TriGirl 318 #26 August 27, 2010 Take my opinion for what it's worth, ( <-- note number of jumps) But I really love my Storm 170. Student gear was a Spectre. When I was in the market for my own gear, I found this Storm in the classifieds. My rigger described it as "a Spectre on a mild dose of steroids." Not sure if that's what PD intended, but I find it flies just a bit more aggressively than the Spectre; yet as a low-number jumper I still feel totally comfortable under it.See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
virgin-burner 1 #27 August 27, 2010 safire2 119 because everything is better than the old sabre 150 i used to have, plus, all the cool kids fly one.. “Some may never live, but the crazy never die.” -Hunter S. Thompson "No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try." -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
linebckr83 3 #28 August 31, 2010 Quote FWIW I put one jump on a XF139 to compare and was really disappointed. It felt soggy and unresponsive compared to my Katana. It really felt like a backwards step. I realize that one jump is not a good review, but I was expecting more. YMMV Was it a crossfire 139 or a crossfire2 139 that you jumped? IMO the xf2 should have gotten a brand new name, as it is nothing like its predecessor, modded or not."Are you coming to the party? Oh I'm coming, but I won't be there!" Flying Hellfish #828 Dudist #52 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mchamp 1 #29 August 31, 2010 Seems like a lot of people out there really enjoy their Pilot's, Kanata's and XF2's . Interesting!For info regarding lift ticket prices all around the world check out http://www.jumpticketprices.com/dropzones.asp Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heatmiser 0 #30 September 1, 2010 Yup. I recently moved from a Sabre to a Pilot. Noice! What you say is reflective of your knowledge...HOW ya say it is reflective of your experience. Airtwardo Someone's going to be spanked! Hopefully, it will be me. Skymama Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cheach 0 #31 September 1, 2010 Quote Yup. I recently moved from a Sabre to a Pilot. Noice! You are a smart smart man! I woke up next to a blowup doll Ash....so what do you think? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DocPop 1 #32 September 1, 2010 QuoteQuote FWIW I put one jump on a XF139 to compare and was really disappointed. It felt soggy and unresponsive compared to my Katana. It really felt like a backwards step. I realize that one jump is not a good review, but I was expecting more. YMMV Was it a crossfire 139 or a crossfire2 139 that you jumped? IMO the xf2 should have gotten a brand new name, as it is nothing like its predecessor, modded or not. My mistake - it was a Crossfire2."The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCaptain 2 #33 September 1, 2010 Wow, 3 years 200 jumps and you are on a Katana loaded 1.5 to one. Sweet you must have "mad skillz"Kirk He's dead Jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trigger 0 #34 September 1, 2010 I'm a another big fan of the crossfire2. I've been jumping mine for 7 years now. Slow learner me, so i've still not maxed it out despite its bus like,slugglish flying characteristics .That said i have alot of fun .CHOP WOOD COLLECT WATER. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mchamp 1 #35 September 1, 2010 So what made you choose your Extreme-VX as apposed to a Xaos-27, Velo or Deadalus JVX?For info regarding lift ticket prices all around the world check out http://www.jumpticketprices.com/dropzones.asp Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DocPop 1 #36 September 1, 2010 QuoteWow, 3 years 200 jumps and you are on a Katana loaded 1.5 to one. Sweet you must have "mad skillz" Thanks for that. Perhaps you could give me some specific coaching and tell me exactly what I am doing wrong in my canopy flight then I will be able to work on that and improve."The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCaptain 2 #37 September 1, 2010 My choice came from several things price, performance, and flight characteristics. The VX does pretty good in line twist out of maybe 15-20 jumps with line twist (yes that would either be from my pack jobs or body position on opening)the canopy only pointed to the ground once. I have owned a Xaos 27 cell but the openings were less than great, it either opened with the end cells inflated and the rest of the canopy deflated which the end cells would fly together or it would have a wicked fast 360° turn to which ever side open last. I have jumped a Velocity but the openings were too searchy for me. I have never jumped a JVX but the price would keep me from one.Kirk He's dead Jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCaptain 2 #38 September 1, 2010 QuoteQuoteWow, 3 years 200 jumps and you are on a Katana loaded 1.5 to one. Sweet you must have "mad skillz" Thanks for that. Perhaps you could give me some specific coaching and tell me exactly what I am doing wrong in my canopy flight then I will be able to work on that and improve. I would suggest a much lower performance canopy like a Safire 2, Sabre 2. Then I would suggest taking a canopy course and learning to wring that canopy out before switching to a Katana. Canopy progression should be slow and before down sizing or changing plan forms you should be able to wring your current canopy completely out.Kirk He's dead Jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DocPop 1 #39 September 1, 2010 This is all general advice, which is not surprising since you cannot give me specific advice as you have not seen me fly. I have done four canopy courses so far and was getting all I could from my last canopy (Sabre2 150) before I downsized. I do not have "mad skillz" but I do have a dedication to canopy flight which means that I understand and handle a canopy better than many people with 1,000+ jumps. I know two people with 1,000+ jumps who have been injured in the last month by doing things under canopy which were just plain wrong and resulted in a canopy collapse and a stall respectively. I appreciate that you are trying to save me from myself, but without knowing how I fly nobody is in a position to tell me I am doing something wrong. My point is that jump numbers are a very poor guide to someone's ability."The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCaptain 2 #40 September 1, 2010 QuoteThis is all general advice, which is not surprising since you cannot give me specific advice as you have not seen me fly. I have