Sabre2 V Pilot

[Ianjames 0]

Has anyone had experience with both? I plan on loading close to 1:1

[faulknerwn 36]

I think the Pilot opens better and flies nicer than the Sabre 2. I find it easier to shut down and land as well.

[demoknite 0]

Pilot has more consistent openings in addition to what the above said. That is all my opinion of course. Also, the small amount of hipster in me didnt want to jump a Sabre because it seems like everyone and their mom jumps it.

[scottd818 0]

i had a pilot and i liked it flew nice and great openings but the flare left a little to be desired. i now have a safire 2 and love it soooo much more it opens flies and LANDS awesome. soo much more power with the flare.

[cube 0]

I think sabre2 flares way better than pilot, although I have to agree pilot opens more consistent. Nothing that one doesn't get used to though. The recovery arc isn't as overly positive either.

[-Joey- 0]

I'd be curious to know what others think of the Safire2 as well in comparison to these two canopies...

Skydiving is serious business

[Bluhdow 31]

I've owned both. Currently on the Sabre2.

Pilot: Lower performance wing that the Sabre2. Flies very flat, but opens really, really nice. It's a great canopy if you're interested in wingsuiting. The nice openings and flat glide (to get back from a less than perfect pattern) are helpful with wings on.

Sabre2: more performance and flare than the Pilot. Flies much steeper and dives a lot harder. Strong flare and more fun to fly and land. Openings can be inconsistent though, with offheadings and turns through your snivel. Learn to fly the openings a bit and you'll be better off.

Apex BASE
#1816

[degeneration 5]

Most of my ex-team were flying a combination of Safire2s, Pilots and Sabre2s at a training camp recently. Over the course of their approx 80 jumps I think they all ended up jumping each type of canopy.

They are now buying team Pilots, as they all preferred the way it flew compared to the others. If they had a choice of canopy for a particular jump, they went to the Pilot each time.

I've had 400 jumps on Pilots from 150 to 117s. Really enjoyed them as a canopy, had good fun out of them, not a single cutaway, as the openings were great and even if I had twists it flew flat and level for me.

Had a jump on a Sabre2 135 recently, and while the flare point was higher in the toggle stroke than it was on my Pilots, it did seem to fly quite similar to what I recalled my Pilot 132 flying like. Both were decent to fly, although upsizing from a 109 xfire2 to a Sabre2 135 did make it seem more docile than I'm sure it was!

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[babz 0]

Whilst team training I'd borrowed a Sabre2 and was jumping my kit (pilot) around the 1.3 loading.

I found that the sabre2 was more inconsistent on opening and was more ground hungry than the pilot. We got out over the DZ on our own pass so it wasn't so much of an issue about bad spots. The flare was very strong and was a good canopy to fly.

In comparison the pilots openings were more consistent, softer. The flight is glidey but did still dive quite quickly in the turns. The flare on a pilot is different to that of a sabre 2 and feels much like flying through the flare.

Personally I prefer the Pilot over the Sabre2 for my everyday fun jumping / team training. On our next camp I'll be doing the same Pilot - Sabre2 combo.

[skybytch 259]

The only way to figure out which one is right for you is to jump them both. What Jumper Joe over there likes at his wingloading and what Bouncin' Bob over there likes at his wingloading are very likely different (even though both of them will tell you at length why the canopy they jump is "the best").

Canopies from different manufacturers have different flares (example: Icarus canopies tend to have a deeper sweet spot than PD canopies). One of them will probably work better for you than the others, but none of us can tell you which one that will be.

[Skydivesg 6]

The Sabre 2 is more sensitive to input which is why many people have off heading openings. Many try to fly through the openings with body/harness input and rear riser input. This is a bad habit people have developed during their early jumps and is something that high performance canopies don't tolerate well.

Once you get past that propensity to fly the openings then the canopy opens great.

As many have said the Pilot flies flatter. The Sabre 2 has a longer recovery arc (ground hungry) which is why it makes a great canopy for people who want to someday learn to do high performance landings because they will gradually build their site picture and proper turn altitudes.

I believe many of our canopy accidents today are from people getting used to turning lower using quick recovery canopies and then when they go to something designed to swoop (longer recovery) they have a bad habit of turning lower - IMHO.

The Sabre 2 is a more dynamic canopy giving it a more powerful flare.

I strongly suggest you take a trip to an event where both PD and Aerodyne are both present with demo canopies. Make several jumps on both. The answer to "what canopy is right for you" will be obvious.

Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

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Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

[billvon 2,380]

Pilot at those loadings. Sabre2 at higher loadings.

[Ianjames 0]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

[Deyan 31]

I like my Sabre 2.
I didn't like the Pilot at all.

As for the Sabre 2 inconsistent openings...
the attached is a video from my openings from the last weekend....
...I don't use packers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boL_29BF3RY&feature=youtu.be

"My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

[Joellercoaster 6]

billvon

Pilot at those loadings. Sabre2 at higher loadings.

Pretty much this for me too - I like Sabre2s more the smaller they are, but up to about 1.6 the Pilot definitely had the edge for me.

Skybytch is absolutely right though. The distinctions are purely personal and a matter of taste - I *like* the deeper Pilot flare and the quicker roll-in/roll-out of turns, other people hate them for exactly the same reasons.

(I do think they open better though, in all sizes.)

--
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