what size canopy for beginner

[mrbiceps 0]

Half way through my aff course and we are jumping 240 canopies. Am looking at getting my first rig and have seen a nice one with a 210 size main. Is this a suitable size for a 90 kg (200 pound) beginner? is there much difference in flying a 240 compared to a 210. thanks

[BIGUN 1,314]

You should have this discussion with your Instructors.
We can't help you with this decision - haven't seen your canopy skills.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[hackish 8]

Biggun said it well. It's generally accepted that you don't want to buy your own rig until you've got 50-75 or so jumps otherwise you _MAY_ find yourself on equipment you don't enjoy.

-Michael

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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Biggun said it well. It's generally accepted that you don't want to buy your own rig until you've got 50-75 or so jumps

-Michael

It's not generally accepted. I could have thrown my entire first rig in the dumpster after 73 jumps and broken even financially with renting. Like most people I sold main and container+reserve as I grew into smaller gear and got most of my purchase price back.

Used skydiving mains and rigs in resaonable condition depreciate about $1 a jump each. The other costs of gear ownership are reserve repacks (about $12.50/month in the US) and AAD ownership (about $12/month in depreciation and batteries/inspection cycle). This generally beats the $25/jump attached to gear rental in many places. You can get something suitable for your abilities now, put 100 jumps on the main, and eat $100 in depreciation when you downsize the main and another $100 for those jumps when you get to the end of the containers safe size range (often 3 sizes with a reserve container mounted closing loop; much less with a flap mounted closing loop).

Having your own gear may also mean making more jumps and learning faster. By buying early, I was making up to five jumps a day on the same gear each time where my five jumps prior to that off student status were one at a time (AFF students paying $150-$250 got priority over graduates paying just $25 in gear rentals) using what was available.

Obviously, your local situation will vary.

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otherwise you _MAY_ find yourself on equipment you don't enjoy.

If you suffer from testosterone poisoning you'll want smaller more exciting canopies to fly before that's prudent.

After that's happened, you're proficient in all the common maneuvers, and you've made enough jumps you sell and buy something smaller.

Male skydivers are often on their second or third rig and sixth or seventh canopy by the time they arrive at a combination they'll be happy with indefinitely. A typical progression spread over > 1000 jumps might be rig 1 lightly tapered 210/190/170; rig 2 lightly tapered 150/elliptical 150, 135, 120.

[Lawdog1 0]

From the perspective of a newbie that just got their first rig this year (rented for 80 jumps), Although I purchased a new 150sq ft main, 40sq ft smaller than I was used to flying, my new wing loading (1.1) coupled w/ the comparativly conservative canopy design (spectre), was perfect for me.

Of course I have experianced the wrath of slight uneven flaring on landing (much more sensitive!), and haven't done anyting radical even up high, and won't untill I take a canopy control course, I LOVE the thing and plan to jump it for years.

But always ask the instructor(s)!!!

[mrbiceps 0]

it doesnt make sense to me to pay $38 to hire a rig then do this for 75 times = $2850, when i could have brought my own rig for that money from the start. i already have my first rig that owes me $1800. its got a 235 main in it. i just found a newer rig with a 210 main in it and wondered if i could jump that instead.

[Bertt 0]

Financially it makes sense to buy your own gear. Bigun's point is that recommendations for size and type of canopy should come from instructors who have watched you land.

You don't have to outrun the bear.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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it doesnt make sense to me to pay $38 to hire a rig then do this for 75 times = $2850, when i could have brought my own rig for that money from the start. i already have my first rig that owes me $1800. its got a 235 main in it. i just found a newer rig with a 210 main in it and wondered if i could jump that instead.

http://www.bigairsportz.com/pdf/bas-sizingchart.pdf

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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But always ask the instructor(s)!!!

An AFF rating just proves that you have six hours of freefall time, passed a few classes , and are more than competant at belly to earth freefall.

I know one AFF-I instructor who nearly died because she lacked the training and skill to land short or turn before reaching a barbed wire fence.

You'd be better off starting with the advice from accepted authorities (national governing bodies, Brian Germain, etc.) and then being more conservative if your instructors thought you were having problems than starting with their recomendations which are likely the result of a lot less experience.

According to Brian Germain (10,000 skydives, designs parachutes, teaches canopy flight) an exit weight of 230 pounds allows for a minimum canopy isize of 230 square feet for the first 40 jumps with adjustments up in size for higher elevations.

[chrismgtis 0]

It seems that generally a good canopy size is slightly higher than your weight (or more) with more experience (not the first jump). Although according to what I understand no less than 150 (isn't anything less than 150 considered high performance?).

I'd assume by common sense that it wouldn't be smart to jump a 160 on jump #1 if you weigh 160 lbs. That would be a little crazy.

I started with a canopy over 200 square feet. Now I jump a 175. I weigh 165 right now and weighed about 175 when I started.

But I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. That's why we have wing loading calculators.

Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033
Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan