Loading Lucky 1023 onto reels

I think another name for this film is also SHD400, although I'm not sure if it is exactly the same.

It was extremely difficult to get this film onto my paterson reels, the thinness (I'm guessing) kept making it fall out of the groove it was supposed to go in.

Has anyone handled this film much, and have any tips for ensuring easier loading?

That does not appear to be the SDH400 Lucky is now making. That appears to be a respooled aerial film that is around ~iso160 (apparently). It's similar to Aviphot, I guess. I have loaded thin film onto development reels before and there can be a problem with buckling if a corner gets caught, but the film always stays in the groove. If the film is flat and falls out of the groove, perhaps it's not quite as wide as it should be (which seems unlikely).

If the film is curved across its width, loading it on the spool emulsion-side-out might help. I find it can often be easier to get 120 film on a spool that way.

I live in China and I often buy this film. This is an aerial reconnaissance film that was made by the Lucky（乐凯） company for the military many years ago, but it became idle in military storage due to technological upgrades. After the confidentiality period, it was released into the market as large plates/sheets, and some enthusiasts and packagers re-packaged it into 135/120 formats. Its performance is quite good, but the condition varies from batch to batch due to different storage environments. In China, these films are called "aviation rolls,（航空卷）" and they usually cost 15-22 CNY (2-3 USD) per roll. If you're interested, you can check it out on Chinese websites.