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Does anyone have any information about the Stealth BASE canopy?

Anyone in Carolina happen to be a test jumper, and want to tell us about this thing?

I've heard absolutely nothing about it, although from the web page it looks like it's been on the market for over a year. I only found it when cruising around that web page looking for something else.

Stealth BASE Canopy ? Wow, that BASE canopy came out of nowhere.
Pretty nil on the info. What the hell ? - Just chose a size. - E-mail the money. Sight un-seen - With no history of BASE ?
Where are these New BASE canopies coming FROM ?
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Hey just questions off the top of my head before Pre-Purchase of something New. To trust as to NOT have bones hanging out of my body. After jumpig a New Wing.
What Canopy is it patterned after ?
Is it an original Canopy design ?
Who did they sub-contract the work to. For production ?
or - Is it sewn In-House for sales ?
Where is the proto canopy ?
Where are the pictures ?
Who put the test jumps on it ?
How many test jumps ?
Has it even been test jumped by a BASE jumper Qualified to make assessments of quality ?
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Their logo looks more like a paraglider than a skydiver or BASE jumper.

Don't know if you are aware of this but the manufacturer is a dropzone.com member and poster.

Thanks. I sent him a PM pointing him at the thread. Maybe he'll drop in and help us out.

Mel at Skyworks told me some about it. He is very knowledgeable of parachutes and with what i know of his product, it should get a fair evaluation and then opinions' can flow..

Is Mel a BASE jumper? Just curious.

Hi Guys,

No, The Stealth did not come out of nowhere!
It has been around almost 6 years.
The design is borrowed from the Sharpcuter, but has a alot of differences.
The rib is basically the same. Different top skins and slightly modified bottom skins.
It also was the first canopy around that implemented direct line attachment stabs. (The stabs are smaller than the SC).
The direct line stabs were geared to assure on heading openings alot like the rudder on a surfboard or waterski. and they work!!!

The canopy was intially test jumped by myself and Tony Herring. Tony used it for the Carolina Boogie if you know what and where. Base 515 was with him most of the time.

The canopy is cut and sewn by Flight Concepts and then we line them.
Red Payne at FCI can also give you some info.
It is a great canopy and I use it also for demo jumps... great landings!


MEL

What are direct line attachment stabs?

Are these the flares that were common on, for example, Glide Path's Fury canopy? I thought those were more for strength than heading quality during canopy pressurization.

thanks, Chris

..."The design is borrowed from the Sharpcuter, but has a alot of differences."
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Don't know but I am just assuming that the, Sharcuter was an older 7-cell. Never jumped a BASE modified Sharpcuter. Others I have jumped though.
A lot of the older 7-cells like. Fury, Crus-lite, Pegasus. Had exceptional inflation qualities. When modified for BASE.
I think the Fury had the line attachments (v-tabs) also.
.

I think he meant Sharpchuter. Which was also in the family of Glide Path canopies. Glide Path went out of business for reasons unrelated to the Sharpchuter series of canopies. The Mojo from what I've read was based on the Fury and Sharpchuter canopies.

Are there any BASE jumpers who are currently, actively jumping the canopy, that might be able to offer comments on it?

Also, can you tell us what sizes are currently available? Your web site seems to imply that the only size available presently is the 260ish one. Is that still the case?

I've done about 10 or so Jumps on a stealth 245. Good Canopy, On-heading openings, solid control. Still have it in my possession. I've jumped several other canopies, and I own an Ace, and in my opinion, I would compare it to a Mojo. If you want more info on the canopies spec.'s, you can contact Joe, Mel, or Red at Flight Concepts. PM me if you need there contact info. Joe said that they make 245, 265, and 290sq. ft.

Hey Chris,

Just out of curiosity, if you own the Ace but compare the Stealth to a Mojo, how many jumps do you have on the Mojo?

Man I loved my Mojo...

Katie.

PS Your dad is the man

Oopps. I was 100% NOT paying attention when I wrote that. Thanks, I did mean Ace. The Stealth performed very similar to my ACE. But I do have 4-5 jumps on a Mojo. But not enough to really compare it to the stealth. Not trying to promote the Stealth, ( I'm an ASYLUM/CR fan as you know ) but its a good canopy.




PS. Thanks, I'll let my Dad know you said Hi.

Take care Katie.

How would you say the Stealth compares to the Ace in different winds, stability in super deep brakes, transition from a stall back to full flight, flare, heading performance (slider up/down), pressurization, any surging?

As far as clean pressurization (slider down) goes, how would you rank the Ace, Mojo and Stealth? Does the Stealth have vents?

Katie.

I had fun jumping with you guys over the Christmas break, hopefully we'll be back down later this year. (It's been raining for 22 days up here).

