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Brains

Atair Onyx report?

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Ok, probably not as highly publicized as the katana, but i know they are out there and i know they were flown this weekend. How are they? What do you think so far? Openings, flight characteristics etc?? I Have to know.:)

Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you.

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Got five jumps on a 75 this week. So far I love it. nice openings.. very on heading, lots of low end flare and very light front riser pressure. I was at an unfamiliar drop zone as well as 1800 feet higher than I'm used to so I didn't do any turn greater than a 180 on landing but got some nice swoops. It's easier to pack than my 79 icarus because the materials not as slick. Can't wait to jump it at my home DZ! It seems to dive very steeply but it only takes a small input to make it plane out. I think there are a few more out there so maybe they'll post on their experiences.

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Definitely not as highly publicized as the Katana.:P It's a different kind of canopy after all, aimed at a smaller group of expert canopy pilots. (At least that's how Stane feels about it)




Don't get me wrong, i saw one fly (and heard the damn thing coming from 1K feet) Saturday and Sunday, i am interested in hearing all about the differences from some of the other pilots.B|

Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you.

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I have to agree with John. When I got my 75, I looked at it and said there is no way this thing is going to fit in my rig(designed for an 85) and it fit quite well.
After jumping the prototypes, I am very happy that with all the input from the people who tested it came together great.
The openings are not as slow as the cobalts but seemed fairly soft IMO.
We have video of my Onyx 75 loaded at 2.4 flying beside my teammate on his Cobalt 150 at 1.5. NICE!
The front riser pressure is fairly light and it has a nice smooth arc coming out of a turn.

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This must be some new generation of Onyx prototype compared to the Onyx that was test flown say a year and a half ago? As I remember that one fell short in a lot of areas.



That's why I asked because I heard the prototypes opened worse than the regular Cobalts. When Eric Butts was test jumping the early ones, he was not sold on the canopy at all but then again I don't think he is sold on crossbraced canopies to begin with.












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I am not sure about my interpretation of my one jump on the onyx but the opening was awesome although it was spun up!. The front riser pressure was nothing!!!!!! I wasn't in a situation to really hook it but it was sweet!:)



A little more info; The Onyx was a 75 and I jumped it without the normal 14# of lead that I wear when jumping my Xaos 27-79 and without a good set up to really fly it hard, it's hard to subjectively compare the two. The pack volume was tiny compared to my 27 cell when I watched Brian pack it.












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I have about 17 jumps on my 95 loaded at 2.24.

The canopy has a lot of flare and lift. It pulls out of a dive less flat than the prototypes, which makes for an easier swoop, but it is still a less steep canopy than other cross braced items. The 95 definitely likes to be carved as opposed to a hard diving hook (easier to stay in a dive).

To quote a horribly over used cliche the canopy seems to "fly bigger" than some other cross braced items. I think this is due to the high lift produced, but..anyway it seems very capable of slow flight in addition to fast flight, which makes me more confident in an "off landing" situation.

The static stall speed seems to be lower than a similarly sized canopy and so I can stay in a surf a little longer before I have to put my feet down. (and when dialed in right it is a very long surf :)
If only the weather would clear up here so I could wring it out more....

Ramon
"Revolution is an abrupt change in the form of misgovernment.", Ambrose Bierce.

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