Stiletto - blast from the past

[martwald 0]

I recently enquired from a supplier as to the cost for a new Stiletto, his response - that's a blast from the past!

I know I am more suited to the Stiletto than I am to a Katana having been out of the sport for a while and highly unlikely to get more than 4 jumps a month for the foreseeable future. I am familiar with the Stiletto and know I can fly it safely.

My question - am I mad buying a Stiletto, are they really out of date and due for retirement as implied by the sales agent who said the above???

[DougH 270]

Funny, they are still on the PD distributor list that my dz's gear store received last.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[Andrewwhyte 1]

I fly a Stiletto. The main reason is that I do not do enough jumps on my personal gear to use anything higher performance. In my opinion the Stiletto is a great canopy for those who have the experience and skill, but not the currency or desire for a swooping designed canopy.

[Kolla 0]

Ask Arizona Airspeed what they think.... the team jumps a mixture of Velocities and Stilettos (3 of each)
The Stiletto is definitely not the newest design around, but it is one that is tried and trusted by many skydivers. And if you like the way it opens/flies/lands, it sounds like it's the right canopy for you.

So in short, I don't think you (or Craig Girard, Eliana Rodriguez or Steve Nowak for that matter) are crazy at all - you just happen to like that "flavor" of a canopy :)

Blue ones,
Kolla Kolbeinsdottir
Performance Designs, Inc

Blue Skies Magazine

[Canadianfella 0]

I just sold one of mine, still have the other. Know LOTS of people that have them and look at dz.com they're EVERYWHERE... great canopy that flies well and lands wonderfully! Watching airspeed fly them when I was in Eloy in Feb was great... they were doing something silly like 28 jumps every morning... or so...

[diablopilot 2]

Not only is the Stiletto still a great canopy, but I'm pretty sure PD still sells a fair share of them. Tell your dealer to shut up and sell you what you want.

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

[airgord 1]

I've been jumping a Stiletto for the last 14 years, Velo's are really fun, but crazy, katana's, fun to fly, sane openings, okay landings.
IMO, Stilettos are easy to fly, easy to land, and the openings are okay provided the packer has their s@#* together (short, tight line stows. decent lower steering lines.).
So if a gear dealer says "Thats a blast from the past", find another dealer, PM me if you need to find one.

PS The customer is always right, buy what YOU want to buy.

[billvon 2,905]

It is a blast from the past, but if you can get a good deal on one and you like it, nothing wrong with that. There are a few older canopies (the Excalibur, the Nova) that had serious design problems, but the Stiletto isn't one of them.

In my opinion, it's less safe than some other canopies if you like to swoop because of its shorter recovery arc, and it tends to spin up more easily than some other modern canopies. On the plus side the glide is fairly flat (more glide from bad spots) and it's a lot of fun to fly.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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IMO, Stilettos are easy to fly, easy to land, and the openings are okay provided the packer has their s@#* together (short, tight line stows. decent lower steering lines.).

Stilettos are more sensitive to control input (intended or not) than any other popular canopy in the same size. When I switched from my Batwing 134 to my Stiletto 120 at first the thing didn't always swoop in a straight line. I did like mine more than a lot of newer canopies - the Crossfire, Safire, Spectre, etc. More fun to fly and with a better flare than the less tapered designs, especially at the bottom end.

[peckerhead 0]

Anything that is still in production is hardly A "blast from the past"

Is your supplier a teenager?

Dayum! I still jump Diablos and Hornets!

Sniff, they just don't make em like that no more!

[Maxx 1]

YO!
My stiletto has over 1000 jumps (new lines 150 jumps ago) and it opens very soft and predictable. I don't want another canopy, though I would like to have a smaller one.. I'm into high performance landings, but just like you not current enough to fly a velo, katana or similar..
You can land stilettos high performance style, but they build up front riser pressure very fast (low recovery arc; WL depending) so you either need a braked approach for long/high turns or just really good arm muscles I prefer the first method..

IMHO the stiletto is still a very nice, dependable and solid canopy that is capable of everything you want it to.

[martwald 0]

Thanks for the comments, I am content that it is still a suitable canopy, now just have to be realistic about how current I can get with 3 children under 3!!!

Choice between a Sabre or a Stiletto, leaning towards the Stiletto as that was what I was familiar with before I took a break, thanks again.

[peek 21]

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I recently enquired from a supplier as to the cost for a new Stiletto, his response - that's a blast from the past!

There is no end to people who think that a newer design is necessarily better than an older design only because it is newer. This ain't consumer electronics.

[peggs82 0]

My "blast from the past" exploded the other day 3 foot tear in on the seam of the center cell Oh well...it was pretty old anyway.

I love stilettos...alot... I have now moved on to other canopies, but I still think they are great!

It is still a "I can kill you with the quickness" canopy...make no mistake about it...small inputs produce big results ...so be careful as you ease back into the sport
If thats what you want....GET IT! Don't buy a Katana just because its the newest or the most talked about....get a canopy that fits you! I highly doubt PD would still be selling them if there wasn't a demand
On that note...want to start a "Phils Stiletto (ole pinky) exploded and he wants a new one fund"?

[fugozzie 0]

I just bought a new Stiletto last year. Love it. I would buy what your comfortable with.

[gjhdiver 0]

There's a reason the Stiletto is still around. It's still the gold standard for a high performance elliptical canopy, that's why. I've got nearly 6000 jumps on them alone, and they have never been anything but soft opening, predictable, and fun to fly. If your dealer tells you that they are obsolete, talk to another dealer.