7 cell vs. 9 cell

[riggerrob 558]

I was flying a Spectre, and it was bringing me in so steep, I was having trouble gauging the ground, when to flare, etc...it was just too scary for me! I had several HARD landings, one including tearing my quad muscle and making my knees look so black and blue everyone at the DZ was in pain for me!!

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Your problem is probably more with your eyeballs than with your canopy.
Chicks have a bad habit of looking straight down while landing. This provides, scary (ground rush) , but inaccurate information at flare time.
I had the same problem learning how to land Cessnas. My landings never got any good until I learned to keep my eyes on the FAR end of the runway while flaring.

[Avion 0]

Since you mentioned F-111 ribs, I'll go for that. Do you think the ribs should be ZP too?

BW

[riggerrob 558]

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Since you mentioned F-111 ribs, I'll go for that. Do you think the ribs should be ZP too?

BW

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Top skin and end ribs should be made of ZP fabric.

All the other ribs should be made of F-111 fabric, to ease packing.
No one cares about rib fabric porosity - except on end ribs.
Heck! You could make most of the ribs from mesh and a canopy would still fly fine.
Why do you think they cut such jeesly big cross ports in most ribs?

[skybytch 259]

Seven cell posse representing!

I love 7 cells, especially the Spectre. For me they are easier to be accurate with and I much prefer the (relatively) steeper approach angle.

Like others have said, the only way to figure out which you prefer is to jump several different canopies. I'd suggest trying out a Spectre (7 cell), a Triathlon (7 cell; you can find some screaming good deals on them used), a Sabre2 (9 cell), a Safire2 (9 cell), and a Pilot (9 cell) - there are other canopies that are suitable for a new jumper but these are probably the easiest to get demos of. Put 5-10 jumps on each if you can; by the time you've done that you'll know which one is best for you.

I'd also strongly suggest taking a canopy control course as soon as you can, especially with someone like Scott Miller or Brian Germain. There is no canopy out there that is going to make you a better canopy pilot - only coaching and practice can do that.

[wmw999 2,126]

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Seven cell posse representing!

Here's another. I love my Diablo (but it's not a good lowtimer canopy). The "look at the horizon" trick really, really works for 7 cells. I didn't have as much success with a 9-cell.

Agree about testing, and about canopy class. If you can take the canopy class before testing, that might be best -- then you'll come into the testing with more confidence.

Also, test canopies that are on the large side of what you might try. In other words, if you're teetering between a 190 and a 170, test the 190's. The penalty for a less-than-perfect landing will be smaller.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Nightingale 0]

Yep. I have a spectre and a silhouette, and love them both. The spectre is easier to land, imo, but that's just my personal experience.

[bob.dino 0]

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Personally I think 9 cells are easier to land and I don't the steep approach and slow turn rate of a Spectre.

Have you ever jumped a Spectre? It can turn tighter than a Sabre2, though it takes a little more toggle input to achieve the turn.