PalmettoTiger 1 #1 May 10, 2001 The reviews in the gear section are all positive and I have an opportunity to get one at a good price. Does anyone here know of novices jumping silhouettes? What wingloading are they at? PD seems to be recommending .75 for novices - are they being conservative for liability reasons or are their recommendations generally in line with most people's experience?Thanks in advance!Blues, squares,PTiger Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Donna 0 #2 May 10, 2001 My friend has a Silhouette 210. He is loading it about 1:1. He got it shortly after getting off student status last summer and put about 180 jumps on it with no problems. He loved it. He started out PROpacking it but then switched to psycho packing. He always had good openings. After first switching from student gear it took him a little bit to get used to landing it but in no time he was landing right on the X. He recently downsized to a Sabre 170. He kept recommending the Silhouette for my husband but he is about 240 out the door and because of the conservative recommendations on wing loading by PD he decided to go with a Triathlon220 instead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PalmettoTiger 1 #3 May 11, 2001 To make this more interesting: Say, hypothetically, you know a jumper with 10 jumps. Fresh off of student status. He (er, he/she, we don't know ) weighs 225 out the door. If he had the choice between a Sabre 230 and Silhouette 230, which would you recommend?Blues, squares,PTiger Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grogs 0 #4 May 11, 2001 QuoteSay, hypothetically, you know a jumper with 10 jumps. Fresh off of student status. He (er, he/she, we don't know ) weighs 225 out the door. If he had the choice between a Sabre 230 and Silhouette 230, which would you recommend?Well, I hope for your *hypothetical* friend's sake he's a he and not a she at 225 OTD. Personally, I'd recommend the Silhouette. I am a bit biased because I've been jumping a Silhouette 170 at about 1.15:1 for the last 100 jumps or so and I've only jumped a Sabre 3 or 4 times, but here are my experiences. It seems to turn nicely using either toggles or front risers. Generally, the turns start slowly, but after 45 degrees or so they really pick up speed, so you can really have some fun with it. Also, it comes out of the turns nicely, which is nice if you make a calculation near the ground and need to stop a turn in a hurry. It also seems to land pretty well, and you can choose to either pick up a bit of speed and land it 2-stage fashion, or do a straight-in approach and land with a conventional flare. One thing the Silhouette will definitely beat the Sabre on is packing though. Since it's a hybrid instead of a full ZP, it packs smaller and easier. Also, the Silhouette opens very softly. I've yet to have a hard opening on it and I do absolutely nothing (other than quartering the slider) to slow it down. From what I've seen, a sloppy pack job on a Sabre will result in a bad opening, while a sloppy pack job on a Silhouette (I've done a few Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Iflyme 0 #5 May 12, 2001 I've got around 50 jumps on my 210 Silhouette loaded about 1:1 It is a fairly conservative canopy at this wing-loading. Never had a harsh opening (the canopy has around 450 jumps on it), I can snap a toggle turn an go right into line twists - no, I won't be doing that one again - and the flare is great -- it lands wonderfully. I would say they are being rather conservative with the recommendations... but they must protect themselves legally. (I am a novice with 83 jumps) I like!!!Frank Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skybytch 259 #6 May 12, 2001 QuoteSay, hypothetically, you know a jumper with 10 jumps. Fresh off of student status. He (er, he/she, we don't know ) weighs 225 out the door. If he had the choice between a Sabre 230 and Silhouette 230, which would you recommend?I'd recommend the Silhouette. You can flat pack it and still get good openings (but pro pack openings are nicer) and it's fun to fly and easy to land (and once you... err Mr./Ms. High Pothectical... gets a little better it will surf a bit too). Plus the Sabre 230 has a fiddly double steering line set up that can be a bit confusing at first; the Silhouette's steering lines are just like the smaller canopies.I wouldn't recommend exceeding 1.1 lbs. suspended/sq.ft. because of the F111 bottom skin and ribs. But at Mr./Ms. High Pothetical's loading on a 230 you'll be just fine! Oh, sorry I meant HE/SHE will be just fine! pull and flare,lisa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites PalmettoTiger 1 #7 May 12, 2001 Thanks for all of your feedback, everyone. I'm working hard to earn the nickname "Caution" so hearing that other novices (novii?) aren't in over their heads at 1:1 is a big relief. Now I have to get back to mowing lawns, blackmailing celebrities, and robbing little old ladies - I went a little over budget on the container, reserve, and AAD. Oops! The money I got from selling my kidney didn't last as long as I thought it would... Blues, squares,PTiger Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites slotperfect 7 #8 May 12, 2001 I have jumped a Silhouette 210 loaded at 1.2 for four years. I have jumped it at a DZ with a field elevation of 5300 feet above sea level (conservative approaches of course). The openings are the softest and most consistent of any canopy I have ever jumped. I flat packed it for years, but lately I have been "Psycho" packing it, which results in even smoother openings, even more on heading. The F-111 bottom skin also makes it very easy to pack. You'll love it. Staying conservative on the wing loading is a good tip . . . I put 40 jumps on a 230 before I jumped down a size. Good luck!Respectfully,SP Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites cwg357 0 #9 July 3, 2017 Slotperfect, What is (was) your exit weight when you decided to drop down to the Silhouette 210 from the 230? I'm 215-220 out the door, and I'm looking at going to the Silhouette 210 from a 220. I hear that the Silhouette and Pulse canopies are really conservative, even at a 1.15 wing load. Thx! