bradandskydoc 0 #1 April 30, 2005 Looking for opinions and experience with the spectre. I'm buying a rig with less than 50 jumps on it with a spectre 190. I'm 54 yrs old with 130 jumps over 3 years. Not looking for high performance or spooping. Just want a nice safe canopy to get me home and have a strong flare for a soft landing. Old bones and all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #2 April 30, 2005 Depending on how you are loading it, the Spectre can be a pretty docile canopy.Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bradandskydoc 0 #3 April 30, 2005 I weigh 175 naked, so geared up I should be right at 1:1Quote Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites darkwing 5 #4 April 30, 2005 The Spectre is a great canopy for you. I am not young and bought a Spectre 190 after I returned to the sport following many years of inactivity. I put 600 jumps on it and was very, very pleased. -- Jeff My Skydiving History Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Tink1717 2 #5 April 30, 2005 The Spectre, loaded anywhere from 1:1 to 1:4, will be perfect for you.Skydivers don't knock on Death's door. They ring the bell and runaway... It really pisses him off. -The World Famous Tink. (I never heard of you either!!) AA #2069 ASA#33 POPS#8808 Swooo 1717 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tdog 0 #6 April 30, 2005 If you look at my jump numbers, you can see I am a novice. If you double my skydive numbers, you have about how many times I have flown/landed a fabric wing, as I learned to paraglide before skydiving. Jumps 8-50 were on a Spectre loaded 1 to 1 or 1.1 to 1, depending on the rig I used... Never a hard landing, even at higher altitude. (except one crash that was turbulance related and had nothing to do with the canopy other than I was able to save a broken bone by being on a tame wing) The rigs I rented were configed for student use, so the brake lines were longer to prevent stalls. Even without taking a wrap on the lines, it would shut down for me... I did notice I liked the 1.1 to 1 a little better, I could feel a little more power the extra speed gave. Openings were great, and I learned to pack on a Spectre and found it very easy to pack. I now own a Pilot, which I am equally happy with, but it feels a bit more sporty in the air, but I am not one to give a full review (yet) other than to say if a Spectre treated me well on the very beginning of my learning curve, and my instructors gave it a thumbs up too, I think it is a forgiving canopy to fly at lower WL.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Kris 0 #7 April 30, 2005 The Spectre is a really nice canopy. If you want to pamper your "old bones" with some really incredibly soft openings on it, order it with Dacron lines.Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites maggott 0 #8 April 30, 2005 I have to echo what darkwing says exactly. I also bought a spetre 190 when I returned to the sport after quite some time away. I'm a bit younger, but also a bit heavier than you. At 210 lbls when I bought it, I had it loaded at about 1.2 and it treated me great and still does! Sometimes I think I might have done even better on a 170. The openings are soft and on-heading, and the landings are extremely smooth... the only time I have trouble is when I forget and flare as if I'm flying an old canopy (strato-star, or cruzair). The spectre is much more responsive and gives me what I ask for (even when it's not what I really want). You couldn't go wrong with a Spectre 190 in my opinion.~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Remster 30 #9 April 30, 2005 QuoteThe Spectre, loaded anywhere from 1:1 to 1:4, will be perfect for you. You'd tell a guy you dont know with 130 jumps that loading a canopy at 1.4 would be perfect?Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Remster 30 #10 April 30, 2005 QuoteI weigh 175 naked, so geared up I should be right at 1:1Quote 175 + 30 = 205, so it'll be between 1 and 1.1 to 1. All things being equal (ie, we dont know you) that would be about righ.Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tbrown 26 #11 May 1, 2005 I jump a Pilot now too, but for about a year was jumping a Spectre and loved it. You can't get a softer opening anywhere, it's like falling over backwards into a feather bed. It just takes a while to open, as it has a notoriously snivelly opening - so bring along a good book... I've made it back from some very long spots, even one when I pulled on the low side (my fault) and I still made it back to the drop zone's property. The flare is terrific, the landings are soft. AND I have seen people swoop the things, escpecially in the smaller sizes. You may not ever want to swoop - I don't either - but it IS possible if you ever change your mind. As a seven cell, the Spectre doesn't have the long flat glide of a 9 cell, but that's a matter of personal taste. The Spectre is deservedly one of the GREAT canopies of all time ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites FrogNog 1 #12 May 1, 2005 QuoteQuoteThe Spectre, loaded anywhere from 1:1 to 1:4, will be perfect for you. You'd tell a guy you dont know with 130 jumps that loading a canopy at 1.4 would be perfect? Technically, he wrote that a canopy from 1:1 down to 1:4 would be fine; 1:4 on a 190 sf canopy is 47.5 pounds of weight. So I guess he's saying that if the jumper loses enough weight that he's 48 pounds out the door, he'll have good landings. But I agree that I think he meant to write something more like "1.0:1 to 1.4:1", which on its face is concerning. -=-=-=-=- Pull. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bob.dino 1 #13 May 1, 2005 To echo the others: I have a Spectre 190, loaded at about 1.1:1. It's lovely. Lots of flare, great ability to get back from a long spot if you get on the rears, and tough enough for some sport CReW. Very much an all-rounder and it's opens nice and softly too ;-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bob.dino 1 #14 May 1, 2005 To echo others: I have a Spectre 190, loaded at about 1.1:1. It's lovely. Lots of flare, great ability to get back from a long spot if you get on the rears, and tough enough for some sport CReW. Very much an all-rounder and it's opens nice and softly too ;-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bradandskydoc 0 #15 May 1, 2005 QuoteLooking for opinions and experience with the spectre. I'm buying a rig with less than 50 jumps on it with a spectre 190. I'm 54 yrs old with 130 jumps over 3 years. Not looking for high performance or spooping. Just want a nice safe canopy to get me home and have a strong flare for a soft landing. Old bones and all. Thanks alot everyone. sounds like this is the canopy for me. I'll be jumping it soon. So now what? This is my first venture into these forums. Does this text just stay here forever or can it be deleted to open up more wep space? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites GravityGirl 0 #16 May 1, 2005 Enjoy your new gear! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Avion 0 #17 May 1, 2005 I've got a Spectre 210 that I load about 0.9 to 1. Its just as fast as I like it to be with my experience. It could turn faster, but the landings are right on the mark. I demoed a 230 first, and that one was definitely a little slow for me. The interesting thing was that I noticed a significant, but less large, difference in performance between the 230 and the 210. Toggle tension and glide speed were both noticably greater. I've also demoed a Silhouette. Suprisingly, the Silhouette has much less flare power than the Spectre. Although it flies much flater. Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites inextremis 0 #18 May 2, 2005 Spectre 190 seemed to be the canopy that all of the military freefall instructors were using when I went through HALO school last summer. I subsequently demo'd one (170) from PD and was so impressed I bought a 170 new--after having jumped a Stiletto for two years. It's different, but really sweet, just what I want in a parachute. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bob.dino 1 #19 May 2, 2005 QuoteDoes this text just stay here forever or can it be deleted to open up more wep space? Yep, it stays here forever. In the future, users can click on the 'Search Posts' link near the top of this page and find all these opinions on the Spectre without having to ask again. It also means that if you've got questions on a particular subject, you can search yourself to see what people have been saying about a particular subject. There's a huge amount of useful information in the archives of this site... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites spectreflyer 0 #20 May 2, 2005 I currently jump a Spectre 150 and have jumped the 230, 190 and 170 also. I love them and think they are great. The larger in size the slower the opening has been my experience with the Spectre. Great openings and great landings and a performance envelope that will keep you excited. Make sure you get credible advice from an instructor if you are downsizing or have been away from the sport for any length of time. Enjoy! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Salsa_John 0 #21 May 3, 2005 I have 40 jumps on spectres from 210 to 190. All have soft on heading opens with nice flares. My accuracy went way up when I changed to a spectre my 2c "You did what?!?!" MUFF #3722, TDSM #72, Orfun #26, Nachos Rodriguez Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0 Go To Topic Listing
