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Skydiving Gear and Equipment: Main and Reserve Parachutes: Performance Designs: PD Reserve

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Item: PD Reserve  Manufacturer: Performance Designs   (2614 Hits) Purpose: Reserve  Shape Square  Cells 7  Fabric: F-111      Description: Our reserves are Performance Designs canopies at heart. You know what that means...responsive, predictable handling, excellent glide in the brakes and outstanding landings. Added: 2001-01-10 | Item ID: 24

User Reviews: Average Rating: Total Reviews: 27 Write a Review Read all 27 Reviews

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3 Recent Reviews:

7 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

Optimum Reserve 193 and 175
Rated by: coldsteel (more about me) on 2009-06-07 19:56:38 (user reviews) Review ID:2196

Pros: Packs small! Outstanding "Pack ability".
Cons: Flys and lands like an F111 canopy

I demo'd PD Optimum reserve this weekend. I jumped the OP 193 loaded about 0.9 and my daughter jumped a OP 175 loaded 0.75. She is a novice jumper and I am an old jumper so I wanted to keep things real conservative. The OP opened just fine at terminal, very firm but quite acceptable, the OP 193 flew like the older F 111 7-cells I used to jump (Pegasus,Raven, PD 7-cell, etc.) but I was not able to stall it at altitude to test it's stall characteristics because I think the brakes where set too long. Certainly nothing magical about the way it handles. The landing flare was not as effective as I had hoped on the no-wind day I jumped it and I couldn't bleed off the forward velocity despite application of full brakes. The result was a safe but sliding landing. The only major problem I experienced was finding a harness/container that was small enough to hold the relatively tiny OP 193 yet large enough to hold my #185 frame. I put it in my Javelin J-4 but it was way too loose in there, so I'd recommend two sizes smaller than that. The OP 193 packs more like a PD 176. The OP 175 opening characteristics, flying qualities and landing characteristics were "just fine" in my daughters opinion. She preferred jumping the Optimum 176 over the Spectre 170 that she jumped the same day. Similar performance, but much lower pack volume, and easy to pack. The outstanding qualities of these canopies were their "pack ability". A novice jumper was able to pack the brand new OP 176 into a Wings W12-1, first time, without help. A new Pilot 150 was very snug in the same container. I have an Optimum on order now and if PD would sell me an Optimum set up as a main I would buy that too! Honestly, I think PD could sell a ton of these canopies as mains to skydivers who hate to pack slippery-as-snot ZP's.

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24 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

PD Reserve ride
Rated by: rgrmike (more about me) on 2009-04-04 23:00:30 (user reviews) Review ID:2161

Pros: Perfect On heading opening. Great Flair. Fast opening.
Cons: none

I had my first cutaway today. I was on a 2 way from 13.5K. We broke at 5 - open at 4. I threw my BOC. Wham - loudest sound I have ever heard. My main blew the B and C lines on one of the left cells at the canopy. The right side of the canopy blew all of the lines but 2 just above the riser. I started an immediate high speed spin - almost horizontal to the ground. I yanked my cutaway handle. Before I could yank my reserve handle my RSL opened my reserve. The opening was immediate. It opened perfectly - no twists. It flew on heading. It was a great ride to the ground. The canopy has a powerful flair and awesome handling. This is a super reserve; they hold their value extremely well. Thanks PD for the life saving Ride! -Mike

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7 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

PD 193 Reserve ride
Rated by: BHawks (more about me) on 2009-02-08 19:58:36 (user reviews) Review ID:2136

Pros: Fast yet soft, on heading opening.
Cons: Zero

Today we went up for a hop n pop, we were at about 3000 feet. I was the first out the door, I exited, pitched, and the relative wind of the propeller wrapped my main pilot chute down and under me! So I have a pilot chute in tow malfunction at 2500 burning altitude pretty quickly. So I went for my reserve, it opened beautifully, fast, not a slammer and on heading! Can't beat that! To add on top of this, this was the first reserve I had packed as a new certificated rigger. So I saved my own bacon with my pack job. That makes me feel good to know my work, actually works! Get to buy my self a bottle! This was my second time looking up at a PD reserve, it is a solid canopy, flew real well, I PLFed it on landing, but I couldn't ask for anything more. When future customers bring a PD reserve for a repack, I can tell them, I will happy to work on it and it is a solid canopy! Blue Skies! Ben

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