hagar 0 #1 January 18, 2003 I currently fly a Stiletto 170 @1.1, but I have got an offer (that I can't refuseI got about 50 jumps before I am allowed to fly a canopy at 1.3. Do you have any suggestions about what to focus on during those 50 jumps to be better prepared for the new canopy?--- PCSS #10 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skeletor 0 #2 January 18, 2003 QuoteDo you have any suggestions about what to focus on during those 50 jumps to be better prepared for the new canopy? PLF's..... don't expect that once you hit a certain number of jumps you'll be ready to fly a smaller canopy. Downsize when you feel comfortable.. A "great deal" on a canopy might just cost you a few days in hospital and 6 months of no jumping.... rich Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #3 January 18, 2003 Over the next 50 jumps learn everything you possibly can about flying your Stiletto 170. Once you have learned how to extract every ounce of performance from your 170, the 150 will be easy to fly, you will just have to remember to keep your head a bit farther out in front of the canopy. The Australian Parachute Federation published an excellent manual on High Performance Parachute Handling back in 1995. http://www.apf.asn.au/apf_admin/downloads/hpcanopyhandling.pdf Practice the exercises in the APF manual until you can gracefully do all the exercises that billvon recommends before downsizing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #4 January 18, 2003 Flat turns, flat turns, flat turns. First up high, but then down low. You need to be able to do flat turns at very low altitudes. _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimbo 0 #5 January 18, 2003 QuoteProblem is; I haven't mastered the 170 yet. Then wait. By the time that you have mastered the 170 there will be other deals, maybe even better than the deal you think you can't pass up. Canopies are cheap, the ER is expensive. - Jim"Like" - The modern day comma Good bye, my friends. You are missed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverdriver 5 #6 January 18, 2003 Quote I currently fly a Stiletto 170 @1.1, but I have got an offer (that I can't refuseI got about 50 jumps before I am allowed to fly a canopy at 1.3. Do you have any suggestions about what to focus on during those 50 jumps to be better prepared for the new canopy? You know, deals come and deals go. No deal is an "offer you can't refuse". Do it when you are ready. Who knows. You might not have the air skills to fly that canopy for a couple hundred jumps. I would certainly get with a canopy coach and have an honest evaluation done before going to the next canopy. Canopy deals come and go. Broken bones are forever. I'm 32 now and I had a slight fracture of the ankle at age 16 during soccer (in the US. It's Football everywhere else). I still feel it to this day. Billvon has a nice list of skills and abilities that you need to demonstrate before downsizing. I recommend you do a search on these forums or send Billvon a PM asking what they are. It should at least give you specific direction in what you need to achieve. Chris Schindler Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #7 January 18, 2003 QuoteCanopies are cheap, the ER is expensive. And even in places with "free" medical care, pain still sucks and not being able to jump 'cuz you're in pain still sucks. Master that 170 before downsizing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hagar 0 #8 January 18, 2003 That is of course the boring but correct answer, the thing I know I SHOULD do....--- PCSS #10 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kirils 1 #9 January 18, 2003 Straight stuff here: If you "haven't mastered a 170 yet" you are really making a mistake moving to a 150. Don't be stupid and end up a statistic. Read the fatality reports and you will see downsizing too early kills people. Fly smart and fly safe!"Slow down! You are too young to be moving that fast!" Old Man Crawfish Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverdriver 5 #10 January 18, 2003 QuoteThat is of course the boring but correct answer, the thing I know I SHOULD do.... Hagar, I know you are safety conscious, otherwise you wouldn't be asking these questions. Really, send Billvon a PM about this and I'm sure he'll send you a list of things to think about. It's not that you can't downsize. It's that people sure don't want to read about you in the incidents forum. You have people who don't know you caring about your safety. Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
murrays 0 #11 January 19, 2003 good deals are like buses..if you miss one, another one will come along shortly....You've gotten lots of good advice on downsizing safely, don't let a "good deal" cloud your judgment.-- Murray "No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimbo 0 #12 January 19, 2003 QuoteReally, send Billvon a PM about this and I'm sure he'll send you a list of things to think about. We've all seen Bill's list before, here's something to think about. Bill's list isn't a list of things you should be able to do once, it's something you should be able to do every single time you're faced with the prospect of landing. Remember, this sport doesn't tolerate mistakes. Many mistakes are usually met with a trip to the ER or worse. I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't downsize, but please, know what you're getting into before you do. - Jim"Like" - The modern day comma Good bye, my friends. You are missed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
f1freak 0 #13 January 20, 2003 ok, you sound like you have a brain, just ask yourself if you feel ready to fly the 150, everyone is different..... I mean i personally wasnt overwhelmed when i flew the stiletto 150 after only a few jumps on my sabre old 170.... That said...... i was really trying to learn HP landings under my 170 and smacked in hard.... so i would also ask how you fly, do you like to push it, are you into the swoop? a 1.3 loading isnt all that bad, i just hope that you respect the canopy if you decide to make the trade...HAVE FUN... ...JUST DONT DIE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,998 #14 January 20, 2003 >Do you have any suggestions about what to focus on during those 50 jumps to >be better prepared for the new canopy? Easy; master it. Make sure you can: flat turn, at least 90 degrees at 50 feet flare turn, at least 45 degrees land in a 10 meter circle land in no wind and crosswind land with rear risers land on slight uphills and downhills double front approaches with a stiletto, body steer on opening Once you can do all that confidently, you're probably ready for a smaller canopy. If you don't learn it on the 170 you'll never learn it on the 150; you'll be too busy 'being careful' to learn how to fly the canopy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #15 January 20, 2003 The other thing that you want to consider is this: You WILL biff in under the 150. You will cartwheel accross the desert, you'll have people occaisionally holding up signs reading "9.5" after you (try to) land. You need to decide now what degree of injury you're willing to accept when that happens. Sprains, minor breaks, major breaks, or worse. _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimbo 0 #16 January 20, 2003 Answer these questions. * What's wrong with your 170? * What do you think you will gain from getting the 150? - Jim"Like" - The modern day comma Good bye, my friends. You are missed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hagar 0 #17 January 20, 2003 What is wrong with the 170: -Not much. It could have been a bit more rigid but other than that, I love it. What I hope to gain: -Sharper turns, more rigid wing that flies more like a Stiletto is supposed to do. -A free 'upgrade', I think the 170 might be hard to sell otherwise. (I know money is not supposed to be an issue when choosing canopy...)--- PCSS #10 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