darkwing 5 #4 April 30, 2005 The Spectre is a great canopy for you. I am not young and bought a Spectre 190 after I returned to the sport following many years of inactivity. I put 600 jumps on it and was very, very pleased. -- Jeff My Skydiving History Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tink1717 2 #5 April 30, 2005 The Spectre, loaded anywhere from 1:1 to 1:4, will be perfect for you.Skydivers don't knock on Death's door. They ring the bell and runaway... It really pisses him off. -The World Famous Tink. (I never heard of you either!!) AA #2069 ASA#33 POPS#8808 Swooo 1717 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tdog 0 #6 April 30, 2005 If you look at my jump numbers, you can see I am a novice. If you double my skydive numbers, you have about how many times I have flown/landed a fabric wing, as I learned to paraglide before skydiving. Jumps 8-50 were on a Spectre loaded 1 to 1 or 1.1 to 1, depending on the rig I used... Never a hard landing, even at higher altitude. (except one crash that was turbulance related and had nothing to do with the canopy other than I was able to save a broken bone by being on a tame wing) The rigs I rented were configed for student use, so the brake lines were longer to prevent stalls. Even without taking a wrap on the lines, it would shut down for me... I did notice I liked the 1.1 to 1 a little better, I could feel a little more power the extra speed gave. Openings were great, and I learned to pack on a Spectre and found it very easy to pack. I now own a Pilot, which I am equally happy with, but it feels a bit more sporty in the air, but I am not one to give a full review (yet) other than to say if a Spectre treated me well on the very beginning of my learning curve, and my instructors gave it a thumbs up too, I think it is a forgiving canopy to fly at lower WL.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kris 0 #7 April 30, 2005 The Spectre is a really nice canopy. If you want to pamper your "old bones" with some really incredibly soft openings on it, order it with Dacron lines.Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maggott 0 #8 April 30, 2005 I have to echo what darkwing says exactly. I also bought a spetre 190 when I returned to the sport after quite some time away. I'm a bit younger, but also a bit heavier than you. At 210 lbls when I bought it, I had it loaded at about 1.2 and it treated me great and still does! Sometimes I think I might have done even better on a 170. The openings are soft and on-heading, and the landings are extremely smooth... the only time I have trouble is when I forget and flare as if I'm flying an old canopy (strato-star, or cruzair). The spectre is much more responsive and gives me what I ask for (even when it's not what I really want). You couldn't go wrong with a Spectre 190 in my opinion.~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #9 April 30, 2005 QuoteThe Spectre, loaded anywhere from 1:1 to 1:4, will be perfect for you. You'd tell a guy you dont know with 130 jumps that loading a canopy at 1.4 would be perfect?Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #10 April 30, 2005 QuoteI weigh 175 naked, so geared up I should be right at 1:1Quote 175 + 30 = 205, so it'll be between 1 and 1.1 to 1. All things being equal (ie, we dont know you) that would be about righ.Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tbrown 26 #11 May 1, 2005 I jump a Pilot now too, but for about a year was jumping a Spectre and loved it. You can't get a softer opening anywhere, it's like falling over backwards into a feather bed. It just takes a while to open, as it has a notoriously snivelly opening - so bring along a good book... I've made it back from some very long spots, even one when I pulled on the low side (my fault) and I still made it back to the drop zone's property. The flare is terrific, the landings are soft. AND I have seen people swoop the things, escpecially in the smaller sizes. You may not ever want to swoop - I don't either - but it IS possible if you ever change your mind. As a seven cell, the Spectre doesn't have the long flat glide of a 9 cell, but that's a matter of personal taste. The Spectre is deservedly one of the GREAT canopies of all time ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites FrogNog 1 #12 May 1, 2005 QuoteQuoteThe Spectre, loaded anywhere from 1:1 to 1:4, will be perfect for you. You'd tell a guy you dont know with 130 jumps that loading a canopy at 1.4 would be perfect? Technically, he wrote that a canopy from 1:1 down to 1:4 would be fine; 1:4 on a 190 sf canopy is 47.5 pounds of weight. So I guess he's saying that if the jumper loses enough weight that he's 48 pounds out the door, he'll have good landings. But I agree that I think he meant to write something more like "1.0:1 to 1.4:1", which on its face is concerning. -=-=-=-=- Pull. