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Crossfire 3 vs Storm
JYRO Crossfire 3 · Performance Designs Storm · Canopy explorer
What differs — read from the data
- Crossfire 3 is made by JYRO; Storm is made by Performance Designs.
- Planform: Crossfire 3 is listed as elliptical; Storm as semi-elliptical.
- Crossfire 3 has 9 cells; Storm has 7 cells.
- Neither is cross-braced.
- Crossfire 3 is listed in 86–159 sq ft; Storm in 97–230 sq ft.
- The listed size ranges overlap between 97 and 159 sq ft.
- The manufacturers publish different systems: Performance Designs lists a maximum exit weight per skill category and size; JYRO lists a recommended wing-loading range and a chart with jump-number bands. They are shown side by side, never translated into each other.
Structural facts only (manufacturer, planform, cells, bracing, sizes, chart system). How each wing flies is described below in the manufacturer's own words; how it flies for you is a question for a canopy coach.
Side by side
| Crossfire 3 | Storm | |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | JYRO | Performance Designs |
| Status | current | current |
| Cells | 9 | 7 |
| Planform | elliptical | semi-elliptical |
| Cross-braced | no | no |
| Aspect ratio | not published | 2.14 |
| Sizes (sq ft) | 86–159 · custom sizes available Source: JYRO — Crossfire 3 product page (page modified 2026-09-02) ↗ | 97–230 Source: Performance Designs — Storm product page ↗ |
| Designed for (manufacturer wording) |
|
|
| Characteristics (manufacturer keywords) | Soft, consistent openings (Crossfire 2 lineage) · More aggressive dive than Crossfire 2 · Considerably longer recovery arc than Crossfire 2 · Light but not vague front risers · Predictable stall on toggles and rears · Powerful predictable flare Source: JYRO — Crossfire 3 product page (page modified 2026-09-02) ↗ | Soft openings with long snivel · Steep glide · Long recovery arc · Long control range · Powerful bottom-end flare Source: Performance Designs — Storm product page ↗ |
| Opening | Same smooth, soft openings as the Crossfire 2; fully formed nose, no fear of spinning up (JYRO). | Soft, on heading and very forgiving to minor inconsistencies in body position during deployment; compared to a Spectre, a slightly shorter snivel and ever so slightly quicker inflation. |
| Recovery arc | Considerably longer than the Crossfire 2 — turning at the height you are used to means coming out low (JYRO). | Long recovery arc (product page); will dive longer and lose more altitude in a turn than a comparable sized Stiletto or Silhouette, but not quite as much as a Sabre2. |
| Glide | Extra glide from a constant cell aspect ratio; long ride back on rears (JYRO). | Steep glide (product page); great slow flight glide when the brakes (or rear risers) are applied. |
| Speed / dive | Dives more than the Crossfire 2; snappy turns (qualitative — no airspeed figures published). | Flies somewhat similar to the Spectre but has a much larger speed range; in full flight greater speed than the Spectre (qualitative; no figures published). |
| Flare | Powerful, predictable flare; nose reinforcement reduces distortion (JYRO). | Lower flare point than Silhouette or Stiletto; flare point similar to the Spectre, but quite a bit more powerful; powerful bottom-end flare. |
| Front risers | Lighter but not vague (JYRO). | Front riser pressure slightly higher than the Spectre, but requires less input to receive the same response. |
| Rear risers | Predictable, plenty of warning before stall (JYRO). | Very maneuverable using the rear risers as a very useful tool in extending the glide or turning with less tail deflection. |
| Harness response | not published | not published |
| Toggle response | Aggressive inputs cause drastic altitude loss; predictable stall point (JYRO). | First one half of the toggle stroke seems less responsive than a Silhouette or Stiletto; past that you'll see just how sharp it can turn. Extremely agile in deep brakes. |
| Loading system | Recommended wing-loading range 1.3–2.0 lb/ft² plus a chart with jump-number bands (below). | Maximum exit weight per PD skill category and size (chart below). |
| Manufacturer-stated experience requirements |
| none stated |
| Evidence level | B — Manufacturer product information | A — Manufacturer technical documentation |
Flight wording is quoted or closely paraphrased from each manufacturer's own documents; where a manufacturer publishes nothing for a row it says "not published". No airspeed figures are published by either manufacturer.
Your wing loading on each size
Enter an exit weight to see exit weight ÷ size for every listed size of both canopies and where each number sits on the manufacturer's own chart.
Wing loading = exit weight (lb) ÷ size (ft²). PD's chart lists the MAXIMUM exit weight per skill category — the category shown is the lowest one whose maximum covers your weight, by PD's own rule. JYRO's range is a manufacturer envelope, not a target. The two systems are never translated into each other.
The manufacturers' charts
Crossfire 3 — JYRO wing-loading chart
Recommended wing-loading range: 1.3–2.0 lb/ft² Source: JYRO — Crossfire 3 product page (page modified 2026-09-02) ↗
35 chart cells (exit weight × size → wing loading), colour bands = minimum jump numbers: 400+ jumps · 500+ jumps · 600+ jumps · 700+ jumps · 800+ jumps · 1000+ jumps · 1200+ jumps
Source: JYRO — Crossfire 3 wing-loading chart (image) (WL_Chart_V4) ↗Storm — Performance Designs chart: maximum exit weight (lb) per category
| Size | Student | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Expert | Maximum (never exceed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97 | N/S | N/S | N/S | 116 | 150 | 175 |
| 107 | N/S | N/S | N/S | 128 | 166 | 193 |
| 120 | N/S | N/S | 120 | 144 | 192 | 216 |
| 135 | N/S | 122 | 149 | 169 | 216 | 230 |
| 150 | N/S | 143 | 173 | 188 | 225 | 240 |
| 170 | N/S | 170 | 196 | 213 | 238 | 255 |
| 190 | 133 | 190 | 209 | 228 | 247 | 266 |
| 210 | 158 | 210 | 221 | 242 | 263 | 273 |
| 230 | 173 | 230 | 242 | 253 | 276 | 299 |
N/S = not suggested by the manufacturer for that category. Weights are maximums, not recommendations.
Source: Performance Designs — Storm sizing / wing-loading chart (FC-0014 Rev. 0 (Storm canopy sizing chart)) ↗Sources
- B JYRO — Crossfire 3 product page (page modified 2026-09-02) — open ↗
- B JYRO — Crossfire 3 wing-loading chart (image) (WL_Chart_V4) — open ↗
- B Performance Designs — Storm product page — open ↗
- A Performance Designs — Storm Flight Characteristics (FC-0014 Rev. 0) — open ↗
- A Performance Designs — Storm sizing / wing-loading chart (FC-0014 Rev. 0 (Storm canopy sizing chart)) — open ↗
Evidence levels: A = manufacturer technical documentation, B = manufacturer product information. Knowledge base version canopy-kb-2026.09.23-r3. All sources used on this site
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