Poll: canopies for wingsuits

[gus 1]

Before I bought a wingsuit (yesterday, yeah!) I was planning on saving for a new rig for next summer but now I'm not so sure - specifically about how wise it is to downsize or get a higher performace canopy.

So what I want to know is:
(1) What your canopy is
(2) What your wingloading is
(3) What your openings have been like with your wingsuit

I'll start:
(1) Spectre 135
(2) 1.3:1
(3) Only 10 wingsuit jumps but openenings were flawless! One 180 degree turn but that was caused by me turning slightly during deployment.

Come on, this should be interesting!

Gus

OutpatientsOnline.com

[cpoxon 0]

Firsrt rig, was a Teardrop classic with a

(1) Sabre 190
(2) 1.15
(3) Pretty good. Very docile, predictable and on-heading

Did 26 jumps with this configuration (1 classic jump and the rest GTi) and then I went to the Christmas boogie at Empuria last year. I didn't have the baggage allowance to take both rigs and although it was elliptical and more highly loaded I elected to take my Voodoo with a

(1) Crossfire 149
(2) 1.5
(3) Not bad. From normal freefall, my Crossfire is a very slow opener. 800-900 ft+, causing me to have to initiate my deployment at 3000 ft. It opens within a more reasonale altitude like 500 ft: a) after a Speed Dive and I'm doing 150 mph after slowing down on my belly in my gimp suit b) after a wingsuit dive, due to the horizontal vector of movement during deployment.

My Crossfire is a canopy like likes to "hunt" (canopy points left and right during inflation but generally ends up on heading). I don't know if it's the lower airspeed or my body position in the suit (which I'm given to believe) but I do have more off-heading openings with the Crossfire.

I have had a couple of "serious" twists (4-5 in the riser) with the Crossfire but the Crossfire flew straight and level as I took the twists out (I guess the riser twists must have been level). One of the twists I really had to kick out, the other one I natually untwisted with little input as quickly as I'd twisted up.

I tend to deploy at 3000 feet with my Skyflyer and Crossfire since the minimal loss in altitude on deployment still gives me time to deal with anything (well, we'll see).

I've now done 56 wingsuit jumps with the Crossfire, 30 on the Gti and 26 on the Skyflyer.

I should also mention that I had the line mod carried out just prior to first jumping it with a wingsuit.

[maretus 0]

(1) Stiletto 120
(2) 1.5
(3) In general, very nice. Normal Stiletto openings, it likes to search for heading and turn slightly but overall very manageable. Only had linetwists couple of times and had no problems with them.

http://www.ufufreefly.com

[GroundZero 0]

Xaos-21 88

2.10

All very nice openings, i used to slow down then sit up on my knees to dump, but now i prefer to dump in full flight...

Chris

[JGarcia 0]

I jump a Xaos-21 108 loaded at 1.85. Most of my jumps are video jumps (although my new Skyflyer is definately competing for my time). I have limited wingsuit experience, but thought I'd throw in my $0.02. I did 7 jumps on a GTi, and now I have 3 on my Skyflyer, all with this canopy. Had one bad line twist on the GTi, but I know that I didn't have the best body position on that one.... The Xaos is very stable with line twists, so I unzipped, then undid the twists. Since then, I've found that it really helps <> openings if I arch hard for a couple of seconds with all wings collapsed, then throw out my PC.
I really don't think that flying a small(er), high(er) performing canopy with a wingsuit factors in as much as some would think. Canopy skill is paramount. Read GroundZero's post, he's jumping an 88. Jari, Vladi, and many others are also jumping sub 90, or sub 80 mains with their wingsuits. I'm not saying that <> the way to go, but as long as one is comfortable with one's abilities and canopy, adding a wingsuit to the equation doesn't complicate things too much more. So when trying to decide if you should downsize or not, let your canopy piloting experience, skill, and patience to learn the nuances of your new wing be the deciding factors, not so much whether or not you'll be flying a wingsuit.
--Jairo

Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

[vesatoro 0]

in the beginning...
(1) Contrail 105
(2) 1.5
(3) too slow (200-300m) and the canopy changing the direction all the time. Full flight deployments were much worse than when some vertical speed was gained before opening. (one reserve ride caused by major line twists and spinning.The container was unmodified Mirage G3)

now flying
(1) Extreme FX79
(2) 2.0
(3) I have about 100 wingsuit flights with this canopy, with no big problems. First I used to get some vertical speed before pulling, but later noticed that it opens much better from full flight. Most of the openings are precisely on heading and very comfortable. Line twists have occurred two or three times, but with no spinning at all.

Rig: Mirage G3 with modified main container (modified after the first reserve ride:)
Suit: Skyflyer

Vesa Toropainen
BMI

"Fear is the path to the Dark side"
(Master Yoda)

[gus 1]

Quote

modified after the first reserve ride

What was the mod? Do you jump with a longer bridle/bigger pilot chute?

Gus

OutpatientsOnline.com

[PhreeZone 20]

Or did you cut the corners in the rig to let it open better?

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[tomblin 0]

canopy: Safire 149
rig: Mirage G3
suit: GTi
wing loading: 1.45

BM Jump #1: Very Fast Opening, yet on-heading despite being head low upon deloyment.

BM Jump #2: Very Fast Opening, got hit by either my risers (or container) hard enough to give me a bloody nose & a scrape along the front of my face.

BM Jump#3-7: Very Soft & On-Heading Openings...

