These canopies are?

[howardwhite 6]

... and what year did this ad run?

HW

[Beatnik 2]

Can I guess or should I wait? I have a red and white checkerboard one.

[stratostar 5]

Starlite by strong, ad's from 1970 to 1976 appx.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[andrewhilton 1]

Thats a tough one
Not a PC
Not a Papillon
Not a Starlite
Not a Crossbow

[jonstark 8]

PC Lite, 1975-76

[andrewhilton 1]

Security Sierra....though the cascaded lines in the picture don't fit in with my info

1975

[howardwhite 6]

Wait.

And no one's got the year right.

HW

[ParaShoot 0]

Actually Sierry Light. I've a black/red one. I've a picture of the print but can't read the date so I've to check the canopy itself.

** Know what you say but don't say all you know. **

[SEREJumper 1]

Where is the data panel located on these?

We're not fucking flying airplanes are we, no we're flying a glorified kite with no power and it should be flown like one! - Stratostar

[ParaShoot 0]

About at the same panel as on a Paracommader. Unfortunately the ink is in red on black fabric. Very hard to read. Even if I take pictures and play in Photoshop I can't read it good enough.

** Know what you say but don't say all you know. **

[howardwhite 6]

OK, it's a Sierra Light.
What surprises me is that it was in the October, 1977 Parachutist.
The cover story was the '77 Nationals and the only canopy picture from that Nationals was a square. Most of the other canopy ads in that issue were for squares (well, there was also a Piglet "23" main).
A period of transition. I wonder how many Sierras were made/sold.

HW

[Beatnik 2]

I very well could be wrong with this but I think the Sierras were somewhat of a contender for the RW PC. They both have similar construction and materials and came out around the same period of time. May guess is very few were made. Even though times were shifting into the era of the square, the PC still had a name for itself. Just my thoughts.

[JerryBaumchen 1,354]

Hi howard,

Quote

The cover story was the '77 Nationals and the only canopy picture from that Nationals was a square.

By '77 I doubt that any round would be used in accuracy competition. They were probably used by the RW competitors.

Jim Lowe ( D-855 ) was on the '74 US Team and the first person to ever jump a square in a World Championships. '74 was also the last year that a round was ever jumped in accuracy competition in a World Championships.

JerryBaumchen

[howardwhite 6]

This was in the same issue.

HW

[jonstark 8]

By 77 the thrust for smaller/lighter systems and bigger wings for slower fall rates was well under way. Sheesh... the lengths we went to for that folly. Rounds played a big part until squares started to get lighter and smaller than the very popular Strato-Cloud.

jon

[andrewhilton 1]

Here's Henny's Sierra (not Sierra lite) flying at Teuge in 2008, also another advert for lightweight rounds - the RW PC.
These and the Strong Starlite must have been the end of the line for rounds - were these were the fastest and smallest rounds that the sport managed to get to before ram-air became mainstream?

[ParaShoot 0]

You're right. But the advert was about Sierra Lights :).

BTW, I'm still looking for a RW PC. If you find one please let me know.

[paralola 0]

Jerry,

The 76 Worlds in Rome where the last were PC were jumped. We, the swiss, had a long discussion to switch to squares the pervious winter and then believed that we could not get enough jumps on squares to get top the same skill level as we had with PCs. I believe team accuracy was won by Germany with PC, we came in 5th. But what was impressive for me at that worlds was the women's individual accuracy won by a English girl on a strato star. her approach looked consistently perfect and stable glide path to the disk, not seen or demonstrated by any other square pilot at that worlds. Her wing loading had to be optimal, we just didn't know then.

Always happy to fall out of a plane

[JerryBaumchen 1,354]

Hi Peter,

I appreciate the clarification.

Maybe I should have said 'the last world meet where rounds were competetive.'

JerryBaumchen

[councilman24 37]

I've got one but you can't have it.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[ParaShoot 0]

Quote

I've got one but you can't have it.

I don't like you :)!

** Know what you say but don't say all you know. **

[paralola 0]

Quote

Maybe I should have said 'the last world meet where rounds were competetive.'

JerryBaumchen

Yes or we also could say the first nail was put in the coffin.

What amazes me when we got the first PC's our thoughts were "Now we can fly the parachute!" Most of todays generation can't understand that progression and evolution. I just hope I can see the next evolution in canopies.

Always happy to fall out of a plane

[racerman 0]

It appears the DOM is Oct 76

Quote

About at the same panel as on a Paracommader. Unfortunately the ink is in red on black fabric. Very hard to read. Even if I take pictures and play in Photoshop I can't read it good enough.

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