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Manubis

Spectre 150 or silhouette 150?

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Hi all,

I need some feedback about spectre 150 and/or silhouette 150. Fly, landings...? I have a vectra (french gear) with pd 143r and pd 170.
Thanks all and happy holiday!
Manu



Both are good!
Look out for the freefly team, Smelly Peppers. Once we get a couple years more experience we will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future! BLUES!

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I don't have many jumps, but to me I prefer 10 to 1 the silhouette, I didn't like the spectre....



why didn't you like it?
Look out for the freefly team, Smelly Peppers. Once we get a couple years more experience we will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future! BLUES!

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I've put several hundred jumps on Silhouettes in sizes from 230 to 135. A wise ole' jumper told me early on that the Silhouette was the "best kept secret" in skydiving. I agree.

The Sil has a wonderful flare, smooth glide, and is exceptionally forgiving (even at higher wingloadings). It's a hybrid, so easy to pack. It'll get you back from long spots.

I've only got around 50 jumps on a Spectre, so my opinion isn't as informed. The Spectre opens beautifully as well, but it won't get you back from a long spot. It has a steeper glide. Still, a great canopy.
I've got around 1K jumps on its cousin, the Storm, and in terms of glide, they're not that different.

Both are good canopies. Are you looking for slower openings, greater glide, more control? What don't you like about your current canopy?

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Try both before you buy ;) They're both intermediate canopies, but other than that, quite different in how they handle and fly, comes down to personal preference. Coming from a pd170 main, you'll like both ;-) Both will seem to open slooooooow though ;)

Oh yeah, I wouldn't load the silhouette too high, but if you're jumping a pd170 now I'm assuming you're not heavy, 60-70kg? In that case you'll be fine on a silhouette 150. For higher wingloads though, the spectre is better.


ciel bleu,
Saskia

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like I said, i had better flair with the silhouette, and like said before the steeper glide of the spectre would give you harder landings than the sill... maybe not.. try them, rent a gear if they have on your dz and then you will be able to decide what make your mind...
Julio Cesar
blue skies

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The Spectre opens beautifully as well, but it won't get you back from a long spot. It has a steeper glide.



I agree... My first jump on a Spectre the damn thing felt like it was diving out of the sky. It also turned faster and lost more altitude in the turn than I expected.

Still a good canopy, just not the one I would want doing AFF and sometimes getting a less than ideal spot.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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>But that doesn't categorically mean that Spectres won't get you back from
>a long spot, does it?

Not at all! I have often jumped 7 cell canopies (Tri, Spectre) and made it back from long spots. You just have to plan a bit better - open higher and keep an eye on the winds.

>Doesn't that depend a lot on how it is flown and wingloading?

Definitely. But the tricks you can do with a Spectre you can also do with a Stiletto - and the Stiletto will give you the flatter glide (which means more distance covered in no wind conditions.)

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Given that I've got approx 1K jumps each on 7 vs 9 cells...my experience is that the glide angle of either a Spectre or Storm is significantly different than a Silhouette, Pulse, Safire, Crossfire II, Firebolt, Pilot (all of which I also have jumped).

Given the same opening altitude and wingloading, there is simply no way I can fly as far as the other guy on a 9 cell. Tried it on numerous occasions.

Maybe I need to get some canopy coaching from ya. B| See you in Reno?

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Given the same opening altitude and wingloading, there is simply no way I can fly as far as the other guy on a 9 cell. Tried it on numerous occasions.



Granted, you won't make it back as far under a 7 cell as you will under a 9 cell, but if you fly it for best glide you will make it back from the majority of long spots under a Spectre.

Stating categorically that a Spectre (or a 7 cell) won't get you back is incorrect and may have some folks writing off a whole group of canopies that might be perfect for them before they even jump one.

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See you in Reno?



Maybe at a craps table. ;)

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In the far reaches of my memory...watch out now...I remember some info from PD at one time that the glide on a Spectre and Sabre2 are actually very similar. And in some instances, the Spectre outglides the Sabre2.

The Storm is a different story, as it is definitely steep glide angle.

Mike
ChutingStar.com

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In the far reaches of my memory...watch out now...I remember some info from PD at one time that the glide on a Spectre and Sabre2 are actually very similar. And in some instances, the Spectre outglides the Sabre2.

The Storm is a different story, as it is definitely steep glide angle.

Mike



John LeBlanc mentioned something along these lines at PIA a few years ago...so I jumped the Spectre a bit. Perhaps they're trimmed differently now, dunno, but the Sabre II flies a lot flatter than the Spectre did for me, but the Spectre openings are slower and a tad more predictable.

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