now I know

[JayhawkJumper 0]

I got to jump a stiletto this weekend and I could not believe how much fun it was. I've heard people talking about how much they enjoy their canopy rides, and now I know why. The turns were amazing and I couldn't believe how much flare it had on landing. It blew my safire out of the water. The bad thing is, now I want one. Anyone want a safire?

[freeflir29 0]

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It blew my safire out of the water. The bad thing is, now I want one. Anyone want a safire?

Hehehehehee...they don't call the Safire a "Sadflare" for nuthin. Yep...Stilettos ain't bad!

[AggieDave 6]

Yup, very fun and they can be flown conservatively, but I've also seen some good canopy pilots flat swoop the shit out of them (and make some folks on x-braced canopies look bad in the process). Have fun, good luck getting one and be safe.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[skymedic 0]

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Hehehehehee...they don't call the Safire a "Sadflare" for nuthin.

You havn't flown my safire then...

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[Kerrya 0]

What size is your current Safire? Whats your wingloading ? What was it on the Stilletto?
Mind you, I've flown both, and find Safire with a light wingloading (1.3, 115 sq.feet) a better canopy for learning efficient swoops.

http://www.swoop.ru

[flyhi 24]

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It blew my safire out of the water. The bad thing is, now I want one. Anyone want a safire?

I thought everyone knew you never jump something smaller than you can afford.

Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

[JayhawkJumper 0]

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What size is your current Safire? Whats your wingloading ? What was it on the Stilletto?
Mind you, I've flown both, and find Safire with a light wingloading (1.3, 115 sq.feet) a better canopy for learning efficient swoops.

My safire is 189, the stiletto was a 190. My safire was recently relined with the trim and tail mod. Both were being loaded at about 1.25. I could fly the safire to a dead stop in no wind, but I thought it was a lot harder to do than the stiletto. I have only put 3 jumps on the stiletto in no wind so I need to do more to make a more informed judgement, but I do know that it felt like it had a lot more lift at the bottom end.

[johnny1488 1]

Give a xfire of xfire2 a try to give a real comparason of HP ellipticals. The safire wasnt designed to out perform the stilleto.

Johnny
--"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!"
Mike Rome

[Piru 0]

I changed my stiletto 135 in one safire 129. The openings in the stiletto sucks. I prefer my safire much more tha one stiletto.

Sorry, but it´s my preference

Piru

[freeflydrew 0]

You may want to get a different packer, or pack it different, or try again, because I know one thing about the stiletto, and that is that the openings don't suck. I'm not going to sit here and bash icarus or PD or Atair or Precision, or who ever, each company makes great products. I know from my own personal experience, and from the experience of many other skydivers in the sport, that the Stiletto's openings are extremely consistent, soft, and comfortable. It has stood the test of time as a great canopy. I don't really see the comparision with the safire... Hopefully you'll have the opportunity to try another one, and you'll have that nice experience that so many other skydivers have had.
-drew

[AndyMan 7]

Once you spend the time to learn how to fly your body throughout the opening, you'll learn to appreciate those stiletto openings. Soft, gentle, on-heading virtually every time...

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[Kris 0]

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Once you spend the time to learn how to fly your body throughout the opening, you'll learn to appreciate those stiletto openings. Soft, gentle, on-heading virtually every time...

Agreed, Andy. My Stiletto opens like a champ every time. To quote Skycat, it's like falling into warm ice cream when it opens.

I very rarely get off-heading openings and when I do, it's never more than 30 or so degrees off.

Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

[JayhawkJumper 0]

The opening was one thing I liked about the stiletto, but I will agree that the safire opens better. In my opinion, it opens even far better than the spectre. I pack mine with the nose flaked open, slider pulled back, and a couple light roles of the tail. I get no less than 1000 ft. opening every time, on heading. (mine has the safire2 trim and tail mod) The stiletto was a little faster, hunted for a heading sometimes, but was also a great opening canopy. The stiletto has the edge in every other category in my opinion though, flight, turns, and landing. (but thats just my opinion)

[freeflydrew 0]

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I get no less than 1000 ft. opening every time, on heading. )

