need opinions please

[freeflydeeva 0]

I am wanting to get a different canopy. I currently jump a safire and have been demoing some others types. I jumped a sabre2 and wont touch one again. (still have the bruises) One of the dz instructors and one of the riggers suggested that I might want to try a stiletto of the same size. And yet another instructor thinks I should wait because I only have 250 jumps.
The overall wing loading would be 1.45:1. And have been landing my canopy consistantly. (well, since hooknswoop did the mod to it)
I have heard so much about elipticals and am cautious about what to do. Any feedback would be welcome.
freeflydeeva

[PhreeZone 19]

Look at a Hornet, or even if you want even more proformance.... your Stiletto's, Cobalt's, or a Crossfire.
Just get highly educated and listen ot all the advice on ellipticals and listen to everyones advice. A Safire is smaller then the same sized PD so staying the same size will make the switch easier.
If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will....

[skygeek 0]

If you do deside to go with a stiletto take a look at the Heatwave as well I started flying a 150 loaded at 1.5 at around 250 jumps and have loved every flight.
..all you touch and all you see,
is all your life will ever be.....
Pink Floyd

[rhino 0]

Try a crossfire at a lighter wingloading? There is also the Diablo.
Blue Skies .....

[polarbear 1]

Hey Deanne...I thought that might be you...it's C.J. from ISS in Rantoul.

[christopherm 0]

Why all the bruises from the Sabre2? And if it is because of the landings, should you really be thinking about going to a higher performance canopy like the stiletto? Just a thought but then again I might be misunderstanding you.
-So, how hard is the ground?!

[freeflydeeva 0]

Hey CJ How's life up north? How's the school going? Have you gotten your riggers ticket yet? How's the gang there in Rantoul? Catch me up!!! LOL

[freeflydeeva 0]

No, not from the landings. Had one hum dinger of an opening. So hard that it loosened my leg straps and my neck got caught up on the chest strap. Have bruises on the legs and neck. Was so bad that I looked up expecting damage to the canopy and when I landed, very well and in the pees, I had the dz rigger inspect the canopy. Ouchy momma. LOL

[polarbear 1]

Still cold. We moved the business up to Paxton. We're now called "Illinois Skydiving Center". We are going to be the FBO at Paxton, so we manage the airport(No riggers ticket yet...I am taking the tests in a week or two.
Ready to get a new canopy and open yourself up to whole new possibilities of swiftness and death?

[freeflydeeva 0]

When did you guys move up to Paxton? Wow, I didnt realize that. So there is nothing at Rantoul now? Man, how things change when you are gone.
Good luck on the riggers ticket. Guess what? I packed my first reserve last week. Only 19 more to go... LOL

[airdrew20012001 0]

If you can find a stilletto that would let you jump it at a lighter wing loading than 1.5:1 I would suggest you try that. I jump one loaded at 1.35:1 and love it. The openings are a bit squirly but they are fun as heck to fly. Whatever you do, if you change to a fully or highly eliptical canopy try stepping down slowly. As a friend once said, small canopies bite hard.
Drewfus McDoofus

[polarbear 1]

Hey Dee,
If you are jumping the same size safire that I think you are, you will have to downsize to go to a Stiletto. Check the sizes and make sure.
In any case, the Stiletto will be a lot twitchier, and may seem faster. If you go with the same size, be prepared for a much different toggle stroke. The Safire probably has a pretty long control range. With the Stiletto, everything will happen much higher up in the stroke. It will also have a higher stall speed, so be prepared to run out the extra speed on landing. I doubt your safire bowties real easy, but with the Stiletto it is pretty easy to do on landing...I watched Phil do it a couple of times with his when he first got it. Be especially cautious if you have to downsize...it will be even faster and twitchier. I haven't seen you fly for a while, so I can't really say if you'll be alright. Just be careful.

[rapper4mpi 0]

At 250 jumps I would suggest you shy away from all elliptical canopies. Furthermore, with a wingloading of 1.45 you may be asking for trouble. I would suggest going with a lightly tapered canopy with a wing loading around 1.2 to 1.3 max (if you're good). I also would check the experience level of people giving you advice on this forum before actually taking any of their advice. If you are unsure still, ask around your DZ to the instructors as they know you and your flying ability best. This is the key, ask those that know your flying best and are qualified to give you advice.
I'm going to ignore any protests from anyone that took this post personally, so don't bother flaming. Anyway, good luck and be safe!
-Rap

[freeflir29 0]

Quote

be prepared for a much different toggle stroke

Only if the brakes are too short....

Quote

I doubt your safire bowties real easy, but with the Stiletto it is pretty easy to do on landing.