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bob.dino 1 #13 May 1, 2005 To echo the others: I have a Spectre 190, loaded at about 1.1:1. It's lovely. Lots of flare, great ability to get back from a long spot if you get on the rears, and tough enough for some sport CReW. Very much an all-rounder and it's opens nice and softly too ;-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bob.dino 1 #14 May 1, 2005 To echo others: I have a Spectre 190, loaded at about 1.1:1. It's lovely. Lots of flare, great ability to get back from a long spot if you get on the rears, and tough enough for some sport CReW. Very much an all-rounder and it's opens nice and softly too ;-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bradandskydoc 0 #15 May 1, 2005 QuoteLooking for opinions and experience with the spectre. I'm buying a rig with less than 50 jumps on it with a spectre 190. I'm 54 yrs old with 130 jumps over 3 years. Not looking for high performance or spooping. Just want a nice safe canopy to get me home and have a strong flare for a soft landing. Old bones and all. Thanks alot everyone. sounds like this is the canopy for me. I'll be jumping it soon. So now what? This is my first venture into these forums. Does this text just stay here forever or can it be deleted to open up more wep space? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites GravityGirl 0 #16 May 1, 2005 Enjoy your new gear! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Avion 0 #17 May 1, 2005 I've got a Spectre 210 that I load about 0.9 to 1. Its just as fast as I like it to be with my experience. It could turn faster, but the landings are right on the mark. I demoed a 230 first, and that one was definitely a little slow for me. The interesting thing was that I noticed a significant, but less large, difference in performance between the 230 and the 210. Toggle tension and glide speed were both noticably greater. I've also demoed a Silhouette. Suprisingly, the Silhouette has much less flare power than the Spectre. Although it flies much flater. Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites inextremis 0 #18 May 2, 2005 Spectre 190 seemed to be the canopy that all of the military freefall instructors were using when I went through HALO school last summer. I subsequently demo'd one (170) from PD and was so impressed I bought a 170 new--after having jumped a Stiletto for two years. It's different, but really sweet, just what I want in a parachute. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bob.dino 1 #19 May 2, 2005 QuoteDoes this text just stay here forever or can it be deleted to open up more wep space? Yep, it stays here forever. In the future, users can click on the 'Search Posts' link near the top of this page and find all these opinions on the Spectre without having to ask again. It also means that if you've got questions on a particular subject, you can search yourself to see what people have been saying about a particular subject. There's a huge amount of useful information in the archives of this site... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites spectreflyer 0 #20 May 2, 2005 I currently jump a Spectre 150 and have jumped the 230, 190 and 170 also. I love them and think they are great. The larger in size the slower the opening has been my experience with the Spectre. Great openings and great landings and a performance envelope that will keep you excited. Make sure you get credible advice from an instructor if you are downsizing or have been away from the sport for any length of time. Enjoy! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Salsa_John 0 #21 May 3, 2005 I have 40 jumps on spectres from 210 to 190. All have soft on heading opens with nice flares. My accuracy went way up when I changed to a spectre my 2c "You did what?!?!" MUFF #3722, TDSM #72, Orfun #26, Nachos Rodriguez Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
