pguyt

Ok, thanks very much for your advice! Just one more question, though. Am I right in thinking that hypothetically, if the closing loop were to be kept under tension and not released, that changing the pins over would not affect the reserve at all? It might seem a trivial question to someone who's seen inside the reserve tray, but I haven't. Not that I would ever want to do something which could even have a possibility of affecting my reserve.

Yes, both. Would it have to be the rigger that packed the reserve to do the job or anyone suitably qualified?

I was thinking that I might like to change the handles on my rig to a different colour (currently dark red jumpsuit / red handles - would change to yellow). I was wondering if its possible to do this without releasing and repacking the reserve? I was thinking you could use something to hold the tension on the closing loop whilst you change the handles over. I suppose I'll talk to a rigger about getting it done, but I would like your opinion as well.

With regards to your first four questions, the only thing I have to say is that the Spectre 190 is a reasonably large and docile canopy which will exhibit a lot of front riser pressure (Q1 - hard to pull down) and a short recovery arc (Q2 - feeling of accelerating upwards). And with question five, check the sticky at the top of this forum with Brian Germain's downsizing chart (link: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3470220;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread). If you want to learn more about the different canopies, explore the manufacturer's websites and the gear section here at dropzone.com is pretty good, but I imagine a Spectre 190 will suit you just fine for a couple of hundred jumps.

http://bpa.org.uk/where-can-i-jump/ The drop zone you choose will depend more on where you're staying / what transport you have / who you know. Netheravon has quite a lot of wingsuiters, but you'll find a few wherever you go.