will he kill himself??

[Groumph 0]

Let him jump.
But make sure you send the story to the Darwin Awards !

More seriously, be at ease, no DZO will let him get on the plane w/ a 135 sqft canopy.

[drenaline 0]

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no DZO will let him get on the plane w/ a 135 sqft canopy.

Be sure to tell the DZO before it happens.

HISPA 21
www.panamafreefall.com

[PhreeZone 20]

>More seriously, be at ease, no DZO will let him get on the plane w/ a 135 sqft canopy.

I could get a whole new rig with a Wizbang 75 and the pilots, DZO, STA etc would all be oblivious to it. Untill someone tells them, they don't know the difference. Don't count on others to notice things like that.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[DYEVOUT 0]

How big is your Safire? - How big are you?
I'm a newbie (AFF #12), and I've been messing with the rear risers on my Manta 288 student rig for a few jumps. It seems I can steer almost exactly as well with the risers, or the toggles. When I buy my 230, is this going to change for the better, or worse? I find it somewhat comforting to know that a busted steering line isn't gonna freak me out too much.

----------------=8^)----------------------
"I think that was the wrong tennis court."

[billvon 2,991]

>More seriously, be at ease, no DZO will let him get on the plane w/ a
> 135 sqft canopy.

Oh, I have seen far, far worse. As time goes on we will start to see people with 50 jumps jumping sub-100 foot canopies. "How ridiculous!" you say. Well, ten years ago, jumping a 150 square foot ZP at 200 jumps was considered courting death; now such a canopy is pushed as a good, conservative first canopy at 100 jumps. Even today we have new jumpers who are absolutely convinced that they have to downsize until they get good landings. After all, look at a typical DZ - the people with big canopies biff, the people with tiny little canopies get really cool, smooth landings. Which landing would they rather have?

[dterrick 0]

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look at a typical DZ - the people with big canopies biff, the people with tiny little canopies get really cool, smooth landings. Which landing would they rather have?

I betcha most 'bigg biff canopies' are tired old ones like mine (a Raven II @ 0.95:1 that opens like a reserve, flies like a 747, and lands like a round). I also betcha those biffers (like me) are going to come out waaaay ahead when they have the money to buy something decent and the numbers to back it up. And, I betcha those pilots will, like me, will stay conservative on wing loadings but amaze people with what CAN be done with them.

Yesterday I was loaned a Sabre 210 (fresh reline). We were on wind hold all day but all of a sudden, at sunset, the wind dropped to nil. Time for one hop'n'pop. The opening seemed SOFT (Sabre?). Working the risers like I did my Raven actually DID something progressive. In full glide I actually was GLIDING, not sinking, and it felt like I had twice as much manouver time as I should. The landing? COMPLETE control and a progressive flare that put my second (and final) step on the cookie!

***

I'm not too proud to consider flying a 210 for a season. Yes, I know, it's too big. It's too slow. Bla bla bla. Hey... all this time I've been landing the Raven, projecting a mental image of final, and having the canopy 'disagree' . The Sabre played judge and decided "I" was right. Before I get silly on downsizing I think I'll eat a whole BOX of cookies ...

...The ponds should fear me... ... ... in five or six canopies

Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

[riggerrob 643]

"Not too proud to jump a 210 ..."
B.S. At the end of next season you will be walking out of the bowl - after stomping another disc - while they are waiting for their legs to heal.
The most important thing - in the long run - is walking away from all your landings.

[billvon 2,991]

>I betcha most 'bigg biff canopies' are tired old ones like mine (a
> Raven II @ 0.95:1 that opens like a reserve, flies like a 747, and
> lands like a round). I also betcha those biffers (like me) are going
> to come out waaaay ahead when they have the money to buy
>something decent and the numbers to back it up.

No, I am thinking more along the lines of Spectre 190's, Sabre 170's etc. Often, people who never learn to fly a canopy downsize until they get injured or scared. At that point they can do one of several things:

1. Continue to downsize until they get a canopy "they can land," based on the theory that smaller canopies have better flares etc. Often these people die or leave the sport due to a serious injury.

2. They stay at that size and learn to fly it, whether through a course or through instruction. They may downsize later or not, but at that point they are in pretty good shape.

3. They upsize until their skills match their canopy loading. This is a pretty good strategy compared to (1). However, it leads to the perception that people who jump big canopies aren't very good canopy pilots and don't get great landings, because these sort of people aren't very good pilots.

[Iflyme 0]

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I personally think joking about another skydiver getting hurt or killed under a perfectly good canopy is in very bad taste.

I agree completely.

I like Bill Von's list's of things you should be able to do EVERY time before you downsize.