How aggressively did you down size?

Interested to know people's accounts of how quickly or aggressively they down sized canopy.

Please, this is not a thread for people to start preaching the dangers of downsizing. We are not all created equal and different folks are willing to take more risks than others. To some this is silly but to the majority, jumping out of a plane in the first place is just plain stupid (let's not forget that).

Let's hear your downsizing story (good or bad).

I did my AFF on a Nav 240, did about 20 jumps on it, my most recent 10 were on a 290.....

Tri-220 1-20 .88 WL
Sabre 2 190- 20-40 .94 wl
Sabre 2 170/Pilot 168- 40-300 1.05 wl
Pilot 150-300-900ish 1.2- 1.5
Chilli 130- 900ish till 1000 1.7 wl

Very.

First downsize at jump #5.
Sabre2 150 (WL 1.3) at jump 40.
Katana 135 (WL 1.5) at jump 150.
Katana 120 (WL 1.7) at around 300 jumps.

Why? I just kept wanting more speed.

I bounced hard with HP landings. Twice. Was lucky.

Definitely not what is recommended.

I started on a Navigator 210 and was on a Sabre 170 when I graduated AFF with 20 jumps. (It was 20 jumps for an A license then) On jump 21 I was sold a Spectre 135. I stayed at that size for about 10 years... I now jump a Xaos 88 and have been on this wing for almost 4 years.

Jump# 4, 215 something
Jumps #5-29, 175 something
Jumps 30-150, sabre 135 @ 1.06
Jumps 150-300, sabre 120 @ 1.3
Jumps 300-400, katana 120 @1.3
Jumps 400-till, katana 107 @1.5

Ive always been the conservative type

First 800 or so on a 200 Maveric.

next 800 on heatwave 120

then crossfire 109 for 800 circa

then various cross braces mainly JVX

Not aggressive, then idiotically aggressive

First 50 jumps was a mix of 260s to 210s
#50-400 Sabre2 190 WL 1 (1 canopy course)
#400-800 Storm 150 WL 1.3 (1 canopy course)

#800-850 Storm 120 WL 1.6
#850-900 Katana 107 WL 1.8
#900-950 Velo 96 WL 2
#950-1050 Velo 90 WL 2.1 (1 canopy course)

about to downsize to velo 84 WL 2.3

*250 jumps on a Fox 266 WL 0.7

p.s. I learned 270s on my Storm 150. I have been accelerating my landings since jump #100.

First 2 years:
1-30 Manta 288
30-120 Fury 210

next three years
120-450 Saber 2 170 1.3 WL (at about 200 jumps I took a swooping course and started doing drills and HP landings)

450-900 crossfire 2 135 1.7WL (With the crossfire I was doing 270 by 900)

900-950 Velo 111 2.0 WL (Just doing some transition to cross braced landings and stuff)

950-Current JVX 94 2.5 WL (I am still not touching front risers, having a lot fun just doing harness turns I can land this in any conditions as long as the gust difference is not 10 mph + and landing on rears

First 18 jumps on Manta 280/[email protected]
19-30: Navigator [email protected]
30-65: Sabre II [email protected]
65-103: Sabre [email protected]
103-150: Pulse [email protected]
150-300: Sabre [email protected]
300-480: Sabre II [email protected]
480-present: Crossfire II [email protected]

Too aggressively.

Looking back, I was lucky I didn't get hurt, and on at least one time I was lucky I didn't hurt someone else.

The sad part is, at the time I thought I was actually being careful

1-30 Manta 210 @ 0.94
30 - 120 Sabre 190 @ 1.04
120 - 400 Crossfire 2 139 @ 1.42
400 - 500 Crossfire 2 119 @ 1.66
500 - 1000 Neos 94 @2.10
gained some weight (muscle mostly) ;P
1000 to 1500 Xaos 27 96 @ 2.30
1500 to now JFX 89 @ 2.60

Rounding the jump numbers to the nearest ballpark, as don't have my logbook to hand. I'm about 180lbs out the door.
1-30: Various rental gear ranging from 240-190
30-60: PD190
60-100: PD170
100-400: Pilot 150
400-450: Pilot 132
450-500: Pilot 124
500-530: Pilot 117
530-570: Mix of CrossfireII 109 & Ext-FX 107
570-623: Mix of Odyssey 105 and Demon 100.

