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jpw2o05

Info on monarch

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I know there was an update on the Monarch to help with the openings, a lip on the leading edge. Does anyone know when this update was added? Mine was manufactured on Feb95, was this before or after? I didn't really see anything when I looked. I researched past threads but didn't see anything. Thanks!

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I'm familiar with the alteration you describe, and no, this was not a field mod done by riggers, although I have successfully altered sliders by adding a pocket.

As far as the date is concerned, I bought new Monarchs in 1993 and 1994; both of these had the newer nose configuration. I'd call the mfr for more exact info on this.

A friend had one of the earlier (older than mine anyway) Monarchs which he sent back to Precision and they altered the nose for softer openings. Subsequently, new Monarchs were produced with an improved nose design that restricted air intake somewhat. However, they still opened hard by today's standards.

Although, like the Sabres, Monarch earned a reputation for sometimes-brutal openings, this can be successfully remedied with slider alteration.

Otherwise IMO the Monarch is a decent, first-generation, rectangular, zero-P 9-cell, although somewhat dated now. I still use one for demos where a steeper glide and shorter surf are desirable.;)

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I owned a Monarch 155 mfd in '98. If there was a design change it was useless because the canopy opened brutally hard and usually throwing you in a diving spin. I used to take real care when packing and really concentrate on body position on deployment. Of the 100 jumps I put on that canopy I had about 3 decent openings.
I tried everything to slow the openings and eventually developed a technique which allowed bearable openings but still hard and uncomfortable. Never did control the spin. Also, the canopy almost always had end cell closure.
If you jump more than 1 day a week this canopy is not for you. It will take you a week at least to recover.:P

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I owned a Monarch 155 mfd in '98. If there was a design change it was useless because the canopy opened brutally hard and usually throwing you in a diving spin. I used to take real care when packing and really concentrate on body position on deployment. Of the 100 jumps I put on that canopy I had about 3 decent openings.



You do know that Spectra line sets may only be good for 300 jumps before they loose trim? The outer lines on my Stiletto 120 shrunk 6" versus 1.5" for the inner lines in just 600 jumps. Openings were getting wonky at least a hundred jumps before that.

Many of the big companies have made mistakes. IIRC when the Spectre was introduced we sent eight back at our DZ due to built-in turns (most in the same direction). PD fixed them all.

Unless the canopy has been checked against the factory trim specs you can't say there's anything wrong with it apart from wear. You need to send it back to the factory before giving up.

My Monarch 135 was built in 1992. While it started flaring nicer after I put a new line set on it (there were 300 claimed jumps at the time) there hasn't been anything wrong with it apart from a bunch of pink cells. I put a couple hundred jumps on it as my primary main, and ?00 on wingsuit flights after that. I don't know that I'd trade it for a Spectre and am not willing to spend the money to upgrade to a Sabre2.

I owned a newer 155 in 1998. It always opened and landed fine too. The colors were a much more pleasant rainbow.

While there are better newer canopies, there isn't anything that Monarchs do poorly that isn't shared with the competitors' rectangular mostly ZP canopies sold at the same time (Sabre, Turbo Z/ZX, etc.).

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I owned a Monarch 155 mfd in '98. If there was a design change it was useless because the canopy opened brutally hard and usually throwing you in a diving spin. I used to take real care when packing and really concentrate on body position on deployment. Of the 100 jumps I put on that canopy I had about 3 decent openings.




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Unless the canopy has been checked against the factory trim specs you can't say there's anything wrong with it apart from wear. You need to send it back to the factory before giving up.



My conclusion also. With over 1000 jumps on Monarchs, I've never experienced those conditions either. But I take care of my equipment and reline when trim becomes marginal. Even a good product will turn into junk if it's neglected long enough.

With plenty of more-modern, used canopies on the market now, there's not much interest in these older rectangular canopies, and they do require more packing skill. But many of us who have owned these know them to perform well when properly packed and maintained. These can be some good bargains. I recently escrowed a deal on a Monarch for a former student who will be very happy with it at a lighter W/L for the next 100 jumps or so. Of course I'll show him how to pack for a good opening.

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