New Stiletto

[VectorBoy 0]

Randy I totally agree with you about the blanket statement" not enough jumps"," not enough currency". Skills are gained differently by individuals. And currency is retained again differently some people can take more time than that away and not suffer. Ellipticals for everyone in our jump# range, no a handful maybe but not everyone.
I myself am appalled by guys that started jumping about the same time as myself and have close to our jump# Who consider it good luck if they get back to the grass and or stand it up 50% of the time. Nothing wrong with their gear. Who NEVER play with their risers and don't know about shallow braked turns and hanging in RR to make it back from long spots or float to the top of the stack for a less congested approach. Who are 98% more likely to end up in someone's backyard than you or I. Yet most people won't say a peep to them cuz they pull, pull stable, have fun and do walk away from their landings even if its with dirt on their face and harness and they don't crowd anybody landing in the south 40. I don't worry that they will perform a low alti turn but I do worry that some day something is going to jump out in front of them like an airplane hanger. Their attitude is that their education is over, time for fun. really sad thing is I have seen people with many hundred jumps do the same. But if you or I look at an elliptical you are gonna get the lecture . Where is the lecture to the canopy challenged? Is everybody's well intended advice based on those other guy's flying or lack of it? Or what you've observed the guy's desiring more performance do?
I've had guys offer to sell me their stilletto then renig when they find out I'm a low jump wonder.I don't blame them not at all but don't blame me for wanting to fly one . Its a personal decision.
I have in fact Demoed a handfull of elliptical canopies with the help of the canopy underground and going in with a ton of respect, reverence and fear of the unknown come away with the knowledge that I "could" down size a couple of sizes depending on the characteristics of one design over an other "If" I wanted to. My choice was never just to downsize,but to experience other types of designs. In a perfect world with lots of crazy money I would "everysize" with several of each type.
If you are worried about your stilleto have a canopy instructor check you out or better yet go to the evolution course at perris. Get real advice and coaching from the guys who know this stuff. Not hearsay from someone who has never been there and has never seen you fly. Military pilots transition very early to very high performance aircraft with good results. How , with very good training. It is available to us too. Even if you have to take a week off and attend one of these courses.
Why fly a high performace wing if you are not doing swoop landings ? Easy speed, the kind of speed that puts you in the center of your canopy's performance envelope on final while the canopy cows are doing meandering s turns because of piss poor downwind setup. If you need to speed ahead you can with a delicate tweak of front risers and you are not doing total body pullups on the fronts of your lightly loaded tri for very little payback in speed. I believe in order to fly well traffic you have to "Practice" flying in traffic. Or penetration on those windy days. It is everybodys responsability to be harness aware on ANYTHING you fly in a harness including the level of sensitivity. If you don't want to bother tie weather balloons to your lawn chair apply shades to face and smile. But don't fly in a harness.Just because you don't want to go upside down close to the ground dosen't mean you don't deserve a little speed,flater glide and crisper turns!
Now it is our responsibility ,with our low jump# its a privilege not a right of a guy with a couple thousand jumps, to perform sensibly, being always aware of our hyper sensitive, short toggle control stroke, twitchy,unforgiving canopy. These were never marketed under newbee killers and we are going to have to behave at least untill they invent the rocket assited birdman suit to take the heat off those of us wanting to go performance perhaps a bit early

[freeflir29 0]

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However, the steering lines were lengthened and I'm telling you it feels almost exactly the same as the Sabre2.

I haven't flown a Sabre 2 or even a Sabre but I can tell you that once I lengthened the brakes on my Stilletto it took on a whole new personality. I ran the toggles absolutely all the way to the end of the line. I had just enough line to tie a square knot and half hitch. Before the canopy was somewhat "twitchy" IE when making a toggle turn you reached a point about shoulder height for me that the toggle pressure became much harder and the turn rate would rapidly increase. Once lengthened out turns became very smooth all the way through the range. Also, the control range became many times larger and the canopy almost wants to swoop on it's own. I really didn't like it with the original brake length. I love it now!!!
"It's all about the BOOBIES!"

[diver123 0]

I feel ya my friend. It's tough to know when you've "really" actually crossed the line and when it's simply an overzealous opinion of someone who's extremely conservative. However, in "their" defense, I'm fairly certain that with most of them the concern is sincere and directly aimed at the well being of all who participate in our sport. So, when it's for that reason, the advice, warnings, and other posted placards and signs are well received by myself and I do fully appreciate and take it into consideration before practicing my right to chose. I too want nothing more than to keep myself safe. But, this is and always will be an individual sport. We must be responsible for ourselves and must take into consideration the ways our decisions affect those around us in order to preserve safety in principle and as a policy. Which is exactly the way I'll make this decision. I'll seek out knowledge and wisdom from those who have it to offer and then couple that with performance evaluations to make the best possible decision I can for myself. If after all that, those performing the evaluation, in addition to my comfort level with the canopy, still combine in a "not ready" result, I'll tuck it away for a time in which I can safely enjoy it's added performance.
"pull high! It's lower than you think..."

[diver123 0]

Freeflier,
I remember you getting all kinds of negative reactions to your decision as well, yet things seem to be working out okay. I guess we'll just have to see how this one works out eh...
"pull high! It's lower than you think..."