Definitely faster downsizing towards the latter part. This was mostly due to me not really feeling much difference in the various Pilots as they got smaller. So I wasn't getting the step up and fun I was really hoping for when I did those downsizes.

That led to a change to full ellipticals, which started to give me the fun and performance I was after. And the last two canopies on the list are ones I'm really, really enjoying just now, although due to pack volume sizes (the Demon packs VERY big for its size) I'm changing the Demon to a Chili in the same size, as apparently it packs much smaller. That way I can put the canopy I want in the container I want. Right now I got what I consider my main canopy (the Odyssey) in what I consider my 2nd rig. Can't be having that!!

student canopies until about jump 30.
30-60 sabre2 190
60-200 spectre 150/sabre1 150
200-290 safire2 129/pilot 132 @ 1.65

way too aggressively

I'll share my canopy progression with you, not saying it's right but this is what I did.

I started skydiving in August 2008 and I am 46 years of age now.

I weighed 187lbs out of the door

Jump #1 to #30 on a 260sq ft WL = 0.71
Jump #2 to #42 on a 220sq ft WL = 0.85
Jump #43 to #157 on a 210 sq ft WL = 0.89
Jump #158 to #278 on a Storm 190sq ft WL = 0.98
Jump #279 to #563 on a Sabre2 170sq ft WL = 1.10
Jump #564 to #614 on a Sabre 2 150sq ft WL = 1.24
Jump #615 to #737 on a Xfire2 129sq ft WL = 1.44
Jump #738 to #1057 on a Xfire2 119sq ft WL = 1.57
Jump #1058 to #1442 on a Xfire2 109sq ft WL = 1.71
Jump #1442 to #1806 on a JVX 99sq ft WL = 2.0 (I'd put on some weight)
Jump #1806 to#1991 on a JVX 89sq ft WL = 2.2 (I've lost some weight now :-))

Started jumping my own rig at jump #158 at a WL of 0.98.

Now I'm not saying I'm right, but I changed canopy size each time with the express permission of my DZO and of course I've scared myself a few times. I also badly sprained my ankle 4 months ago and I'm back in the air tomorrow for the first time since under a parachute, already been back under a paraglider.

Tomorrow I'll be returning to the sky under a 170sq ft WL of 1.14 at least for a few jumps........

1-5: triathalon 225
6-20: triathalon 190
21-30: triathalon 175
31-68: sabre 1 170
69-250: Safire 2 159
251-present: nitro 150

I fluctuated between 190-220 exit weight.


Jumping mostly at a c-182 dz, pulling high and open airspace helps to learn canopy flight. A good coach helps too I guess.

uberchris

200-290 safire2 129/pilot 132 @ 1.65

way too aggressively

No kidding!

So what are you jumping now that you have decided that?

here comes the lecturing

^just stop it. This thread is not about this shit and it sure as shit does not need to devolve into another witch hunt. I hate having to point this out as it is the same distraction.

p.s. the guy has a 100 base jumps, some of which have taken place in PNW, on top of his 300 skydives. The guy also speed flies. He knows how to fly wings.

