I've had a 170 Sabre2 for 27 jumps now, loaded at about 1.25. Control is predictable and progressive, landings are perfectly straightforward and don't require perfect timing. It seems to retain enough energy to recover from an over-enthusiastic initial flare, allowing you to just hold the brakes and finish the flare later.
You can stooge about conservatively or fling it around like a madman. It seems to be very stable and will return to the S+L without positive input.
There are suggestions about systematic off-heading openings, but I've had none that I wouldn't put down to bad packing/poor body position.
I'm glad I bought one!
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Now had this canopy a little over 100 jumps. It's my low-timer view that consistent packing and deployment are rewarded by consistent openings. Once it's open, it flies like a dream. At full throttle it moves fast; in deep brakes you can hang around for ages. Stall is signalled well in advance, and recovers quickly when you return to half-ish brakes.
Front riser pressure builds very quickly in turns, to the point where you're doing one-arm pull ups. All that positive pitch pressure means it returns to the straight and level very quickly once you let go. It's always proved very easy to land, even when the pattern sets up downwind! I don't have a lot of experience of skydiving canopies of this sort, but it seems fairly insensitive to harness (as opposed to brake) input, requiring a significant effort to steer 'no hands' (by comparison with a paragliding canopy).
Sabre2
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in Main Canopies
You can stooge about conservatively or fling it around like a madman. It seems to be very stable and will return to the S+L without positive input.
There are suggestions about systematic off-heading openings, but I've had none that I wouldn't put down to bad packing/poor body position.
I'm glad I bought one!
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Now had this canopy a little over 100 jumps. It's my low-timer view that consistent packing and deployment are rewarded by consistent openings. Once it's open, it flies like a dream. At full throttle it moves fast; in deep brakes you can hang around for ages. Stall is signalled well in advance, and recovers quickly when you return to half-ish brakes.
Front riser pressure builds very quickly in turns, to the point where you're doing one-arm pull ups. All that positive pitch pressure means it returns to the straight and level very quickly once you let go. It's always proved very easy to land, even when the pattern sets up downwind! I don't have a lot of experience of skydiving canopies of this sort, but it seems fairly insensitive to harness (as opposed to brake) input, requiring a significant effort to steer 'no hands' (by comparison with a paragliding canopy).
Certainly no regrets 100 jumps in.