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Skydiving Gear and Equipment: Main and Reserve Parachutes: Atair Aerodynamics USA : Onyx : Reviews

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has contributed 1 reviews

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(Review ID:1030)

14 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

Onyx 75 review
Rated by: roq on 2004-07-26 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: Onyx in Unknown Tag: 'cat_linked'

Pros: performance and opennings
Cons: cross-braced

I tried the Atair Onyx 75. in spite having few jumps here it is my opinion:

Container: Racer
Pilot chute: ZP 24 "
Wind: null
Wing load: 2,36

Construction:
The canopy have a crossed panels (ribs) it is sewn along whole the cord of the top skin and bottom skin without any other vertical rib besides the normal vertical rib in the center cell.
The nose is open, with finishes in triangle and not partial closed like other cross-braced canopys
The platform have to AR 2,7/1 and real volume that I measured is 74,7 Sq ft
I heard that the onyx have a size short lines. Is not true the onyx have a line size similar to cobalt canopys.
About the lines size I can inform that for example the VX 79 have Span bottom 466 centimeters and A line lengt 248 centimeters. the Onyx 75 have a Span bottom 423 centimenters and A line 229,5 centimeters.
This gives a larger rate length of lines for Onyx (54,25% of the span) than the VX 79 (53,21% of the span)
It demonstrate that the lines of the onyx are not shorter than for example the VX, what happens it is that VX has a span and larger area than the onyx.
(Personal I prefer more short lines because, nevertheless the increase the anedral span curvature the canopy, is more sensitive to inputs and outputs, have less frontal and lateral pendulum and less drag, but also loses aerodynamic performance more quickly)

Pack: standard propack, with center cell open, 4 out nose cells roll 1/2 turn for inside (not inside the center cell), quartered slider with lip close to the center cell. To center the nose well and only 2 turns in tail.

I admit that am always a little distrustful as I jump a canopy cross-braced, but Onyx surprised me nicely. Soft opennings, some snivel that demands to drive the canopy in this phase. The bad final "kick in back" and front dive normal in some canopys cross-braced didn't happen.
The opennings is soft like the coventional nine cell zp and the canopy is sensitive to harness inputs.

In flight: Very sensitive canopy
Glide Ratio steep.
Aggressive and a few oversteer in turns.
Very low pressure of front risers

Landing:
For swoop approaches I think is good option to 270 turn to up 800 feet high with it wing load. Good swoop and flare very very long with big power bottom lift same with no wind. With my wing load we can begin a 270 to 1000 feet
Although has an negative and long recovery arch, the canopy levels with a lot of easiness to the input. For big swoop that the canopy need a lot of attention in the transition for the flare because if the input is violent we lost speed that necessary for a long flare.

In summary:
The manufacture and concept is the habitual great quality Atair, very good workmanship and top concept together with the ZP Gelvenor fabric that guarantee a top performance and long life for the Onyx.
I think that this canopy is in the evolution of the modern cross braced canopys and I think that has potential for to compete, with top pilot, in the swoop competitions with any current cross braced canopy.

Roq

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