need some quick rigger input please and thoughts on Stiletto landings

[skycc 0]

My Spectre if out of trim and giving me hard openings so I borrowed a Stiletto for this weekend while I wait for my new line set. Never jumped one until yesterday, my elliptical experience was a Batwing about 10 years ago for a few years.

Love the openings I'm getting...but the landings suck. It's a 120 and with gear I'd say I'm about 145-148ish lbs., my weight fluctuates.

Anyway, I noticed on a practice flare yesterday it seems a line is pulling down on the canopy near the back before the tail is being pulled. Is this normal? When I land it, after I get a tiny bit of a plane out (granted not much speed with a fairly straight in approach)...when I go to finish a flare it goes DOWN rather abruptly, but I'm not stalling it. I was sure to get other's input that watched the landings. This canopy hasn't been jumped in quite a while. I'm wondering if something could be wrong with the line set on it?

I've gotten conflicted advice that I need to try to build up airspeed with a bit of a turn on landing (which I'm OK with doing a smaller one and am used to doing that with my Spectre, but obviously this canopy turns very differently and I'd need to be careful). Others say I should be able to land it straight in.

Thoughts? Trying to decide if I want to jump it again later today or not.

[monkycndo 0]

Here is the line trim chart for the Stilleto. See if the lines are in trim. Easiest place to start to answer both questions.

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You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[billvon 2,396]

>when I go to finish a flare it goes DOWN rather abruptly . . .

What you are describing is the "old PD" flare. Stilettos and Sabre 1's have a narrow flare band; canopies like the Sabre2, Safire, Pilot etc have a much deeper flare band. It can take some time to get used to the differences.

Your brake lines should have a little bit of bow to them in full flight. If they do not, but openings are still OK, lengthen the brake line below the stow point.

You can definitely land it straight in. You do not need a turn on any canopy I can think of, outside of some smaller ragged-out F111 canopy.

[riggerrob 558]

Agreed!
If you have to turn a canopy - to get a decent flare - then you are jumping the wrong canopy.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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Anyway, I noticed on a practice flare yesterday it seems a line is pulling down on the canopy near the back before the tail is being pulled. Is this normal?

No - your steering lines have shrunk (they only last 200-300 jumps). You want them long enough that the tail isn't deformed in normal flight and so that you have a full flare available. This is more critical on the Stiletto because the toggle stroke length is short, especially on a Stiletto.

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I've gotten conflicted advice that I need to try to build up airspeed with a bit of a turn on landing

No. While more fun it won't get you any more flare out of the canopy. While it takes a little more precision you can even get great landings from half brakes.

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Others say I should be able to land it straight in.

Definitely.