When you think you're ready to downsize invest in a weight belt and strap on enough lead(within reason like under 35 lbs) to get to the same wingloading you will be under the new canopy. Jump it a few times and decide if you're comfortable enough with the canopy speed and flight characteristics to land crosswind, downwind, half brakes, no brakes(ie land with rears). Remember this will be your new wingloading IN ALL CONDITIONS!!! Find a wingloading you're comfortable with and use that as your base. If you want to target a specific wingloading above 2:1 to focus on canopy piloting or on occasion just go faster simply strap on the lead.

pilot 132.
im going to be selling my pilot and getting a sabre1 135. its not a huge step up but at least its a rectangle and its a bit bigger. its the absolute biggest i can fit in my container. i was one of the foolish ones who bought a container FIRST thinking about way ahead in the game to which donwsized canopy would fit nice in it, instead of picking a main and getting a container built around that.

yes im an idiot. but this post wasnt intended to flame decisions.

ridebmxbikes

Jump# 4, 215 something
Jumps #5-29, 175 something
Jumps 30-150, sabre 135 @ 1.06
Jumps 150-300, sabre 120 @ 1.3
Jumps 300-400, katana 120 @1.3
Jumps 400-till, katana 107 @1.5

Ive always been the conservative type

Honestly not trying to be an ass: Is a 1.5 wing loading on a Katana at 400 jumps really what people are considering conservative these days? While it certainly isn't the most aggressive downsizing I've ever seen, I wouldn't call it conservative by any stretch.

I think it's just another sign of the times of what people's definitions of what "conservative" and "aggressive" are.

While I did swap out to fly a Pulse from a Stiletto a while back because of the openings since I'm almost always flying camera, I was always amazed at how people saw my 1.6 wing loading on an elliptical canopy (the Stiletto) somehow "super conservative" (even given the fact I had a decent number of jumps already, roughly 2,000-plus, when I first started jumping them).

Ironically, most of the people playfully giving me shit back then (and even some here and there these days too) were guys I had personally seen get loaded into (or worked on until they got loaded into) an ambulance as a result of a botched landing on their highly loaded canopies.

(This is definitely not a jab at the poster's downsizing schedule or an attempt to get on a soap box; it's just an observation on how perceptions seem to truly have changed tons these last couple decades on what a typical "conservative" approach is to downsizing.)

Without sharing too much....With just 12 months in the sport I went to Quincy 99 and a Demoed a new canopy that PD had just came out with. It was called the Velocity. A 96. After a few jumps in light variable winds with people landing different directions I came to the quick understanding that the convention was not the place to be learning that canopy with just a year of jumping including Wisconsin winter and went back to my regular canopy for the rest of the convention.

Freeflaw

here comes the lecturing

Who is lecturing?

It's nice of you to defend the guy, but I don't think he needs it and I'm not sure what you're defending him from. It was his own assessment that his downsizing was (and I quote) too aggressive.

airbigdaddy

***Jump# 4, 215 something
Jumps #5-29, 175 something
Jumps 30-150, sabre 135 @ 1.06
Jumps 150-300, sabre 120 @ 1.3
Jumps 300-400, katana 120 @1.3
Jumps 400-till, katana 107 @1.5

Ive always been the conservative type

Honestly not trying to be an ass: Is a 1.5 wing loading on a Katana at 400 jumps really what people are considering conservative these days? While it certainly isn't the most aggressive downsizing I've ever seen, I wouldn't call it conservative by any stretch.


You are right in my opinion... even the move before it, wingloading is ok but canopy choice is most definitely not!

mx19

******Jump# 4, 215 something
Jumps #5-29, 175 something
Jumps 30-150, sabre 135 @ 1.06
Jumps 150-300, sabre 120 @ 1.3
Jumps 300-400, katana 120 @1.3
Jumps 400-till, katana 107 @1.5

Ive always been the conservative type

Honestly not trying to be an ass: Is a 1.5 wing loading on a Katana at 400 jumps really what people are considering conservative these days? While it certainly isn't the most aggressive downsizing I've ever seen, I wouldn't call it conservative by any stretch.


You are right in my opinion... even the move before it, wingloading is ok but canopy choice is most definitely not!

I think some people missed a bit of sarcasm about his downsizing.