Batwing: how many still flying

[davelepka 4]

Here's whats funny about this post, when you wrote this -

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Might be fun to build an ROL or spring-loaded PC to fly one of the old ones,

- I thought it was an 'old school gear' dig at the Batwing canopy, as-in you would need an outdated deployment system to jump an outdated canopy.

Then I read on -

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provided the fabric is still good and the broomstick or aluminum ribs have been replaced with something that won't pierce the body in a bad landing.

- and had a similar moment of confusion to the others, but it clicked a minute later that you were talking about a rigid structure wingsuit.

For the record, the Batwing was an answer to the Stiletto, and never caught on to the degree that the Stiletto did. Still a good canopy, and I woulnd't be surprised to see one in the air anywhere. I'm sure there are a bunch of them in closets just waiting to be sold off for cheap.

That purple-camo everyone keeps talking about was some sort of printed-on ZP fabric they used on some of them. It was called 'Cosmic-something' because if you looked close, the purple background was like outer space, and there were little stars, galaxies and planets printed all over the place. Pretty cool, but I don't think it lasted as long as the plain ZP, and even then not all ZP was created equal in those days. PD had the best stuff, but even they had a run of 'bad' ZP when there were offering metallic silver (and I think gold) as color options. The rest of the canopy would be fine, but within a few hundered jumps the silver or gold portions would be badly faded and noticably thinnner/weaker.

[Andy9o8 2]

I swear to God I, too, thought the title was about the old wingsuits. Makes sense, considering I started jumping in the 70s, but took a hiatus through (and past) all of the 90s.

Take Gremlins. (Huh??) To those of us of a certain age, it means this:

http://www.carlustblog.com/images/2008/04/16/gremlin2.jpg


So you might say DSE's thought was, uh.. Spot-on.

[RIGGER160 0]

Yeah I think I have seen him chop more than anybody else lol

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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That purple-camo everyone keeps talking about was some sort of printed-on ZP fabric they used on some of them. It was called 'Cosmic-something' because if you looked close, the purple background was like outer space, and there were little stars, galaxies and planets printed all over the place.

IIRC the galaxy pattern was more blue.

Mine had purplish print fabric with abstract art patterns which may have been sold as Dali.

[masterrigger1 2]

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For the record, the Batwing was an answer to the Stiletto, and never caught on to the degree that the Stiletto did.

I hate to break it to you Dave, but the Batwing came out BEFORE the Stiletto.

About a year or more before the Stiletto....

I still have the old magazines with the ads, "It's Coming" and had a shadow of a bat on the page.

BS,
MEL

Skyworks Parachute Service, LLC
www.Skyworksparachuteservice.com

[kkeenan 14]

This guy looks French...

_____________________________________
Dude, you are so awesome...
Can I be on your ash jump ?

[Ron 10]

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He was always able to put on a good show with ultra low diving turns before landing, because of the canopy's short recovery arc

To fix that we used to put rapid links on the B/C lines and lengthen the brake lines. This resulted in a canopy that dove a bunch more than stock AND made a neat clinking sound when you walked in. This was later kinda adopted by the factory and called something like the "speed mod".

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[Ron 10]

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I hate to break it to you Dave, but the Batwing came out BEFORE the Stiletto.

That's not how I remember it.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[skydivr 0]

I had a 153; "fun fabric" no less (the blue one). Really like it, but it had a bad habit of surprising me on opening with an off-heading or line-twist. The only Reserve ride I have had (so far in 2500 jumps) was on it (opened in a twist/spin that I could not kick out of). Traded it in for a 50% off new Nitron. Still jumping it, never had a line twist....might open 90 off but has never put me in a twist.

Keith Abner
D-17590

"Those who do, can't explain; those who don't, can't understand"

[piisfish 137]

I got one on the way, 120 with the "purple camo" color

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Rigless 0]

Can anyone post pics of the wing?

"All limits are self imposed." Icarus

[pchapman 279]

Here are some Batwing pics taken at the DZ, showing two with different colour patterns. Photos are not super close up but they still show the weird 'shower curtain' pattern, as one local called it.

[piisfish 137]

mine looks like that (it's in the mail)

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[MikeJD 0]

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Really was a great canopy when it came out and seemed to have regional pockets of support.

I got your actual meaning - but on first reading I thought, that's not a very good characteristic for a canopy!

[ogiebo 0]

I have a 116 in the purple camo pattern. need a riggers pass but it should be flyable. still looks brand new

[piisfish 137]

piisfish

mine looks like that (it's in the mail)

finally jumped her. Definitely needs longer brakelines
What was that speed mod you guys were talking about ?

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM