Harness for Freestyle Beginners

by macro

Hello everyone,

I've read quite a lot on this forum on freestyle vs acro wings for beginners. However, not so much on wannabe acro harnesses!

Currently I have a Wani Light hike&fly harness... definitely not made for the stresses. So now the question is, as a beginner (~130 flights) who wants to start Helis soon, should I get myself a freestyler harness such as Independence Logo Freestyle (https://justacro.com/gear/harness/independence-freestyle) or go directly for an acro harness (such as Acro 3)? (Both can have two rescues.)

Concerning my glider: I fly an Ozone Jomo S (lightweight version of Mojo 5) rated for 65-85kg. However, since buying it I gained some weight :D and am now flying it at 95-100kg take off weight. I realize this means it's not EN-A anymore, but the increased dynamic behavior is actually quite good for a lot of maneuvers, right? Or would you recommend switching to a different wing soon?

Latest Comments

by macro

Great, thank you for your help! :-)

I will definitely buy myself a second rescue. Right now I have a Companion SQR 100, so perhaps a Rogallo (e.g. X-CURVE).

by acromarmot

Hi,

if you go for the freestyle or for example the Acro 3 or AvaSport Acro is in my opinion not so important [as often the difference between freestyle and acro is not defined clearly]. It's important that you have a harness which can deal with high forces, has two rescues and - most important- fits perfectly (support of your back, force on the brakes [wrong harness size can influence that negatively], support of your thighs...). Which can be the case with all the three mentioned harnesses (plus there're some more on the market but sometimes difficult to get a chance to test them).
Especially if your aim is to learn helico [or other negative stuff] a second rescue is highly recommended.
In Heli and most negative manouveurs, however, the forces are rather low. But if you go for lots of SAT, AsySAT, Tumbling etc. you wouldn't wanna do that with a lightweight harness.

Which brings us to the glider: doublecheck if the lightweight version of the Mojo is really good for acro training. Regarding line material, risers, canopy material and seams ... Would be a shame if you ruin it because you're exposing it to forces it wasn't made for....

Have fun :- )