Kolla

Hey there! You have gotten a lot of nice responses here, and I think your idea of trying to get a hold of the Silhouette 210 for a few jumps is a very good one. The Silhouette is a really sweet canopy (I double dog dare you guys that haven't tried it yet to put a jump on it!) - it opens sweet, flies fun and lands beautifully. I'm sure you will do absolutely great on the 190 - my guess is that its handling might be more intuative for you to than the 215 you are currently jumping, but I also think it's a smart step to use the Silhouette 210 as a stepping stone on your way down. Best of luck - and kudos for erring on the safe side :) Blue ones, Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Hey again! Kudos for planning to err on the side of caution! We don't scale our canopies - each size is tested on it's own. Altering the size of the canopy or the length of the lines can change the way the canopy opens/flies/lands quite dramatically, which is the reason we make the sizes specific. Hookitt has some good input too, but now knowing your exit weight I would recommend starting with a Navigator 280 (or 300) and then working your way over to the Sabre2/Silhouette or a smaller Navigator. The Silhouette and the Navigator are quite related, but since the Navigator was initial designed as a canopy for students it's offers a bit more forgiveness - and is only available in sizes from 200 and up (the Silhouette goes down to a 135). The Navigator is a fantastic canopy, and I think you will have a pretty good balance of fun and safety with any of those canopies. However - as always, work with your instructors or S&TA - they are the people that know you and your abilities the best, and definitely want you to stay safe

Hey there! I would suggest that you contact Anabel at PD to both get information about the Sabre2 and perhaps to set up a demo canopy to try. You can fill out a demo request on PD's website (http://www.performancedesigns.com/demorequest.asp) or just call and talk to her (386 738 2224). I would definitely recommend the "fly before you buy" approach, to make sure you like the characteristics of the canopy. Edit: We actually make the Silhouette in sizes up to a 260 as well... it's a sweet canopy! That one is a hybrid which helps to make packing a little bit easier. Try them both! Blue ones, Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Hey Thomas! Sorry to hear about your Stiletto - I'm sure the crew at PD will be able to shake out the demons. The pilot chute is quite an important part of the opening process, and I hope the test jumpers come back with a positive report

Hey Riddler! The delivery time is the same for any custom canopy. Standard stock colors for the PD Reserve are yellow, light blue and white. If you are looking for something that would be a "normal" size and you don't see anything on the stock list, chances are we have several coming through shortly in any of those colors, so that would be quicker than ordering a custom one. If you do want a custom one, the delivery time is approx 10 weeks, same for mains and reserves. That number does change from time to time, so a good idea is to check in with your dealer for updates

Hey there CJ! Delivery time is about 10 weeks now, and we start counting the day we receive the order from the dealer :) PD can, and will, answer the that kind of questions, but it's often easier and faster to channel that through the particular dealer - who hopefully will have all their stuff in order (such as miss Lisa (SkyBytch)). We do at times get calls that say "can you tell me when my red white and blue canopy will be ready" - but finding that particular canopy in all the pieces and parts coming through the shop is no easy task. The dealer will have the key ingredient - a serial number or a PO number for us, and that we can use to look it up quickly - and give a quick answer

On a PD demo, the breaks definitely will be on the marks. However, the length of your risers, the way your rig fits you and how long your arms are varies from one person to the next. Some people choose to take the breaks in a little bit, some choose to let them out - so that it better accommodates their needs and setup. If you choose to do that I would suggest getting help from a rigger or a knowledgeable instructor, and make the adjustment in small increments. Blue ones! Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Hello Cruizlite! I was browsing through our Support Tech e-mail, and didn't see one from you asking about pilot chutes - we have had a few others with same or similar questions though in the past couple of weeks, seems like a hot topic. I'm sorry that you didn't hear back from us, your e-mail must have gotten stuck in the pipes somewhere - we do try to get back with people within 24 hrs, either with an answer or to let them know we are working on it. Anyhow... I thought I'd chime in with my 2 cents here - it's a bit long: The argument about pilot chutes made out of F-111 or ZP has been going on for a good while, there are arguments for both sides - and pros and cons to both. Our test jumpers at PD prefer F-111 pilot chutes, as they feel they give a more smooth and consistent feel to the opening - the pilot chute is less prone to "bounce" around. However, many of them also have used zero p pilot chutes with good results, and we as a company are in no way opposed to zp pilot chutes. Most, but not all pilot chutes from container manufacturers are compatible with our canopies. A pilot chute made from F-111 type fabric should be 27” to 30” in diameter. This range has proven pretty effective for most sport-sized canopies. F-111 type pilot chutes have an extensive performance history, and have been used for a long time with great success - but they don't last as long as zp, and their performance degenerates over time - and that is not always noticed by the jumper until the pilot chute becomes very porous and barely produces enough drag to get the canopy out of the bag. For very small canopies, people have had good results with even smaller pilot chutes (24"-25"), but we haven't really tested our canopies with that size, so take this with a grain of salt. Pilot chutes made of zero porosity fabric can be a little bit more sensitive to specific design criteria. Two pilot chutes of similar size may produce significant differences in drag. They are much more design critical, with factors such as mesh size & orientation, and hole size at the pilot chute base, causing a drastic difference in the amount of drag produced. The zero porosity pilot chutes we have used with the greatest success are between 25” and 27” and have a relatively fine mesh. Zero porosity fabric pilot chutes will last longer and generally pack a tad smaller (although the "pack volume of a pilot chute is rarely a concern

