Brake Setting For Sabre2

[slotperfect 7]

I have about 30 jumps on my Sabre2 190. I have great landings with it, but I get a smidge too deep in some of my swoops - not scary-bounce-off-the-ground deep, but not what I am used to.

I have the toggles at the factory setting, and have plenty of "bow" in my upper control lines at full flight (no bucking in front risers either).

My experience is telling me I need to take my toggles up a bit. Others that jump the Sabre2 say they are using the factory setting.

What is the consensus here? Are y'all using the factory setting on your Sabre2??

Arrive Safely

John

[parachutist 2]

Quote

Others that jump the Sabre2 say they are using the factory setting.

Factory brake toggle marks set by any manufacturer are simply suggestions. They are an indication of a good place for you to set your brake toggles to begin with. Start there and adjust them to your liking.

Ideal setting of brake toggles for any canopy satisfies both of these criteria:

- gives you at least a little bit (I'd say 1/4" minimum) of slack in the brake lines when toggles are all the way up.

- allows you enough flare to stall the canopy. (If you add 6" of slack in the lines then you take away 6" of flare from the bottom of your flare stroke: so if your stall point was previously at almost full extention of your arms and then you add 6" slack... you're not going to be able to reach that stall point any more.)

The second crit is not achievable with some canopies, especially at light wing loadings. A radical example of this situaton is: Student flying a 288 Manta. There's no way the student can stall this canopy and it's intentional. You'll also find this when flying many other large canopies. So sometimes you basically just have to deal with imperfection in flare setup and learn to work with it. Most important thing is to practice flaring repeatedly up high after you adjust those brake toggles, every time you make an adjustment. Learn where the stall point is and learn how to feel it long before you get near the ground!
=]

When changing the settings of your brake toggles: Make sure that your lines are tied up correctly. It's easy to do it right, but if you haven't been instructed the correct way to do it, then it's very easy to do it incorrectly and have a failed brake line / toggle connection at a very inopportune moment.

Chris

[b1jercat 0]

Greetings. with any luck I will jump my saber2 190 for the first time today. I'm loading it at about 1.3 and plan to open sub terminal @ 5500. CCC rear riser 90 /180 in brakes. unsto the toggles do 180 left/right and than attempt to stall the canopy. At 2500 stop all radical maneuvers and practice flying/ turns in various brake settings . At 1000 fly my normal landing pattern and land.(BEER) Any advice would be welcome. Blue Skies

[Hooknswoop 19]

My standard steering line length spiel:
(Are you able to completely flare your canopy?-having the full flare point where your hands completely down is OK, as long as you are getting a full flare out of the canopy)

The length of the steering lines can drastically affect how a canopy flies. High performance canopies are affected much more than lower performance canopies. All canopies should have some slack or a slight bow in the steering lines. If the steering lines are too short and pull down the tail of the canopy during full flight, even slightly, the canopy is flying in brakes. If the canopy is flying in brakes, it will not have as much speed to trade for lift during the landing flare. Over time the steering lines shrink as a result of friction from the slider during opening, as much as 6 inches in extreme cases. New canopies or line sets adjusted to have no slack in the steering lines will begin to fly in brakes as the control lines shrink.

To maximize the performance of your canopy it is necessary to understand the construction of the steering lines. The steering lines on a canopy are made of several parts. The upper control lines, usually four or five lines cascade or split at the top of the central control line and attach to the tail. The central control line attaches the upper control lines to the lower control line. The lower control line attaches from the finger-trapped loop (for setting the brakes) at the bottom of the central control line to the toggle. The lower control line is where your rigger can make adjustments.

If you do not use your front risers, adjusting steering line length is a fairly simple process. To check your control lines, pull one toggle down an inch or two while watching the tail of the canopy in flight. The tail should not move and the canopy should not turn. If it does, your lower steering lines need to be lengthened. Make small adjustments, no more than an inch at a time. This may require several adjustments. It is better to be an inch too long than an inch too short. Once you find the correct length, have your rigger finger-trap and bar-tack the lower steering line to eliminate the knot next to the toggle which can hang up on the guide ring. Periodically check the steering lines to see if they have shrunk and need to be lengthened again. Micro-line can shrink 4 to 6 inches or more over its life span. Vectran tends not to shrink with wear but is not as durable as Micro-line.

If you use your front risers, adjusting steering line length is more complicated. Having enough slack in the lower steering lines on a high performance canopy is more critical to how the canopy will fly. In a front riser turn you are pulling the toggle down a little with the riser and there has to be some slack to prevent pulling down the tail. If the tail of a high performance canopy is pulled down even a little when front risering, the riser pressure will be much higher and the recovery arc (the amount of altitude required to get back under the canopy) will be shortened. To check if the steering line is long enough, clear your airspace, do a full 360 degree front riser turn (keeping the toggles in your hands), and watch the tail of the canopy. As the speed increases, the drag on the control line increases and if there isn’t enough slack, the tail will be pulled down. You need enough slack so that the tail won’t be pulled down while pulling the toggle and the riser down at the maximum speed of the canopy. Another easy method of checking your steering line length is to compare the front riser pressure from the front riser 360 with the toggles in your hands to a front riser 360 without the toggles in your hands. It is important to have plenty of altitude and clear airspace before letting go of the toggles and front risering. Again, make small adjustments no more than an inch at a time and have your rigger finger-trap and bar-tack the lower control line once you have them adjusted correctly. Make sure that you don't lengthen your steering lines too much, beyond where you can get a full flare out of the canopy.

With the steering lines correctly set, your canopy will dive longer and faster, have lower front riser pressure, and you can get the most out of your canopy.

Hook

[blueshrew 0]

I am currently jumping a Sabre2 120 loaded at about 1.1:1. The factory setting was way too long, so I had the steering lines shortened so that I have a super slow stall when my arms are fully extended. Problem is, if I pull on both front risers until about eye level, my canopy is flying pretty much in brakes, and rocking a lot. Will this change with a smaller or different canopy? Just wondering whether I will ever be able to get a decent swoop and still flare without having to wrap the steering lines around my wrists.
But don't bark at me yet, that won't be very soon, I'm just looking at the future.

[Hooknswoop 19]

What size are your risers? Longer risers move the steering line guide ring farther away from you, allowing the steering lines to be lengthened without moving the stall point. For example, going from 18 to 20 inch risers and lengthening your steering lines 2 inches will give them more slack for front risering, but the flare point will be the same, i.e. at your hips.

Hook

[blueshrew 0]

My risers are indeed shorter, 18'' if I remember correctly. But getting longer ones is not really an option, since I can barely grab the slider now.
So I guess, I am cursed with my tiny arms
Thanks for your help, though.