bwilling

Very true of even the Sabre 2, they're completely different plan forms, as illustrated in the attachment that was made from PD provided line trim charts available on their website. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

Just a side note... I may not be getting all the flare my Silhouette has to offer at this point... it's currently with my rigger, who's letting the brake to toggle length out to factory specs. Apparently the guy who owned it before me shortened it up, and it was actually in a bit of brakes at full flight, which would have at least some negative affect on flare power. We'll see how much when I get to jump it again. It's not like it doesn't have lots now, it just didn't have as much as the Sabre 2. But the Sabre 2 was the easiest to land canopy that I've ever jumped! I've got at least a handful of jumps on the original Sabre, Spectre, Triathlon, Sabre 2, and Silhouette, all in sizes from 210-230, and the Sabre 2 had the strongest flare of the lot them. I think my Silhouette opens better than the Sabre 2 though, and it's easy as shit to pack! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

I recently put 8 jumps on a demo Sabre 2 230, then purchased a used Silhouette 230 that I now have 7 jumps on. I'll tell you honestly that the Silhouette does not have as much flare power as the Sabre 2 did, but the Sabre 2 had more flare power than any other canopy I've ever jumped. I've had no problems landing the Silhouette, but think I could have easily gone down a size in the Sabre 2. If you look at PD's website, they recommend a size larger Silhouette for the same weight ranges... a Sabre 2 or Spectre 190 will match up with a Silhouette 210 on their charts for weight to experience level. You'd be between advanced and expert on a 210 Silhouette, which is where you currently fall under the Spectre 190 you've been jumping. The Silhouette is a great canopy, but you might be better served by a 210... PD has great demo program, contact Kim when you get ready to get serious, and try one out! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

Keep in mind that Mike Fury will update the older models to the newer design, including full length tuck tab riser covers! It's not cheap, but it is an option! I've seen some of the older Dolphins (in great shape!) go dirt cheap, so spending a few hundred dollars to update them is a pretty reasonable option... and you'll get great service from Altico! Edited to add that those canopies will be tight as shit in a D-3! I had a Sabre 210 in a D-4, and that's a much better fit. The D-3 is sized for a 190 main and a 170 reserve! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

I'd have to add that the success hinges on the wheels, and bringing the car in at maximum weight, or as near as possible to maximum weight! Try to have a weight system that's adjustable, because you'll want to fine tune the weight on the actual scale that's at the competition... and they'll let you do that. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

I've got a 1999, and quite simply, it's been the best car I've ever owned. Almost 150k miles now, and I'm thinking it'll go another 100k, no problem. Replaced some noisy strut crowns, a couple of power window regulators, and the water pump over the 6+ years I've owned it. One of the local radio stations had folks calling in with high mileage reports on vehicles they had owned, and some gal called in with a Corolla that had 386k on the original engine and tranny, and was still going strong! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

I jumped back 'in the day' of those canopies, I actually owned several of them. And while they did open faster than a 'normal' opening on one of today's canopies, I don't remember ever hearing about an opening that broke someones leg, let alone killed them, back then. Maybe Bill's got a point about the 'no stretch' line. We were pretty much all jumping Dacron lines back then... "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

I don't think you have to be injured for it to be called a hard opening! I was actually lucky that my canopy broke 10 lines on opening! That's probably the only reason that I wasn't injured, other than a sore neck for a couple of days... Was it hard? Oh yeah! But I wouldn't call what I had a 'hard opening'. I had an out of sequence deployment. There was NO snivel phase to that opening at all. When I got line stretch, I had canopy. Think 'slider down base opening' fast, but at terminal. Ouch. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

That's the reason I started this thread, I hear that term bantered about regularly, but based on even the limited response so far, that terms means different things to different people... My definition changed a couple of weeks ago when I had an out of sequence deployment that resulted in a 'hard opening'. There was nothing 'normal' about the opening, and it was so hard that it broke more than half the lines (yeah, spectra) on a newish canopy with just over 50 jumps on it. And it hurt. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

