Jackson 0 #1 December 15, 2003 My S/O is wanting to downsize. This person is (as far as I've seen) a very heads up canopy pilot. They have done nothing to 'scare' me. As a matter-of-fact, a very knowledgeable friend of ours that works for a well known canopy manufacturer that has seen them fly their current canopy for the last least a year and a half thinks they'll be fine under a crossbraced 79 and gave them a demo already. That being said...all I know is when I met this person, they were jumping a non-crossbraced, elliptical 95, loaded at ~1.78. About 150ish jumps ago they downsized to a non-crossbraced, elliptical 85 loaded at ~2.0. They have already demo-ed a crossbraced 79 loaded at ~2.2. They currently have about 450 jumps. If they're going to go crossbraced is it bad to downsize at the same time? I feel comfortable with what their flying now but something about them flying a crossbraced pushes me over the edge. Opinons please... Thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,998 #2 December 15, 2003 My usual reply. Can they flat turn 90 degrees at 50 feet? Flare turn 45 degrees? Land with rear risers, crosswind and in no wind? Land within a 10 meter circle reliably? Initiate a HP landing with front risers? If so, they are probably ready to downsize. Crossbraced doesn't matter much - it's the planform of the canopy and its loading that matters. Going from a Sabre 120 to a Velocity 120 is a big step mainly because the velocity is a much more aggressive canopy. And a side question - why are you referring to them as "they?" Are there more than one of them? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jackson 0 #3 December 15, 2003 Nope, just 1 person. I was just trying to be as vague as possible about who it was by not using he/she. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJL 235 #4 December 15, 2003 Check out BillVon's post: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=792344;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread I think he put it the best way when he said that the proof is in the results."I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jackson 0 #5 December 15, 2003 Thanks! I've already read that. I guess I was just looking for some re-assurance since so many people seem to place so much value solely on jump #'s. QuoteCrossbraced doesn't matter much - it's the planform of the canopy and its loading that matters. Going from a Sabre 120 to a Velocity 120 is a big step mainly because the velocity is a much more aggressive canopy. That makes me feel a bit better... thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimbo 0 #6 December 15, 2003 QuoteI guess I was just looking for some re-assurance since so many people seem to place so much value solely on jump #'s. Jump numbers certainly figure into the equation, but they aren't everything. Bill has provided a nice checklist to measure critical skills. I've seen people with thousands of jumps who couldn't complete Bill's list, and I've seen people with a surprisingly low number of jumps who could. - Jim"Like" - The modern day comma Good bye, my friends. You are missed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FrogNog 1 #7 December 16, 2003 What is the reason for the desire to downsize? Am I correct in understanding that many, many of the times people say they want to downsize to get more performance, they could get more performance out of their existing canopy with reduced risk? I think my opinion on whether someone weighing 170 pounds out the door should downsize below an eliptical 95 is clouded by the fact that watching anyone fly an eliptical 95 kinda scares me. -=-=-=-=- Pull. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #8 December 16, 2003 QuoteI think my opinion on whether someone weighing 170 pounds out the door should downsize below an eliptical 95 is clouded by the fact that watching anyone fly an eliptical 95 kinda scares me. If your profile is correct you have 50 jumps. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but you don't yet have the experience to have an opinion on this one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJL 235 #9 December 16, 2003 Quotethey could get more performance out of their existing canopy with reduced risk? This is very true. My first canopy was a Turbo ZX 185 (9 cell), my second a Tri Hybrid 160. I was so psyched when I got the Tri because it felt like such a hot canopy (pause to clean the coffee you just spit all over your 'puter.) I'm back on the ZX since the Tri is getting repaired. I can get much more out of it now, even though it's so friggin big that I have to muscle it through everything."I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chileanXaos 0 #10 December 31, 2003 Just my opinion , the pilot is the only one who knows , if he can downsize if you have to ask , maybe you dont have to do it . And other thing if you want more speed , and you are not a great swooper , but you really know how to fly safely a crossbraced canopy . flat turns etc... , It would not be bad downsizing and getting speed with more conservative aproaches. than trying to sqeese your current canopy . just my thought Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #11 December 31, 2003 Its never a good idea to downsize for speed but never use the potential that a larger canopy has. Its a lot safer to wring proformance out of a canopy and come up lacking then it is toget over your head by not pushing a smaller canopy that much.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