[freeflir29 0]

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yet things seem to be working out okay

Well...yes....things are going well but......Story time and this seems like the perfect thread. Sunday....first load of the day. It was pretty damn windy but no big deal for me. I think it was 13-20 MPH according to AWOS. I made my pattern pretty wide because I was high. I turn on base and notice just how strong the wind is. Crap.....I'm not going to make it over to the flags. Hmmmm....OK.....I'm not even going to make the main landing area. Hmmmm....how about between the taxi way and runway. Nope.....looks like that will put me down near the sign. Don't want to have to dodge that in this wind. Allrighty, plan C. Nice hard toggle turn to the left to go into the old student landing area. Holy shit.....dig dig dig.....because the wind was blowing so hard I lost A LOT more altitude than usual. I would guess 30% more than normal. Had to dig it and flat turn. Didn't quite make it back onto the wind line and landed going sideways at a good clip. So I did a nice little half a PLF and layed there laughing at myself for being stupid and making too many decisions at the last minute. I learned something from it and walked away. Didn't land hard at all...just not too good at running sideways at 10 MPH. Later a friend with over 2000 jumps says to me "Hey....you scared me a little with that landing earlier." My reply......"Scared me too!!!" Thats the first time I haven't stood up a landing in several months and my #1 non-stand up on this canopy. Next load I shortened my pattern considerably and had a beautiful 90+ degree carve and swooped 40-60 feet in the same stiff winds....*shrug* I just write that off to first load of the day stupidity. "It's all about the BOOBIES!"

[Geoff 0]

Glad it all turned out OK!

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because the wind was blowing so hard I lost A LOT more altitude than usual.

er..what? The wind won't make the canopy lose altitude any faster or slower (just like a goldfish won't dive any faster in a bowl of water that's in a moving car), unless you're talking about turbulence causing the canopy to collapse? Is that what you mean? Serious shit if so!
just curious
Geoff

[freeflir29 0]

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unless you're talking about turbulence causing the canopy to collapse?

OK...here we go again. When you present the top of the canopy (while turning) into a strong wind you will lose more altitude than you do on a calm day. Trust me...this wind was on the brisk side and it DID make me lose more altitude than normal.
"It's all about the BOOBIES!"

[RichM 0]

Erm, I'd hardly call myself an expert, but I don't get your logic there. I understand that you are flying your canopy in a body of air. The canopy will fly through that body of air the same irrelevant of whether the wind is blowing left or right, doing 1 knot or a million knots, becuase you are being blown with it, so the relative speed is zero. The only difference will be the relative speed of the ground, which makes no difference until you need to touch it, i.e. land. That is if the winds are blowing parallel to the ground. Have I misunderstood anything here? (Sorry if this is a tired argument, but my simple understanding of fluid dynamics has just been drained out of it's recepticle:))

[Geoff 0]

RichM.
Yes it is a tired subject, but you do understand it correctly.
Geoff

[AndyMan 7]

RichM, that is also my understanding.
'nuff said.
_Am
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[freeflir29 0]

Physics in a vacumn.....sure it works. "It's all about the BOOBIES!"

[PhreeZone 15]

Clay... I'm sure you believe in the downwind turn stall huh?
If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will....

[airdrew20012001 0]

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-would I be comfortable landing in someone's backyard? No. Would anyone?

I have a stilletto 135 and would land in someone's back yard if I had to, and would be comfortable doing so.
Drewfus McDoofus

[Hooknswoop 19]

What do you base this extra loss of altitude on? The wind, affecting your ground-speed may have changed your perception of how much altitude loss in a turn, but in realtity, a constant wind doesn't affect the recovery arc of a canopy. I have noticed a different "sight picture" on windy days vs. calm days, the hook looks different, but recovery arc and altitude loss is the same, all other things being equal.
Hook

[kallend 1,647]

<<your perception of how much altitude loss in a turn, but in realtity, a constant wind doesn't affect the
recovery arc of a canopy. I have noticed a different "sight picture" on windy days vs. calm days, the hook
looks different, but recovery arc and altitude loss is the same, all other things being equal.>>>
The altitude loss will be the same *assuming* the control inputs are the same. Trouble is, because the sight picture is different the control inputs may well be different too. I have no difficulty believing there was more altitude loss, but I'd attribute it to the pilot's response to what he saw, not on the fluid dynamics.

[wildblue 4]

Little late here... but finally decided to add something...

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-do you think you'll be comfortable landing that canopy after taking two or three weeks off?
-2 or 3 weeks, yes but I'd be cautious on the first couple.

The first couple aren't normally what get you.

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-would I be comfortable landing in someone's backyard?
-No. Would anyone? I doubt it.

I'm very comfortable putting my canopy down anywhere.
Having put a number of jumps on a sames sized Stiletto and Sabre2 - I can tell you the Stiletto is less forgiving of mistakes. Good example - a good friend of mine was jumping a Stilletto, not loaded high at all (we're talking like 1.1/1) on one particular landing, reached for the ground in the middle of her flare. The canopy managed to turn about 90 degrees by the time she hit the ground, on her side, tumbling. Luckily she wasn't seriously hurt - everyone who saw the landing thought she was. A similar move under a Sabre2 would still be ugly, just not as ugly. BTW - she finally sold her stilletto and went to a sabre2, same size.
You don't scare me! I got chunks of guys like you in my stool!!