Wing load differences

[Squeak 17]

What are the REAL differences in a wingload of 1.3 and 1.4 or 1.5
I'm thinking of downsizing in the next few months and I'm interested to hear if there is a real disernable difference in going from a WL of 1.3, to a wing load of say 1.5.

Thanks
Ok it's a tad vague.
Lets say eliptical canopy either Stilleto or Crossfire 2, now the Stilleto is say a 135, however the Crossfire can be pretty much anything I want.
exit weight is 195lbs
on a 135 Stilleto, that loads me at 1.45
However a Crossfire2 at say 140 would give me 1.39
So going from a 150 eliptical, down 10-15 square feet, how much difference can I expect.


BTW I'm not asking if I should downsize

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[Albatross 0]

I will start by asking if you are getting the max performance out of your current canopy. Do you do Front riser turns and the entire list that BillVon Talks about?? And to answer the initial question YES. I think that it depends on the sizes dramaticly (A 1.5 on a 120 and a 190 are very different). ALso the wing loading on the canopy design.

Chris

[chrisgr 0]

At 362 jumps, your Hornet 150 at 1.3 w/l is an excellent place to continue learning canopy control skills. Stay where you’re at and fly the Hornet 150 MORE.

Also, you should stay at the same w/l when switching to a fully elliptical. Jump the Hornet 150 MORE and then switch to a fully elliptical 150.

If you don’t want to hear this advice because you’re ‘not asking if I should downsize’, then downsize (one size) to another semi-elliptical canopy such as another Hornet or a Lotus, Sabre 2, etc.

Here’s a Hornet 135 for sale …
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/detail_page.cgi?ID=15541&d=1

Here’s a Sabre 2 135 …
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/detail_page.cgi?ID=16166&d=1

I jumped the crap out of my Sabre 150 (700+ jumps) at 1.3 before switching to a Stiletto 150. After 300 jumps on the Stiletto, I now feel prepared to downsize.

I get the impression that you don’t want to hear this, so I’ll say it again … fly the Hornet 150 MORE!

Do you remember what billvon told you in 2002 …
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=281792#281792

… rather than tell you what canopy you should jump I will tell you the skills you need:

-Can you land in a 10 meter target circle reliably?
-Can you land crosswind and in no wind?
-Can you land on uphill/downhill slopes?
-Can you initiate a 90 degree flat turn at 50 feet and land safely?
-Can you turn 45 degrees during the flare and land standing up?
-Can you land with rear risers?
-Can you make a double front riser/turning front riser approach?

[Squeak 17]

the reason I said I'm not asking is that I have a down size plan, and in a few months when I have 500 jumps on the hornet, I'll be jumping a mates Stilleto 150 for a few weeks whilst I'm waiting for my new canopy to arrive.
I'm not a foolish or impetuous person, I do my homework, and I don't take un-necassary risks.
I'm also not a young testosterone driven kid.
I've been on these forums for a couple of years now and I read Bill's canopy list serveral times, I can land my canpy well in varying conditions, and I'm confident in my ability so far.
I'm after the decernable differences between wingloadings so that I can better plan on what canopy to buy.


edit, not only do I remember what bill told me in 2002, I've been practicing it on most of my last 350ish jumps

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[chrisgr 0]

Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything.

You will hopefully notice some important differences yourself when you jump the Stiletto 150. What else have you demo’ed?

[kallend 2,026]

I change my wing loading by plus or minus 0.1 according to how much weight I wear for RW.

Can't say that I notice any difference in canopy behavior.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[ianmdrennan 2]

Quote

I change my wing loading by plus or minus 0.1 according to how much weight I wear for RW.

Can't say that I notice any difference in canopy behavior.

Agreed especially at lower wingloadings. I barely notice the difference between 1.0 and 1.3, however, the difference between 2.0 and 2.1 is quite noticeable. I don't think it's exponential, but the heavier the loading the more noticeable subtle changes are. Similarly the smaller the canopy the greater the difference, a 107 loaded at 1.1 flys quite differently to the 170 loaded at 1.1.

Squeak, strap on a weight belt to play around with loading for a few jumps. It'll give you an idea of what changes you may expect to have.

EDIT:

Quote

So going from a 150 eliptical, down 10-15 square feet, how much difference can I expect.

I think the more noticeable effect will be from the smaller wing AND the increased loading.

Blues,
Ian

Performance Designs Factory Team

[Squeak 17]

[replySqueak, strap on a weight belt to play around with loading for a few jumps. It'll give you an idea of what changes you may expect to have.


I think the more noticeable effect will be from the smaller wing AND the increased loading.

Blues,
Ian

[ianmdrennan 2]

No problem
Just to clarify I mean strap on a weight belt with your current canopy

Blues bro!
Ian

Performance Designs Factory Team

[Squeak 17]

Quote

No problem
Just to clarify I mean strap on a weight belt with your current canopy

Blues bro!
Ian

Yeah I got that

[sarcasm]Hmm lets see, drop a canopy size and strap onm some lead, now THERE'S a plan[/sarcasm]

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[ianmdrennan 2]

Quote

[sarcasm]Hmm lets see, drop a canopy size and strap onm some lead, now THERE'S a plan[/sarcasm]

LOL - well this is DZ.com after all

Performance Designs Factory Team