popsjumper 2 #1 December 10, 2011 Bit of trivia for the old-timers: It was received for inspection for airworthiness... a 7-cell StratoStar . Whaddayathink? Any test jumpers out there?My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mark 102 #2 December 10, 2011 Really? Strato-Stars were 5-cell canopies. If you wanted a 7-cell Star, you bought a Strato-Cloud. I once added a couple cells to a Strato-Star. After that, it flew like a Cloud. Adding cells was not enough of an improvement to be worth the effort because Clouds were going out of fashion at the time and were dirt cheap. Mark Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #3 December 10, 2011 Quote Bit of trivia for the old-timers: It was received for inspection for airworthiness... a 7-cell StratoStar . Whaddayathink? Any test jumpers out there? HEY! Is it green & yellow?! I had a buddy 'back then' that added a cell on each side of his 'Star'...did the work himself. I jumped it once, he claimed it flew exactly like a 'Cloud' but a bit faster. I didn't get that impression, it was faster but IIRC was heavier on the controls and mushy anything after about a 180 turn, recovered weird too. Last I remember, someone gave him a rainbow pattern Star to play with that he was trying to add significantly taller & wider than 'standard' cells to on each end. Again...IIRC, he got the idea to try it because some loft somewhere was doing it commercially...I bet there are a few of those in closets here & there... ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,046 #4 December 10, 2011 Hi pops, Back in those days there was one guy who ran an ad for converting a StratoFlyer into a 7-cell. I know one guy who took him up on it and made that POS Flyer into something that could be landed without injury. JerryBaumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pchapman 261 #5 December 11, 2011 Quote HEY! Is it green & yellow?! Is that a factory color scheme for StratoClouds? Not the prettiest but it stands out. I've got a StratoCloud Delta (240 ft sq) in alternating green and yellow with a black center cell. As for jumpability, hey, I lent mine to Minna (gimpboogie on dz), a paralyzed jumper with ALS. She jumped it a few times last year although I think only when there was snow on the ground to cushion the butt landings. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peek 20 #6 December 11, 2011 QuoteBack in those days there was one guy who ran an ad for converting a StratoFlyer into a 7-cell. I recall one of those conversions from 5 to 7 was called an "Added Attraction" but that might have been a colloquial or regional name. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #7 December 11, 2011 QuoteQuoteBit of trivia for the old-timers: It was received for inspection for airworthiness... a 7-cell StratoStar . Whaddayathink? Any test jumpers out there? HEY! Is it green & yellow?! ...and blue and black and.... The black end cells and blue stabilizers were add-ons. I'll try to get a pic. Or maybe Mike G will post one.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pchapman 261 #8 December 11, 2011 If this thread is indeed about a StratoStars with 2 extra cells added: Gary Peek is correct about the Added Attraction name. I remembered there was a thread about it: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1435737; (I had totally forgotten that I had started the thread, asking about the mod...) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RIGGER 0 #9 December 11, 2011 Nice - you opened an old box of memories. I had a StratoStar as my 1st ram air main canopy packed in my SST Racer with a 26' Lopo round reserve & I jumped it a lot, never was cutaway & worked great for me even on Demo's into small areas. I had one more with longer lines which last time I jumped it was years ago on a Night Water Demo jump for a new Marina opening ceremony. Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkwing 4 #10 December 11, 2011 I have jumped 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9-cell canopies. Some were add-on extensions to smaller canopies, and some were built that way. I seem to recall that I did some work for others that involved adding two cells to 5-cell canopies. It generally worked quite well. It wasn't hard to do, and generally was much cheaper than a new canopy. It could also be un-done if desired. -- Jeff My Skydiving History Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #11 December 11, 2011 QuoteIf this thread is indeed about a StratoStars with 2 extra cells added: Gary Peek is correct about the Added Attraction name. I remembered there was a thread about it: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1435737; (I had totally forgotten that I had started the thread, asking about the mod...) Yes indeed it is and thanks for the outstanding link!My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
racerman 0 #12 December 12, 2011 I had a Starto Flyer that I had converted. If my memory serves me it was done by a gentleman located in Birmingham Al. I think his name was Ray Hara Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeJD 0 #13 December 12, 2011 Quote I once added a couple cells to a Strato-Star. After that, it flew like a Cloud. Wow, I guess those were the days that flies. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites