Springo

[174fps 1]

Does anyone have any experience with this
canopy? especially landings.
A jumper at our DZ just got a 120
and now we are calling it Sprain Doh!!
Two other jumpers who jump other 120s tried it
and both had less than perfect landings.

[maretus 0]

I haven't jumped one, but many jumpers at our DZ jump a Springo and they seem to be having no problems with the landings. What kind of "less than perfect" landings have they had ?

http://www.ufufreefly.com

[Kirils 1]

I jumped a Springo 140 last Fall. I biffed in 2 out of 3 times. No expert opinion here, but I had to
take an extra wrap on the toggles to get the thing to
flare decent. It seemed weak on the flare without the extra wrap and it came in pretty fast. The canopy flies well, it packed easy and construction was seemed to be good quality. I loaded the thing at about 200# out the door. It flew smaller than a comparable canopy like the HeatWave. I don't know what the canopy costs, but it seemed pretty "generic" for the 3 jumps I had on it. The Atom container impressed me more than the chute!

"Slow down! You are too young
to be moving that fast!"

Old Man Crawfish

[ernokaikkonen 0]

>Does anyone have any experience with this
>canopy? especially landings.

I've jumped a Springo140 loaded @ 1.35 for a few jumps, and have had no problems with the landings. The canopy does feel different than most of the canopies i've flown(especially the landings), but that's the case with all Parachutes de France-canopies.

>Two other jumpers who jump other 120s tried it
>and both had less than perfect landings.

The Springo is not a bad canopy, but you definitely have to get used to the "french" feel of it before you can get perfect landings.

Erno

[174fps 1]

None of the three stood it up,
there seems to be a narrow control range,
the owner over flared and it folded up.
The second jumper who usually jumps a cobalt 120
found it didnt want to plane out, just
sank in, went to his knees.
The third jumper (alpha 129)had it fold up
and landed on his butt.
The steering lines are not too short, it seems to
be easier to front riser than the cobalt/alpha.

[maretus 0]

Hmm... Wierd. As Erno said, it's a different animal (than for example similarly sized Stiletto) and you have to get used to it. Only comment (considering major differencies between the two) I've heard from people who've jumped both has been the phenomenally lighter front riser pressure on Springos.

http://www.ufufreefly.com

[174fps 1]

Thanks for the input.
The owner wont be jumping for a while,
he downsized from a diablo 135 at 400 jumps
Skybytch would have lots to say about that
I'm sure.
I only got one jump this weekend, on my lightning
did my second downplane, Dave got my shoe again!!!

Andrew

[fool 0]

there's only one person I know of out there who jumps a Diablo, am I right? Is he ok overall?

Tie your shoes together, that way it'll be twice as hard for him to get

S.E.X. party #1

"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "f*#k, what a ride".

[springo120 0]

Springo is quickly becoming most popular canopy at our DZ and all around. I own Springo 120, most of jumpers have same size. There are also some 140.
I switched to Springo from HOP150, which is pretty wild canopy, considering its size. HOP is like faster Stiletto due its trim.
What is the main thing, it is very good canopy - for me, at least. Yes, it takes couple of jumps to get used to but I think its worth it. It opens really nice, on heading, flies well and lands well, too. I had some trouble to "catch" the way it lands but now I got it and am really satisfied. I DO enjoy flying/landing parachute again, Im always looking forward just flying it. So now more often just do hop&pop. Its FUN!
At first, I couldnt land it well. Same as you read in other posts, there were some butt slides or knee touchdowns. But never hard ones! I had always soft ones and I just laughed, and tried again. I sometimes had feeling that the canopy does not have lift to hold me in the air during flare. It felt like sink at the last moment. I thought something is wrong with canopy (or me), that I cannot plane it at the end. Now I have the feeling of the canopy and just fly it in. Its nice, stable and soft. I can do near full stop landing in no wind. Just step out.
I do not do hooks or anything like that. I just fly it in, straight and easy. And it still does have enough lift for niiiiiiiiice landidng. Others hook it or do more aggressive approach and it still flies well for them.
I guess it is a good canopy.
Oh, yea, and it packs just smooth and easy!!! French ZP is much easier to pack, it seems.

Jirka (SP 120 sqft, 80kg)

[skybytch 273]

Quote

The owner wont be jumping for a while,
he downsized from a diablo 135 at 400 jumps
Skybytch would have lots to say about that
I'm sure.

Y'know, once people get over about 250 jumps, I'm beginning to kinda give up on saying anything. If someone's ego is so big that they really think they can handle a highly wingloaded high performance canopy in every situation at that low experience level, nothing I can say is going to change their mind.

I do get tired of people acting like I'm some kind of canopy cop when really all I'm trying to do is save newer jumpers some pain, keep my employer from having to deal with lawsuits, and just maybe keep the newbies in the sport for awhile longer. But, some people seem to have to experience the pain of a serious injury (or of seeing a friend biff in) for themselves before they'll understand.

[174fps 1]

Wow... a mellow canopy Nazi....

[174fps 1]

Thanks, He put the 135 back in his
container.

[marcin 0]

I put about 70 jumps on Springo loaded at 1.7-1.8. It was with the large slider (which they introduced a few years after the canopy was thrown to the market) and it was one of the best opening canopies I ever jumped. Front risers light indeed but it didnt dive like, say, my Atair Impulse or PdF's BT Pro.

Never had problems with flaring it and got pretty nice surfs. I jumped Stiletto, Sabre, Impulse, BT Pro, Nitro, Heatwave, Paratec Fundango, X-Wing etc., and Springo wasnt the most difficult canopy to handle, in fact it was quite intuitive after a few jumps.

Marcin

[skyfa 0]

i had a pro 140 for many jumps,( about 800 ), and i tried a springo 120 and 140 many times too.
I think springo is a most comercial canopy,because it´s a burried bt pro,but, whit better openings.
I always had pdf canopyes.bt 40 first,pro 140 and now a ninja 94.
any way , i believe in pdf canopies,then,you have a good toy.
try the ninja when you has enough jumps.
skyfa@dropezone.com

[ernokaikkonen 0]

>I always had pdf canopyes.bt 40 first,pro 140 and now a ninja 94.
>any way , i believe in pdf canopies,then,you have a good toy.
>try the ninja when you has enough jumps.

You are aware that all Ninjas have been grounded, aren't you?

Erno

[bobsoutar 0]

I've got a Springo 140 loaded at 1.55 and find it a no nonsense, easy to fly canopy with normal mainly on-heading openings. I use it as a second rig for camera work and in big formations/boogies where I don't want to p... people off jumping my Extreme (best to fly at the same rate as everyone else if there are a lot of you).
My girlfriend loves it (the Springo, that is) loaded at 1.2 but had a few bumpy landings until she had the nerve to land it properly.
It is not a novice canopy (PDF rate it for experienced pilots only). You have to fly it in on full drive for landing and smoothly ease on the brakes to keep the glide going - it will then reach a point where you can coast along the ground - step down when it finally runs out of steam.

[Springo 0]

And yes, in my experience pdf has always longer brake lines.
I shortened my springo 160 lines by 2 inches and my new 120 by 3 1/2. It gives me 1 1/2 to 2 inches of "slack" before the lines start being effective. I guess it is all about "personal preference" - so do NOT take this as an advise (yadiha disclaimer ). Now it also makes the "fold" easier, so you have to be carefull and not let anyone jump it (or brief them well on not flaring to their knees !!!!)

Alex

[bobsoutar 0]

Don't know about the brake line length. Bought mine slightly second-hand (with only 17 jumps) from a rigger and the lines were spot on.

[fedykin 0]

how do you find a springo 140 compares to a BT140, i have a BT40 and am thinking either springo 140 or stiletton 135, any worthwile expieriences/opinions/thoughts would be muc appresiated.

piers

[bobsoutar 0]

Springo is what the BT140 should have been. Better openings, bit more solid in flight and much, much nicer to land.
Stilletto is great too, more twitchy and the response isn't so instant so you kind of develop a feel for it. Did nearly 300 jumps on one and loved it - prefer the surf on the Springo though, the Stilletto didn't have that nice bit of lift at the end.