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> Skydiving Gear and Equipment: Main and Reserve Parachutes: Aerodyne Research Corporation: Pilot

Pilot Average Rating

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Pilot

Item: Pilot 
Manufacturer: Aerodyne Research Corporation   (3773 Hits)
Purpose: Main 
Shape Elliptical 
Cells 9 
Fabric: ZP 
   

Description:
The name says it all... A canopy designed by pilots for pilots.
When we made our “wish list” for an ultimately versatile canopy, we came up with terms that were echoed by canopy pilots around the world. Of course the list included characteristics like: consistent openings, excellent glide, predictable, responsive turns and great landings, but these are the “buzz words” that every equipment manufacturer uses. This is the analytical answer to the question. But experiencing canopy flight is more than just analysis. We had to try harder.

When we pushed farther, and were really willing to listen, we started hearing the more important needs, the soul of the pilot. We heard terms like “effortless”, “fun”, “confidence”, “reliability”, and “safety”. We had finally reached the heart of a pilot.

We designed our Pilot to meet these needs. Our engineering and development team worked for well over a year developing and testing this new canopy. We can now say, we have the ultimate in versatile canopies that you have been looking for.

If you are looking for a canopy that you can truly enjoy, without the need to “work at it”, then the Pilot is the canopy you have been waiting for. “Try one on for size”, trust your feelings and you will not be disappointed. The Aerodyne Pilot: for people who love to fly.

Added: 2003-05-19 | Item ID: 420


User Reviews:

Average Rating: Average Rating
Total Reviews: 40

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3 Recent Reviews:


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Great all around canopy!
Rated by: beatcreation (more about me) on 2008-07-10 16:37:54 (user reviews) Review ID:2019

Pros: Soft on heading openings, fast recovery, great flare
Cons: every once and a while will take 1000 plus feet to open

Been jumping a pilot 168 at a 1.1 wing loading for around 60 jumps. The pilot opens great, flies great and lands great. Packing is easy with the color coded lines which makes packing a bit faster for me. The pilot does pack a slightly larger than similarly sized canopies though. The landings are perfect, however the flare did take a little getting used to seeing how I was jumping a sabre 2 prior to this canopy. The pilot I found does not need a two stage flare just a nice smooth and consistent flare from top down and just keep pulling.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Fantastic canopy
Rated by: auburnguy (more about me) on 2008-06-30 17:35:42 (user reviews) Review ID:2012

Pros: Openings, Color coded lines
Cons: None

For a beginner like myself this canopy is great. Color coded lines make packing a breeze. Toggles are extremely responsive and can do some pretty tight turns. Front risers can be held down without too much pressure buildup with a little bit of muscle, makes going fast (on a relative basis) fairly easy. Easy deep flare, flat glide ratio, pretty short recovery arch which is great for beginners like myself to keep me from getting into too much trouble.

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36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

The Pilot is a sweet canopy!
Rated by: MagicGuy (more about me) on 2007-11-13 20:16:18 (user reviews) Review ID:1898

Pros: GREAT openings, Great glide, Very fun canopy to fly even at low WL's
Cons: Not a good swooping canopy

I've been jumping a Pilot 150, 1.1 WL for the past 250 some odd jumps. The canopy I jumped previous to the Pilot was a Sabre2 150. The Pilot is THE sweetest opening canopy I have ever jumped. Sabres (original and 2's), Triathlons, Hornets, Spectres, Navigators, Safire2.. these are all canopies that I've flown previously to the Pilot. None of them compare to the soft, snively openings of the Pilot. Sure, the openings aren't always on heading, but pretty damn close. Pilots have a really nice flat glide, which makes it nice when you have a long spot. Sure, doesn't mean that you are always going to make it back, but it makes things a whole lot easier. And as for landing off - I've had to do it 3 times and have had no issues sinking it into small areas. For those looking for a really responsive canopy, the Pilot has those characteristics as well. The turns are the fastest I've experienced. My Pilot is a 150, and it turns faster than 120s that I've jumped. Doesn't add much to the practical flight characteristics, but does make it a lot of fun to fly for those toggle turn, spiraling junkies out there. One other added note is that for beginners or newbie packers out there, the color coded line attachment tabs make pro packing a very easy task. I use mine all the time when teaching people how to pack - it's a great visual aid. My only gripe about the canopy, and it will only relate to swoopers, is that the recovery arc on the Pilot is ridiculously quick. It's actually a benefit to those people who aren't going to swoop. The canopy recovers from an input almost immediately. That does NOT mean that you can't swoop them! I don't care what anyone says. I've gotten 200+ foot swoops on the 150 and my WL is a measely 1.1. It just looks scary to anyone watching because you have to hold the front risers until you're at 20 feet! A really crazy sight picture, that's for sure. Overall, I'd recommend this canopy any time. The quality is great, the openings are the best, and it's a blast to fly even at beginner WLs. And Aerodyne has pretty good customer service, so I've heard (haven't had to call them yet.)

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