falcon opens hard

[70sdiver 0]

Ok I've got a falcon 300 loaded just under 1:to 1 im about 290 out the door fully geared up.The problem is this canopy opens hard about every other jump .Every opening is quick but every other one is rough.We've tried rolling the nose flat packed ,pro pack rolling the nose and tail .and psyco packing is next.My question is if the psyco dont tame the beast would a larger slider help.Any ideas will help !!!

[Kris 0]

If you, other packers, and your rigger have tried different things, I'd look into having some pockets put on the slider.

Also, another thing would be your speed at deployment. At 290 out the door, you're probably doing some pretty decent speed when you're opening unless you have a good jumpsuit for your size and are slowing down enough before deployment.

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

[darkwing 5]

Higher airspeed = faster openings (i.e., harder openings) that is why premature openings are such a worry on high altitude jumps. You are certainly going faster than most people when they open, so I think you will end up adding some pockets to your slider.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[BIGUN 1,297]

I'm not sure when you say,

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We've tried rolling the nose flat packed ,pro pack rolling the nose and tail

if by rolling the nose and stuffing them into their respective center cells? There was a time I was your weight OTD and used a Falcon 300 and had nice soft openings every time by stuffing them.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[johnnyboydan 0]

I used to jump a falcon back in the 90s. It was a falcon 215 loaded at 1.02:1 and I never had hard opening they were quick but noe hard. I always stack packed it and most of the time in a big hurry and ended up be trash packed. You can try pockets but give a few jumps if it does not settle down maybe consider sending it back to PA for testing. I would think a 300 open nice.

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johnnyboy

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[beezyshaw 0]

How old is the canopy? Does it have dacron or spectra lines? Dacron helps a lot, and I think now that is the only lines Precision will put on a big Falcon because they are known to open hard. If it is a really old one, there is a bigger slider available that makes a huge difference. And as someone said, rolling 4 and 4 and stuffing in the center cell helps, too. (BTW, I was Precision's customer service/test jumper for many years when Falcons were very popular canopies.)

[ryoder 1,590]

I have a Triathlon that behaved exactly as you describe. The only thing that cured it was an oversize slider.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[TALONSKY 0]

A pocket slider is a quick fix that will slow the opennings down. Any local rigger should be able to make you one.
Kirk

[70sdiver 0]

it was built in 1990 but was only jumped 38 times and ive put 19 on it.it has dacron lines and the material looks shiney and new.

[70sdiver 0]

I also sent percision an email asking about a bigger slider.Thanks all you guys for the help.P.S. I like my falcon once the openings are over.

[achowe 0]

I had a Falcon for a while a few years back. Never had any problem with hard openings, in fact the complete opposite. Although mine was fairly old, close to 600 jumps i reckon.

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Woooaaaaaa!!! Woooaaaa!!! I'm gettin' off it!

[steve1 5]

I've had a couple of Falcons. One had been relined with spectra lines and opened pretty hard, most every jump.

I still have a Falcon 235 that I sometimes jump. It's supposed to have over a 1,000 jumps on it. I guess it's about shot, but it still flares and lands okay, so I sometimes jump it in my second rig. It has dacron lines, but still opens too hard. I tried using it for a camera canopy, but my neck was taking a beating. I've since started psycho packing it and rolling the nose. This seems to be helping a lot. Most people don't roll the nose when they psycho pack, and this might help also.

Now I don't have a lot of jumps on psycho packing a Falcon, but you might give it a try. My hornet was really spanking me terribly hard when I first got it new. Since I started psycho packing it and rolling the nose, the openings have been soft, and on heading. I've psycho packed it about 300 times.

Some people say you shouldn't psycho-pack an f-111 canopy, but it seems to work fine...Steve1

[70sdiver 0]

thanks im going to try it for sure.

[Snowbird 0]

My Falcon opens 'brisk' every time. To slow it down, when I quarter the slider I expose as much slider as possible past the nose, while keeping it properly quartered. I also keep short elastics on the stows - though not the locking stows - to slow down the line stretch. And I roll the snot out of the nose and tail.

Now I'm trying to figure out how to speed up my Safire.
Happy packing

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
-Robert A. Heinlein

[70sdiver 0]

lol dont speed it up

[Vallerina 2]

Oddly enough, the best openings I had with my Falcon were the ones in which I flat packed and didn't roll the nose. I had some very hard openings on it. It was definitely the hardest opening canopy I've ever had.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[70sdiver 0]

i havent flat packed it but ill give her a try.Thank you