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Safire 4 vs Storm
JYRO Safire 4 · Performance Designs Storm · Canopy explorer
What differs — read from the data
- Safire 4 is made by JYRO; Storm is made by Performance Designs.
- Planform: both are listed as semi-elliptical.
- Safire 4 has 9 cells; Storm has 7 cells.
- Neither is cross-braced.
- Safire 4 is listed in 109–189 sq ft; Storm in 97–230 sq ft.
- The listed size ranges overlap between 109 and 189 sq ft.
- Published aspect ratio: Safire 4 2.55, Storm 2.14.
- 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
| Safire 4 | Storm | |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | JYRO | Performance Designs |
| Status | current | current |
| Cells | 9 | 7 |
| Planform | semi-elliptical | semi-elliptical |
| Cross-braced | no | no |
| Aspect ratio | 2.55 | 2.14 |
| Sizes (sq ft) | 109–189 · custom sizes available Source: JYRO — Safire 4 product page (page modified 2026-09-02) ↗ | 97–230 Source: Performance Designs — Storm product page ↗ |
| Designed for (manufacturer wording) |
|
|
| Characteristics (manufacturer keywords) | Smooth, stable, on-heading openings · Quick, clean recovery from dives and turns · Powerful progressive flare · Front risers optional at lighter loadings Source: JYRO — Safire 4 product page (page modified 2026-09-02) ↗ | Soft openings with long snivel · Steep glide · Long recovery arc · Long control range · Powerful bottom-end flare Source: Performance Designs — Storm product page ↗ |
| Opening | Soft, progressive snivel; increased heading reliability; bow-tie bridle balances deployment (JYRO). | Soft, on heading and very forgiving to minor inconsistencies in body position during deployment; compared to a Spectre, a slightly shorter snivel and ever so slightly quicker inflation. |
| Recovery arc | Recovery from dives and turns is quick and clean (JYRO). | Long recovery arc (product page); will dive longer and lose more altitude in a turn than a comparable sized Stiletto or Silhouette, but not quite as much as a Sabre2. |
| Glide | Glide ratio ~2.8; mini ribs boost glide; long straight glide on rears (JYRO). | Steep glide (product page); great slow flight glide when the brakes (or rear risers) are applied. |
| Speed / dive | 'Not trying to be a swoop machine' (JYRO) — no airspeed figures published. | Flies somewhat similar to the Spectre but has a much larger speed range; in full flight greater speed than the Spectre (qualitative; no figures published). |
| Flare | More powerful, progressive flare; more range (JYRO). | Lower flare point than Silhouette or Stiletto; flare point similar to the Spectre, but quite a bit more powerful; powerful bottom-end flare. |
| Front risers | Accessible and easy to manage; pressure similar to the Safire 3 (JYRO). | Front riser pressure slightly higher than the Spectre, but requires less input to receive the same response. |
| Rear risers | Long glide, responds to small deliberate inputs (JYRO). | Very maneuverable using the rear risers as a very useful tool in extending the glide or turning with less tail deflection. |
| Harness response | Responds to intentional weight shift; not hyper-reactive (JYRO). | not published |
| Toggle response | Responsive without being twitchy (JYRO). | First one half of the toggle stroke seems less responsive than a Silhouette or Stiletto; past that you'll see just how sharp it can turn. Extremely agile in deep brakes. |
| Loading system | Recommended wing-loading range 1.0–1.6 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 | none stated | none stated |
| Evidence level | B — Manufacturer product information | A — 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
Safire 4 — JYRO wing-loading chart
Recommended wing-loading range: 1.0–1.6 lb/ft² Source: JYRO — Safire 4 product page (page modified 2026-09-02) ↗
34 chart cells (exit weight × size → wing loading), colour bands = minimum jump numbers: 400+ jumps · 500+ jumps · 700+ jumps · 100+ jumps · 200+ jumps · 300+ jumps · 900+ jumps
Source: JYRO — Safire 4 wing-loading chart (image) (WL_Chart_V4) ↗Storm — Performance Designs chart: maximum exit weight (lb) per category
| Size | Student | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Expert | Maximum (never exceed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97 | N/S | N/S | N/S | 116 | 150 | 175 |
| 107 | N/S | N/S | N/S | 128 | 166 | 193 |
| 120 | N/S | N/S | 120 | 144 | 192 | 216 |
| 135 | N/S | 122 | 149 | 169 | 216 | 230 |
| 150 | N/S | 143 | 173 | 188 | 225 | 240 |
| 170 | N/S | 170 | 196 | 213 | 238 | 255 |
| 190 | 133 | 190 | 209 | 228 | 247 | 266 |
| 210 | 158 | 210 | 221 | 242 | 263 | 273 |
| 230 | 173 | 230 | 242 | 253 | 276 | 299 |
N/S = not suggested by the manufacturer for that category. Weights are maximums, not recommendations.
Source: Performance Designs — Storm sizing / wing-loading chart (FC-0014 Rev. 0 (Storm canopy sizing chart)) ↗Sources
- B JYRO — Safire 4 product page (page modified 2026-09-02) — open ↗
- B JYRO — Safire 4 wing-loading chart (image) (WL_Chart_V4) — open ↗
- B Performance Designs — Storm product page — open ↗
- A Performance Designs — Storm Flight Characteristics (FC-0014 Rev. 0) — open ↗
- A Performance Designs — Storm sizing / wing-loading chart (FC-0014 Rev. 0 (Storm canopy sizing chart)) — 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
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