HendrickVDecken

Well, I jumped it. Feels faster but the flare is not far from the Spectre. Stood it up. I don't really get what all the fuss is about. You pros just don't want us amateurs to have fun.

Would it make you feel better about the situation if you learned I have 3 hours in the tunnel? I'm stable during deployment. But I get what you're saying and I see how a poor body position could be more damaging on a Xfire versus a Nav (the student canopy I started on).

Straight from PD... D. It is not necessary to heavily load a high performance canopy to make it fly and land correctly. This is a common misconception even with many experts. If a person’s canopy is going the speed they are comfortable with, then that should be fine. If they’re not getting good landings on a properly designed canopy flown at a lower wing loading, they’re probably not flaring it correctly. http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/wingload.pdf

I appreciate your replies. The reason I've downsized so quickly is mostly because I haven't felt a difference in canopy speed or control from a 240 to a 170. I figured what's another 21 square feet? I want to start flying my canopy around rather than driving a school bus through the sky. But now the riggers at my DZ have me worried because of all this fully elliptical talk.

Long time creeper, first time poster. I'm FRESH off my A license and I've acquired a Crossfire1 149 main. My last jump was on a Spectre 170. I've stood up 24 of my 26 landings and hit bullseye on more than 10 of those. The two I didn't land were due to tripping while trying to walk it out. I want your opinions on if I should jump it or not. I'd like to add that I get it, it's a more aggressive canopy, if I drop my toggle I'm going to eat dirt and break my leg. But can't every canopy be flown conservatively? I trust myself to flair adequately and on time, what else should I watch out for? I'm prepared for the inevitable onslaught that follows.