Canopy advise

[skydiverkeith 1]

Hey guys, I'm very interested in getting into wingsuit flying. Currently, I have 180 jumps and a Sabre 1 150 I'm about to replace due to shitty openings. My question is about wing loading. I'm getting a PD storm. If I end up flying wingsuits with this canopy, would I be better served with a 150 loaded at 1.1/1 or a 135 loaded at 1.22/1?

Blue skies,
Keith Medlock

[DSE 5]

Quote

Hey guys, I'm very interested in getting into wingsuit flying. Currently, I have 180 jumps and a Sabre 1 150 I'm about to replace do to shitty openings. My question is about wing loading. I'm getting a PD storm. If I end up flying wingsuits with this canopy, would I be better served with a 150 loaded at 1.1/1 or a 135 loaded at 1.22/1?

Wingloading choices in any direction won't affect how the wingsuit flies. You'll like the Storm...

[lurch 0]

Not to naysay Spot or anything but personally I'd suggest you hang on to that Sabre. It may give shitty openings during normal skydives but a Sabre 1 is ideal for wingsuit. Seriously. The rest of the crowd I fly with prefer more modern canopies, but I've put maybe 1200 wingsuit flights on a Sabre 1 135 loaded at about 1.2 to 1.3ish and I couldn't be happier with it. Many of the more modern canopies tend to deliver somewhat erratic opening characteristics at the reduced fallrates a wingsuit produces, but the same Sabre 1 that opens hard/erratically at normal fallrates tends to open extremely consistently at reduced fallrates under wingsuit conditions when packed correctly.
I've had such good results with mine that if I could buy a brand new Sabre 1 I would.
Just my experience, your mileage may vary.
-B

Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Agreed. An original Sabre is actually a great wingsuit canopy. Wingsuit openings are entirely different than "regular skydiving" openings. "Straight" and "positive" are good characteristics of wingsuit canopies.

[skydiverkeith 1]

Thanks for the input. Maybe I'll try some subterminal openings on my sabre to see if I can get some consistency...

Blue skies,
Keith Medlock

[DSE 5]

not a naysay at all, Lurch. I figured he's buyin' the Storm anyway.
I have a Sabre 2 150 that I put about 300 jumps on before moving to the Storm. For camera work and wingsuiting both, I like the Storm.
Sabre2 is a great canopy as well. I only have a coupla jumps on a Sabre, and that was before I got into wingsuits, so can't comment on them at subterminal. I know Monkey loves em.'

[monkycndo 0]

Spot, you rang?

I agree with lurch and SM1. The Sabre1 is da bomb for a wingsuit canopy. I have over 300 jumps total on my 170 & 150. Made a couple on a 135. A canopy that opens hard at terminal is often just smooth in a WS. Since they open briskly, it leaves less time for the canopy to hunt and even if you have line twists, the canopy still flies without diving.

If yours has opening issues, check that the lines are in trim. My 170 started to misbehave. A new lineset made all the difference.

Haven't tried the Storm, but have heard many good things about it.

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[Sangi 0]

I'd say pick an 69 JVX (full RDS) with an X-BIRD.

You won't regret it.

"Dream as you'll live forever, live as you'll die today." James Dean

[kallend 2,027]

I just bought a Storm135. Very nice canopy.

DON'T GET A STILETTO!

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[Martini 0]

Brian, Chuck and Sean are all right on about the Sabre as a wingsuit canopy. If it's not opening well it more than likely needs a lineset, you may get better openings with a larger slider but in any case hang on to the Sabre. I have three and don't intend to change. If you ever get to the point where you want more spice in your ride then get a smaller Sabre. (save the downsizing flames, OK?) Meanwhile I think that you'll be amazed at what a new lineset will do for you, way cheaper than a new canopy too.

Sometimes you eat the bear..............