tbrown 26 #11 May 1, 2005 I jump a Pilot now too, but for about a year was jumping a Spectre and loved it. You can't get a softer opening anywhere, it's like falling over backwards into a feather bed. It just takes a while to open, as it has a notoriously snivelly opening - so bring along a good book... I've made it back from some very long spots, even one when I pulled on the low side (my fault) and I still made it back to the drop zone's property. The flare is terrific, the landings are soft. AND I have seen people swoop the things, escpecially in the smaller sizes. You may not ever want to swoop - I don't either - but it IS possible if you ever change your mind. As a seven cell, the Spectre doesn't have the long flat glide of a 9 cell, but that's a matter of personal taste. The Spectre is deservedly one of the GREAT canopies of all time ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FrogNog 1 #12 May 1, 2005 QuoteQuoteThe Spectre, loaded anywhere from 1:1 to 1:4, will be perfect for you. You'd tell a guy you dont know with 130 jumps that loading a canopy at 1.4 would be perfect? Technically, he wrote that a canopy from 1:1 down to 1:4 would be fine; 1:4 on a 190 sf canopy is 47.5 pounds of weight. So I guess he's saying that if the jumper loses enough weight that he's 48 pounds out the door, he'll have good landings. But I agree that I think he meant to write something more like "1.0:1 to 1.4:1", which on its face is concerning. -=-=-=-=- Pull. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob.dino 1 #13 May 1, 2005 To echo the others: I have a Spectre 190, loaded at about 1.1:1. It's lovely. Lots of flare, great ability to get back from a long spot if you get on the rears, and tough enough for some sport CReW. Very much an all-rounder and it's opens nice and softly too ;-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob.dino 1 #14 May 1, 2005 To echo others: I have a Spectre 190, loaded at about 1.1:1. It's lovely. Lots of flare, great ability to get back from a long spot if you get on the rears, and tough enough for some sport CReW. Very much an all-rounder and it's opens nice and softly too ;-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bradandskydoc 0 #15 May 1, 2005 QuoteLooking for opinions and experience with the spectre. I'm buying a rig with less than 50 jumps on it with a spectre 190. I'm 54 yrs old with 130 jumps over 3 years. Not looking for high performance or spooping. Just want a nice safe canopy to get me home and have a strong flare for a soft landing. Old bones and all. Thanks alot everyone. sounds like this is the canopy for me. I'll be jumping it soon. So now what? This is my first venture into these forums. Does this text just stay here forever or can it be deleted to open up more wep space? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GravityGirl 0 #16 May 1, 2005 Enjoy your new gear! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Avion 0 #17 May 1, 2005 I've got a Spectre 210 that I load about 0.9 to 1. Its just as fast as I like it to be with my experience. It could turn faster, but the landings are right on the mark. I demoed a 230 first, and that one was definitely a little slow for me. The interesting thing was that I noticed a significant, but less large, difference in performance between the 230 and the 210. Toggle tension and glide speed were both noticably greater. I've also demoed a Silhouette. Suprisingly, the Silhouette has much less flare power than the Spectre. Although it flies much flater. Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
inextremis 0 #18 May 2, 2005 Spectre 190 seemed to be the canopy that all of the military freefall instructors were using when I went through HALO school last summer. I subsequently demo'd one (170) from PD and was so impressed I bought a 170 new--after having jumped a Stiletto for two years. It's different, but really sweet, just what I want in a parachute. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob.dino 1 #19 May 2, 2005 QuoteDoes this text just stay here forever or can it be deleted to open up more wep space? Yep, it stays here forever. In the future, users can click on the 'Search Posts' link near the top of this page and find all these opinions on the Spectre without having to ask again. It also means that if you've got questions on a particular subject, you can search yourself to see what people have been saying about a particular subject. There's a huge amount of useful information in the archives of this site... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spectreflyer 0 #20 May 2, 2005 I currently jump a Spectre 150 and have jumped the 230, 190 and 170 also. I love them and think they are great. The larger in size the slower the opening has been my experience with the Spectre. Great openings and great landings and a performance envelope that will keep you excited. Make sure you get credible advice from an instructor if you are downsizing or have been away from the sport for any length of time. Enjoy! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Salsa_John 0 #21 May 3, 2005 I have 40 jumps on spectres from 210 to 190. All have soft on heading opens with nice flares. My accuracy went way up when I changed to a spectre my 2c "You did what?!?!" MUFF #3722, TDSM #72, Orfun #26, Nachos Rodriguez Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
