High vizibility canopies

[Scoop 0]

I can't believe the amount of canopy collisions that have happened recently. My next canopy is going to be so bright you'll be able to see it from any orientation and no matter what it is silhouetted by, be it clouds, blue sky, the sun or the ground. I'm beginning to think bright is better than chic when it comes to canopy design.

[dragon2 2]

I don't like the white-lightblue-darkblue type canopies at all, never mind the all-white/all-lightblue canopies, and i've been told my purple-black-grey canopy is also very hard to see. Guess there's something to be said for neon pink

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[shropshire 0]

Unfortunanetely, the problem is more complicated than just selecting the correct colour for your canopy/jumpsuit.
To colide, you are clearly at the same altitude and small canopies have very small frontal areas. They also have very high closing speeds, when head on.
So, if we dod see each other, we need to ensure that we take the correct actions... In paragliding and general aviation we follow certrain rules of the air...

(1) If heading towards each other ,,, turn RIGHT
(2) If on a converging course, the pilot on the RIGHT is in the RIGHT
(3) Lower canopy is in the Right
(4) A canopy being overtake, is in the right

If you dont think that the other person(s) have not seen you ... Talk/shout to them and get their attension.... BUT - things happend very, very quickly!!

Be safe peeps.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[dharma1976 0]

it sort of helps...

Mine is bright neon yellow with red ribs...

People still miss me sometimes

Cheers

Dave

http://www.skyjunky.com

CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing.

[gearless_chris 1]

I think we should have air horns velcroed to our risers. Keep it in your jumpsuit and stick it on after you've cleared your canopy.

"If it wasn't easy stupid people couldn't do it", Duane.

My momma said I could be anything I wanted when I grew up, so I became an a$$hole.

[174fps 1]

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I can't believe the amount of canopy collisions that have happened recently. My next canopy is going to be so bright you'll be able to see it from any orientation and no matter what it is silhouetted by, be it clouds, blue sky, the sun or the ground. I'm beginning to think bright is better than chic when it comes to canopy design.

A while back someone tested a whole bunch of zp, of different colours
by exposing them to uv light, then took photos of them after x number of hours.
The bright neon colours faded the fastest, with the darker colours the longest, so you might start out with a very bright canopy, but soon have a bunch of faded colours that blend in with the sky.

[LloydDobbler 2]

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I can't believe the amount of canopy collisions that have happened recently. My next canopy is going to be so bright you'll be able to see it from any orientation and no matter what it is silhouetted by, be it clouds, blue sky, the sun or the ground. I'm beginning to think bright is better than chic when it comes to canopy design.

A while back someone tested a whole bunch of zp, of different colours
by exposing them to uv light, then took photos of them after x number of hours.
The bright neon colours faded the fastest, with the darker colours the longest, so you might start out with a very bright canopy, but soon have a bunch of faded colours that blend in with the sky.

Yup. And it's not just fading you have to worry about. Soko (master rigger, head AFF-I at Cal City) gave a presentation on color & ZP fabric endurance at PIA this year. Instead of using artificial UV light sources, though, he exposed various ZP fabric colors to direct sunlight (giving full exposure to all wavelengths of the EM spectrum - not just UV, but also IR & visible light) over a period of time. He then tested them with regard to aesthetics (color fading) & tensile strength.

I won't belabor the results, but basically he found that the following colors lost the ability to withstand wind and/or 40lbs. of tension after 291 hrs of exposure to direct sun:

- Magenta
- Watermelon
- Neon Pink
- Tangerine

(If you consider that a sport canopy is exposed to sunlight 6-12 mins per jump, that equivalates to ~1450-2900 jumps in direct sunlight.)

Other colors (including bright colors like Lemon) showed aesthetic degradation, but maintained tensile strength at 700+ hours (3500-7000 jumps).


If anyone wants more info, PM me, and I'll forward along the powerpoint data I have.

(Not to hijack the thread, just thought I'd give some concrete data. Obviously all canopies will fade - but given the study, the four colors above also lose some of their strength with more sun exposure. I like the idea of bright, visible canopies - the four colors above might not be the best options, though).

Signatures are the new black.

[Scoop 0]

Thats interesting, thanks. I was thinking of traditional bright yellow (lemon) or orange as per high viz clothing. Damn handy if you land off and hurt yourself too, should be easily visible from the air.

[matthewcline 0]

My entire main (a 107ft cross brace) is international orange, very visable I think, yet people still say they can't see it.

Matt

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[JohnMitchell 16]

I've be saying it for years, bright colors, contrasting stripes, anything to aid in being more visible. I've seen people jumping all green everything up here in the NW. They blend into everything. Air Superiority Gray is another bad choice.

[narcimund 0]

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you'll be able to see it from any orientation

I actually thought about this when I designed my main.

The bottom skin is magenta which contrasts with any sky conditions when seen from below.

The top skin is sky blue which contrasts with any ground conditions when seen from above.