If a canopy actually opened for 1000 feet, it would take probably 15 or 20 seconds to open as you decellerate from terminal to canopy speed. 1000 feet is over 3 football fields in length... Imagine being under canopy, looking across the sky, watching someone deploy, and see them scream by you and continue for 1000 feet? Or pulling a little lower, like 2200 feet, and thinking to yourself, whoa, I may pass through 1000 feet and activate my cypress if this one snivels a bit longer than normal?
I know we throw around the term 1000 foot openings loosely, but in a practical sense, I think it's a little bit unreasonable. I'd imagine that 500 foot openings are maybe even stretching it a little too?
I'll guess that the Stiletto and the Safire open with the same average length everytime, and are very comparable in that respect... I totally agree with you about the rest, It's when you look at dive, turn, flair, that the differences come to light.
I've just been talking with friends at the dz about the term 1000 foot openings...
-Drew

[JayhawkJumper 0]

Trust me, my canopy takes 1000 feet to open, sometimes a little longer. I have held my altimeter in front of my face with my piloto chute out and in my hand. If I let go of it at 3,000, I'm open at 2,000. When people watch video of my canopy opening, I hear a lot of "oh my God" "holy shit" "I would have chopped that"

I actually think for some reason my canopy's break set loops were put too far down and so the canopy is almost in full flight when it opens which is why it opens so soft.

[freeflydrew 0]

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Trust me, my canopy takes 1000 feet to open, sometimes a little longer.

Longer than 1000 feet?

Definitely be careful about going a little low if you're jumping with a cypress!

-drew

[Piru 0]

I agree with the 1000ft to open. My safire takes it too. And allways on-heading. Sometimes it takes 700ft.

Piru

[Piru 0]

And i will tell more. It opens and then start to inflate. When i jumped for my first time the safire. I was surprise with the opening, because i never saw one opening like that. And i lend for a lot of friends who liked too. I was just making a demo with the safire, after landing i bought it in the same time.

And i also preffer safire landings than stiletto. Apologies for the people who likes stiletto, but when i said before. I don´t like stiletto, vegeance, sabre. It´s my preference and i jumped with it all. I´m not against PD because i believe the Silhouette is a nice beginner canopie, and i use PD reserve.

Piru

[jumperconway 0]

I actually think for some reason my canopy's break set loops were put too far down and so the canopy is almost in full flight when it opens which is why it opens so soft.

[craddock 0]

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If you really believe that, try jumping it without the brakes set

I have many jumps on my FX with the brakes not set and it has opened soft everytime. I can say that the best series of openings I have had on that canopy occured without the brakes set. My Stiletto 107 opened fine just fine also unset, although neither canopy seemed to snivil much either way. Just good ~3-400 ish foot openings. I would not jump a continue to jump a canopy that took 800-1000 + to open up. Just me.
Josh

That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

[jumperconway 0]

Hi Josh,
Curious, did you intensionally leave the brakes not set? I have never jumped a canopy with the brakes not set but have heard horror stories from people that had packers not set them! I agree on the 800'-1000' snivel. I sent back to SQ1 a used saber that I had them put a pocket on the slider before I jumped it and it did that! CYA Saber!

[JayhawkJumper 0]

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I actually think for some reason my canopy's break set loops were put too far down and so the canopy is almost in full flight when it opens which is why it opens so soft.

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If you really believe that, try jumping it without the brakes set!

[craddock 0]

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Curious, did you intensionally leave the brakes not set?

Yes, I did it on my FX when I was going through a period of bad openings. Actually I had several issues and not setting the brakes took of everything. On my 107 I simply did it to save a few seconds when doing back to back on the same King Air all day. I would not do it on larger canopies without reefing the control lines buton small canopies I have never had problems.

Have a great Forth of July !
Blues,
Josh

That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

[aneblett 0]

Got to disagree with you there drew. I have flown a spectre 135 that litterally snivelled for almost 1000 ft. As in initiation at 2500ft in the saddle between 1700-1400ft..

we used to joke that if it seemed like it wasn't going to open to reach for the cutaway handle cause the canopy didn't like to be cut away and it would open.

nice and soft though. I was careful never to pull low when using his gear.

Age

S.E.X. party #2

..It is far worse to live with fear, than to die confronting it.

[aneblett 0]

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Apologies for the people who likes stiletto

no need to appologize opinions are allowed

Age

S.E.X. party #2

..It is far worse to live with fear, than to die confronting it.