RogerRamjet 0 #1 May 12, 2005 First, let me say I have not jumped in 24 years. When I was jumping, wing loading was not even mentioned as far as I can remember. I have been playing catch up lately and when reading in the forums, there is a lot of talk about what wing loading the person is/was at, etc. So.... to give me a frame of reference, I'd like to know roughly what my wing loading was "back in the day." I weighed 135lbs, Wonderhog weighed 23 lbs with Strato-Star and 26' Navy Conical reserve. Clothing probably no more than another 10 lbs. Can someone who knows the sq ft of the Strato-Star and how to make the calulation tell me what I loaded the canopy at? I'd also like to know how the calculation is done so I can determine other people's loading (and my own on other squares I jumped at the time). I know my loading had to be light as I could 1-foot standup the Strato-Star in anything more than 2 mph winds. Sorry if this has been covered before, but a search on "Calculate Wing Loading" turned up nothing useful. ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GQ_jumper 4 #2 May 12, 2005 wing loading is the ratio of pounds of weight per square foot of canopy. ie: 200 pound jumper under a 100 sq ft canopy is a 2:1 wing loading the weight used to calculate wing loading is exit weight, not just body weight. so for me, i'm about 210, plus 20 pounds approx. of gear. 230 out the door total. under a 210 sq ft canopy i'm flying at 1.1:1 wingloading. hope this helps. there is also a wing loading calculator at the top of the canopy piloting forum. just click the link and it brings it up.History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. --Dwight D. Eisenhower Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alvis 0 #3 May 12, 2005 here u'll find all u need to know http://www.myskyshop.com/catalog/information.php/info_id/14?osCsid=c0cca9310bca2dcc13abc3f68e98a421 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RogerRamjet 0 #4 May 12, 2005 Quotewing loading is the ratio of pounds of weight per square foot of canopy. ie: 200 pound jumper under a 100 sq ft canopy is a 2:1 wing loading the weight used to calculate wing loading is exit weight, not just body weight. so for me, i'm about 210, plus 20 pounds approx. of gear. 230 out the door total. under a 210 sq ft canopy i'm flying at 1.1:1 wingloading. hope this helps. there is also a wing loading calculator at the top of the canopy piloting forum. just click the link and it brings it up. Thanks for responding. So, exit weight (not subtracting the weight of the main canopy)... And just sq ft, no adjustment for level of porosity of the material? ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RogerRamjet 0 #5 May 12, 2005 Quote here u'll find all u need to know http://www.myskyshop.com/catalog/information.php/info_id/14?osCsid=c0cca9310bca2dcc13abc3f68e98a421 Good link, thanks: http://www.myskyshop.com/catalog/information.php/info_id/14?osCsid=c0cca9310bca2dcc13abc3f68e98a421 Well, nearly. Anyone know the sq ft of the original Strato-Star? ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cloud9 0 #6 May 12, 2005 Well the Strato Star was a 180sqft canopy. Your weight was 135 + 10lbs for clothes or 145lbs total. Your gear weight was about 30 lbs. so your total weight was about 175 for a wing loading of about .97 Process body weight 175 divided by canopy sq. ft. 180 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jskydiver22 0 #7 May 12, 2005 Exit weight divided by canopy size --I don't even know enough to know that I dont know-- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrewGPM 0 #8 May 12, 2005 Quote...Thanks for responding. So, exit weight (not subtracting the weight of the main canopy)... And just sq ft, no adjustment for level of porosity of the material? You don't include porosity in the equation, but it is a factor when discussing wing loading. A ZP canopy loaded a 1.3 is WAY different from an F-111 loaded at 1.3. When most people talk about wing loading they are assuming ZP fabric. Anyone jumping F-111 needs to take that in to consideration. An F-111 canopy wingloaded at 1.3 is the equivilent of a ZP loaded at _________ I don't know what the relationship is, maybe someone else knows that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #9 May 13, 2005 New, 100 jumps on it, 1000 jumps on it, 2500 jumps on it? F111 got more porses as it got more use and packing. Something at low jumps still might be in hte 0-3cfm airflow level but as it got more jumps on it it will gradually increase to the point that its now 3-5cfm or worse. At those ranges its just there to slow you down. At 0 jumps on either material they are ultra low poresity, at 1000 jumps on each canopy they are very different and its hard to do a direct compairson excet to say the ZP will still be in the ultra low and the F111 might be in the 0-5cfm range.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RogerRamjet 0 #10 May 13, 2005 QuoteNew, 100 jumps on it, 1000 jumps on it, 2500 jumps on it? F111 got more porses as it got more use and packing. Something at low jumps still might be in hte 0-3cfm airflow level but as it got more jumps on it it will gradually increase to the point that its now 3-5cfm or worse. At those ranges its just there to slow you down. At 0 jumps on either material they are ultra low poresity, at 1000 jumps on each canopy they are very different and its hard to do a direct compairson excet to say the ZP will still be in the ultra low and the F111 might be in the 0-5cfm range. And.. doesn't it follow then that your wing loading will go up some as porosity does? Is that canopy at jump one which you are loading at 1.0 actually more like 1.2 at 1000 jumps (arbitrary figures of course)? Thanks everyone for your input, I calculate my Strato-Star wing loading to have been about .94 based on my exit weight at the time (135lbs me, 10lbs clothes, 24lbs rig). ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #11 May 13, 2005 QuoteAnd.. doesn't it follow then that your wing loading will go up some as porosity does? Performance will change as porosity changes (or is it permeability? I always get those mixed up). Wingloading only changes if you change the size of the canopy or the weight of the jumper. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #12 May 13, 2005 The reason that WL was never an issue in the old days, is that an F-111 canopy has a pretty conservative operational window in regards to loading. They simply won't slow down and flare with too much weight. For this reason, most jumpers were jumping a conservative WL as a factor of equipment limitations. A ZP canopy, on the other hand, can provide good landings at loadings up to 2.5 or 3.0 to 1. For this reason, you can't count on the operational limits of the equipment to be the limiting factor. This is why WL has become a known quantity, and is used to judge the approximate performance you can expect from a given wing. Why many jumpers pay no attention to these numbers, and load canopies up beyond their own abilities is beyond me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
