nicknitro71

Modern Ram Air canopies have one of the following configurations as upper control lines (line 1 is the most outboard and consecutive numbers indicate 1/2 cell): A: 1, 3, 4, 5 (total of 2 cells) B: 1, 2, 3, 4 (total of 1 1/2 cells) C: 1, 2, 3, 5 (total of 2 cells) D: 1, 2, 4, 6 (total of 2 1/2 cells) E: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (total of 2 cells) F: 2, 3, 4, 5 (total of 2 cells) Also see the poor pic What do you think each configuration does in term of: 1. Opening 2. Toggle turn rate 3. Toggle pressure 4. Stall 5. Flare Memento Audere Semper 903

Even though my dad is a dentist I wear a full face on every jump as well as full body armor, I've broken my back already once and I do not want to go down that road again but I take a wheelchair over brain damage any day. Said that I wear a Fullface Protech Ace. It's light and offers better protection than other fullface SD helmets. Memento Audere Semper 903

CRW canopies land like shit so you learn how to save your ankles, a skill needed in the BASE enviroment Memento Audere Semper 903

No, you are not, don't fool yourself. You got 100 jumps, load a very high performance main canopy @ 1.42 and a reserve @ 1.53, this is not by any means being careful. Again a Safire2/Pilot/Sabre2 in the 190 range will give you tons of performance and great landings. Memento Audere Semper 903

1. If you don't swoop why are you jumping such a wing with such a high WL for your experience? 2. If you went from 1.18 to 1.4 and did not feel the differece then why in the hell did you go 1.4 and stay with it??? This also tells us how sensitive you are under canopy, or unsensitive for that matter. 3. If you don't swoop then do yourself a favor and get a canopy like a Safire2/Pilot/Sabre2/ in the 190 range. 4. You are loading a 7-cell F-111 canopy at 1.53 the greatest good luck after your first cutaway, really. 5. I'm not trying being an ass here, but having been there, getting fucked up it's not fun, by any means. 6. If you are just looking for info here is a great place to start: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search; Memento Audere Semper 903

I forgot to mention one thing. I cannot leave things alone. I built carbon fiber trailing edges on my S3, it's now called the E-mod S3. There are two pieces/arm wing and three/leg wing. I only put four flights ever since the mod. I can tell you that I do believe (no GPS data) the L/D is about the same BUT the sweet-spot window is much, much larger. I can fly the suit maxed out and it does not feel as squarely. Also keeping the arm wings in shape requires less strength and the stall point occurs at lower air speed. Memento Audere Semper 903

This is my 0.02. Speed is most definitely the wrong measure here. Take two pilots under the very same canopy. One weights 150 lb, the other 250. They open at the same altitude and fly in a straight line to the ground in full flight. Of curse the heavy pilot will go faster, both horizontally and vertically hence it will reach the ground sooner, yet the glide ratio is the same and the lighter pilot will land at a later time approximately on the same spot. Let me give you another example. No matter how much rear risers I apply on my Prodigy 175, its glide ratio is worse than on my Alpha 94 at full flight despite the 81 sf difference. This concept applies to WS as well but things get more complicated. With a canopy we can change easily the glide ratio with application of risers. Most canopies have the best glide ratio with a little rears applied and the worse with a lot of front (TAS not GS). Yet some canopies just have a piss poor glide ratio (the Prodigy). With WS the pilot's own body is the front and rear risers and it takes a lot of jumps to figure out the best glide. I believe that each suit has a "built in" glide ratio that must be explored and found, i.e. what works best on one suit might not transfer to another. Yuri stated that the best glide ratio on the S3 is roughly 2.4, I believe that and maybe 2.6 on the V1, probably the case too, yet what many don't realize is how many jumps you'll need to reach these numbers and find the sweet spot. With my S3 I can feel when I am close to the best glide ratio however at this point the suit is very squarely. When I'm not maxing it out , the suit is more manageable leaving more room to dick around. Suit manufactures should concentrate on few things now that the basics have been mastered: better glide ratio (of course) and a larger sweet spot. By this I mean that if the suit is able to get 3.0 L/D almost any pilot should get a 2.8 without much effort (the large sweet-spot window). Robi and Jari, where are you??? Memento Audere Semper 903

On second thought, the reserve on the Warp III is a Swift 5 cell 178. Cutaway the prodigy fire up the Swift, and then try to land it, that sure will get you the DFH award! Memento Audere Semper 903

By the way Russel, We gotta find a way to throw you off airplanes with that trike Maybe adding couple of wings so you can do trike-WS jumps and trike BASE WS too, now that would be fucking cool Do you know where the center of mass is located with you on it wearing your rig? Memento Audere Semper 903

I got a Warp III with a Prodigy 175 It worked in the past if you go for the H2O Memento Audere Semper 903