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites IJskonijn 38 #10 July 10, 2017 My personal experience is with a Silhouette 190 at 1.16 wingloading. I put about 100-150 jumps on her (before I stopped doing that weird freefall stuff and focussed on CRW). At that wingloading, I found her to be a relatively conservative canopy, easy to handle even in suboptimal conditions, with good flare and forgiving of mistakes. That said, she could be coaxed into misbehaving and/or more agressive manouvres, primarily by messing around with toggles/riser while near the stall point. However, I had to go out of my way to make her do that. During normal flight manouvres, even a deep toggle flat turn, she behaved nicely and predictable. Toggle stall point was very deep, and from full flight to stall took a good 4-5 seconds of keeping the toggles there. I was never worried she might stall on me during flaring. On the Sabre vs Silhouette question, I'd go with the Silhouette because of the aforementioned opening problems that the Sabre is known for. My Silhouette has never given me a bad opening even though I definitely don't iron out the creases during packing, and even during the opening I had with 6+ linetwists she decided to just go fly straight and level while I sorted out the linetwists. Pulse has many of the same features as the Silhouette (F111 bottom skin, trimmed for flat glide, short recovery arc), but I have no personal experience with it. People I know that jump it are very happy with it though. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. 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Iflyme 0 #5 May 12, 2001 I've got around 50 jumps on my 210 Silhouette loaded about 1:1 It is a fairly conservative canopy at this wing-loading. Never had a harsh opening (the canopy has around 450 jumps on it), I can snap a toggle turn an go right into line twists - no, I won't be doing that one again - and the flare is great -- it lands wonderfully. I would say they are being rather conservative with the recommendations... but they must protect themselves legally. (I am a novice with 83 jumps) I like!!!Frank Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #6 May 12, 2001 QuoteSay, hypothetically, you know a jumper with 10 jumps. Fresh off of student status. He (er, he/she, we don't know ) weighs 225 out the door. If he had the choice between a Sabre 230 and Silhouette 230, which would you recommend?I'd recommend the Silhouette. You can flat pack it and still get good openings (but pro pack openings are nicer) and it's fun to fly and easy to land (and once you... err Mr./Ms. High Pothectical... gets a little better it will surf a bit too). Plus the Sabre 230 has a fiddly double steering line set up that can be a bit confusing at first; the Silhouette's steering lines are just like the smaller canopies.I wouldn't recommend exceeding 1.1 lbs. suspended/sq.ft. because of the F111 bottom skin and ribs. But at Mr./Ms. High Pothetical's loading on a 230 you'll be just fine! Oh, sorry I meant HE/SHE will be just fine! pull and flare,lisa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PalmettoTiger 1 #7 May 12, 2001 Thanks for all of your feedback, everyone. I'm working hard to earn the nickname "Caution" so hearing that other novices (novii?) aren't in over their heads at 1:1 is a big relief. Now I have to get back to mowing lawns, blackmailing celebrities, and robbing little old ladies - I went a little over budget on the container, reserve, and AAD. Oops! The money I got from selling my kidney didn't last as long as I thought it would... Blues, squares,PTiger Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slotperfect 7 #8 May 12, 2001 I have jumped a Silhouette 210 loaded at 1.2 for four years. I have jumped it at a DZ with a field elevation of 5300 feet above sea level (conservative approaches of course). The openings are the softest and most consistent of any canopy I have ever jumped. I flat packed it for years, but lately I have been "Psycho" packing it, which results in even smoother openings, even more on heading. The F-111 bottom skin also makes it very easy to pack. You'll love it. Staying conservative on the wing loading is a good tip . . . I put 40 jumps on a 230 before I jumped down a size. Good luck!Respectfully,SP Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cwg357 0 #9 July 3, 2017 Slotperfect, What is (was) your exit weight when you decided to drop down to the Silhouette 210 from the 230? I'm 215-220 out the door, and I'm looking at going to the Silhouette 210 from a 220. I hear that the Silhouette and Pulse canopies are really conservative, even at a 1.15 wing load. Thx! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IJskonijn 38 #10 July 10, 2017 My personal experience is with a Silhouette 190 at 1.16 wingloading. I put about 100-150 jumps on her (before I stopped doing that weird freefall stuff and focussed on CRW). At that wingloading, I found her to be a relatively conservative canopy, easy to handle even in suboptimal conditions, with good flare and forgiving of mistakes. That said, she could be coaxed into misbehaving and/or more agressive manouvres, primarily by messing around with toggles/riser while near the stall point. However, I had to go out of my way to make her do that. During normal flight manouvres, even a deep toggle flat turn, she behaved nicely and predictable. Toggle stall point was very deep, and from full flight to stall took a good 4-5 seconds of keeping the toggles there. I was never worried she might stall on me during flaring. On the Sabre vs Silhouette question, I'd go with the Silhouette because of the aforementioned opening problems that the Sabre is known for. My Silhouette has never given me a bad opening even though I definitely don't iron out the creases during packing, and even during the opening I had with 6+ linetwists she decided to just go fly straight and level while I sorted out the linetwists. Pulse has many of the same features as the Silhouette (F111 bottom skin, trimmed for flat glide, short recovery arc), but I have no personal experience with it. People I know that jump it are very happy with it though. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