I think my problem with my first two jumps had to do with insisting on pulling like I was taught which included leaving my leg's as straight as possible. Around jump #3 I started arching like a Mo_Fo for a couple seconds before deployment & then throwing out. Also I starting packing my D-Bag bridle side up & lines straight down instead of rotating the bag.

With the suit my openings have gone from my normal 800 ft opening to some-where around 400 foot openings (at least when it opens soft)....

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

I jump an H-mod Cobalt 75 and a Competition Cobalt 75 loaded at 2.3 and a Xaos 21 69.5 loaded about 2.41. I have only had one spinner, but that was because a brake came undone. Otherwise, I have absolutely no problems jumping either of these canopies with either my GTi or my SkyFlyer. I jump a nine foot bridle monkeyfist kill-line pc and pack my lines straight toward my back with the grommet sticking up.

Chuck

[Macaulay 0]

(1) Sabre 120
(2) 1.5
(3) Usually a little harder than without the suit. Line twists a couple times, but the canopy still flies straight. A couple off-heading opening due to deploying with uneven wings.

- Mac

[VectorBoy 0]

Quote

I jump an H-mod Cobalt 75 and a Competition Cobalt 75 loaded at 2.3 and a Xaos 21 69.5 loaded about 2.41. I have only had one spinner, but that was because a brake came undone. Otherwise, I have absolutely no problems jumping either of these canopies with either my GTi or my SkyFlyer. I jump a nine foot bridle monkeyfist kill-line pc and pack my lines straight toward my back with the grommet sticking up.

Chuck

Chuck what size pilot chutes do you use? Glen.

[vesatoro 0]

I have both mods

I modified the main container after the reserve ride (removed 2/3 of the stitching between the side flaps and bottom flap) I now also have 2 feet longer bridle than the original Mirage, and a bit bigger pilot chute. And the openings are nice.
Vesa

"Fear is the path to the Dark side"
(Master Yoda)

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Glen,
I use 22 and 24 inch ZP pilot chutes interchangeably with no seeming difference in opening "feel".

Chuck

[ernokaikkonen 0]

Ok since everyone is only posting if they're flying some sorta pocket-rocket, I'll post on behalf of the more conservative birdmen:

First 8 or so flights:
-Maverick 200sqft in an unmodified Vector2
-loaded <1.0
-Mostly ok, once had about 10 linetwists. Not a problem because of the square footage over my head.

the next few jumps:
-TurboZX 145 in said Vector2
-loaded about 1.3
-Openings just fine ever since I've remembered to kill the forward speed before opening.

Erno

[cobaltdan 0]

i jump a cobalt 95 (loading ~2.1) in a javen rs packed with bridal facing the pin. 22" zp kill line pilot and always deploy in a full track. cobalts are ideal wingsuit canopies, stable, no problem with twists and love being dumped in tracks....

i have an extra javelin tjn and plan to make it my dedicated wingsuit rig (i hate doing up the laces) with a cobalt 120 and possibly an extended bridal.

sincerely,

dan<><>

btw. birdman jari always chose to jump an atair alpha until he received a rich promotional sponsorship from another company. robert (birdman designer) still chooses to jump atair canopies.

Daniel Preston <><>
atairaerodynamics.com (sport)
atairaerospace.com (military)

[SkyFlyer 0]

Dan-

I just got a 95 Cobalt loaded 1.8 with a 22" ZP PC. Have you had any issues with the small PC flopping in the burble? I pitch hard and dump in a track so don't envision problems but thought I'd ask. Also, any specific things to watch when winging it with the Cobalt? (Oh, love my Troll too.)

Baxter.

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Hey Baxter, good to hear from you. Do you sit up after you throw, or do you stay in a track until you are snatched up? Do you pack with the grommet to the pin like Dan and I (and Jari, etc, etc) do, or are you still rotating your bag? As far as the pilot chute thing goes, both Dan and I use small ZP pilot chutes with no problem in our wingsuit flying.

Chuck

[SkyFlyer 0]

Hey Chuck- Thanks for responding. One of the reasons I got the Cobalt was seeing how well you swooped it at the ASC meet earlier in the Summer. Sponsorship does some good after all! I figured you had to be winging it with the Cobalt as well and my main concern was the smaller PC.

I'm packing grommet to pin so that extraction is more direct and positive. I also like to stay in a track, which after reading Dan's posts in this thread, seems the way to go with the Cobalt.

c-ya.

Baxter.

[rcjump 0]

Hay Chuck did the 22"p\c have any delay or problums noted or burbal problums...

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Not at all. Having the longer bridle really makes a difference though; before that, I had some "slow" openings.

[rcjump 0]

Thanks Chuck, from S.K. and I'll give Jim a call and have him make a new bridle. Thanks for the info. Will soar soon, keep up the flocking.

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Hey Baxter,
I will be down there again the last weekend in October for the swoop meet, so look for me. I will bring both of my suits with me and will not be in a hurry to get back to NC this time, so lets do some flocking!

Chuck

[SkyFlyer 0]

Cool Chuck, we'll definitely get in some flights. There are a few others with suits now so a 4 or 5 way is a possibility!

c-ya.

[arlo 0]

Quote

sincerely,

dan<><>

btw. birdman jari always chose to jump an atair alpha until he received a rich promotional sponsorship from another company. robert (birdman designer) still chooses to jump atair canopies.

hmmmmmmmm.......is that so?

arlo