PD Pulse vs. Aerodyne Pilot

[agrafov 0]

Anyone who had experience with both of them - are they in the same class? Is it reasonable to compare their characteristics? If so - what is your opinion about their pros and cons?

[g3ninfinite 0]

While Im not expert. I can share my experience with you none the less.

I have jumped both in 190. About 10 jumps on each.

The pilot has a very comfortable opening but takes about 800 ft to be slider down and in the saddle. Without getting on rears it barely got me back from a long spot into the wind. It was awesome in turns and the flare was the best flare for my tastes out of the canopies I have demo'd(Sabre 2, Pulse, Storm, Spectre)

The pulse had very comfortable openings as well. They were much faster though. Which I liked alot.
Turns were comparable to the pilot but with a little lighter toggle pressure. This thing flys forever and I really appreciate it being that Im mostly always the last or close to last out. The Flare was nice but I prefer the pilots flare. This thing packs really small. and is super easy to work with.

I really like both canopies and cant say anything bad about either.

[NWFlyer 2]

Funny, I have the exact opposite opinion about the flare - I prefer the Pulse over the Pilot.

I have about 300 jumps on a Pilot, and about 50 on the Pulse. I enjoy both canopies, and yes, they're very reasonable to compare. Lot of similarities - both are trimmed very flat so they have a great glide - no worries about getting back unless the spot/conditions are really bad. Pulse is flatter than the Pilot, even, and with Vectran lines should maintain that trim nicely. Openings on the Pulse are more positive than the Pilot, and generally on heading (the Pilot was, too, except when I let it get out of trim, but that's a gear maintenance issue, not a general characteristic).

The flare point on the Pulse is a bit higher in the stroke than the Pilot. As advertised, it does pack about a size smaller. (My jumps were on the Pilot in regular ZP fabric - my understanding is that Pilots in the new ZPX fabric do pack smaller as well).

Demo both ... pick the one that suits you. If budget is a concern - you'll be much more likely to find a Pilot on the used market since the canopy has been out much longer. But if not, both are worthy of a look.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[dragon2 0]

Yeah they're int he same class. I've jumped both, liked both, the pulse when overloaded I didn't like as much (at 1.5 wl or so I had trouble shutting it down in 0 wind, it flared MUCH better when loaded a bit lower), the pilot loads up better, so im my opinion is a better choice for experienced jumpers wanting a smaller intermediate type camera fly/wingsuit canopy. For a low wingloading, both are great canopies, and the choice comes down between personal taste and availability - plenty of 2nd hand pilots around. Pack volume might be a point of consideration as well: you could buy a pulse now that'll fit in your rig comfy, then later downsize to a smaller pilot and have about the same packvolume

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[TonyJ 0]

i was going to demo a pulse, but after thinking about it i really didnt want all white on the bottom skin and ribs.. though i kinda wanted less bulk.. i emiled them if they could make one out of all zp... said it would have to go to R&d.... demo a pilot and bought one... 4 weeks from the time i ordered it was delivered... very happy with it.... not exactly what you were looking for... tony