The stabilizers are yellow which is pretty hard to miss from the side.

The ribs are black which gives it a strange alternating light/dark/light/dark visual texture -- really catches the eye.

I also happen to think it looks good, but even if you think it's the ugliest canopy in the world, you've got to admit it's well engineered to be visible!

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[Cloudi 0]

All the bright colors in the world don't mean a thing if they don't bother to look.

You can have brand new neon colors, whistles, loud speakers, flashing lights, and fly a predictible pattern--someone can still take you out if they aren't on their game.

Until everyone has their shit together before they initiate a hp maneuver, you're better to have a bubble wrap jumpsuit.

Head on a swivel, people.

Blue Ones.

Kim
Watch as I attempt, with no slight of hand, to apply logic and reason.

[shropshire 0]

Head on a swivel - Absolutely!!

Also, before any manouver TAP!!

TRAFFIC - anyone near me?
ALITITUDE - am I high enough?
POSITION - where am I?

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[phoenixlpr 0]

I've choosen this.

[strop45 0]

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All the bright colors in the world don't mean a thing if they don't bother to look.

True, but having a light grey canopy and jumpsuit makes you harder to see even if they are looking. I jump with someone with just such a canopy, and often find them difficult to find, even when I know where they should be!

Of the other hand I have been told that my canopy is visible to skydivers in freefall. This is good luck, not good management as I bought it secondhand.

My next canopy will have a similar combination of bright colours and dark colours to halp ensure it stands out as much as possible.

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

[Scoop 0]

That looks nice, I was playing on PDs website and made some similar designs. When the time comes I'll consider it. My current canopy is black and red in alternate cells. Although nothing in the air or on the ground is red I appreciate its not the easiest canopy to spot.

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

My personal colors have always been orange and blue, but my current two mains are yellow. Both are plenty bright. As a pretty-color-blind guy, I can tell you with total confidence that some people jump canopies that are nearly impossible to detect from above. I keep my head on a swivel, but still sneak up on people sometimes since I generally pull higher than lots of other people (AFF, tandems, swoop hop and pops, wingsuit).

[diablopilot 2]

Sneek up on this! I dare ya!http://theblueskyranch.com/gallery/2006RanchSwoopMeet/MG_7194

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[Squeak 17]

Check you out JP All serious and shit Nice pic



My main is Bright yellow with top skin cell 2 purple and 8 royal blue. It stands out to thouse who care to look..
Earth colour (Browns, greens, marrons etc..) are hardest to see here due to redish landscapes, sometime I see canopy shadowsand spend a lot of time looking for the canopy that it beloings to

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?

[yeyo 1]

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.....traditional bright yellow (lemon) or orange

I think mine is very visible...

HISPA #93
DS #419.5

[champu 1]

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Instead of using artificial UV light sources, though, he exposed various ZP fabric colors to direct sunlight (giving full exposure to all wavelengths of the EM spectrum)

Well... not all wavelengths.

The only problem I have with the conclusions of that study is that, assuming you pack in the shade, the vast majority of a canopy's exposure to sunlight is accompanied by air cooling as it flies. While you can't outrun UV and the negative effects it has on Nylon in and of itself, the heat build-up due to exposure takes a greater toll if the canopy is laying out than if it is in actual use.

In short, the study provides a meaningful comparison of the relative strengths of the different color fabrics after exposure to sunlight, but converting a lifespan measured in such a manner to an absolute number of jumps is probably not as straight-forward of an exercise as it has been made out to be.

[LloydDobbler 2]

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The only problem I have with the conclusions of that study is that, assuming you pack in the shade, the vast majority of a canopy's exposure to sunlight is accompanied by air cooling as it flies. While you can't outrun UV and the negative effects it has on Nylon in and of itself, the heat build-up due to exposure takes a greater toll if the canopy is laying out than if it is in actual use.

In short, the study provides a meaningful comparison of the relative strengths of the different color fabrics after exposure to sunlight, but converting a lifespan measured in such a manner to an absolute number of jumps is probably not as straight-forward of an exercise as it has been made out to be.

You make an excellent point.

Nonetheless, it's pretty shocking to find the difference between those four colors and the other colors, which withstood both wind and the tensile test after several hundred more hours of exposure.

So yeah, air cooling could play a key role...but given that it's such a drastic difference between those four shades and the other colors, it's enough to make me reconsider my color choices when buying a new (or especially a used) canopy, even if I don't plan on jumping the canopy for that long (and let's face it - with my jump numbers, I'm probably not going to find a canopy that'll last me 1000 jumps anytime soon)...

[DougH 270]

It should be easy enough to include air cooling in the experiment. Hook a tube of zp onto a duct fan... now you have air cooling.

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

[popsjumper 2]

Everybody gave me the razz when I first got my neon rainbow...the same people who bought dark green and grey or dark green and dark blue.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[likearock 2]

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The top skin is sky blue which contrasts with any ground conditions when seen from above.

I take it you never skydive near water?