Info on a PD 170??

[nael 0]

I'm looking at buying a PD 170 for my first main from a guy at the dz. Its an old canopy with about 700 jumps on it apparently and hes selling it for AUS$300 which is really cheap. In itself its in fair condition, lines are ok but getting a little worn, the canopy itself is good - a few patch jobs but done pretty well apparently.

I've had an instructor look at it for me, and he said it would probably be ok for me. A friend is going to jump it next weekend and let me know how it flies and I'll probably buy it if its ok. I dont plan on doing many jumps on it, maybe about 100 if that, before I downsize (depending on how I go).

My question is, I've been told that its "old technology". When I asked what this meant I never really got a straight answer, but about 5 people said this when I mentioned the canopy to them. I've done a search here which hasnt really turned up anything for me on this, so can someone explain to me what this means? Would I be better off paying a bit more money for something better? (Ideally I wanted a Spectre 170 but finding one has proven difficult). Thanks for any help.

www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

[sundevil777 94]

How much do you weigh?

Is that a 7 or 9 cell?

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[nael 0]

Its a 9 cell and I have a wingloading of 0.7 on it. The size is fine, its not an issue - I've had some people telling me to try a 150 but I want to take it slow and not break myself. I just want to know if a PD is a good canopy or not.

www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

[jerm 0]

have a knowlegable rigger take a look at it (not just an instructor, there are plenty who are clueless about gear other than their own) and do a porosity check. An F111 canopy with 700 jumps on it may be reaching the end of its life. It may be bleeding enough air to really degrade performance.

The PD 9cell is what came before the sabre. Yes, it's older technology, but it's much mroe current than a lot of the other "great deals" out there.

good luck

Landing without injury is not necessarily evidence that you didn't fuck up... it just means you got away with it this time

[sundevil777 94]

I still use a PD210 9-cell loaded at 1.15:1 with about 200 jumps on it. It lands me so well I can't justify replacing it.

If you are loading it so lightly, it will probably land you well also, but unless the lines have already been replaced, it should need some work.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[pbla4024 0]

PD-170 (DOM 1997) was my first canopy and I liked it. Easy packing, nice opening (bit faster than modern canopies due to open leading edge). I never had any problem with it and after 115 jumps I bought "something better". IHMO it's good choice for first canopy.

Fido

[Byron03 0]

This is the canopy that I currently have (my 1st). I load it at 1:1. Mine is in a little better condition then you describe the one you are looking at (no patches and a few less jumps). But my plan is the same as yours, 150 or so jumps and then move on to a newer canopy. I've had no problems whatsoever, so far.

Just remember, after that 1st jump on it....!

[nbblood 0]

Quote

An F111 canopy with 700 jumps on it may be reaching the end of its life.

That's what I thought too. 700 is quite a few jumps for an F111 canopy, IMHO.

Here's what Performance Designs has to say about the difference between F111 and ZP canopies.

Blues,
Nathan

Edited to add link

Blues,
Nathan

If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

[pilotdave 0]

My first canopy was a PD 150. I'm loving my Sabre2 that I replaced it with now, but I have no regrets for not going to a higher performance canopy sooner. Actually I did my first jump on a PD 170, so obviously at very light loading it's slow and easy to handle, but much much much zippier than a manta 288 or something (which I jumped a couple times after finishing AFF). The best thing about the 9-cell is how easy it is to pack (relatively speaking). You can learn some technique before needing to apply it to a slippery ZP canopy.

The 9-cell has a much weaker flare than most ZP canopies, and timing is very important. But it's predictable and definitely not hard to land. Just hard to get those tiptoe soft landings every time.

My PD 150 was great for making it back from really long spots, as long as I was upwind of the airport. Penetration into the wind sucked. But I was often first one out of the plane and last one on the ground, even beaten down by tandems sometimes. Plenty of time to plan a pattern and all that. Also my off-DZ landings were never a problem because of the nice slow speed.

