Lotus

[Alborne 2]

What do you all think about the Big Air Lotus

[gowlerk 2,156]

3 hours ago, Alborne said:

What do you all think about the Big Air Lotus

Air locks are a pain in the ass fad who's time has come and gone more than a decade ago.

[Deimian 43]

I had a Lotus Max 136. I was quite happy with the way it flew. For some time I had shitty openings, but I tracked that down to a fully magnetic bag that was a tad too small or whose magnets were not strong enough for that canopy. Once I replaced the bag with a normal bag the openings were fine.

It is comparable to a Sabre 2. But honestly I am not sure the airlocks make a big difference. A bit for sure, but if the airlocks are deciding factor between jumping or staying on the ground, then you should stay on the ground regardless of the airlocks.

[Alborne 2]

Ok thanks. I had read a few articles that indicated that air lock canopies were superior to conventional ones, and was wondering if it was legitimate or hype.

[Kenzdik96 26]

On 10/17/2020 at 5:04 PM, Alborne said:

Ok thanks. I had read a few articles that indicated that air lock canopies were superior to conventional ones, and was wondering if it was legitimate or hype.

It was a solution of sorts for the problem of canopy collapses and wing rigidity, and both of those issues have been eventually solved with crossbracing and overall better canopy design. In this day and age, airlocks belong in a museum. 

[20kN 93]

I put about 350 jumps on one. As far as the flying goes, it's kind of like a Sabre 2. Okay to fly, good glide and good flare. The airlocks are a major PIA on the ground to deal with if the winds are high which is why I ultimately sold mine, but if you have some serious concerns about turbulence they may help alleviate some of those.

7 hours ago, Kenzdik96 said:

 have been eventually solved with crossbracing and overall better canopy design. In this day and age, airlocks belong in a museum. 

I have seen crossbrassed canopies collapse. Crossbracing is used in paragliders and paragliding wings collapse very easily under some conditions. An airlocked canopy will still provide superior collapse resistance compared to any crossbraased canopy will, assuming similar WL of course. Wingsuits use airlocks extensively, although that is more for maintaining internal pressure to improve performance. 

Edited October 21, 2020 by 20kN

[wmw999 2,372]

I've seen an airlocked canopy, when cut away from a lineover, stay inflated and keep flying for a long, long, time.

Wendy P.

[Pat007 0]

I flew a Lotus for about 500 jumps and really liked it. It met my needs at the time and flew and landed great. The airlocks gave it a definite different feel when flying in turbulence, which I found to be comforting. On the ground, the airlocks hold the air in the canopy, but dealing with it became second nature to me. It really only became an issue on high wind days. It's your decision whether you think positives outweigh the negatives.

 

[timski 80]

I know Brian personally, I really doubt that he has done much R&D or anything related to canopy improvements.  But like someone with experience said, if your jumping in the desert (think danger winds), it may be a good option!