Safire hard openings

[gmac324 0]

I have a safire 149 (original MFG 2001 with spectra lines) in my second rig, and I'm having real problems with trying to get the thing to open soft.

It has less than 100 jumps on it, so I think the lines are in trim. It also has the standard factory slider.

Does anyone else have a safire that opens hard?

I have tried rolling the nose 4+4, seems to make very little difference!

when the canopy opens, there is just no snivel at all, the slider comes down immediately, not so good on the neck with a camera!

Any help appreciated,

Graeme

[masterrigger1 2]

PM sent!
MEL
The Icarus Service Center
502 Cessna Drive
Chester, SC 29706
803-377-2705

Skyworks Parachute Service, LLC
www.Skyworksparachuteservice.com

[skymedic 0]

I had the same problem when i first bought my safire from square 1 two years ago. slam bam and then some. sent it to HookNSwoop and got his performance option done to it. I not only increased my flare power but now the thing snivles almost too long. it's like falling into a big fluffly pillow....quite a few deployments on it since then with no issue's whatso ever. definately helped out the slammers.

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[wmw999 2,583]

Wow. I found my Safire to be the softest-opening canopy; I like the openings a little shorter and firmer, so I was trying to speed it up.

Do you psycho-pack it? I did, and it worked like a champ.

Of course, with your having been sent a PM, that will be your REAL answer...

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[DancingFlame 0]

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I found my Safire to be the softest-opening canopy; I like the openings a little shorter and firmer, so I was trying to speed it up.

So did I.
I pro-pack it and it snivels forever. But, my Safire has vectran lines.

[spoons 0]

Hey, its actually my rig (i'm his little brother )...its not psycho packed, just pro-packed.

It also has spectra lines on it too - but would either of these things make a significant effect on the hard openings?

Al

[brits17 0]

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sent it to HookNSwoop and got his performance option done to it. I not only increased my flare power but now the thing snivles almost too long. it's like falling into a big fluffly pillow....quite a few deployments on it since then with no issue's whatso ever. definately helped out the slammers. I think hook increases the trim of the upper stearing lines to do the mod. works great.

Likewise. I have since sold the Safire, but if I remember correctly, he lengthed the outside cascade line, hence making the flare input more even, instead of folding in the corners. I hope that made sense I was only the 2nd canopy he did this 'test' on, but it worked great for openings and landings. Toggle turns weren't as crisp, but I could swoop it better than before, and reiterating that the openings were/are sloooooow and snively. Derek may be able to be more specific in describing his method.

_______________________
aerialkinetics.com

[xpug 0]

FWIW, I put some jumps on a Safire 2 yesterday and afterwards remarked on it's long snivel. To speed it up, I was advised to leave the nose out and only put one roll in the tail.

Point is, I was pushing the nose in and rolling the tail pretty tight (10 or more times) before pro packing it normally. This gave me some long snivels. HTH.

[spoons 0]

Yeah we've been rolling the nose and pushing it in - and also rolling the tail pretty tight and it still opens hard

[DancingFlame 0]

Hmm... did you try larger slider?

[spoons 0]

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Hmm... did you try larger slider?

Its already pretty big, but haven't tried a larger one.
Seems like everyone else's safires open nicely and some even snivel - odd how mine opens so quickly and hard.

Al

[brits17 0]

If all packing methods fail or are inconsistent, have a rigger put a pocket on your current slider.

_______________________
aerialkinetics.com

[jmp2liv 0]

How are you stowing the slider during the pack job? I've found that by taking care to quarter it evenly, with *slightly* more towards the nose give me consistently nice openings.

Blue Skies,
Steve

[theskydiveguy 0]

I pro pack mine with the trashiest pack job EVER .. and I am luck if it opens in 800' Soft as butter :)

Good luck with it :)

~Jeff

PS it has the hook 'n swoop mod.

[spoons 0]

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How are you stowing the slider during the pack job?

i'm quartering it, then pulling most of it towards the nose. I'll try stowing the slider less towards the nose next time and see how it goes...

Al

[BETO74 0]

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong but rolling the nose produce hard openings istead try to leave the nose alone expose, I had a Safire 169 an I got the sweetest openings psyco-packing but thats another can of worms, what ever your packing method is leave the nose exposed.

http://web.mac.com/ac057a/iWeb/AC057A/H0M3.html

[phoenixlpr 0]

Why is it so? AFAK we want to canopy spread first than in onflate later. Ive packed accuracy gears, we always did magic on nose.

[spoons 0]

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Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong but rolling the nose produce hard openings

i thought rolling the nose slowed openings.

Quote

I had a Safire 169 an I got the sweetest openings psyco-packing

was thinking of trying that next time - but i'm hoping to get my rigger to take a look at the line lengths/trim on the canopy too.

[BETO74 0]

The nose in Accuracy canopies are litle different than the Safire I can see why rolling the nose in those canopies work, on high performance canopies the nose is left expose to create slow openings, don't really feel like arguing today so I leave the post for somebody else to explain better than I could do.

http://web.mac.com/ac057a/iWeb/AC057A/H0M3.html