But it was always plenty of fun. I could spiral and do all of that without losing crazy amounts of altitude very quickly. That canopy never really got boring to me. I ended up downsizing only after I had a chance to try out a Sabre2 150 in a javelin demo. The sabre2 has a much much softer opening and much more powerful flare.

But I'm glad I bought the PD. I actually still have it but I'm afraid to switch back and forth because the flare techniques between the two canopies are so different.

Dave

[Hooknswoop 19]

I gave away a PD-170 not too long ago. W/ 700 jumps it really isn't worth anything. It is worn out and not worth the cost of a re-line. I would recommend looking for something else.

Derek

[johnny1488 1]

Quote

bit faster than modern canopies due to open leading edge

I'm not to sure about that. Companies are now closing off the noses of canopies to create an airfoil with less drag. An open nose creates a lot more drag than a closed one.

The speed you probably felt was the canopy creating less lift (worse glide) than you might have felt on a zp canopy.

Edited to add: My first canopy was a pd-210. I was a little over 1.1:1 and it didnt land me that well. I sold it to a smaller girl for $400 who said it did great for her. It got me in the air, though.

Johnny
--"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!"
Mike Rome

[sdctlc 0]

The PD170 is a great canopy for your experience and load noted at 0.7. Wether this canopy is the one for your needs I cant say but at 700 jumps it may or may not be. Have it inspected by a rigger and get an honest evaulation on its condition.

Performance of this type of canopy at your noted load of .7 load should be fine even with 700 jumps. That said, the performance will be affected by the condition of the line trim. Have the canopy checked that it is in trim. Lines can look not so good color wise but still be in trim and work great for the 100 jumps you thinking. If it is out of trim the performance will be down and get worse the more off it is.

The canopy is not going to be worth a huge amount later, i.e. if you get it after your 100 or so jumps on it, so take the very low re-sale value into account... Look at the $ you will save if you can put 100 jumps on the canopy as is and see if it works out to get you ahead jump and $ wise.

The canopy might be great for you but you need to be thinking about it with open eyes not only to its condition and performance but what you expect to get from it later...

Scott C.

"He who Hesitates Shall Inherit the Earth!"

[Keith 0]

My first canopy was a PD 190 with about 500 jumps on it. It looked to be in good shape, clean lines, still in trim, no holes. I loaded it at about 1.1:1. It was nice and docile as a first canopy. The landings were usually pretty hard though and produced little lift during landing. I thought I didn't know how to land. When I downsized and bought a zero p canopy, my landing problems went away. Turns out the PD 190, although it only had about 500 jumps on it, was a bit too porous to provide decent lift on landing. I ended up essentially giving it away when I sold that rig. Your mileage may vary.

Keith

Don't Fuck with me Keith - J. Mandeville

[meatbomb 0]

Quote

Quote

bit faster than modern canopies due to open leading edge

I'm not to sure about that. Companies are now closing off the noses of canopies to create an airfoil with less drag. An open nose creates a lot more drag than a closed one.

I think he was talking about quicker openings rather than whilst in flight.

---
Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii!
Piccies

[pbla4024 0]

Sorry, that's mistake. Should be "bit faster opening".

Fido

[Shivon 0]

I don't agree with the comments about it being 'old technology'. The PD170 was a solid canopy when it was released, and it still is today - assuming it is in ok condition. I would recommend getting a rigger to have a look at it though - and maybe check the lines for how out of trim it is. Being in Picton you have access to a few riggers in Sydney and Canberra. Assuming the canopy is in ok condition, it may be worth putting a new line-set on it, giving it some new life for a relatively small over-all cost.

[Steph2 0]

I still jump a PD-150 and don't plan to change it for ages...
It might not have quite as gentle landings as a ZP canopy, but being F1-11 it's a damn sight easier to pack!!!

Have you bought the 170 you posted about? If so, I hope you'll be very happy together for many jumps to come
Steph
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