Good first canopy? - 2nd hand Safire 2 209/229

[rifleman 61]

Saw a DZ offering several of their club canopies for sale - all 2006 - 2008 with 350 - 500 jumps, supplied with new line set but was just wondering whether the Safire 2 was a good first canopy.

My H/C is a classic Teardrop sized for a 220/220 combination and I'm approx 235lbs exit weight.

Atheism is a Non-Prophet Organisation

[mattjw916 2]

in general, yes

my first canopy (I owned) was a Safire 1, the Safire 2s are even better so I hear... nice openings, good flare

NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

[BIGUN 1,053]

General internet rule of thumb is to speak with your Instructors about gear purchases. I may be a bit cynical; but 350-500 jumps on student canopies that are 5-7 years old seems a bit of a stretch. If you decide to move forward; have your rigger inspection be a part of the deal.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

My first canopy is a new safire 2 and I love the thing. It opens very nicely for the most part, though you can still pack a nasty opening if you're not careful. It's not as twitchy as the rental sabre 2 I've flown, but it still handles very nicely.

It took a while to get used to the glide on my new one. I'm not sure if that'd be an issue with a student canopy with a few hundred jumps on it. I overshot my target several times before I got used to it. It seems to want to glide forever.

As someone else mentioned, have a rigger inspect it before committing to buy it. If they don't want to ship it to the rigger at your DZ, that's a warning sign.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[rifleman 61]

Definitely planning on a rigger inspection before parting with cash and intend to get instructor input anyway.

I was just after some generalised input about the canopy itself and whether it was something that was a suitable canopy for someone just off student status.

Atheism is a Non-Prophet Organisation

[BIGUN 1,053]

>>>>>>I was just after some generalised input about the canopy itself and whether it was something that was a suitable canopy for someone just off student status.

It is. I'm a fan.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[bob.dino 0]

rifleman

...whether it was something that was a suitable canopy for someone just off student status.

Loaded appropriately, it totally is.

[DougH 270]

bob.dino

***...whether it was something that was a suitable canopy for someone just off student status.

Loaded appropriately, it totally is.

X2. I think Safire2's and Pilots make excellent first canopies if they are loaded close to 1:1.

They open nice, are somewhat resistant to sloppy packing, trimmed flat, fun turns, nice flare!

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

[cazzercam 0]

I have a safire2 189, its beautiful to fly, flare is awesome.
since its coming from a dropzone, if you a near, go test it.
pm me if you want to know some more info about them.

[ChuckMartin 0]

They are nice canopies and work well as a first canopy for a lot of people.

Not sure how much I would trust a DZ canopy that is 5-7 years old only having 350-500 jumps on it. That comes out to be about 70 a year or so. Lets say they only open 3 days a week and get 3 jumps a day on them. That is still 9 a week. At some busy DZ's a rental canopy can get 50 or more jumps on it in a month.