This is not advice, but a posting for historical reasons:

Canopy Specifications - Mojo

From: ftr@sam.neosoft.com (Walt Appel)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: BASE Article #6 - Canopy Specs -- The Mojo (3 of 5)
Date: Fri, 07 Jul 1995 05:08:57 GMT

This is Part 3 of the sixth in a series of articles that I am posting about BASE jumping. In this five part article, we take a close look at 4 ram-air parachutes that I consider to be suitable for BASE jumping. Part 3 discusses Consolidated Rigging's Mojo BASE canopy.

Feel free to e-mail me, but don't ask me to recommend specific sites. I will not recommend specific sites, nor do I recommend BASE jumping. BASE, even though it has evolved a great deal over the past few years, is still somewhat experimental and I consider it to be an extremely dangerous activity. I am posting these articles because the lessons that have been learned about BASE have cost us dearly. I do not want to see anyone hurt or killed because they were unknowingly re-inventing the sport.

In case, you're wondering about my background in BASE, I have made 55 BASE jumps, mostly freefalls from under 500 ft, from a variety of sites. I make and sell BASE accessories, e.g., pilot chutes, bridles, mesh sliders, etc., and I have been on the Bridge Day staff for the past few years.

Disclaimer: I am not now, nor will I ever be, the final word on BASE jumping. Nobody is the ultimate authority.

BASE is an extremely dangerous activity. In my opinion, the best way to reduce your chances of injury or death is to talk with as many experienced BASE jumpers as you can, learn as much as possible, *think* about it, and jump in a way that makes sense to you. This article is written from one person's point of view (mine) and you'd be nuts to consider it the best or only point of view. There is a lot more to BASE than any series of articles can present. Use the information only as a starting point.

A Look at the Mojo
This article contains the specifications on Consolidated Rigging's Mojo. They come directly from Adam Filipino, designer of the Mojo, and owner of Consolidated Rigging. If you've been keeping up with this series, you've read Adam's thoughts on deep brake settings for BASE canopies.

When I introduced Adam in BASE Article #5A, I told you about his positive attitude and willingness to share his expertise--he has taught me a lot about BASE jumping safely--but I neglected important details about his background in parachuting. Adam is a Master Rigger, AFF JM, Strong and RWS Tandem master, and has 3400 skydives and 330+ BASE jumps over ten and 8 years in the sports respectively. He manufactures BASE harness/container systems, BASE canopies, and BASE accessories. He is Vice President of the Cliff Jumpers Association of America and was one of the jumpers featured on the recent Donohue show that covered BASE jumping.

There's no need to feel intimidated by these impressive credentials though--when you contact him you'll find that he is very easy to talk with and will spend the time it takes to help you make well- informed BASE jumping decisions.

Here are detailed specifications on the Mojo:

Canopy:
Mojo
Manufactured by:
Consolidated Rigging, 2060A East Main Street, Woodland, CA, 95776.

(916) 666-3612 (voice), (916) 661-7243 (fax).

email - crmojo@wheel.dcn.davis.ca.us

Sizes available:
190 sq. ft., 220, 240, 260, and 280.
Number of cells:
7
Aspect Ratio:
1.95
Description of reinforcement at bridle attachment point:
The bridle attachment point is located midway between the B and C line attachment points. 1000 lb. (tensile strength) nylon reinforcement tapes carry the load spanwise (*) across the upper surface as well as vertically down the center of the center non-load bearing rib. The spanwise forces are carried to 450 lb. nylon tapes which transfer the load to the confluence of 3 other tapes at each of 4 line attachments. The load sent through the non-load rib intersects another 450 lb. spanwise tape on the lower surface. All critical junctions are reinforced with either bartacks or double throw zigzag stitching. It is strong!

All forces associated with the bridle and the attachments are transferred in as many directions and to as many seams as practical. The goal is load disbursement. However, load will tend to follow the path of least resistance, so it needs to be gradually transferred away from its origin. The significant difference separating the Mojo's reinforcing from that of a skydiving canopy is the strength and size of the reinforcing tapes. Remember, we are dealing with excessive force, (often) poor maintenance, and no reserve. I designed for durability as well as strength. Having said that, I have also minimized bulk whenever practical. This results in some expensive materials being used but yields very nice pack volumes and reasonable (read: doesn't take a week to deploy) weights. One other thing: all tapes are nylon for uniform elongation with the canopy cloth, and are pre-shrunk to minimize the negative effects of the inevitable dunking.

