1st downsize from student canopy?

[baseknut 0]

just wondering what size canopy you all downsized to after you quit renting student gear and bought your own.

Step into my (sub)terminal Playground

[CanuckInUSA 0]

My first canopy was a Triathlon 220 loaded about 0.9 to 1

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[mnskydiver688 0]

Borrowed a rig with a PD210 for about 15 or so jumps and then got a Sabre1 170 for my own gear.

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[drudchen 0]

At my dropzone, there's a very wide selection of rental gear. And the prices are VERY reasonable too... So, the first canopy that i ever bought for myself was a Sabre 120. And my progression looked like this: Manta 288 -> Avatar 210 -> Sabre 170 -> Sabre 150 -> Sabre 135 -> Sabre 120

[CanuckInUSA 0]

How many jumps each did you put on the 170, 150, 135 and now a 120 before you decided to advise a newbie that it's okay to downsize so fast? I don't know you and have obviously never seen you fly a canopy. But that has got to be one of the most aggressive progressions I've ever heard of. Ready to try an 87? I bet you're a natural huh? I've always wanted a red canopy and I bet you could turn my white canopy into a red one in no time.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[AFFI 0]

Discussing canopy sizes Without mentioning or considering the "Wing Loading" is leaving out a vital piece of information to consider in the equation.
-

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[sparkie 0]

Quote

just wondering what size canopy you all downsized to after you quit renting student gear and bought your own.

I weigh 220lbs exit weight

My student main was a skymaster 280. I bought a pilot 210 at 30 jumps (wl 1,05 or so) that went very well, though i was glad i didnt go any smaller. At first no wind landings were challenging.

I now have 130 jumps and jump a pilot 168 at WL 1,3. (I put 1 jump on a 190 in no wind cond. before that)

jumped the 168 2 times now in low wind and it went fine. It actually lands easier than my 210 because it has more energy to convert to flare. Also i pulled high both times to do some stalls etc. and made a very conservative approach and landing.

Just be careful in the beginning, use common sense and dont make turns too low. you can also ask one of the instructors that knows your skill level best.

[Marios 0]

I bought a Silhouette 190 when I had around 70 jumps. Wing loading on that is 0.88.
There is no rush for me to downsize to something smaller. I love the soft openings and the good landings.If there is one thing I am conservative about is my wing loading.
Do not go to small. Choose something safe for you and learn your canopy really well.

Cheers

[D22369 0]

my first was a raven III 248' wl .6-1 made 300 jumps on it.

dont downsize to fast, make all the silly mistakes that we all do on a canopy that will allow you to merely brush the dust off and jump again.

Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

[baseknut 0]

my exit weight is about 200 lbs. i fly a pd navigator 240 now. and i was considering a sabre 2 170-190 for my first canopy. does this sound to agressive?

Step into my (sub)terminal Playground

[Baksteen 84]

I recently downsized from a manta 260 to a Falcon 215.
My exit weixt is approximately 220 lbs, putting my wingload at 1.0 so I am in no rush at all to downsize further.
I really enjoy flying the Falcon, because in comparison with the sluggish manta it reacts quickly and "enthousiastically" to all toggle input.

If I was to try out something else, it would be a Sabre (ZePo canopy), but whether I'll go for a Sabre 210 or a Sabre 190 will be up to my instructor.

"That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport."
~mom

[AndyMan 7]

My first "downsize" was not the canopy I bought.

I initially trained on a 280. My first downsize was to a 260. My second downsize was to a 240. My third downsize was to a 220. Get it?

The first canopy I bought was a 190 Triathlon. The size isn't all that meaningful, the important part is the wingloading.

Wing loading = your body weight + clothes + gear / canopy size.

A good wing loading for your first canopy is around 1.0. Many people buy their first canopy at 1.1. My Triathlon was loaded at 1.2, which many people consider pretty aggressive for a first canopy. It worked well for me, and I kept it for around 300 jumps.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[cpoxon 0]

Quote

How many jumps each did you put on the 170, 150, 135 and now a 120 before you decided to advise a newbie that it's okay to downsize so fast? I don't know you and have obviously never seen you fly a canopy. But that has got to be one of the most aggressive progressions I've ever heard of. Ready to try an 87? I bet you're a natural huh? I've always wanted a red canopy and I bet you could turn my white canopy into a red one in no time.

Steve, ease back a bit. No advise was offered, just a progression listed. And did you check out the wing loading on the Sabre 120? (Yes, I know a smaller canopy at an equal wing loading to a larger one of the same design will exhibit a faster and more radical control response). Seems reasonably sensible to downsize through the same model of canopy, without skipping any sizes before settling on the one around that meets recommendations for that experience level.

Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

[parajesus 0]

What I did checked my wallet and talked to my instructor.
My opinion is that the size only is not reasonable. What emphasised here is that the characteristics of the canopy should be considered. After student status you will still learning how to control that thing and a canopy which is 'friendly' could save your ass when you do stupid things during landing. And you will do bet on that. So the first canopy which is not student therefore more fun more joy, however stupid-proof is recommended. And last but not leas talk and talk and talk to your instructor who have seen your landings. Note that I1m still flying a 185 Turbo and I had trouble with another 185 Turbo with diffrenet harness and brake control so if you have chance to try the new rig in controlled situation: make it so :)

[dragon2 2]

My first canopy was a spectre 150 at wl 1, at 50 jumps. Student gear was manta/skymaster 280 and skymaster 230, after that I rented merit 190 (10 jumps), spectre 190 (10 jumps), triathlon 175 (5 jumps). The merit was quite a handfull after student canopies and even though the Tri was real easy (5 jumps, 0 wind, piece of cake) the spectre 150 was a handfull again

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[pinkfairy 0]

Quote

Discussing canopy sizes Without mentioning or considering the "Wing Loading" is leaving out a vital piece of information to consider in the equation.
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Discussing wingloading without mentioning canopy size is leaving out a vital piece of information to consider in the equation.

Because smaller canopies are faster than bigger ones. Even at the same wingloading.

Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet.

I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

[wildfan75 1]

I did about 25 jumps on a Manta 288, then about 20 jumps on a Silhouette 190 (1.05 WL), 1 jump on a PD 190, and I've been jumping a Silhoutte 170 (1.2 WL) since.

I've made one jump in a higher wind day on a EXE 150 in the winter and realized I needed to wait awhile before downsizing again. I stood up the landing and everything went fine, but knowing how fast I came down with good winds, I'm not sure I could handle it in no winds every single time nevermind the fact that it could be sketchy if I had to land downwind for some unforeseen reason.

[wmw999 2,446]

My first jump was made with a 615 sq. ft. canopy.




















Of course, it was single-thickness lo-po fabric . I'd guess my first effective downsize was to go from lo-po to hi-po fabric, and a 7TU from a double L.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[mnskydiver688 0]

I guess I could have included more information. The PD210 was at a WL of .93 and the sabre1 170 is at a WL of 1.15.

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[AFFI 0]

Quote

my exit weight is about 200 lbs. i fly a pd navigator 240 now. and i was considering a sabre 2 170-190 for my first canopy. does this sound to agressive?

It does not necessarily MEAN you will fuck yourself up - your canopy will be much more responsive and faster which I believe means funner – that is why so many downsize too quickly, but your margin of error is dramatically reduced as well.

It is like getting a Ninja 900 as your first bike after taking a rider safety course.

Not a good idea but hey when in Rome right?
-

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[champu 1]

When people talk about canopy "progression" there seems to be a focus on how many jumps they made at a given size before going smaller, with the implication that's the only direction to go. I wonder what the average number of jumps any given skydiver has made on canopies smaller than what they presently consider their "daily driver."

What canopy to buy off of student status? Be honest with yourself, and then choose a canopy with the kind of mistakes you may still make in mind.

[millertimeunc 0]

I started on a skymaster 290, spent the majority of my student jumps on a sharpchuter 240, did several jumps on a rental Spectre 230, and I'm now the proud owner of a Spectre 210 (loaded at about 1:1). I've got a Stiletto 170 sitting in my closet that came with the gear I bought and I've been itching to try it out (hey, I'm 22 and invincible, right?). With that in mind, I did a couple jumps on a Triathlon 190 to see if I was ready to downsize. After two sketchy landings, a barked shin, and a bruised ego, I figured out pretty quick that I wasn't ready for a smaller canopy and certainly wasn't ready for the Stiletto. I'll be on my Spectre for a while now, which is just fine with me.

The best things in life are dangerous.

[D22369 0]

my exit weight is about 200 lbs. i fly a pd navigator 240 now. and i was considering a sabre 2 170-190 for my first canopy. does this sound to agressive?
***

If you were one of my students I would steer you to the 190 rather than the 170.

the 190 would put you at a 1.05 wingloading. the 170 would have you at 1.17 that doesnt sound like a whole lot, but each .1 makes a canopy more responsive and zippy. imagine off dz landings in tight areas, being cut off on final, or accidental downwind landings, a slightly larger canopy might prove invaluable.


definately demo a few models of canopy's, the demo programs are quite inexpensive, and you may find another canopy that you would like more than a sabre 2



Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

[aardvarkeater 0]

I was renting a 170 Hornet and 170 Sabre2 with a wing loading of 1.0. When I bought my own gear I got a Sabre 170. I didn't think that I needed to be in any hurry to downsize to a higher wing loading. Until I can fly my canopy perfectly in any condition I won't even consider downsizing.

Muff Brother #4026
Loco Zapatos Rodriguez
SCR #14793

[wildfan75 1]

The other issue with downsizing that I don't think I've ever seen discussed here (not saying that it hasn't, but it hasn't been as popular a discussion as "can you land it?") is when you downsize, you're also entering into a different airspace with faster canopies.

We have a few newer jumpers at our dz that can land a 1.4-1.5 WL just fine, but they are now putting themselves into airspace with zooming Velos and Hurricanes on higher wing loadings around landing time. IMNO, I don't think that at 50-150 jumps one can possess enough experience to effectively deal with some situations that might arise with those zooming canopies. You have to make decisions faster and you have to think ahead farther than a lighter wing loading. You can have all the skill in the world, but IMNO, there are somethings that only experience can teach you.