Flare shutdown on a new-old canopy

[Deimian 43]

A little bit of background: I've been jumping a Sabre 2 170 for some 150 jumps. I've got a good deal on a Sabre 1 150, with completely new lines, and I jumped on it. I also wanted something that opened a little bit faster than my Sabre 2, but I am now questioning how wise I was with that choice. But this is a different issue with a clear solution, and it doesn't bother me too much.

Anyway, I am happy with the canopy overall (10-12 jumps on it so far). It flies great. But I find it a little bit lacking during shutdown on flare. It levels off without problem, but reducing horizontal speed in no wind is kind of a challenge. The sweet spot is a little bit below the chest level, and when ending the flare pulling the toggles all the way down it doesn't react too much, like it lacks energy, but horizontal airspeed is still relatively high. I stand up 60% of the jumps on the Sabre 1 150, and the 40% remaining (no wind and 1 downwind) I slid or run-and-fell. I have the feeling that there is more power left on the flare, but my arms can't get down there. I have my landings filmed, and I am really pulling all the way down. The steering lines have about 8 inches of slack on them. It is impossible to stall the canopy on toggles (tried at least 6 times, and it just flies really slow). My WL is ~1.25. I have jumped a Pilot 150, and controlling the flare and shutdown was not a problem at all, even with the slower speed of the Pilot.

I have two alternatives, and I would like to gather opinions about them before bothering my rigger:

1: I adjust my technique. Most probably I am too used to the flare of my Sabre 2 and I have to get used to the flare of my new-old canopy. I was thinking and probably if I am more aggressive on the final stage of my flare I can get the extra kick I am looking for. I am not flaring slowly, but I can do it faster, or alternatively, sooner, to give half a second more to the canopy to react. In the air I can slow it down almost completely, so I guess the pilot of the canopy is the real issue :-P.

2: I adjust my steering lines. Maybe a couple of inches shorter can make the flare more similar to what I am used to. But I am not sure if line shrinkage can be a concern over time. I guess it wouldn't with 6 inches of slack, and even if it does, fixing it is easy, but hey! I don't know what I don't know.

Opinions?

[faulknerwn 38]

8 inches of slack is quite a lot. I doubt I could fully flare that canopy! Have you tried taking wraps on the line before flaring - reach above the toggle and grab up there? That might help you tell if shortening the brake lines will help.

[Deimian 43]

Thank you for your comment. I'll let know my rigger then :-).

[Deimian 43]

Just in case somebody reads this in the future:

I've told my rigger to shorten the steering lines about 2 inches. It flares much nicer now. I am somehow worried that when the lines shrink it will be too short, but if that happens I'll take care of it :-).

[hackish 8]

Another thing to do whenever you get a new canopy or new lineset is (at altitude) check its stall point. If you can't stall it at the full flare position then there is a good chance that you need the lines shortened.

Depending on how it was done, lengthening the brake lines should not be a big issue for your rigger.

-Michael

[Deimian 43]

hackish

Another thing to do whenever you get a new canopy or new lineset is (at altitude) check its stall point. If you can't stall it at the full flare position then there is a good chance that you need the lines shortened.

Depending on how it was done, lengthening the brake lines should not be a big issue for your rigger.

-Michael

I agree, it shouldn't be a bit issue at all, just replacing the lower brake lines. BTW: Even with the shortened lines I couldn't stall it on breaks (I could have hold it longer and rotate my wrists, but with a normal completely deep flare hold for 4-5 seconds it didn't stall).

[mxk 1]

hackish

Another thing to do whenever you get a new canopy or new lineset is (at altitude) check its stall point. If you can't stall it at the full flare position then there is a good chance that you need the lines shortened.

Depending on how it was done, lengthening the brake lines should not be a big issue for your rigger.

-Michael

Depends on the canopy model and size. I can't stall my Spectre in full brakes even after shortening the lines a bit. From PD's Sabre2 Flight Characteristics:

Quote

Stall Characteristics: As with the Spectre and the original Sabre, you may find that you can pull the toggles all the way down to full arm extension without stalling the Sabre2, especially if you are jumping a larger one. It's important to remember that you do not have to be able to stall your canopy in order to land it correctly.

And from Getting the Best Performance from Your Canopy:

Quote

Some jumpers have had their control lines shortened because their canopies would not stall with the toggles pulled all the way down. It's important to realize that, if the control lines are the correct length, many canopies will not stall unless you take extra wraps on the control lines with your hands. Shortening the control lines to make a canopy easier to stall may actually make it more difficult to flare properly...

As a general rule of thumb, when the canopy is flying with brakes released and the toggles all the way up, there should be a visible bow along the entire length of the control lines. You should have to pull the toggles down about two inches (5 cm) before the steering lines actually move the tail.

I found this to be the best advice when adjusting the brakes on my Spectre. About an inch shorter than the factory setting resulted in a noticeable improvement in the flare while still keeping sufficient slack in the lines.

[monkycndo 0]

Thank you for posting the links about stall points. Every time I see someone say you have to be able to stall your canopy, I want to say BS. You need to know where your canopy stalls, if it does. As you posted, the Spectre has a very deep stall point, and might not stall without a wrap. I jump a canopy that you have to hold for a good 8-10 seconds in deep breaks before it sloooooowly starts to stall. And I have long arms.

So please folks, don't start shortening your brake lines to get your canopy to stall, just so it can. Talk to your rigger and more importantly, the canopy manufacturer before adjusting your brake settings.

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[Hellis 0]

Deimian

***Another thing to do whenever you get a new canopy or new lineset is (at altitude) check its stall point. If you can't stall it at the full flare position then there is a good chance that you need the lines shortened.

Depending on how it was done, lengthening the brake lines should not be a big issue for your rigger.

-Michael

I agree, it shouldn't be a bit issue at all, just replacing the lower brake lines.

So he cut of part of the line?
Why not just fingertrap it further in to the line? Seems like a better solution in my mind, if there is enough room for it.

[Deimian 43]

Hellis

So he cut of part of the line?
Why not just fingertrap it further in to the line? Seems like a better solution in my mind, if there is enough room for it.

To be honest I don't know, I wasn't there when he did it, but I can check next weekend, if I remember . I think there is enough space for pushing further the fingertrap. But I am not sure if stitching and unstitching over a spectra line, to stitch it again for an enlargement, can affect its integrity. The number of stitches per inch is quite high. Maybe a rigger can chip in, I don't know what is common practice.

[Pobrause 6]

shortening is easy and you most likely only have to undoe one tag, fingertrap it a little bit more into ore cut a little bit off and bartag it again.
To lenghten a steering line you most likely have to make a new lower part, the trapped line might not be long enough to leave enough slack to be safely and securely bartagged again

the stitching itsself should not damage the line, undoing stitches requires a patient and steady hand but everybody that calls himself a rigger should have done it a hundred times during his riggers certification course and be able to do it without hassle.

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