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Sam_91

Thoughts on Pilot 132

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Hi all,

Just looking for peoples thoughts on a pilot 132. Does it compair to a Safire2 139? Flight characteristics? How ground hungry it is at your wingloading? I would be loading one a 1.3.

Has anyone used one wingsuiting?

Sombody on here compaired it to a Safire 119, is this for real?

Not much info on them and the only video I can find on youtube is a malfunction.

Thanks, Sam

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I fly a Pilot 140 loaded at about 1.3 - 1.4. It is a great all round canopy that allows for both conservative and fairly aggressive flying. It always opens softly even after a 'thrash pack' and invariably on heading. It is great for getting back from long spots and is good to fly on the rears. I haven't went wingsuiting with it, but a couple of my mates have Pilots for wingsuiting, albeit a bit bigger canopies and think it is great. It has a great flare but needs to be flown down to the ground. All in all, I think it is the best all round canopy currently available.

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I flew a Pilot 132 for a while, downsizing to it from a Pilot 150. I loaded the 132 at around 1.4.

In general I found it a rather docile canopy, particularly on openings, which was great. Regardless what I seemed to do with it, on opening it opened and flew level, even if I got twists. It could be aggressive if I flew it with large toggle inputs, and could spin quickly (or quick enough for me at the time). It was the right canopy for me at the time, forgiving but fun when I wanted it to be.

The flare on landing goes all the way to the bottom of the stroke.

I didn't wingsuit with it or anything. I did fly a Safire2 119 for literally a couple of jumps around the time I had the Pilot, and it was a lot more responsive and faster. It was a size or so smaller, so this is to be expected! A Safire2 119 is not the same as a Pilot 132.

I have since downsized from a Pilot 132 to a 124, then a 117. Each time the only thing that I noticed changing was that everything got a little bit faster, but nothing major at all. I don't have much basis for comparison, but I didn't think it was that ground hungry.

It has a short recovery arc. After any front riser input I found that it levelled off back to normal flight within a second or so of me easing go of the riser.

Those are all just my experiences though. I'm no hot shot canopy pilot, so take my comments for what they are worth!!
Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

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I flew a Pilot 132 for about 25 jumps, loaded at 1.4, mostly with a wingsuit (P2 and then Havok).

It's a pretty tame canopy. Super consistent and comfortable openings. Line twists were always flat-flying and never an issue. It's a little bit dull to fly and land since it's trimmed so flat...but that's not a big deal for many people. If you're wingsuiting a lot you'll appreciate being able to make it back from a long spot.

I've since moved to a Sabre2 135. It's a lot more fun to fly but the openings aren't nearly as nice, especially with wings.
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I have a Pilot 132 that I've owned for 400 jumps or so, but lately I load it about 1.8 so I'm not sure how relevant this is.

That said: it's a genuinely great main. I am entirely confident I will never sell it, even when I own other canopies. It's well-behaved (one mal, terrible packing) and agile while staying very predictable.

I can't compare it to a similarly-sized Safire2, though I definitely prefer it to a Sabre2 135, although it is a bit more finicky about flare when loaded heavily.
--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

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Thanks for all your information. I think it has made my decision easier. If anyone has any info on the ZP V ZPX fabric, as far as pack volume being 17% smaller than Zero Porosity. Is this market hype or can I realistically expect a 132 zpx to pack around 306 cu.in. instead of 368?

Possibly if a Aerodyne rep reads this, they could comment?

I am trying to fill my Racer 2K3 and the max it will take is 350 cu.in. volume.

Thanks again for everyones posts, it has been a huge help.

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