Dear Rob Colpus
Please would you give me your opinion on the best rig for me. So far, 'person X' has suggested a PD/Stiletto 135 and 'person Y' anything 135 or smaller or maybe a Sabre 97. However I must stress that my jumps logged are few (23ish, I did AFF) and therefore my experience is limited. In spite of this though, I want a rig that will carry me unfrustrated through a lot more jumps and not have to change it too soon. Asking a lot, eh!
 
By the way, I am 8 stone and 5' 2". Thanks for your time,
Skydiver 'Z'

Dear Lesley
Here is a copy of a letter I received recently from an AFF graduate. It is an example of the sort of thing I hear every week from novice jumpers who have received bad, irresponsible advice about what canopy to buy from experienced people in the sport, sometimes from instructors and even CCI's (as in this example).

These novice jumpers always come out with the same phrase "I've been advised to buy something I won't get bored with in a few jumps". I always tell them to forget that and buy something that is right for them now. Or they may not have the opportunity to get bored with the canopy because they won't live long enough.

The IPC's safety survey continues to show a high number of fatalities due to canopy collisions or impacting with the ground through poor judgement (eg, hook turns). Buying a canopy which is too radical for your experience level makes these accidents more likely to happen and more likely that the consequences will be fatal or disabling.

In my experience, most of these novice jumpers are actually reassured when I advise them to buy a larger canopy than that recommended by their 'expert' friends. As a dealer, I am instructed by companies such as PD and PF not to sell high performance canopies to low experience people and this is what my own judgement also tells me. But the dealer's job is made much more difficult by the type of advice quoted above.

Today's 'docile' canopies for novices are far faster than the ones I jumped for the first 1,000 jumps. Although I now jump a smallish canopy(120) for FS, I still jump a Fury at demos and accuracy meets and always find it a challenge. I cannot say that I have ever been bored under canopy! A reasonable sized main for a novice is the ideal way to learn canopy handling skills which means they will get far more enjoyment from a smaller canopy when they upgrade later.

Please don't advise novices to buy a potentially lethal weapon, they might just use it.

Rob Colpus
symbiosis.suits@btinternet.com 

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