Landing the Fox versus the Mojo

[guest]

So I flew a Fox the other day on a BASE site
I've jumped many times. The Fox is 5 sq ft
larger than my Mojo but it landed terrible.
What strategy should I take? Should I take
wraps of the toggles or does it require a
special landing technique? Like planing then
flaring? Just pull down on the toggles to the
hips right? Slider down is great but slider on
it sucks at the moment. My Mojo always lands
easily and seems to be a general trend among
the two competing brands.

[guest]

I find your comments extremely unusual. I own and regularly jump a Fox 265 and a Mojo 260. In general, I find that from full flight the Fox gives a stronger flare, and consequently softer landings. This has also been the general impression I have received from other jumpers. In fact, I know several jumpers who refuse to jump Mojos because they feel that the landings are too difficult to manage.

However, once my Fox had the Vtec modification installed, I did note a significant loss in flare power, and poorer landing performance. Do you have the Vtec mod on your Fox? This might explain your experience, and the reason it diverges from most.

In terms of getting better landings from your Fox, here are a few ideas.

1) If your landings with a slider are poor, your control lines may be too short (meaning that your Fox is always flying in partial brakes when the control lines are routed through the keeper rings). Thus, your flare is not being made from full flight. (My experience has been that the Mojo flares better than the Fox from part brakes. ) In this case, I'd recommend lengthening your control lines (you can tell if they need it by checking for slack with the toggles all the way up--if the lines are still taut, you need longer lines). Note that this means that taking wraps of your toggles will give you WORSE, not better, landings.

2) Check the overall length of the control lines. If they are far too long, you will get poor landings no matter what. Just get the canopy into full flight (a skydive is best for this), raise your arms, and look back to see if the lines are taut. There should generally be a slight bit of slack (depending on personal preference) in the lines at full flight. If you have big loops of slack, try shortening the control lines.

Again, I'm quite surprised that your Fox landed harder. In general, my experience has been that from full flight, the Fox has a stronger flare and softer landings.

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@ucdavis.edu

[guest]

I agree with Tom, I've got 2 foxes (1 standard, 1 vtec) and a Mojo and I find the Fox's flare better.However anybody who knows me knows I can't land either of them anyway!!

Craig

[guest]

It has a VTEC.

Results have been mixed from jumpers I've viewed.

Bridge Day 97, there was a noticable difference
between the Mojos and Foxs, with Mojos
outperforming. I'd prefer a Fox since they are
built better, fly better slider down (however
do not open as on heading slider up as a Mojo),
and handle deep brakes better.

So far I've noticed, the Mojo is trimmed more
nose down than the Fox. The Mojo cells pressurizes higher than the Fox, observation from
CRW.

I didn't really notice the slack or tension on
the lines in full flight but I would have thought
the canopy would be fine for my typical weight,
170 lbs for a Fox 245. I'll check the brake
line tensions on some skydives.

[guest]

In my experience, the Mojo handles deep brakes much better than the Fox. Even if you come out of deep brakes quickly near the ground the mojo will not dive. The fox will.

Just my opinion.

[guest]

>However, once my Fox had the Vtec
>modification installed, I did note a
>significant loss in flare power, and
>poorer landing performance.

Hey Tom, how many jumps on a Vtec are you basing this comment on?

Given the large number of variables that effect a landing (such as wind turbulence, flare technique, air density etc, etc) it takes a number of jumps before you can even begin to form a valid opinion. In my experiences, after about 30-40 BASE jumps on a canopy I begin to get a basic understanding of it’s characteristics. After about 100 jumps I am just starting to get truly dialed into it (and reach the point that I would give an opinion on it’s flight characteristics as opposed to just relating my personal experiences).

However in order to get optimum performance I do use different flaring techniques with Mojo’s, FOX’s and Vtec FOX’s (as I use different flaring techniques with different skydiving canopies). With adequate horizontal airspeed I get very similar landings from each (given that all other variables are at a constant such as wing loading and F111 porosity). With a deep brake approach I have found I personally get the best landings from Vtec FOX’s, then Mojo’s, then standard FOX’s (of course, wing loading is the most influential variable here).

If response to “Anonymous Canopy flier” if you continue to get bad landings with the Vtec FOX then the problem lies either with your technique in flaring (which optimally should be different to the Mojo you jump), the configuration of the equipment (such as control line lengths as Tom mentioned), or perhaps you have a lemon canopy (rare, because BR’s quality control is excellent), or a slight combination of all three. You should try and borrow another Vtec 245 if possible for comparison.

[guest]

I have made in excess of 250 jumps with my FOX 265 and have had a soft standing landing for at least the last 200.
During the first 50 or so landings I was either getting acquainted with the canopy's characteristics or I was trying to land in a specific spot which sometimes forced me to go into brakes so early that I dropped from too great a hgt.
I would say that any tumbles with the FOX have been my fault, not the canopy's.
My wing loading is 0.8
R
R

[guest]

>However in order to get optimum
>performance I do use different flaring
>techniques with Mojo’s,
>FOX’s and Vtec FOX’s

Dwain...
Can you explain what different techniques you use for flaring your mojo compared to Fox v-tech? I'm getting a good feel for my Mojo but still am a very new v-tech flyer.
I could use all the advice I can get.
Your input is greatly appreciated... and anyone else who cares to comment on this.
Thanks!
Denise

[guest]

>>However, once my Fox had the Vtec
>>modification installed, I did note a
>>significant loss in flare power, and
>>poorer landing performance.
>
>Hey Tom, how many jumps on a Vtec are
>you basing this comment on?

Not nearly enough. My sample size is less than 10. I did, however, note immediate and great differences. Honestly, I'd say it flies like an entirely different canopy. I'd also say that it's a much better canopy for BASE.

I wouldn't, however, go so far as to call it totally superior to all existing BASE canopies in all respects.

It's superiorities appear to focus on the things that are truly critical to BASE (like openings and deep brakes).

The areas where I had concerns were generally things that are not usually important in the BASE environment (like hard toggle turns and full flight landings).

Nonetheless, I did have opinions, even on the basis of my limited sample. Didn't that Russian fellow say he could tell there was a big difference after only one jump last summer? Me too.

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@ucdavis.edu

[guest]

To evaluate different canopy landings is at best a stickey wicket or even just ones own opinion. While Dwain, Tom and others have their valid points the bottom line is that landings belong to the pilot and his gear.

While one jumper may prefer garters the other a woolly hat we all should recognize that to each his own. Just so long as we know that there is so much more to learn.

Point taken when you witness Jester out performing us all.

[guest]

Like I always say, whatever opens above my head,
that's what I'm flying. Fly it, land it, pack it.