Only if the brakes are too short........
"It's all about the BOOBIES!"

[billvon 2,898]

>I am wanting to get a different canopy. I currently jump a safire and have
>been demoing some others types. I jumped a sabre2 and wont touch one again.
The Safire is elliptical. Out of curiosity, why do you want to switch if you're having good luck with your current canopy? Are you looking for better penetration, longer planeouts, etc?
-bill von

[cobaltdan 0]

dee,
if you are proficient on a safire 169 with 250 jumps, i would have no problem sending you a demo 150 cobalt for loading your requested 1.45.
at this wing loading a cobalt canopy will not be faster than your safire and will have better glide/flare/openings.
sincerely,
dan
www.extremefly.com

[freeflydeeva 0]

CJ
I have actually been jumping a 40 square foot smaller safire since I was up there. Love it a lot better. The stiletto is the same size as the current safire. How is everyone doing? I am hoping to get back up there in August. Who knows tho. LOL

[freeflydeeva 0]

Bill,
The safire that I am currently jumping, I do not own. My safire is larger. I have the option to buy this safire which I do like, however it was suggested by my rigger and a couple of the instructors that I should demo the stiletto. The one thing about the safire that I do not like as well as some of the other canopies I have jumped is the flare.
I had mine modified by hooknswoop and the one I am jumping was modified also, so the flares are better than they were before.
I do want more responsiveness while playing up top but dont want to sacrifice the landings. I have been told that the stiletto will offer a little better landing because of the differences in the canopies. Now, I realize that the stiletto is higher performance. I would like to know how much more tho. Stories differ here.

[polarbear 1]

You probably have your brakes real long. The "too short" brakes on the Stiletto I have jumped still have slack, and can get all the way into front risers without deflecting the tail. Ask anyone; Stilettos are known for having a short control range; Safires are not.

[polarbear 1]

You probably have your brakes real long. The "too short" brakes on the Stiletto I have jumped still have slack, and can get all the way into front risers without deflecting the tail. Ask anyone who jumps theam at higer wingloadings; Stilettos are known for having a short control range; Safires are not.

[Tonto 1]

Why do you want a different canopy? If your Safire is too slow, go down a size on a Safire. Or too old? Check the trim and maybe reline. Only go smaller if you want to go faster. Design is almost always secondary to skill. There are those that can make an old rag look hot, and those that can make new rags look deadly.
t

[freeflydeeva 0]

My question was whether to look into a stiletto of the same size as the safire I currently jump. How much difference is there between the two canopies, especially at the bottom end of the flare? I don't want faster, I just had the opportunity to buy the safire or the stiletto (same size) and was interested in opinions on the two canopies.

[Samurai136 0]

If you are serious about moving to an elliptical like a stiletto, I recommend looking at a Samurai (elliptical) or Lotus (sabre2like, safirelike) from BigAirSportz.

Generally, any elliptical (some companies call them 'truely and fully elliptical') canopy will turn, dive, and manuver faster than a similarlly sized square or 'slightly tapered elliptical'. The stiletto will perform the way you fly it and load it. Ask people you know what they think of you jumping a stiletto.

Is the canopy you have an opportunity to buy new or used? If it's used, how old are the lines? why is the seller selling it? etc... If you don't want an over-all faster canopy an elliptical may not be for you.
If you're looking to buy a new canopy I recommend talking to Brian Germain at BigAirSportz and demo a Lotus or Samurai. They are both airlocked which I think may be the control characteristic you are looking for. The airlocks increase the rigidity of the wing and the feel of the toggle stroke on landing.

Good Luck!

[rfarris 2]

If all your wanting is opinions, then here is mine. You'll absolutely love the Stiletto. I've jumped a Sabre, and now jump a Stiletto.
If your wanting to get away from neck breaking openings, then I would recommend a Stiletto. Just stay with your current wing loading.
I land my Stiletto no different than I do my Sabre. In other words, I'm conservative. But that's what's so great about the Stiletto. It is what ever you want it to be. You want slow, predictable turns, make slow, gradual inputs on your toggles. If you want near orgasmic turns, yank it. (up high please)
I made the decision to get a Stiletto only because I felt confident enough to fly it with respect. Your confidence level is something only you can determine. Just be smart with what ever you fly.

[Kirils 1]

Given you experience level and the problems you are having, I would suggest you demo 2 or 3 before making a decision. My suggestion for one is to try is the Hornet. It's a low price leader, packs easy, has soft openings with a strong flare. I would suggest you might ease up on the loading a bit.. 1.3 maybe tops. The Hornet is a "fix it all" canopy that can be flown aggressively if desired and works well for just about everyone.
Skydiving is not a static excercise with discrete predictability...