Its flies fine in Deep Brakes / Seemed to be a little slow transitioning back to full flight from a stall, and I was having to let up a little sooner to return it into full flight before I landed. / Powerful flare from full flight, decent flare from half brakes / Heading performance was great slider down and off, only put 1 jump slider up jump and had a 90 left. ???? / Pressurization was fast and clean. The canopies overall weight seems to be a bit heavier, due to the top skin being 3 layers thick, with 1 of the layers being 1.5, but I havent noticed any difference in pressurization or heading performance due to this. I just know its built tough and didnt tear when I pulled it out of a tree that should have shredded it. It never scared me, and it always opened when I told it to. Just like my ACE. It is non-vented. I dont have much real experience with vented canopies yet, so I cant fairly compare it to a vented canopy, but I rank my ACE very high, and I would put the stealth very close to it. Again, this is all just my opinion on things, which doesn't mean much.
Sorry to hear about the rain. Chris.

It doesn't have 3 layers of top skin . We use 1.5 oz fabric for it's strength being that you only have one chute . It will hold it's flare longer through use since it won't wear out as easy as 0-3 fabric .
Joe

Yeah......Thats what I meant.

Ladies and Gents, Golowjoe or A.K.A." Joe B. ", helped make the canopy and helped with its initial test jumping. In fact, the canopy I've been jumping is his. So if you have any further Q's about it, he is a much better person to ask.

Can you explain this a little more please? What was the quality of that transition?

It has a thicker or taller rib , which ever you prefer , than a regular 245 so that you can sink it better and gives it a better flare . This in turn makes it react a little slower but doesn't hurt the stability at all , just keeps it from flying off fast . Which I like next to guide wires or buildings .

   
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Seemed to be a little slow transitioning back to full flight from a stall

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With my ACE, when transitioning out of deep brakes and back into full flight, the canopy will quickly surge forward and rapidly gain speed back into full flight. With the Stealth, when I transitioned, it seemed to not surge as aggressively, and it was a little slower getting back into full flight speed. IT was smooth, just slower.

It'll only surge if you let up the toggle input too fast. Properly executed (and with a good BASE canopy) you can go from full flight, into a vertical stall, and ease back into full flight in a very controlled manner.

That's one thing I really like about the BlackJack. It's absolutely rock solid in super deep brakes. Most of the objects I jump at home have MANDATORY deep brake approaches. You have to be sure you can shut the canopy down, sink it into a hole, and then get enough forward speed to flare. With the BlackJack, you can even flare from 3/4 brakes and get some decent flare power.

To me, if that transition from full flight, to stall, back to full flight isn't smooth and easily controlled, then that is an undesirable quality in a BASE canopy for technical landing areas.

If you mostly land in fields and open areas, then don't worry about that so much.

I've found the ACE to have a very acceptable transition and the BlackJack is even better. As of right now, the Ace is the ONLY non-vented BASE canopy I will jump (unless I can get my hands on a Mojo...TOM). If it comes down to using a BlackJack/ACE or sitting out the jump, I'll do groundcrew.

I won't jump standard FOX canopies at all, and I think the Ace pressurizes as well as a vented FOX.

I don't have any experience on the Dagger , Rock Dragon, or Troll (other than observations of many jumps in the field) Jury is still out on the Flik, but for now, it seems like a canopy that is not well matched for the parameters I use to select a BASE canopy.





(Also, ACE/BlackJack canopies ability to rapidly generate speed or return to full flight is something you can definitely use to your advantage in certain situations.)

I got a 260, wanna borrow or buy it?

I'm sure he would like to borrow it indefinitely, but he wants to buy a 240.

Not trying to be critical, but you should consider carefully editing and verifying your statements before posting. Slop in one area of life is frequently interpreted as propagating to other areas of life, and rigging and canopy evaluation are not areas where this is acceptable. Perception of an extreme attention to detail and the relentless pursuit of perfection are required in order to gain the hearts, minds, and trust of the fixed object community.

he is getting bigger and biger before you see him again he is fat as me convince him to but a 260

Your right. I should have Proof read my post .


Maybe... But I wasn't trying to win the hearts and minds of the base community. I was merely trying to say that I've jumped the canopy, and that in my opinion, if flies very well. I jumped it out of a plane 5 times, and base around 10 times. Thats all. But in the future, I will try and pay more Extreme Attention to what I type on the keyboard, so I can win the hearts and minds of the internet community.

I think that perhaps 460 had misidentified you as the manufacturer of the canopy. Presumably the manufacturer does wish to win the hearts and minds of the BASE community, in order to sell canopies.

Roger That big guy. No worries. All in all, he's right anyways. I should be more clear and precise next time.

Oh please, the day Chad gets fat...

Maybe if you didn't bitch about hiking so much you would fly a 240. You did look pretty good in my bikini still though.

Edit to add crack at Faber

By round of applause, should I post that picture?

I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that we'd rather see pictures of Katie in that bikini.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!!!




I agree with Tom too!

Oh man, you guys are going to get me in trouble!

I'll trade you my 240 for your BlackJack

mmmn, how much?...

im all whith Tom here
Katie i thourght you had forgot about me,pleace give Chad the attention(and who took them stills)

And im not lazy.. i just dont borther

oooh, have you seen her new BlackJack?

 

Hey MEL, Please post some specifics', A/R, line type , tail pocket type. You mean the first BASE specific canopy with loaded stabilizers,( think Parafoil, Parasled, Unit.).

Pete,
I am in CA for a couple more weeks.
When I get back home and in the shop,I will post some PICs and more info.


As far as the transition thin; I have never had a problem or noticed any different from any other 7 cell BASE type canopy.

The canopy has been jumped from as low as 160 feet and no problems.

MEL

This quality varies a lot between different models of BASE canopies. Some are good at this, others aren't so good. The difference is definitely something you can feel under canopy.

Which BASE canopies have you flown to make this comparison?

Chad,

I have jumped most of everything out there, but that is not the point.

Most 7 cell canopies whether they are BASE canopies or skydiving canopies have similar if not exactly the same flying characteristics.

The one difference is whether it is vented are not.

Recovering from a stall is simply that, recovery.


MEL

I have noticed dramatic differences between the BASE canopies available and feel that they're mostly all acceptable, just suited for different appications.

I prefer a canopy that's super stable in deep brakes and they're not all good at flying that way. Some canopies excel in this area, while others barely squeak by.

My base history as far as jumping is limited.

My building and/or building BASE gear is more extensive.

I agree ALL 7 cell canopys are not the same, but I did write MOST.

BASE Canopies of today still open, fly and land much like as the late '80's and early '90's seven cell canopies.


MEL

Oh heeeeeell no. I'm not trading this for anything! I haven't jumped her when it's light enough to see her colors in a picture when she's flying, but this is what I'm talking about!

Sweet.. But I was actually referring to
So Dexter, if you still want to get your hands on a Mojo.. I need something with vents for all theese low E's around here.

Slider down opening quality is the single largest of the criterion I use when selecting a BASE canopy. It's exceedingly difficult to test slider down, low airspeed, opening characteristics in a non-BASE environment.

I hope thats not true. I know the aerodynamic principles didn't change, but do you really think not much changed in this aspect of the sport? I almost find this statement disrespectful to the hard work of BASE canopy manufacturers.

The picture labeled "Katie's Sexy Rig" would have been sexier if Katie was wearing it in the picture!

Sorry Katie, I just had to say it!

so you like the sweedish flag huh
nice canopy sweetie

Now that I know this I'm putting my ACE on e-bay and try to relocate and buy back that bruiselite I once had and maybe get a Strato-Could for the super low stuff.

Hey marty can you confirm that the mojo was based off of the fury and the sharpghuter?
wuts up chad an K? great jumps over christmas!

As the designer of the Mojo, I’ll take the liberty of answering the question…

The Mojo used an airfoil similar to, but not the same as, the Pegasus. It is based on the Clark –Y. A tried and true airfoil that is older than most people alive today. Most other design elements of the Mojo were the product of either empirical knowledge or current standards of the time.

The Mojo has no direct relation to either the Fury or Sharpchuter other than both of those are “derivatives” of the Pegasus.

Adam Filippino
CR, Inc.
www.crmojo.com

Mel,

Can you share ant of your development and testing process with us?

I am specifically interested in test deployments and developments of the canopy's slider down/off opening characteristics.

Thanks!

Tom,
I will have to dig out my notes on the specifics, so I will in a day or two.

I just got back from Cali and am in the mist of catching up here.

I have attached a Jpeg from a Demo I did last June.
I do it every year and it gets tighter each year.
The landing area is about the size of three tuffets or there about.

The Canopy is bringing me back up out of an almost buttslide( I was a little short).


MEL

That is twice you have misspelled Sharpchuter.
Not trying to be critical, but you should consider carefully editing and spellchecking your statements before posting. Slop in one area of life is frequently interpreted as propagating to other areas of life, and rigging and canopy evaluation are not areas where this is acceptable. Perception of an extreme attention to detail and the relentless pursuit of perfection are required in order to gain the hearts, minds, and trust of the fixed object community. (Thanks for that nugget 460!!)
take care,
space

Wow!

I owe you two "H's".

Actually spellcheck flags it in both spellings.

I hear what you are saying, but I spell Stealth alot more than Sharpchuter.

Cheers,
MEL