Russel, How many jumps on the current line set? Memento Audere Semper 903

All the things you said are very right but only making tandems will help you master those skills. Tandem jumps are tandem jumps not a hot 4-way or a 10 way heads down, many of the "solo" skills IMO don't apply when you have 200LB strapped on your chest. There is a new set of skills that need to be learnt and mastered when doing Tandems and the only way to do it is to haul, as simple as that. I got my rating not long ago and I still got so many things to learn...however, one thing that I can tell you is to inspire confidence in your students even if you know you really suck at it! Don't be cocky but be confident even with your very first student... Memento Audere Semper 903

So it's OK to give students smaller canopies and let them jump in high winds If the winds are too high for a .45 WL it does not make it right to let students jump at .75, just my 0.02. Memento Audere Semper 903

What Tim said...It's funny that I had the same conversation with Chirs before sending out a FX for the mod, just few weeks before the accident Jimmy, I know the feel of Galvanor and although thicker it's not sticky, just less slippery. It would be interesting to know if the fabric comes from the same source as Precision's. Memento Audere Semper 903

Jimmy, Does the fabric come from the same source as Precision's fabric? I am asking because some newer Pecision's canopies have a very sticky/oily feel and the fabric does feel heavier. This is actually good in skydiving because new canopies with this fabric are easier to pack. This stickyness though goes away between 100-200 jumps. I'm just wondeirng... Memento Audere Semper 903

I guess you have never been to Bridge Day... Memento Audere Semper 903

"Nicotine is not addictive" Memento Audere Semper 903

The service ceiling of the super cub is 15,750, good luck going to 22,000! Memento Audere Semper 903

If this is for your PD 9 190 I'd suggest a 30" Z-po kill line. A 28" will do it too especially if you are going to downsize soon and keep the same PC; if not the 30" will be the better option. Memento Audere Semper 903

There used to be a very cool and good british skyphotographer over Skydance. His name is Martin Evans and he had suffered from polio leaving his legs, especially one very weak. Yet he's a helluva skydiver and he might have some insight. His e-mail used to be MartinEvans@skyeyeskydiving.com but it's been almost 10 years... Memento Audere Semper 903

EZACTLY! The cost of the actual steel is the least of the worry but if you have the dough nothing better than your own private antenna! Let's say 300K with elevator. If you charge 2 bucks/jump you'll go even in 150,000 jumps. If you average 100 loads a day in just over four years you go even steven...just a thought. Memento Audere Semper 903

Dude I'm happy with my Ace but I'm known to change my mind. In 1996 I made my first BASE and I said that I will never do it again, yeah right. I said few times that I will never jump anything less than 300', yeah right. Now I say I will never FF anything less than 240...you see where I'm going? As for the vent, if I'm facing a wall I can always pick up my legs and fart at the thing, that should give me some back propulsion via a nicely developed valve... Memento Audere Semper 903

i hope you´ll reconsider that oppinion.. Not any time soon or not until I buy a vented canopy Memento Audere Semper 903

Chad, I'm not in disagreement with you however valves can give an inexperienced jumper a false sense of security. There are things more important than valves that need to be taken care like customized DBS for instance. Next time you are over the potato just carefully watch some openings. I've done it. Several times I've seen canopies surging and back flying really bad due too DBS. Other times they start cruising like scuds after opening because the DBS were too shallow. What do you think is worse a nicely set conventional canopy or a valved one with the DBS all fucked up in case of a 180? This thread reminds me of skydivers with 3-400 jumps downsizing to X-braced canopies because they want to swoop. X-bracing like valves have their place but IMHO there are things that are much more important like proper canopy setting and solid exiting and canopy skills that you need before jumping objects where valves can make a difference. I stated before there are very experienced jumpers who can take advantage of valves but I cannot see the advantage of buying a valved canopy with 0 BASE and 150 skydives...false sense of security IMO. As for my risk assessment, I've already stated that I'm a pussy : no FF under 240' for me any time soon, you know I jump an Ace after all Memento Audere Semper 903

I might have come a bit too strong on this one BUT I have the impression that the initial poster is looking for advices on a first canopy. If you think that everyone should start FF objects under 200' after they have completed a FJC then you are absolutely right that they might need a valved canopy. I know many of you got tons of jumps and are very current and experienced and are able to take advantage of valved canopies, I personally am NOT. The opinions I stated are mine and reflect my jumping and they are opinions not facts. I don't FF anything below 240 becuse I'm a pussy. When I go lower than that it's either SL or PCA hence I don't need a valved canopy. I see too many jumpers that they buy the greatest valved canopy money can buy and then they refuse to jump anything below 300'! So what's the point? Also I see too many jumpers taking unnecessary risks because they are jumping valved canopies thinking they can get away... Memento Audere Semper 903