Stiletto

[shaggydog 0]

Been learning to swoop for 150+ jumps on my sabre 2, beginning to feel that I would benefit from a higher performanced biased canopy. I have considered a Stiletto but am apprehensive about the opening characteristics, I have heard some horror stories. what should I expect? is it worth worrying about? what alternatives should i consider?

[marks 0]

your better off on the sabre 2. it dives more than a stiletto already. It will prepare you for more modern canopies.

keep jumping the sabre 2. if you want a change, get a smaller one. I hate to tell you to go smaller, but I would rather you do that than go to a stiletto.

[chachi 0]

agreed or a similiar sized crossfire would be an option. better characteristics for swooping than a stilletto.

[AndyMan 7]

A Stiletto is a hell of a lot of fun to fly, in the right hands.... but - it's not a great swooping canopy. It recovers from a dive very quickly, which means you need to initiate your turns much lower for a good swoop. It also builds riser pressure quickly, which means it's hard to keep in a dive.

I would keep with the Saber2, and maybe go down one size if you're ready.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[andyflylife 0]

Hows it going Martin??

You seem to be getting on well with the Sabre mate from what i've seen!! I'd heard and seen similar things about the stiletto. If you talk to Mike Gorman he learned to swoop on his original Sabre then downsized to a Sabre2 135 to progress and swears by it.
Personally i'm staying away from elipticals like the Stiletto until i can swoop the arse off my sabre

Blue ones dude!!

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[skydivenagasaki 0]

I started learning how to swoop on my Sabre2 as well. I went on to a Crossfire2 and found it to be a great transition. Either canopy would be a better choice (IMHO) than the stilleto for swoop progression.

"and if you don't like it then 'Hey Fuck You'"
--The Beastie Boys--

[WeakMindedFool 0]

They can call a saber 2 "Tapered" if they want but make no mistake...it's eliptical. If you load it heavy it will get twitchy and turn on a dime too. Loaded light it's fairly forgiving but it can perform too!

Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for lost faith in ourselves.
-Eric Hoffer -
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[dharma1976 0]

I learned everything I know about swooping on a sabre 2 I would stick with it and seek some canopy coaching and get the instructors views on it

Cheers

Dave

http://www.skyjunky.com

CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing.

[ccowden 0]

A Stiletto would be a step in the wrong direction if you want to learn to swoop with modern wings. A Stiletto is a Stiletto. Really it's own animal. But if you have already started to learn swooping techniques on a Sabre2, you should stick with that. Don't fall into the mode of thinking that a Sabre2 is not high performance enough to move on in techniques or to use for swooping. You can absolutely learn every bit of swooping on that canopy, up to and including 270s and rear riser landings.

Shoot vdschoor a PM. That boy swoops a Sabre2 better than alot of people on Xfires and Katanas and even some that are on crossbraced. Wish I had video of it.

Stick with the Sabre2. Jumping to a Stiletto will do nothing for you other than a complete change in canopy styles.

[davelepka 4]

Go with the Sabre2 150. The switch between 170 and 150, and the bump in WL give you waht you want. You'll see. It'll kick ass in comparison to what you have now.

[Cacophony 0]

My very first swoops were on a Sabre 170. I did about 1000 Stiletto jumps on sizes 150, 135, 120, 107 collectively after that before I went to my Velo. The nice thing about Stilettos is that they are CHEAP!! They have been around for a while, and most of them out there have been around the block a few times which is both good and bad. They have stood the test of time for reliability, but there are a lot of bad lines and worn fabric out there.

As far as technology goes, a Stiletto turns a lot faster than an equaly sized Sabre 2 with toggles, but recovers from a dive faster also. You shouldn't be using your toggles for any kind of swooping anyway. The longer the parachute dives the more speed it picks up (to an extent). However it is possible to bust out some monster swoops with a Stiletto. As far as the future of swooping goes though.... If you are serious, stick with a Sabre or get a Crossfire or something. Don't downsize much if you change wings though. Crossfire's need a lot of respect, but oh do the open so sweet!!

[dharma1976 0]

Quote

Don't downsize much if you change wings though. Crossfire's need a lot of respect, but oh do the open so sweet!!

I love my Crossfire2, but remember I had 250 swoops or so on sabre 2s first and a lot of coaching from the locals...

Cheers

Dave

http://www.skyjunky.com

CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing.

[shaggydog 0]

OK - thanks for the advice, think I will demo / borrow a smaller Sabre2 (I completed around 10-15 jumps on 150sq ft demo canopies last year but didn't feel an awful lot of difference, so maybe try a 135 in various conditions may be more suitable) and possibly a crossfire 139.