Jumping a new canopy at home DZ

[mnskydiver688 0]

I am in the process of listening to the newest Skydive Radio and something came to mind. I recently finally got to purchasing my own rig. Thanks to all those that loaned me theirs. The canopy is slightly smaller than I would have liked. It is a Sabre 1 170 and I am 185 out the door. I have used it previously a couple of times and I have jumped a 170 a total of 4 times. The last canopy I have jumped is a PD-210. Ok now my question. Jumping at a Cessna dropzone for the majority of the summer I am less nervous about learning to fly my new (to me) canopy, but what should my approach be to possibly attending boogies? I am going to be jumping more than a lot once the season begins up here. What are some opinions?

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[DougH 270]

Do you want us to agree with the purchase?

The wingloading isn't crazy at a 185 exit weight.

But you are taking a 40ft downsize from the last canopy you flew. I would venture to guess that you are uncurrent from a winter break.

The thing that really concerns me is that you don't want to be flying something as small as a 170. Why would you want to fly something you are scared of.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[DrewEckhardt 0]

Quote

I am in the process of listening to the newest Skydive Radio and something came to mind. I recently finally got to purchasing my own rig. Thanks to all those that loaned me theirs. The canopy is slightly smaller than I would have liked. It is a Sabre 1 170 and I am 185 out the door. I have used it previously a couple of times and I have jumped a 170 a total of 4 times. The last canopy I have jumped is a PD-210. Ok now my question. Jumping at a Cessna dropzone for the majority of the summer I am less nervous about learning to fly my new (to me) canopy, but what should my approach be to possibly attending boogies? I am going to be jumping more than a lot once the season begins up here. What are some opinions?

Call PD, get a Sabre 190 demo sent out for a few weeks, and put a dozen jumps on it (preferably hop-and-pops opening at 4-5K). Used to cost $25 + shipping in both directions.

Do everything on Bill von Novak's list.

Then do the same thing with your Sabre 170.

[mnskydiver688 0]

I am not scared of my ability or inability to fly the new canopy. I am actually looking forward to really connecting and "fly" the canopy rather than just point and shoot all the way to the ground. What I am wondering about is at boogies you don't have the sky largely to yourself, which is the case at my DZ with only 3 other canopies in the sky. So I am just looking for peoples personal opinions about the situation. I liken the situation to taking test laps in a new car by yourself or driving that new car in a full on race. How do other people usually work with a new canopy? I am not looking for a clear answer I am merely looking for personal opinions and experiences.

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[cadurso 0]

I was in a similar situation to you. But I didn't have to jump my near gear at a boogie, just Skydive Arizona. Still it was more pressure that I didn't really enjoy while trying to feel out my new canopy. Also, at SDA they don't like you to open higher than 3,500 - opening altitude at boogies probably depends on what DZ they are at. From going through it, I would suggest you wait until you can jump at your home dz (where you are most comfortable) and open high, or do hop&pops as someone else said.

[ozzy13 0]

I went from a 210 to a 170 around the same amount of jumps . I am 200 out the door. I am not telling you either way if it is ok or not.I am say that it was a little fast for me at first but it was not that bad . Like the last post I would like to ask if you if you are nervous about it maybe you should wait a little longer.
About the boogies I have gone to a few. They are a hole different animal. You need to be careful no matter what size canopy you are flying. Reason is there are more people that don't jump at the DZ normally among other reason. The best thing to do I think is talk to you AFFI or someone at you DZ that knows you well enough to help you with all this.

Never give the gates up and always trust your rears!

[tbrown 26]

Quote

I am not scared of my ability or inability to fly the new canopy. I am actually looking forward to really connecting and "fly" the canopy rather than just point and shoot all the way to the ground. What I am wondering about is at boogies you don't have the sky largely to yourself, which is the case at my DZ with only 3 other canopies in the sky. So I am just looking for peoples personal opinions about the situation. I liken the situation to taking test laps in a new car by yourself or driving that new car in a full on race. How do other people usually work with a new canopy? I am not looking for a clear answer I am merely looking for personal opinions and experiences.

Okay, fine. If you're going to go down two sizes and then go to a boogie, I'd say fly conservatively. Stick to the pattern, keep your head on a swivel, fly straight in approaches, and if there's no wind and you're coming in hot, you might consider sliding in sideways on your hip (think "stealing 3rd base"). Since you're gonna do this anyway, that's what I'd recommend. Also, because you're now two sizes smaller, expect a much higher rate of descent and accordingly adjust your pattern for that.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[mnskydiver688 0]

Ok I guess I gave the impression that boogies are going to be first on the list. If I go to any boogies it will probably be over labor day. (Couch Freaks) So I will have an entire summer to fly the canopy. I am realizing that my original post really wasn't that well thought out. Oh well I am going to enjoy jumping again and learning to fly a "canopy" rather than a bus. And if all else fails talk about beer. I prefer Leinies Sunset Wheat

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[damion75 0]

That info does kind of change things! I am not sure what the problem is then - jump your 'new' canopy a lot over the summer and get used to it, then take it to the boogie and be careful!

Something to bear in mind at the Boogie of course is that not only are there a lot more canopies, but

1. Other canopy pilots come from DZs which may have conflicting landing patterns that these guys are used to so be expecting people to come from the 'wrong' direction.

2. People do tend to put their 'holiday' heads on and not necessarily apply the same safety rules as they would at home.

3. As at any new location, you will not be fully orientated to the ground so there is a temptation to spend more time looking at the ground rather than checking your airspace - resist it because you can be damn sure that there are other people in the same position, and two people paying more attention to the ground than their airspace is not a good thing!

Enjoy...

***************

Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

[bigdad510 1]

Frank,
That's good advice even if you're jumping your home DZ. New jumpers show up at DZ's all the time, and not all of them are safety aware. We tend to get too relaxed at our home dz's sometimes. Situational awareness is somethign we should practice at all time. But I'm just as guitly of letting my guard down. We always need constant reminders!

Brad

[Stevetaylor 0]

<< Call PD, get a Sabre 190 demo sent out for a few weeks, and put a dozen jumps on it (preferably hop-and-pops opening at 4-5K). Used to cost $25 + shipping in both directions. >>

[DrewEckhardt 0]

Quote

<< Call PD, get a Sabre 190 demo sent out for a few weeks, and put a dozen jumps on it (preferably hop-and-pops opening at 4-5K). Used to cost $25 + shipping in both directions. >>

OK, silly newbie question here. What is the advantage of doing the demo jumps as Hop & Pops? Is it so that one can concentrate on the canopy handling rather than the freefall?

[Buffdiver 0]

I started jumping the same canopy at around the same number of jumps as you have. 200 jumps later I'm still flying the same wing and I still have a blast with it. My advise is to take your time. Use the summer with the Cessna to learn all you can. Stay current. I also recommend taking a canopy course if possible. This helped boost my skills and confidence tremendously. Have fun, be safe.

By the way.. how do you like your Sabre. I get a lot of mixed reviews when i tell people I jump a Sabre. My canopy has treated me awesome and not to mention my rainbow bright color scheme is sweet too. With a little extra care packing, my openings are consistent and soft.

[mnskydiver688 0]

The couple times I jumped it last season I liked it. I had more issues with it turning during opening. After talking to some instructors at the DZ, they suggested sitting up with purpose and keeping my legs even and that will help quite a bit. I now have a canopy that responds to me moving the harness. I am looking forward to having a more responsive canopy and one that has some power behind it. And having landing be a process rather than wait...wait....wait.....FLARE!

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters