Stiletto linetrim, pre -96

[lilchief 0]

I've sent 2 e-mails to PD regarding this, but now replies have been sent. So this time, I'm asking the crowd.

The linetrim that was used on stilettos before 1996 was more aggressive then after. I was told by a Senior rigger that they did it because people kept digging them selves in. They were simply not used to HP canopies. At the same time they installed spanwise reinforcements to prevent chordwise fractures in the ZP fabric.

My question is: compared to todays canopies, like katana, samurai, crossfire2 etc, how would a stiletto today with the old linetrim perform? better, worse or no difference?

Also, had the linetrim something to do with opening characteristics?

"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci
www.lilchief.no

[DrewEckhardt 0]

The line trim has never changed. To quote John LeBlanc who designed the Stiletto:

"We introduced the Stiletto in three sizes in July of 1992. Since then, the following changes have been made:

In 1994 we made a change to the canopy logo panels to make them easier to produce.
In March 1999, we added spanwise reinforcing tapes on the 120 and 135 sizes. These tapes were already on the larger sizes for extra durability, and we just added them on two smaller sizes.
In June of 1999 we created the new style warning labels that have the skill levels with varying wing loading maximums for each category, with a far higher maximum wing loadings than the original 1.3 lbs/sq.ft.


As you can see, the changes made don't affect the performance. The airfoil and trim changes that people believe occurred on the Stiletto have never occurred, and there have been no changes made in any way to "detune" the canopy. People's perceptions have changed over time, because our sport has changed so much.

As the designer of the Stiletto, I can emphatically state that we are still using the same line lengths and cutting the exact original part shapes with our laser cutting machinery that we used in 1992 for the first Stiletto."

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

Take a read through this...


http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2917979;search_string=Stiletto;#2917979


... thread. Although its a urban legend the "old" Stiletto's were trimed different then "new" ones... PD swears up and down that is not the case.

[lilchief 0]

well, there I got my answers.

But I must say that I'm dissapointed. I thought I'd found a "new" canopy and that I could change my lines to get a new sensations of flying and kind of "testing" a different canopy.



well, well.. that's life

"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci
www.lilchief.no

[gjhdiver 0]

I've probably got over 7500 Stiletto jumps. I can only attest that they have to be the most consistently opening and most predicatble high performance canopies ever produced. There's a reason they are still around.

[diablopilot 2]

Why's that? Old guys?





































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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[lilchief 0]

Quote

I've sent 2 e-mails to PD regarding this, but now replies have been sent. So this time, I'm asking the crowd.

This is incorrect. I searched my gmail and found out that I didn't send two emails. That was all in my head

Sorry PD..

"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci
www.lilchief.no