Hey there! I am still prodding John for something in writing, but he's had his hands full lately. Thanks for keeping the topic going though - as soon as I have a good description from John I'll add to this thread. Blue ones! kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Mmm... that sounds like an interesting one! I'm not a rigger nor have I seen one like this at PD, but I will check in with our riggers tomorrow and let you know what they have to say - stay tuned

Hey there! You might want to contact Robin Miller in the maintenance department at PD (robin@performancedesigns.com) to let her know what size your original slider was (assuming we are talking about the Sabre 150 listed in your profile). The correct way to measure the slider is to fold it in half, pull taut, and then measure across the fold. Don't measure along the edges (tape). Robin can then send you a slightly larger slider to try with your canopy, in many cases we have had fantastic results on Sabres with that. Other factors such as trim, size of pilot chute, packing etc come into play as well, but quite often we are able to tame the openings with a larger slider. We don't charge for this, all we ask is that if it works you send the old slider back. If it doesn't work, we'd love to get the canopy to inspect and test. Best of luck! Kolla Kolbeinsdottir, Performance Designs, Inc. Blue Skies Magazine

Hey Richard - I'll take a Corona thanks Thanks for that post though, I think I will add this question to our FAQ's on PD's website - for future riggers to see. If you guys have any other suggestions for the FAQ's by all means e-mail them to me - between PD's website and Dropzone.com we will hopefully have all kinds of good information available at your fingertips

Hello Richard! Those holes are identification marks - for both the part itself and the entire canopy. It can in some ways be compared to braille - as it's a code that gives us information about the canopy (it is pretty cryptic, I couldn't read it without having the "code breaker" handy). All parts cut on our laser table bear this code, however most get folded up into seams when the canopy is assembled. This one is the only one left completely exposed and can act as a back up warning label should the original one be damaged or unreadable for any reason (mostly that would apply to main canopies). If you every get the chance to swing by PD, I would be happy to take you for a tour of the laser area and show you the parts before they are assembled, and if we time it right I might be able to show you the laser in action, it's quite impressive. And - kudos on the thorough inspection - most people never notice

Ditto on that - my new suit is going to be soooo purty!!

Matt, this looks great - almost looks like the set up at PD

Enjoy your birthday little pixie! I wish I was there to celebrate with you - but I know your friends and family in the desert will take good care of you! Big Hugs!! Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Yeah... we will miss Joe dearly. Such a sweet and generous guy, very cool indeed. Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Yeah boys and girls, bow to the new Demo Queen at PD!! She's a great gal and I know she will love the demos just as much as I did - we're happy to have her on the PD team! And Ari, sorry to have to break this to you, but I really think Anabel is going to become a freeflyer... Blue ones! Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Ohhh yeah..... - the Ranch for the 4th of July!!! Fight night - the ice cream place about 5 minutes awa - starbucks in town - some "finding nemo" sushi place just down the road from starbucks - deepfried twinkies across the road from Nemo - we can see the Jellystone park from the air - all that shawanga stuff - crazy winds - lovely people! Skymama - the landing area is plenty big, no worries there. The only worries would be the winds getting silly, but like Thereza said you just sit it out and hang with the Ranchers, thats half the fun anyway. If they didn't have snow half the year I swear I think I'd move up there. T - I'm already stashing $$ for our jump-fest - and Gillian is planning to come up for the fun too :) This will be good. 4th of July just isn't getting here fast enough - this will be the boogie of the year, mark my words! Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

It's Danish.... that's the only part I'm sure about

LOL... AggieDave, no worries, we haven't dropped you to the bottom, but this post sure got Drew to the top of the 107 list Bloooos! Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Hey Benny! I am not saying that the little person will be more dangerous than the big person - that all depends on the person in question

Wingloading alone doesn't tell the whole story... the size of a canopy matters quite a bit too. A small canopy will react faster than a large canopy, so you can't quite compare "apples to apples" based on wingloadings alone. Blue ones, Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Thats a cool looking one - the old airplanes definitely have a certain charm about them! Anyhow... since you seem to be into airplanes, maybe you should start noting down cool names - PD is always working on some fun projects, so who knows when we might need a new name Blooos! Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Yup. Blue Skies Magazine