done four canopy courses so far and was getting all I could from my last canopy (Sabre2 150) before I downsized. I do not have "mad skillz" but I do have a dedication to canopy flight which means that I understand and handle a canopy better than many people with 1,000+ jumps. I know two people with 1,000+ jumps who have been injured in the last month by doing things under canopy which were just plain wrong and resulted in a canopy collapse and a stall respectively. I appreciate that you are trying to save me from myself, but without knowing how I fly nobody is in a position to tell me I am doing something wrong. My point is that jump numbers are a very poor guide to someone's ability. I know cause you have "mad skillz" good luck with that. I hope you survive learning that the ground is very unforgiving and does not care about your "mad skillz"Kirk He's dead Jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,991 #41 September 1, 2010 >I do not have "mad skillz" but I do have a dedication to canopy flight >which means that I understand and handle a canopy better than many >people with 1,000+ jumps. Dude, I'm sure you're a good skydiver and all, but every single skydiver who advances quickly in canopy loading thinks that he's way ahead of the curve. every single one. Even the ones who we read about in the Incidents forum; we have a few quotes of people saying exactly that right here on DZ.com before they were hospitalized (or pronounced dead.) Now, you may be the one exception, the one guy who really is much better than even the experts. But history has shown that that's far more often a judgment based on wishful thinking than on reality. Do whatever you like, but don't kid yourself that "you can handle a canopy better than people with 1000 jumps." Good luck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trigger 0 #42 September 1, 2010 You demonstrated poor judgement when you described a CF2 as soggy and unresponsive when compared to your katana. i very much doubt you 'really' wringed out that sabre let alone swooped it to its full potential if at all. My guess is you simply paid for a few courses and decided it was time for a swoop machine which for your information a sabre2 is, well in skilled hands it most definately is..CHOP WOOD COLLECT WATER. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DocPop 1 #43 September 1, 2010 Quote Now, you may be the one exception, the one guy who really is much better than even the experts. Absolutely not, but the point I am making is that there are people with 1,000 jumps who can fly worth a shit and if they came on here nobody would give them a hard time. This is a pointless discussion to have on the internet."The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DocPop 1 #44 September 1, 2010 QuoteYou demonstrated poor judgement when you described a CF2 as soggy and unresponsive when compared to your katana.. I did say it was just one jump and that does not make a good review. Quotei very much doubt you 'really' wringed out that sabre let alone swooped it to its full potential if at all. I am sure that there are people who could have swooped my Sabre2 much further than I was. But I do know that that canopy at that loading was not helping me progress, whereas the Katana is. QuoteMy guess is you simply paid for a few courses and decided it was time for a swoop machine which for your information a sabre2 is, well in skilled hands it most definately is. That is exactly the problem with internet coaching - too much "guessing"."The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCaptain 2 #45 September 1, 2010 Quote This is a pointless discussion to have on the internet. you are right because you do not want to listen to anyone telling anything other than what you wan to hearKirk He's dead Jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DocPop 1 #46 September 1, 2010 Quote you are right because you do not want to listen to anyone telling anything other than what you wan to hear I will listen to people who have seen me fly, and I solicit feedback on my canopy skills on every landing from any experienced jumpers who saw me. How would you like it if I came on here and told you that I thought you weren't finishing your flare? It is fucking ridiculous for me to make that assessment from here."The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trigger 0 #47 September 1, 2010 Here's when i learnt about th corner http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=249675;#249675[url] Never could make things sticky. Chute shop ZP150 back then .CHOP WOOD COLLECT WATER. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,027 #48 September 1, 2010 Quote What canopy do you jump and why/what made you choose it? Because of the opening, the swoop, flare, CRW, turns, glide, stress free, fronts, rears? I jump a PD Sabre2 120 because of the fun factor with the fronts and decent openings. Storm135, because it's a very appropriate canopy to use with a wingsuit.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DocPop 1 #49 September 1, 2010 I had my corner lesson too, mate."The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,991 #50 September 1, 2010 >>Now, you may be the one exception, the one guy who really is much better >>than even the experts. >Absolutely not . . . Brian Germain, perhaps one of the best canopy coaches in the business, published a good table for downsizing. In it he lists good limits for normal canopy progression. He also lists absolute maximum, never-exceed, top-experts-only limits. In other words, the first limit is for most people. The second limit is for the absolute best canopy pilots out there (for their number of jumps.) At 200 jumps, with an exit weight of 225, the normal limit is 210 square feet. The absolute max limit, for top experts, is 185. It also recommends: -going up one canopy size for aggressive fully elliptical canopies -going up 15 square feet for people who make less than 100 jumps a year Instead you have gone 35 square feet _below_ Brian Germain's absolute max for the best canopy pilots out there. Like I said, you may be better than the best canopy pilots he has ever seen. You may have better judgment in canopy progression than he does. I hope it works out for you. But don't kid yourself that you're not pushing the limits, or that you're not doing something foolish. If it's worth it to you to take the risk, then take it and accept the result. If not, then perhaps reconsideration is a good idea. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites