Martini

A docile (no fun) canopy for $2000 to replace a super-fun and wingsuit-friendly canopy that costs $3-400? Too much crack around here and it's not the nylon kind. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Any canopy can be used for wingsuiting. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Never heard that one…..ever. Have you ever done a hop-n-pop with feet forward, fun to see the PC and initial deployment in front of you. Yeah, I know, flame away. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Fortunately the fantasy appears to be harmless. Not necessarily the case with theism. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

One of the best and most beautiful wingsuit vids I've seen in years. And a Birdman video, who'da thunk. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Because, just like everything else in skydiving, it is fun. Too dangerous for you, stay on the ground. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

You believe in a fantasy. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Probably true if lightly loaded, I like mine loaded higher and accept the more limited flare power at low airspeeds. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

He responded to my canopy for sale as well. Because I despise these people and have the time I plan to screw with him for my own pleasure. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

The recovery arc of a canopy is only equal upwind/downwind if in a stable airmass. If there is considerable wind gradient, that is a change in relative velocity with altitude, then upwind and downwind behavior can vary significantly. A hook starting at 750 feet could easily go through a 20 mph gradient without time to stabilize in the "new" airmass. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

You haven't mentioned how many jumps are on the current line set, you do say that you know that it is out of trim. A domed or pocketed slider will not give you a canopy that is in trim. There are a ton of old Sabres out there with original linesets that would be fine if relined, they sit unused because they open badly. The canopy, if in good flying condition, is worth at most $600, investing $300 might not be a good plan. All canopies will eventually need lines replaced though and at some point every canopy will need to be retired. Your rigger should be able to help you make a decision. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

This issue has been discussed many times here. All of my Sabres have been great openers. Some people have had very bad experiences with Sabres. Packing is an issue. Line trim is an issue. The 170 is a notorious bad boy, possibly/not because it uses the same slider as a 107. I have a Sabre that I put a larger slider on to improve the openings, it opens even better with the original slider and......a new line set. Since you know it's out of trim I'd start with a new line set. Or, if you're feeling really brave, stretch the lines according to Brian Germain's method. I use it, others consider the technique to be dangerous. That's a separate issue. See how much fun this is? Sometimes you eat the bear..............

You can't "never mind the wind". If you're flying downwind and add a little brake you may go further than flying hands up. Using the same amount of brake in a headwind may shorten your glide. Even if you quantify the extra glide distance in still air on half brakes you'll find the data useless. Gliding is too complicated for such simple assumptions. How much is half brakes anyway? Is your brake pull calibrated so that it is exactly repeatable? Did the trim on your canopy change in the last 50 jumps? Are you gliding up/downwind and at what velocity? Air temp? Altitude? Humidity? Different jumpsuit=different drag? Gain/lose some weight? Is there some rising or sinking air that will have an effect? And a bunch of other influences. Just so you know, my instincts are to want the same information that you are looking for, I finally gave up trying to get it. Pick a method that suits you, get some data and understand that it will never be any more than an approximation. And a pretty useless one at that. I have a standing offer for anyone who wants to ground launch a skydiving canopy on a cliff above my house. You'll only need a glide of 2.5:1 to make a "safe" landing area. The offer is that I'll show you the exit point and I call 911 when you launch. No takers so far. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

I'm afraid you've been misinformed. Skydiving is full of rules and regulations that USPA uses to keep the FAA happy. BASE jumping isn't controlled by the FAA so there aren't any regulations for BASE. You can go ahead and get a wingsuit and a BASE rig and jump. Proximity flying is perfectly legal and there are tons of legal mountains to jump off. Best of luck! Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Amazing how many suckers there are out there! Sometimes you eat the bear..............