Paradactyl or Thunderbow

[jumpy 0]

Anyone ever jump a Paradactyl or Thunderbow? Found a picture of both and wondering about the interesting landing and flying characteristics? And if anyone jumps them these days every once in a while like they do rounds?

[towerrat 0]

you should post the pics.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

[riggerrob 558]

I jumped both Delta 2 and Paradactyl back in the 1980s.
The Detla 2 was big, bulky and complex to pack. Even with an Opening Shock Inhibitor it opened hard three out of the four jumps I did on it. Landings were not that great either.
On the other hand, the Paradactyl was light weight, easy to pack and flew like a second generation square parachute (i.e. Cruisair). If squares had never been invented, I would still be jumping a Paradactyl.

[darkwing 4]

The paradactyl and thunderbow are pretty different generations of canopy, with the dactyl being newer by about 10 years I think. A couple of my teammates jumped Dactyls, even did CRW. Dactyls pack much smaller that thunderbows.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[SkydiveMonkey 0]

Pic 1
Pic 2

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Say no to subliminal messages

[jumpy 0]

Ohh colour photos! Does that mean there's hope that I might be able to find one and jump it someday? They look damn mad! and very interesting design!

[wingnut 0]

i'm pretty sure one of the jumpers/jump pilot at my dz has a paradactyl..... he is more than willing to let jumpers jumpit..... just need to get ya over here to the states and to utah.......... hopefully sometime this summer i'm gona jump his paracomander a few times.....

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"i have no reader's digest version"

[Thunderbow 1]

I have around 100 jumps on a Thunderbow. In fact it is still in my basement - minus lines so I don't have the urge to jump it again. It was basically a triangle shaped paracommander. We called it the Polish Paracommander because it has a big arrow in the middle of it to show which way you are going. The Paradactyl was a wing canopy. I remember seeing them jumped but never jumped one. This was all in the late 70's, early 80's. Fun times.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Lord, let me be the person my dog thinks I am.

[deadwood 0]

Only experience I have is with the Delta II Parawing (or as we affectionately called it, the Dildo II Paranoid) Have about 200 jumps on one. It was built in the late 60s by Steve Snyder and was an outgrowth of the single keel rogalo wings.

I still jump mine once a year at our annual water boogie. Just jumped it last weekend. (and dead centered on the float)

Opens hard (when it opens) and looks very small up there. Turns are fast as most modern ram airs but forward speed is only about 15 MPH.

Mine is modified without the internal brakes so the toggles just go to the outside trailing edge, meaning you really have no brakes.

The Thunderbow is more like a triangle parachute than a wing. It has no keel. Was pretty reliable and docile

He who hesitates shall inherit the earth.

Deadwood
Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

[murrays 0]

Quote

Anyone ever jump a Paradactyl or Thunderbow? Found a picture of both and wondering about the interesting landing and flying characteristics? And if anyone jumps them these days every once in a while like they do rounds?

Here's a thread started when I did my first Dactyl jump earlier this year.

And here's video of me landing my second dactyl jump.

--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey