0
henryvillar

Sabre2 Openings

Recommended Posts

I've recently bought myself new gear with a Sabre2 170. Obviously I dont have much experience, but on the jumps I've made with it I've come across the same problem every time. I don't get hard openings, but the end-cells are always collapsed. It usually needs a lot of flare to open them up.
Is there anything I can do while packing that will help reduce this problem
I worry about having one side collapsed resulting in a turn while trying to get out of a twist.
Any suggestions are welcome.

The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of my employer, not necessarily mine, and probably not necessary.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Do a search, its been discussed more then a couple of times.

Also, try popping your rear risers, its worked well on Sabre2s with me.

Sabre1, too hard...Sabre2, too soft. Someday PD will get it "right."

:D
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
End cell closure is usually a sign of a soft opening. So what's the problem? A simple flight control check should clear it right up. You do perform a flight control check right? And honestly, simply unstowing the brakes and holding it for a second should clear it up. I just don't see what the "problem" is...
"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I've recently bought myself new gear with a Sabre2 170. Obviously I dont have much experience, but on the jumps I've made with it I've come across the same problem every time. I don't get hard openings, but the end-cells are always collapsed. It usually needs a lot of flare to open them up.
Is there anything I can do while packing that will help reduce this problem
I worry about having one side collapsed resulting in a turn while trying to get out of a twist.
Any suggestions are welcome.



spectra can go out of trim in as low as 200 jumps, I'd get a rigger to check the trim....

rm

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
As soon as the canopy is fully inflated, go softly to your rear risers to get the canopy level and stable. Do NOT touch your risers until AFTER the canopy is fully inflated. (Doing so can give uneven inputs to during opening, which can really screw things up.) After you have used the rears to get stable and level...THEN unstow your toggles. If you unstow your toggles unevenly before you get both end cells inflated and stable, it can put you into a WICKED spin very quickly (I learned that one from experience.) Also, the packers at your DZ are usually an oasis of knowledge when it comes to opening problems. Buy them a beer at the end of the day and then ask them for advice Blues....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

If you unstow your toggles unevenly before you get both end cells inflated and stable, it can put you into a WICKED spin very quickly (I learned that one from experience.)



Unstowing the toggels unevenly is the core of that problem.
"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
True, but if you unstow the toggles unevenly, before both end cells are inflated it can magnify the spin. If one end cell (say the right) is still deflated, the canopy will open in a right handed turn coupled by a slight downward pitch. If you try to correct the problem by unstowing your toggles to flare, and you accidentally unstow the right toggle a little bit before the left toggle, you'll be put into a much faster right handed spin. If you're in a fast spin like that, and you try to correct too much with a counter toggle, line twists could result. Like I said, I made that mistake once. I fly a conservatively loading Sabre2. When what I described above happened to me, it put me into an extremely fast, tight and disorienting spin. Since then, I've always gotten stable on rears first and THEN unstowed my toggles. No more problems since then.B|

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Personal experience only:


With my pilot (another slower opening canopy), I find that if I don't do the full PRO pack (flaking the cells inside the packjob), it opens waaaay too slow, and I get collaped end cells.

With flaking the end cells, I get nice, consistant 500 foot openings and no collapsed end cells.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I have about 300 jumps on a Sabre 1 190 and have never had a hard opening. A friend of mine put 300 jumps on a Sabre 2 190 and had never had a hard opening. Then he had an opening so hard that it broke his back, quess what, he had closed end cells on that jump. He sent the canopy to PD and they relined it and inspected it and not only said it was airworthy but said it was in exellent condition. I jumped it on a hop and pop and it snivelled so much that I thought I was going to have to chop, the next jump I took it to terminal and it opened so hard that it cracked a rib, guess what, I had closed end cells. He sent it back to PD and they replaced it with a new custom Spectre at no charge. PD is a great company that puts out great products. Just keep in mind that every canopy is an individual, even if it is the same size and model that it has it's own personality. ANY canopy from ANY manufacturer can hurt you at ANY time. Sabre 1 canopies opened brisk because that was what was expected at the time they were designed. Sabre 2 canopies slowed the opening and fly great (the one that broke my rib flew and flared great). I have 1300 jumps and am a tandem instructor, I have been in the sport for 20 years and have packed many parachutes, when I packed the Sabre 2 I knew the history and packed it with that in mind. As the label says any parachute that is manufactured, packed, maintained, and used properly can and will fail.


Blue Skies

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Ofcourse I perform flight control checks. My main concern is what will happen if the canopy is turning due to collased end-cells while i'm trying to get twisted lines untwisted.
Pulling the toggles will inflate the cells, and I've only had line twists once before (presumabely due to bad body position during opening), but I imagine the combination of collapsed end-cells with twists could easily lead to a reserve ride if the canopy turns in the wrong direction. How likely this is, I dont know.

Edited to add: Before anybody says anything... I dont unstow brakes before clearing twists. :P

The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of my employer, not necessarily mine, and probably not necessary.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
It's amazing how many people I hear complain about closed end cells. It's especially funny when someone complains to their packer about it, as if they just packed the thing with 5 lineovers!

Either wait for a couple of seconds to let it finish inflating, or pop the breaks and coerce it just a little bit.

In any event thank your canopy for being so nice to you, and worry about more important matters!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

It's amazing how many people I hear complain about closed end cells. It's especially funny when someone complains to their packer about it, as if they just packed the thing with 5 lineovers!

Either wait for a couple of seconds to let it finish inflating, or pop the breaks and coerce it just a little bit.

In any event thank your canopy for being so nice to you, and worry about more important matters!



Ditto. If closed end cells and slight heading issues on opening are your biggest worries, then there isn't really anything to complain about.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0