Canopy Lab | Fun Jump NZ

Pull it. Watch it fly.

Set your canopy's glide ratio and wing loading, then work the front risers, rear risers and toggles on the left, right or both sides. Watch pitch, roll and yaw from the side, above and behind, with air flowing past the wing and jumper.

Side profile

Pitch · flight cycles

Top view

Yaw · track

Back profile

Roll · lines

Your canopy

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Canopy

Glide ratio

Custom :1

Wing loading 1.40 lb/ft²

Trim airspeed

Speed units

Wind Calm

Left = tailwind, right = headwind (blowing from the north, heading 000°). Your heading changes which it is.

Air

Elevation

Temperature

Try a manoeuvre

What the wing is doing

Front risersRear risersToggles

Tool only. This does not replace coaching. The Input Lab is an educational approximation. It shows the trends (dive, surge, bank, turn, flare, stall) but is not a real flight-dynamics model and is not instruction. Always get canopy-handling training from a qualified coach or instructor.

When does your canopy stop going forward?

Pick a canopy, set your wing loading and see the estimated wind speed where you hold still, and where you start going backwards. Your canopy, wing loading, air and units are shared with the Input Lab, so both tabs always use the same numbers.

User guide (PDF)

Your canopy

Step 1

Can’t find your canopy? Pick one with a similar planform and performance (same class and a similar wing loading range), or choose Custom at the bottom and enter your own lift coefficient.

Canopy

Speed units

Wing loading

Wing loading (lb/ft²)

More options: elevation, temperature, gusts, flight mode

Landing elevation

Air temperature

Gust allowance (kts)

Flight mode

Brake and riser modes use assumed tuning factors, not calculated values.

Try the wind

Step 2

Your canopy flies to the right. Wind from the front pushes left against you. Slide the wind up and watch your speed over the ground drop.

Wind speed:

Tailwind (from behind)No windHeadwind (from the front)

ForwardForward but slowStraight downBackwardsTailwind

Numbers on the canopy are your estimated speed over the ground (a range, because of the uncertainty). A minus sign means backwards. The coloured bar above the slider shows the zones for your canopy and loading.

Ground speed vs wind

Step 3

Shaded band = estimated range. Anything below the zero line means going backwards over the ground (headwind landing).

Headwind table

Step 4

Estimates only. Method: airspeed V = √(2W / (ρ · S · CL)), where W/S is wing loading and ρ comes from your elevation and temperature (thinner or hotter air means higher true airspeed). Each canopy class has an estimated lift coefficient range (flatter trim, higher performance classes = lower CL = faster). Performance Designs notes that models of the same size fly at about the same speed, so loading matters most. Manufacturers do not publish forward airspeeds, so CL ranges are calibrated to typical published ranges, not measured per canopy. Brake and riser modes are assumed tuning factors applied to the full-flight speed, not results of the lift equation. As a practical planning estimate, treat results as potentially ±10-15%, with the largest uncertainty coming from the assumed lift coefficient and the actual local wind. Brake lines that have shrunk can leave a canopy partly in brakes with the toggles up, which reduces penetration. Wind gradient, turbulence and gusts near the ground are not modelled. Check against GPS logs and use DZ wind limits and instructor advice.

Wind by height

Step 5

Find your drop zone

Forecast hour (local time)

Wind source

Manual: surface wind (kts, about 10 m up)

Manual: terrain

Height range

Wind usually gets stronger with height, so you can be making headway low down and going backwards higher up. Where the black wind line moves into the blue band, you stop making headway. Live data comes from Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0, free for non-commercial use). It is a forecast model with coarse grid squares, so it will not see local terrain, buildings or sea breezes. Always check your windsock, and for aloft winds see Mark Schulze’s Winds Aloft. The manual estimate uses a standard wind-profile power law and is only a rough guide.