There's been lots of discussions, both in the past and more recently, regarding hard openings. But what really defines what a hard opening actually is? I have my own definition, a hard earned one based on recent events, but I won't go into that at the moment. I personally think there are two distinct classes of 'hard openings'. There's the 'normal' deployment that happens too fast, a la snivel, snivel, whap! And there's the out of sequence deployment, the kind that results in line stretch with something over your head, and instant canopy. One's painful and annoying, the other's potentially life threatenting. Feel free to discuss. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

You're not the only one! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

All three of my kids wear contacts, and all three were certified wearing them, and using a standard mask... You probably will want to close your eyes when you get to the mask flooding drills, but hell, I do that, and I don't wear contacts! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

Here's a video worth viewing for everyone that's ever wondered what their rights actually are regarding searches... "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

RR#1- Way hard pull on a very early belly band mounted hand deploy - 26ft Lopo reserve RR#2- Early square jump, couldn't release the brake on one side - 26ft Lopo reserve RR#3 - Premature container opening... here's the story behind it - 26ft Lopo reserve RR#4 - Broken steering line wrapped around some C-D lines - 180sft Safety Star reserve RR#5 - Line twist... lots and lots of line twists! - PD193R reserve (by far the best reserve of all my rides!) Oh well, at least I never had to use the one in the picture!

I've used and highly recommend the PD video... While using a video is not quite as up close and personal as having someone show you how to pack, you'll find that if you get 5 different people to show you how, you'll get 5 (possibly very) different variations. Scott packs exactly the same way every time in the video, no matter how many times you watch it! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

Here's one with a little less blue, and a little more tie dye... but still using your original colors. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

It's on a label on the inside of the right reserve riser if I remember correctly... if not, email Mike Furry (a great guy!) and ask him. He built it! Contact info is on their website at www.altico.com "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

There, I fixed it for you. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

I don't have a lot of jumps on either, but that mirrors my opinion given my limited jumps on both the Spectre and Tri. I've only got jumps on a newer Tri (v5.0), but I think it compares favorably with the Spectre of almost the same size that I used to own, and I'm sure as hell not sorry I paid $700 for a brand new canopy. Well... except that packing it sucks! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

That's with a double action revolver... a single action revolver requires the hammer to be pulled back manually, so it's possible that pending ID of the weapon as a DA, it could be loaded. I guess that's why a large number of people are shot with 'unloaded' guns every year... "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

No links, but PD has a really nice packing video. I called them and asked them about it, and they sent me one for free! Of course I was jumping a PD canopy at the time, but their packing method will probably work for most anyone's canopy... I still use their method on the new Triathlon I bought. And for those that haven't had the joy of packing a brand new ZP canopy, I can tell you honestly that it sucks just a bad as everyone says it does. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

From PD's website... "We don't recommend the “psycho bagging” technique for a couple of reasons. For one thing, we feel there are easier ways to put the canopy in the bag that work just as well. We also do not think a canopy should be packed with a lot of material in front of the nose, which happens when you psycho pack." "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

There's been a number of 'refinements' to the Triathlon over the years, and I'm not intimately familiar with when and what occured, but I'm sure Aerodyne is... You may want to contact them regarding that issue. I have a newer Tri, and the 'version' number is on the same tag (on the tail of the canopy) that the serial number is on, if that's any help... current version is '5.0', but I remember reading that they could retrofit some of the older canopies to more current specs. Your rigger may be aware of this, and if she's not, and the canopy checks out to be in good condition and you decide to keep it, you may want to contact Aerodyne anyway. Good luck! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

I noticed that too, and probably should have mentioned it to be fair! That point alone makes me wonder even more why he didn't list it in the ad though... he actually does know what he's jumping! That short term memory loss is a bitch! And yes, I know from personal experience! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

I think I found the ad that started this rant. Oh yeah, and check out his AOL IM name in his profile, maybe that helps explain it. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."