Base price $2850

*Plus $100 per size over 150

Product Details

The Renegade is an all-around super fun wing. I designed it for wingsuiting, however it is not your typical wingsuit dog. It opens very consistently and on-heading as one might expect, and isn't likely to spin in linetwists, but it FLIES LIKE A DREAM! With airlocks, it is amazingly stable in turbulence.

Renegade Pilots report that it opens like a 7 cell and flies lands like an "8" cell. Finally, a wing that does it all. This is what I have in my own rig.

A canopy designed for the specific needs of a wingsuit pilot, the Renegade is a parachute for people who love to fly. The better you fly, the more you will love this wing. Are you a renegade pilot?

The Renegade is not your average 7 cell parachute. This is a wing. Although it opens predictably and is designed for wingsuit flying, this incredible flying machine is a joy in the air. The canopy is solid as can be in turbulence, playful on the controls, and has wonderful landings. We wanted to make a 7 cell perform like a 9 cell, and we did it.

Sculpted wingtips feature loaded stabilizer and tricell end cells. All the benefits of the lower aspect ratio on openings, and the flight performance that will impress even the most discerning canopy pilot.

Quick but soft on-heading openings, forgiving of line twists and even toggle-fires makes this a perfect parachute for wingsuit flyers. With the Renegade, pull-time is not the end of your flight, it is just the beginning of the fun.

Price $2850 USD

50% DEPOSIT TO BEGIN PRODUCTION

The longer you wait to place your order, the long you wait to get your parachute. Delivery time is still under 8 weeks.

Base price is still $2850, but not for long.

50% deposit necessary to hold your place in the production line (and so I can purchase your materials)

Few issues in parachute design have met with as much controversy as ram-air "Airlocks". Simply put, Airlocks are one-way valves in the leading edge of a ram-air canopy that maintain the internal pressurization. The intent of such valve parachutes is to prohibit instantaneous deflation of the airfoil, thus increasing the safety margin when flying in rough conditions. Although the author stresses that most of the ram-air canopies available today are very safe, the purpose of this article is to look toward the future of the ram air canopy, and the role that airlocks may play in this evolution.

A discussion of the empirical and theoretical issues relating to valve parachutes.
By Brian S. Germain

Origin of the Idea

When I was spiraling toward the earth with an 80% collapse, there was not enough inflated nylon over my head to slow my descent, or allow me to recover prior to impact. The landing put me in a wheelchair for many months, leading me to take serious interest in the valve idea. As I explored the many variations of airlock ideas, I soon realized that the game was fairly simple: Gather as much pressure as possible, and seal the wing off when the air tries to escape. Hence, the Germain Airlock allows the air to enter the wing in its normal pathway, sealing against the top-surface when necessary.

Discussion

Despite the availability of airlock designs since 1994, more than eighty five percent of the canopies sold are still devoid of this invention. This may be due to a lack of information about the advantages of the airlock design. Many jumpers still don't know exactly what an airlock is. Others believe that airlocks are just another unnecessary gimmick. Supporting this counter-airlock philosophy is the belief that even cell pressurization is all that is necessary to maintain a parachute is stability. In order to look closer at this perspective, we must first define what is meant by the term stability.

Primary Stability

First there is what may be termed Primary Stability. This is a ram-air canopy is ability to remain in control and under adequate line tension during normal flying conditions. Primary stability is generally attributed to the airfoil shape and the line trim configuration. This is the result of painstaking testing and adaptation, as generalities are often disproved when applied to different designs. Primary stability includes everything from slow flight to accelerated flight modes as well as pilot-induced airfoil distortions such a front-riser input.

This being said, the feeling of an airlock parachute in bumpy air is distinctly different from that of conventional designs. Since the air pressure maintaining the shape of the wing is relatively constant in an airlock parachute, the wing tends to distort and move around less than open-cell designs. This is very noticeable when flying in turbulence, during which an airlocked wing generally does not encounter significant span-wise oscillations, also called the accordion-effect.

The bottom line in primary stability is, however, does the canopy stay at the end of the lines? Some parachutes clearly do not, regardless of whether or not they have airlocks. If you pull on the front risers on a canopy that has sufficiently long brake lines and it bucks wildly or the leading edge bends under, it has bad primary stability, at least in that configuration. In other words, you cannot just sew airlocks into any parachute and expect it to be better in every way. It is not that simple.

Secondary Stability

Secondary Stability is the term that can be applied to how a parachute responds to catastrophic situations such as a bent wing or full-frontal collapse. In some situations, properly designed airlock parachutes can make a difference, keeping the wing inflated and ready to resume stable flight. If, however, the unstable air is encountered very close to the ground, airlocks may not be enough. In fact, one must realize, there are atmospheric circumstances in which a metal wing may not be enough. The philosophy of the valved parachute design is that a wing that has air in it can reduce the risks of total surface area loss, but not eliminate the possibility of serious injury. Sometimes no amount of preparation or technology is enough.

Limits

Several limitations are handed to the parachute designer that other aeronautical engineers need not consider. One such challenge concerns the suspension lines. Your suspension system is flexible, allowing for line-twists and line-slack. A canopy locked into an asymmetric configuration will most certainly exhibit an extreme spiral accompanied by a rapid loss of altitude. Line-slack due to improper pitch-control or aggressive maneuvering can also create unknown variables that can lead to accidents. Maintaining line tension on any parachute is essential for minimizing the risks of catastrophic failure. We minimize the risk of slack lines by executing smooth control inputs, and smooth release of input as well. Modern ram air canopies require much more than just pulling toggles, we are required to fly them.

Another limitation of the ram-air canopy is its ability to handle significant vertical air movement. A strong downdraft can increase your vertical speed beyond your canopy is ability to climb. Remember; even a rigid-wing airplane can crash in severe turbulence. There will always be a time for wise pilots to ground themselves. The old saying goes: It is better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, than in the air, wishing you were on the ground.

Conclusions

All things considered, however, it makes a lot of sense that a parachute capable of maintaining its internal pressurization and surface area increases your chances of surviving. The most elegant, common sense ideas need little justification. Airlocks certainly fall into this category. We at Big Air believe that a ram air canopy is not complete without airlocks.

A Canopy is simply Air shaped into a wing... No Air... No Wing.

One must consider the fundamental definition of a cell. In biology, a cell is the smallest component of life as we know it. It is a self-contained entity, perhaps existing in cooperation with others, which defines itself in terms of its cell wall or cellular membrane a little bubble of energy. A living cell defends itself from outside forces, and therefore perpetuates its own existence. This is life at its simplest. A dead cell has no complete barrier to the outside world. It allows its internal volume to ebb and flow, amorphically maintaining equilibrium with the outside world. By airlocking a parachute, we give it a life of its own, and it will fight to stay alive.

Do airlocks increase the safety of the ram-air parachute? In most cases, yes. It is very similar to wearing a seatbelt on take-off. There are no guarantees that we will walk away from a crash, but I still always wear one. Many skydivers will continue to take a wait and see approach to airlocks, and this conservatism clearly has a strong component of sanity. Nevertheless, six years and over 2000 airlock canopies certainly are a compelling amount of evidence...