...moving to new canopy! Any suggest?

Hi all,
I have about 150jumps and I'm using a PD170 F111tissue and I'm 166lbs...I'm looking for a 0P canopy, easy and safe to use wich will give me soft landing.
What could be the right canopy for me and in wich size?

Thanks
Mario

*250 JUMP WONDER WARNING*

step one, ask your instructors! they know your and your abilities better than most people here.

step two, rule of thumb is 1:1 until 100 jumps (max!), 1.1:1 @ 100, 1.2:1@ 200 etc. that would mean you are looking at something around a 1.1:1 wingloading. at 166 pounds plus gear, you're about 190 out the door. depending on abilities, you're probably looking at a 170. if 166 is your exit weight, then you're probably going to be looking for a 150. i'm assuming the latter is the case as you are already flying a 170 F111.

step 3, you're probably looking for a square canopy in the pilot/sabre2/lotus/spectre 'family'.

step 4, pick some colors, write a cheque and go skydive!

Hi,

You will find the any zero p canopy will give you softer landings then your F111 canopy.

you would probably like to downize to a 150 and that would be appropriate at your level.

A safire 2 150 would be perfect for your needs. or if you like a docile canopy then an Omni or omega would be good.

do not buy a brand ne canopy at this stage because you will be likely to downsize again in another 100-200 jumps. save you money for jump tickets.

There should be plenty of canopies available in that size range.

be safe and have fun,

Rhys

Hi and thanks for the precious indications, my instructor has advised me a Sabre2 150 but I preffer to well investigate before to move to new canopy!

Sabre2 150 or a spectre 150 are the same foe me?

Thanks again
Mario

Try some demo canopies before you decide my first canopy was a Sabre and my current canopy is a spectre love them both but they have very different characteristics flying them is th3e best way to decide

Is 166;bs your exit weight?

Hi,
166lbs is my weight...on land, undressing the rig!
Mario

So your exit weight is around 190?

Yes...my exit weight is 190lbs!
Mario

Quote

Yes...my exit weight is 190lbs!
Mario

A 170 would put you at 1.1 to 1, that is perhaps the safer choice over 1.26.

/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1981329#1981329

Quote

Sabre2 or a Spectre are the same for me?

You will enjoy the landings of a zero-p so much more than an F-111 canopy, so yes by all means if you can afford it, go pick up a zero-p canopy somewhere. Sabre2s and Spectres are both excellent canopies and you would not go wrong with either one. The difference between the two is one is 9 cell (Sabre2) which will glide more and have more of a swoopy landing and the other being a 7 cell (Spectre) which will come in a tad steeper but has excellent and reliable opening characteristics. There are pros and cons to the 9 cell versus 7 cell. If possible demo them both to determine which one you like better.

Also if you are looking for a 9 cell canopy to compare the Sabre2 to, check out the Pilot and Safire2. If you want to compare the 7 cell Spectre to another canopy check out the Triathlon (though personally I feel the Spectre is superior to the Triathlon).

PS: I agree with AFFI, get a 170 over a 150. It will be safer and you will learn more on the 170 at this stage.

Thanks to all for the precious indications, now my idea are more clear!
I think that I'll buy a Sabre2 170!

Thanks again
Mario

Try Safire2 and pilot as well, they are in the same category and offer different options for you.

dont get an origional sabre whatever you do. If you see a cheap one it is cheap for a good reason.

Quote

Thanks to all for the precious indications, now my idea are more clear!
I think that I'll buy a Sabre2 170!

Thanks again
Mario

Good choice!

Are you buying new or used?

If you are going used, it will save you a lot lf $$$ and there are a lot of good canopies you can get second hand. You should really try some demo canopies to see what you like - and there is nothing wrong with a good old Saber (original) if you can get a good deal on it - my wife jumps one and I have around 700 jumps on that type of canopy.

I'm buing an used 170, ita easy to find tis kind of canopy with 200/300 jumps...I preferr to save my money to jump and to improve my experience!

Blue skyes
Mario

Quote

Hi all,
I have about 150jumps and I'm using a PD170 F111tissue and I'm 166lbs...I'm looking for a 0P canopy, easy and safe to use wich will give me soft landing.
What could be the right canopy for me and in wich size?

Thanks
Mario

Gotta agree with AFFI on the loading, but I have a few thoughts to add.

First, if you want a canopy that is safe to use, there isn't one. I think what you really mean is a canopy that is forgiving. By that I mean a canopy that doesn't create huge problems for you when you make small mistakes (packing errors, less-than-optimal fall rate or body position on opening, etc.) and is not overly sensitive to environmental factors (stays inflated in turbulent conditions, easy-to-land in all sorts of wind conditions, elevations and temperatures).

Other things to consider the type of jumping you plan on getting into in the future and any particular canopy learning objectives you may have.

If you freefly, having a canopy that will give a comfortable opening even at a high freefall speed can be a good thing. If you think you might want to try your hand at video, having a canopy that gives consistently soft, on-heading openings is a good thing. For CRW, dacron lines and and non-cascaded center lines and reinforced leading edges are nice. So is a retractable pilot chute system.

For accuracy, a canopy that flies well in deep brakes, without being subject to a sudden and violent stall, is nice.

Pack volume and weight can be a consideration. Ease (or difficulty) of packing is a big deal for some people.

The ability to easily resell the canopy with minimal loss can be a factor if you don't plan on keeping the canopy very long.

Square (actually rectangular) canopies are inherently more stable than ellipticals. By that I mean they are less sensitive to harness, toggle, and riser input and that can be a plus.

I think that one thing to avoid is the assumption that you will want to downsize. You may be quite happy for a long time with what you get.

Anyway, just some thoughts.

Walt

Hi Walt, I'm a novice freeflyer and I think that I'll continue in future too.
Actually my problem is on landing, in fact with F111 tissue without wind I havn't lift during landing!
Excuse me for my bad lenguagge!
Mario

Read this

Buy this book

And have fun

Quote

Hi Walt, I'm a novice freeflyer and I think that I'll continue in future too.
Actually my problem is on landing, in fact with F111 tissue without wind I havn't lift during landing!
Excuse me for my bad lenguagge!
Mario

It is a rare canopy that *cannot* be landed well but you may have one--I don't know. Getting a ZP canopy will not necessarily solve your landing problems. It's best to figure out how to land what you have no matter what you are jumping.

Watch the landings at your DZ on any hot, no-wind day. You're likely to see even some highly-experienced jumpers burning in on landing. The reason for that is that most jumpers take a very mechanical approach to flaring for landing. They really aren't consciously flying their canopy all the way to the ground.

Whatever canopy you jump, the idea is to stall the canopy just as your feet touch the ground because canopies produce maximum lift just before a stall. At least that's the common wisdom, and my experience seems to confirm that.

Anyway, on any jumps between now and the time you start jumping whatever canopy you get, you might want to consider really exploring the flight characteristics of your F-111 canopy and seeing if it *is* possible to get a soft landing out of it.

Walt