed a diagram of the one that I have developed here: http://www.bigairsportz.com/article.php Just pan down to the bottom of the articles page. It is easy to build, and lasts a very long time. It works best if you use a bar-tacker, but a zig zag will work if you crank the tension down. Brian Germain + It is easy Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

I thing there is something missing from this discussion. In order to advise someone of the right size canopy, we need to know several details: 1) Total Number of Jumps 2) Number of Jumps in the last year 3) Current canopy and size 4) Type of approach 5) Field elevation of drop zone 6) Comfort level with current canopy 7) Time in sport 8) Visual Accuity 9) Psychological Profile 10) Star sign There is more to downsizing than a number. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

Hi Bill You are correct. The dive arrest drill may unfold a little differently each time, but the primary skill set being cultivated is the ability to prevent a dive or low turn from resulting in impact. This drill requires several versions to be practiced: 1) Front riser dive (straight) 2) Front riser dive (turning) 3) Toggle turn (carving) 4) Toggle turn (aggressive) The idea is to develop appropriate "Learned Instincts". When we are in a pinch, there is no time for complex thought. Only instincts are left, and the ones we have rehearsed are the ones that are most readily accessible. A theoretical plan that we have not physically rehearsed will not come to fruition. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

I think it's really funny how all the newbies seem to be rejecting the accuracy requirement. I know it sounds intimidating, but if you cannot land your parachute exactly where you need to, you will run into serious trouble eventually. The accuracy capability of the average jumper under 1000 jumps has become alarmingly bad. Raising the bar is the only way to guarantee that skydivers have the skills to land where they need to. I am sorry this scares you. I am sorry that you think that you are not good enough. You will be. Aim high, and you will get further than if you settle for mediocre. You don't have to kill yourself in order to land close to the target. You achieve the ability over time. This means being in a process for a longer period of time. I know you want to be done with learning how to skydive. That is human nature. The truth is, you will never be done. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

We deal with fear in two ways: 1) Manipulation of Perceived Ability, which involves addressing control issues. Gear checks, knowing the spot, and staying aware of our surroundings is how we increase our perceived ability to handle the situation. 2) Direct manipulation of our arousal level. This means consciously calming ourselves down through Ujaia breathing, decreasing our musclular contraction, and de-escalating our overall emotional response. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

Here is how the ego creates the "story" that escalates our response into full-blown negative affect (fear): It's my first jump. I am riding to altitude, uncomfortable in the gear, squished by the legs of others, unsettled by the sound of the engines. My muscles contract. My blood vessels constrict. My heart has to work harder due to the increased resistance caused by state-specific high blood pressure. The rate of my heartbeat increases. My fists clench and my palms sweat. I fidget around, and my eyes look around wildly, not really focusing on anything in particular. All this is the somatic response to perceived danger. This is the process referred to as the "James-Lange Theory". My mind is driven by my body. By body is reacting in a stereotypical manner, and is spiraling down into a panic state. My mind notices what is happening. My mind sees the state of the body, and interprets the situation as dire, and out of control. I begin seeing danger where there is none. I am in "self-protection mode". I want to preserve my own life, but have found myself without contexually appropriate coping mechanisms. I am off the map. All I can think of is the fact that I am in unfamiliar circumstances, and that I do not know what to do. My mind races, but has nothing specific to chew on. I see problems, rather than solutions. I see myself as unable to expect what is going to happen next. I retreat inside my thinking, and my body remains in control of the situation. My neo-cortex begins to shut down. My visceral awareness of where my limbs are, and what is happening inside my body becomes diminished, and the horse is out of the barn, running for the fence. My access to the knowledge that I learned in the calmer state (in the classroom) is lost. I am drifting toward a waterfall without a paddle. So tell me again how fear is a good thing for skydivers? + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

I beleive there's a difference between fear and premonition, and that it's better to err on the safe side, if that can even be called an err Right on. There are ways of knowing that occur when we really need them. The trouble is, our egos usually speak so loudly that we don't hear the wise voice in our heads telling us to back off. I have gotten off airplanes that ended up going in. I cannot tell you why, it was just what I would call a "feeling". It is through this kind of wisdom that we survive. We don't need to know where it is coming from; only that it is worth listening to. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

I do not define what you are describing as "fear". That is the preliminary somatic experience of arousal. It has not been interpreted yet, and so has not affective tone. Fear is what happens when our egos get ahold of the arousal and add a layer of "story" on to what is happening. That's when things go from bad to worse. It is unarguable that fear increases our capacity for "Fight, Flight or Freeze". If the correct solution falls in one of these categories, we are all set. This positive outcome arrises as a result of pure luck. The percentage of experiences in modern life that such responses are beneficial is quite low. Most of the time, higher cognitive functioning and emotional intelligence is what we need, rather than unconscious, preconditioned and stereotypical responses. I refer to successful fear as: "Saved by the Caveman within". How often is the caveman really going to help you? I choose choice. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

I agree. Video debrief are the reason why the sport of freefalling has excelled to the extent that it has. Canopy flight must be video taped. There needs to be someone videoing every single landing. The best way to ensure that is to grab a camera and film when you are on the ground. The stars of your film will be so appreciative that they will film your landings so that they can get more film themselves. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

How about we change the idea to something like 5 landings within 10 m of the target on five consecutive jumps, all of which must be deemed "safe and soft" by an observing instructor? Also, another possibility to consider would be landings on a 50 foot long line, say five feet wide. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

I am hearing that the requirement of 10 meters is scaring people. Why is that? Perhaps we can make our students better skydivers than we are. How'd that be? + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

You said: I am going to have to veto this idea. This drill is a formula for linetwist. I do not know how this got into the SIM, but it is insane without detailed instruction on how to perform the maneuver. Without a deliberate increase in the angle of attack in the transition from one turn to the other, the lines will go slack, and the canopy will spin into linetwists. I am not saying that we should not teach aggressive turn reversal. Nothing could be further from the truth. What I am saying is that we cannot give a loaded gun to a child without first teaching them how to use it. This technique is not as important as dive arrest. Fast turns are for fun, and have no inherent value. Aggressive brake application, however, both during a turn and following one is much more utilitarian. We need to consider "why", not just "what" we teach them. Useful skills before playful ones... + + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

You may be right about the accuracy requirement being too tight. My point is that accuracy is not a competition, it is an imperative. If they can't land exactly where they want to, they are a hazard to themselves, and everyone near them. I think the 20 meter requirement is too loose, and ill-inforced. From what I can see, traveling from dropzone to dropzone, the average "D" license holder still stinks at accuracy. By the way, I do think that required high openings would be hugely helpful in achieving these goals. Five jumps, opening at 6000 or higher would be worth their weight in gold. + Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com