wmw999 2,452 #1 September 20, 2002 I just got new gear. I'm in a different situation from some, but I'll still take all of the advice I can get. I'm going from a Dragonfly (effectively) to a Safire 149. I weigh 140 nekkid in the morning before breakfast , so it's not very heavily loaded. I plan on keeping it a long time -- I don't need a lot of canopy thrills. Hey, I have a rafterload of round jumps -- ANY square can be exciting. For those who aren't into antiques, the Dragonfly is about 220 sq. ft. F111; I bought it new as a Firefly, and then had it enlarged after a few years. This was in the mid-80's. I've gotten back into jumping in the last year and a half or so after effectively a 10+ year layoff. Being a geek, I read the book, and have read the PD web page's articles, and what I can find in here about flaring a Safire. My plan is (obviously) to make a couple of solo jumps this weekend (all I have time for unfortunately) and just learn the canopy, and fly conservatively as long as the weather looks OK. I'm NOT very brave any more. Used that all up years ago. But hearing all the stuff about not going too far down in size at once still concerns me. So does borrowing gear, though. So -- anyone have any "you're gonna die" advice for me? Thanks in advance, and if this all sounds too sensible, sorry to wreck your fun 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) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #2 September 20, 2002 Just a tidbit of info, if the Safire was made before this year its actually smaller then a PD style 150 by about 7% surface area. A Safire 149 is much closer to a Sabre2 135 then it is a Sabre2 150 in its flying. I need to call Icarus to get them to send me the serial number list of measurements vs sizing used oneday.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #3 September 20, 2002 What phree said. I flew a Safire 149 that was considerably faster than the Spectre and Sabre 150's I'd been jumping; had I known that I would have gotten one a size larger. If you haven't jumped anything smaller than a 220 in a while, I'd strongly recommend a jump or three on a 190 before jumping your Safire... just to get you kind of used to the higher approach speed you'll see. Regardless, make your first few jumps on the Safire with some wind if at all possible. The Safire is super fun to fly, and once you get the flare dialed in it will turf surf quite nicely. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skymedic 0 #4 September 20, 2002 QuoteThe Safire is super fun to fly, and once you get the flare dialed in it will turf surf quite nicely. yes it will....and yes it is fun...it will also pop you back up into the air once ya figure it out....took my 10-15 jumps to finaly figure it out.....but now I rocketted upward this past weekend....on a relatively bland approach....and it was no wind.... Marc otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tigra 0 #5 September 20, 2002 I guess you still remember how to PLF???? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites fasterfaller 0 #6 September 20, 2002 You are in for a rather unpleasant awakening if you jump right into a 149 . Make a few on larger safires like Lisa said . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites billvon 2,998 #7 September 20, 2002 >So -- anyone have any "you're gonna die" advice for me? My advice would be to get something in the 190 size range, and then jump it until you can land it under any conditions. It's going to be hard to learn under a 149 if you are afraid of it, and only land it straight in because you're worried about turning low etc. Once you can do everything you need to under the bigger canopy (i.e. flare turns, flat turns at 50 feet, blah blah) you will be in much better shape to land the 149. If you do get a 149 first, I would make it a top priority to get to a canopy control class _immediately_ - there is just too much you can't learn under a .7 to 1 F111 canopy, and if you get into a tight spot under an elliptical canopy loaded over 1:1, what you don't know can kill you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites wmw999 2,452 #8 September 22, 2002 Thanks for all the advice; as it turned out, yesterday was basically a no-wind day, and even I could figure out that was a really bad idea. So 1 jump on a 190 (a waste -- at my size, that's more conservative than my F111 Dragonfly), then 2 on a 170. The second was an easy standup after I flared a little late and PLF'd on the first rather than run it out. The nice thing about rental gear, of course, is that PLF's don't hurt even emotionally. Interesting side note -- a friend was there with me; he's a judo instructor, and he said I had really good form in my fall. After teaching for 3+ years, and jumping rounds for probably 500 jumps, I must admit I'm pretty dang comfortable with PLF's. Stood up most of the round jumps, but I always figured that a PLF was cheaper than a ride to the doctor.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) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites DutchSkyCam 0 #9 September 23, 2002 You've got GUTS... (jumping rounds for 500 jumps I mean)... But I still think a big change in size/perfomance is the big killer here... But you seem to do alright... Keep your head up and be carefull (in all conditions)... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
skymedic 0 #4 September 20, 2002 QuoteThe Safire is super fun to fly, and once you get the flare dialed in it will turf surf quite nicely. yes it will....and yes it is fun...it will also pop you back up into the air once ya figure it out....took my 10-15 jumps to finaly figure it out.....but now I rocketted upward this past weekend....on a relatively bland approach....and it was no wind.... Marc otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigra 0 #5 September 20, 2002 I guess you still remember how to PLF???? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fasterfaller 0 #6 September 20, 2002 You are in for a rather unpleasant awakening if you jump right into a 149 . Make a few on larger safires like Lisa said . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,998 #7 September 20, 2002 >So -- anyone have any "you're gonna die" advice for me? My advice would be to get something in the 190 size range, and then jump it until you can land it under any conditions. It's going to be hard to learn under a 149 if you are afraid of it, and only land it straight in because you're worried about turning low etc. Once you can do everything you need to under the bigger canopy (i.e. flare turns, flat turns at 50 feet, blah blah) you will be in much better shape to land the 149. If you do get a 149 first, I would make it a top priority to get to a canopy control class _immediately_ - there is just too much you can't learn under a .7 to 1 F111 canopy, and if you get into a tight spot under an elliptical canopy loaded over 1:1, what you don't know can kill you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,452 #8 September 22, 2002 Thanks for all the advice; as it turned out, yesterday was basically a no-wind day, and even I could figure out that was a really bad idea. So 1 jump on a 190 (a waste -- at my size, that's more conservative than my F111 Dragonfly), then 2 on a 170. The second was an easy standup after I flared a little late and PLF'd on the first rather than run it out. The nice thing about rental gear, of course, is that PLF's don't hurt even emotionally. Interesting side note -- a friend was there with me; he's a judo instructor, and he said I had really good form in my fall. After teaching for 3+ years, and jumping rounds for probably 500 jumps, I must admit I'm pretty dang comfortable with PLF's. Stood up most of the round jumps, but I always figured that a PLF was cheaper than a ride to the doctor.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) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DutchSkyCam 0 #9 September 23, 2002 You've got GUTS... (jumping rounds for 500 jumps I mean)... But I still think a big change in size/perfomance is the big killer here... But you seem to do alright... Keep your head up and be carefull (in all conditions)... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