Description of reinforcement at suspension line attachment points:
250 lb. nylon reinforcement tapes are sewn chordwise (*) in the lower surface load-bearing seams at all line attachments. 450 lb. nylon refinforcement tapes are sewn spanwise across the lower surface at the line attachments. 2 - 200 lb. nylon reinforcement tapes forming a "V" shape run from each line attachment up the load-bearing rib to the upper surface. This arrangement creates a very strong framework for the canopy and efficiently distributes the forces associated with the line attachments.
Canopy material (F-111, Soarcoat ZP, etc.):
Standard material is "F-111". A Soarcoat (**) upper is available, but not recommended.
Suspension line material(400 Dacron, Spectra 1000, etc.):
525 lb. (tensile strength) Dacron, 600 lb. Dacron continuous A/B centerlines, and 900 lb. Dacron lower control lines.
Standard features:
Tailpocket, choice of mesh slider or sail slider, and stainless steel connector links. Deep brakes can be installed at the factory, but I don't recommend it. The canopies ship with instructions detailing how to determine an appropriate deep brake setting. I will install the deep brake setting free of charge. The standard brake setting is "deep" by skydiving standards, but not as keep as would be ideal for slider-down jumping (at sea level with .75 lb/sq. ft. wing loading).
Options:
I usually work with stock colors: grey, blue, black, and purple. Wild variations on those will be charged a custom fee. I also offer an optional packing video.
Comments:
I have a new canopy (still in the computer) which is going to change the concept of a "BASE" canopy. It uses a unique combination of airfoil, materials, and construction techniques. (More as it becomes available!) Available now, the "Tektite" 19.5 ft. diameter and 23.5 ft. diameter round canopies for water--super-polyconical design, steerable, *very* stable, and exceptionally low rate of descent. This design has been extensively tested for several certification programs and proven itself as a true advancement in round parachute design.

* "Spanwise" means from one side of the canopy to the other. On a rectangular canopy, a spanwise line is parallel to the leading and trailing edges. "Chordwise" means from the leading edge of the canopy to the tail, in a line parallel to the sides of the canopy.

** Soarcoat is a brand of zero permeability nylon ripstop fabric widely used in the construction of ram-air parachutes.

Checklist
Let's go down our generic checklist, i.e., "...a seven cell with the following features:"

A low aspect ratio
The aspect ratio is 1.95. The consensus among many BASE jumpers is that an aspect ratio of about 2.0 seems to be the ideal.

Made of non-zero-porosity fabric
The canopy is made of F-111 (or an equivalent).

Dacron or nylon (not Spectra) suspension lines
The Mojo has heavy duty Dacron lines.

...Strong reinforcement scheme at bridle and suspension line attachment points
(Have you got your canopy beside you for reference and comparison?)

The bridle attachment point is located midway between the "B" and "C" line attachment points. A strong reinforcement scheme transfers the load to the center "B" and "C" lines. Chordwise 250 lb. nylon reinforcement tapes support all suspension line attachment points. The canopy also has spanwise tapes supporting the line attachments, which is quite unusual but obviously adds significant strength to the canopy. Nylon reinforcement tapes forming a "V" shape run from each line attachment up the load- bearing rib to the upper surface.

Very durable construction
This point is very subjective and you need to do a meticulous inspection of the canopy to make a judgement on this one. Look at the stitching at the stress points, i.e., the suspension line and bridle attachment points and all junctions of reinforcement tapes. Do these areas have plenty of extra stitching? What about the canopy fabric--how will it stand up to rocks and trees?

The Mojo has either bartacks or double throw zigzag stitching at all critical junctions of the reinforcement tapes. The canopy is extensively reinforced. There are canopy fabrics more durable than F-111, but the increase in weight and bulk would be extreme.

Surface area large enough to give soft landings even in deep-brakes approaches
The Mojo is offered in a variety of sizes, so you should be able to get one that will land you softly.

In addition...
In addition to meeting or exceeding the generic requirements, the Mojo has a couple of very nice standard features--a tailpocket, deep brake settings, and stainless steel connector links. This is a real convenience since anyone buying a canopy for BASE jumping will probably be making these modifications anyway.