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Petra vs Stiletto

JYRO Petra · Performance Designs Stiletto · Canopy explorer

Manufacturer facts side by side, with the source on every row. Nothing on this page says which canopy to choose or what wing loading to fly — that is a conversation for you, your canopy coach and your drop zone.

What differs — read from the data

  • Petra is made by JYRO; Stiletto is made by Performance Designs.
  • Planform: both are listed as elliptical.
  • Petra has 7 cells; Stiletto has 9 cells.
  • Petra is cross-braced; Stiletto is not.
  • Petra is listed in 55–89 sq ft; Stiletto in 89–190 sq ft.
  • The listed size ranges overlap between 89 and 89 sq ft.
  • The manufacturers publish different systems: Performance Designs lists a maximum exit weight per skill category and size; JYRO lists a recommended wing-loading range and a chart with jump-number bands. They are shown side by side, never translated into each other.

Structural facts only (manufacturer, planform, cells, bracing, sizes, chart system). How each wing flies is described below in the manufacturer's own words; how it flies for you is a question for a canopy coach.

Side by side

PetraStiletto
ManufacturerJYROPerformance Designs
Statuscurrentcurrent
Cells79
Planformellipticalelliptical
Cross-bracedyesno
Aspect rationot published2.68
Sizes (sq ft)55–89 · custom sizes available
Source: JYRO — Petra product page (page modified 2026-09-15) ↗
89–190
Source: Performance Designs — Stiletto product page ↗
Designed for (manufacturer wording)
  • Experienced competitive canopy pilots with thousands of jumps on small, highly loaded crossbraced canopies (competition-specific)
Source: JYRO — Petra product page (page modified 2026-09-15) ↗
  • Intermediate to Experienced jumpers
  • Getting back from long spots
  • Individuals looking for a fun-to-fly canopy with responsive handling
Source: Performance Designs — Stiletto product page ↗
Characteristics (manufacturer keywords)Firm but not hard openings · Highly sensitive toggles and harness · Very long, steep dive · Long recovery requiring pilot input for level flight · High-speed stalls possible with abrupt inputs
Source: JYRO — Petra product page (page modified 2026-09-15) ↗
Flat glide · Short recovery arc · Extremely responsive toggle input
Source: Performance Designs — Stiletto product page ↗
OpeningFirm but not hard; brisk when terminal (JYRO).When propacked, the canopy opens very soft, and somewhat snively. It is somewhat sensitive to body position during inflation, but opens generally on heading.
Recovery arcLong recovery — requires pilot input for level flight (JYRO).Short recovery arc (product page). FC: the Stiletto tends to stay in a steep dive for a long time after several high speed turns.
GlideHigh maximal glide ratio (JYRO).Slightly flatter glide angle at full glide than the Sabre; flight in brakes is a fairly slow, very floaty, flat glide.
Speed / diveVery long, steep dive; 'the most high performance wing you can buy' (JYRO) — no airspeed figures published.Slightly faster than a Sabre (qualitative only; no airspeed figures published).
FlareVery powerful and responsive (JYRO).Less forgiving of overflaring, since its stall is sharper (than Sabre); slightly shorter control range than a Sabre.
Front risersVery light (JYRO).Tends to front riser to a higher airspeed, but not at quite as steep an angle as a Sabre; slightly slower turn rate on front risers, but airspeed and rate of descent build up faster.
Rear risersRange, range and more range; very responsive (JYRO).not published
Harness responseHighly sensitive (JYRO).Very responsive to harness movements during deployment.
Toggle responseHighly sensitive; high-speed stalls possible with abrupt inputs (JYRO).Rolls into a toggle turn much faster than a Sabre; continues to turn as it slowly rolls out of a fast turn.
Loading systemRecommended wing-loading range 2.5–3.0+ lb/ft² plus a chart with jump-number bands (below).Maximum exit weight per PD skill category and size (chart below).
Manufacturer-stated experience requirements
  • 700+ jumps at WL 2.2 or above
  • 250+ jumps in the last 12 months
  • Reference from a respected coach/swooper or Petra/Peregrine pilot
  • Competed at least once in the last 12 months (or 3+ Open competitions in the last 3 years)
none stated
Evidence levelB — Manufacturer product informationA — Manufacturer technical documentation

Flight wording is quoted or closely paraphrased from each manufacturer's own documents; where a manufacturer publishes nothing for a row it says "not published". No airspeed figures are published by either manufacturer.

Your wing loading on each size

Enter an exit weight to see exit weight ÷ size for every listed size of both canopies and where each number sits on the manufacturer's own chart.

Wing loading = exit weight (lb) ÷ size (ft²). PD's chart lists the MAXIMUM exit weight per skill category — the category shown is the lowest one whose maximum covers your weight, by PD's own rule. JYRO's range is a manufacturer envelope, not a target. The two systems are never translated into each other.

The manufacturers' charts

Petra — JYRO wing-loading chart

Recommended wing-loading range: 2.5–3.0+ lb/ft² Source: JYRO — Petra product page (page modified 2026-09-15) ↗

22 chart cells (exit weight × size → wing loading), colour bands = minimum jump numbers: 2000+ jumps · 2200+ jumps · 1800+ jumps · 1600+ jumps · 2600+ jumps · 2400+ jumps · 2800+ jumps

Source: JYRO — Petra wing-loading chart (image) (WL_Chart_V4) ↗

Stiletto — Performance Designs chart: maximum exit weight (lb) per category

SizeStudentNoviceIntermediateAdvancedExpertMaximum (never exceed)
89N/SN/SN/S107138160
97N/SN/SN/S116150175
107N/SN/SN/S128171193
120N/SN/S126150198204
135N/SN/S155169223230
150N/S128173188233255
170N/S153196213255272
190N/S181219238266285

N/S = not suggested by the manufacturer for that category. Weights are maximums, not recommendations.

Source: Performance Designs — Stiletto sizing / wing-loading chart (PD website Stiletto Wing Loading Chart, TABLE-0176 REV.0) ↗

Sources

  • B JYRO — Petra product page (page modified 2026-09-15) — open ↗
  • B JYRO — Petra wing-loading chart (image) (WL_Chart_V4) — open ↗
  • B Performance Designs — Stiletto product page — open ↗
  • A Performance Designs — Stiletto Flight Characteristics (FC-0013 Rev. 0) — open ↗
  • B Performance Designs — Stiletto sizing / wing-loading chart (PD website Stiletto Wing Loading Chart, TABLE-0176 REV.0) — open ↗

Evidence levels: A = manufacturer technical documentation, B = manufacturer product information. Knowledge base version canopy-kb-2026.09.23-r3. All sources used on this site

See it in your own data

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Safety notice: This tool is for data review only. It does not replace canopy coaching, DZ rules, traffic awareness, S&TA guidance, or manufacturer guidance. Everything here is information for learning — not advice or a recommendation about any canopy, wing loading, turn or decision. Your decisions are your own. See the Terms of Service.