Firelite Reserve

[darrell 0]

My friend is selling a FIRELITE reserve - no deploys
Anybody know about this chute? Any info would be great!
(track record, quality, reliability, "manners", etc...)
thanks!

[PalmettoTiger 1]

All reserves must pass TSO, so as long as it was manufactured under the latest TSO it's reliability and quality are the same as any other reserve (unless other reserves are tested past TSO...?). Don't know about "manners," but in addition to that you may want to check with your rigger to see what he/she thinks of packing it into your rig.......
Blues, squares,
PTiger
*insert witty sig here*

[riggerrob 643]

Yes, Firelite reserves work and they are duly TSOed, etc. Just be careful of your weight.
Back when Firelites were fashionable main canopies, I did a few jumps on a Firelite main. It opened and flew fine, but I did not enjoy the landings. Despite weighing 170 pounds naked and doing stand-up landings in the pea gravel bowl, my ankles always experienced shooting pains. Conclusion, at 170 pounds, I was too heavy to jump a Firelite. This is not a critque of Firelites specifically, rather it points out weight limitations on any small reserve.
While more modern reserves - like PDs and Amigos - may flare a bit better, it is still unwise to exceed wing loadings of 1 pound per square foot on reserves.

[IanHarrop 42]

Someone is selling a Firelite reserve. They want $250 for it. In my mind it's a car cover

https://www.facebook.com/commerce/listing/686784093754702/?media_id=2&ref=share_attachment

Edit to add: the $250 is not just for the Firelite. It includes and old Vector too

Edited April 26 by IanHarrop

[wmw999 2,560]

What's wrong with Firelites in your opinion? I'm asking because my old rig has one.

Wendy P.

[IanHarrop 42]

I agree with Rob's post about weight. A smaller person might well be OK landing it but a bigger person not so much, especially one of this vintage.

[JerryBaumchen 1,451]

4 hours ago, IanHarrop said:

I agree with Rob's post about weight. A smaller person might well be OK landing it but a bigger person not so much, especially one of this vintage.

Hi Ian,

It really depends upon the condition of the canopy.

Obviously, one should be conservative on wing loading.

Red, who owned Flight Concepts, never agreed with fabric testing, term limits, etc on his canopies.

A Firelite might be old, but it could still be a good canopy.

Jerry Baumchen

Edited April 26 by JerryBaumchen

[gowlerk 2,260]

20 hours ago, IanHarrop said:

Someone is selling a Firelite reserve. They want $250 for it. In my mind it's a car cover

https://www.facebook.com/commerce/listing/686784093754702/?media_id=2&ref=share_attachment

Edit to add: the $250 is not just for the Firelite. It includes and old Vector too

I just packed one into an older Javelin this week. I pack it every year. Yellow and not labelled FCI, old enough to be Glidepath. My customer weighs about 180 and he had a ride on it last year. Uneventful landing. Some people seem to think that PDRs are the oldest reserves that work. They are wrong.

Edited April 27 by gowlerk