Cobalt

Yes the cobalt is a nice canopy. I have flow it and have been really impressed by it. However, don't let them fool you. This is a high performance elliptical canopy and it will kill you if you don't know what you are doing. And no amount of its easy to fly hype will save an unexperienced canopy pilot. It may just be me but it seems that the canopies are being marketed to the first time new canopy buyer not the experienced canopy buyer. Whats the difference you may ask. Well the new canopy buyer is usually someone that has about 100 to 400 jumps. Feels pretty confident flying the PD whatever they bought second hand and now wants something a little more sporty. The experienced canopy pilot on the other hand is someone with 500+ jumps that knows exactly which canopy s/he can or cannot fly. Believe me there is a big difference. Don't let the smooth openings and slower foward speed fool you I have seen people get hurt with a Sabre 150 loading it 1 to 1. Cobalts are elliptical and are only for the experienced pilot.

Chuck Blue has said a lot of things that i was going to write on this review. I would like to add little more. I recommend reading Chuck's review if you are interested in jumping Cobalt. I jumped three different cobalt 95 demos at 1.75 wing loading. I also have jumped alpha previously.

Dan from Atair explained about the flight and opening characteristics before I started jump them. So I expected the canopy to open and fly "well." I jumped the first one twice and it slammed me really hard. I told Dan "hey the doubly staged opening is not there at all." He gave me his rig which was hooked up with another Cobalt 95 which he said had about 400 jumps. This one opened really nice and gentle as Dan and the Cobalt brochure explaine. Dan told me the first one I jumped was extremely out of trim. I guess the opening characteristics depends on line trims very much. Might be a good indication for the line replacement The third one I jumped was brand new and it opened and flew identical to Dan's canopy which already had 400 plus jumps.

Openings:
The opening is really soft. There cannot be anyone who can complain about the opening characteristics of Cobalt unless the fast opening gives you psychological comfort. (I have met a few "experienced" jumpers who like fast openings because the the part of skydive that contribute to most malfunction is over quickly.) In my opinion, the Cobalt did not open slow compared to other nine cell ellipticals. It might open a second or a fraction of a second slower, but you would not have doubts if it would really open or not. My first malfunction was a streamer and I don't like too long of a snivel. The Cobalt did not snivel but instead it opened in stages. The stages can be seen easily by looking up the canopy and these stages can give you some idea if the canopy will give you a malfunction(s) or not.

It does open very very gently, but it doesnt open slow. I hope you know what I mean. A friend of mine demoed Cobalt 135 at 1.63 wing loading. I saw his opening from the above and from the side during different skydives, his Cobalt 135 opened nice and soft in both occasions. Looking from above, it opened like a BASE canopy. (The Cobalt opening seems like a BASE canopy opening after slider down jumps.) You should see the opning pictures on Atair website.

Flight and Landing characteristics:
It flew like stilleto. The toggle movement was really smooth and it is not too heavy. The front risers were light. (I cant say much more because I believe it takes about 100 jumps to know a canopy.) You really should give Cobalt a try if you are looking for a nine cell elliptical. It seemed to me that it was easy to gain speed doing a curving turn. I was jumping Cobalt in a really windy week. (20-25mph with gusty wind) I still had a nice swoop and the Cobalt flew nice in high winds.

Background 7,000+ jumps, 21 years in the sport & I Skydive for a living. First off I have no Ax to grind no ass to kiss. I can jump whatever brand I want. The Cobalt by Atair is one hell of a nice canopy. I load a 105 /2.1 and get absolute good openings and very soft landings. It packs up nice, wears good and the price is fair. What more can you ask for? I have been jumping Elipticals since Stilettos first hit the market. This is a great parachute.At this writting I have 50+ jumps on the 105. Dan at Atair is very easy to deal with and will take care of any problems you may have. Don't jump one unless you are ready to buy it, it is that good. The Alpha was good, the Cobalt is better!!

Cobalt 85- This is a smooth opening and fun to fly canopy. Less agressive then it's PD counterpart, allows for downsizing. Good parformance at a good price.

It is nice to see the canopies start getting the attention they deserve. I have been under one since the beginning of the season; loading a 120 at 1.875 and have had the pleasure of turning a few people on to them. Every one who tried them at Quincy seemed to have a good time on them whether they were feeling out an elliptical or were doing a 90’ in to 270’. Like all other elliptical canopies they are prone to similarities. There are a few differences that do set this canopy apart from the pack.

Some folks who have jumped the canopy have actually said that they don’t like the openings. This I could not believe. However, after consideration and reflection I came to the idea that if you have hundreds or thousands of jumps on a certain canopy whose opening characteristics are not the same; you’ll have to first be open to the idea that different canopies will open differently. So sometimes you really cant compare the two. For example I used to jump a saber. If you get used to that type of opening you may be uncomfortable not feeling the opening sensation riddled through your body. Personally I wont fly a canopy that doesn’t have this soft of an opening. I always have time after pull to get in to a good body position. I never get slammed on openings, and it opens on heading. Some one must have really thought this out… Opening is not an exclimation, but a process under this canopy that is Soft, accurate and predictable.

Flying characteristics are such that transitioning from a saber to the Cobalt is practically instinctive. The transition from one to the other is natural with a low learning curve. Weight dispersion is evenly swept through the middle of the canopy giving it some flying characteristics of a glider. Accomplished canopy pilots seem to effortlessly swoop and carve. Other elipticals tend to weigh down the nose, making them less forgiving. In wind and properly flown you can, as I have been observed, tacking and getting lift. (A large easily observable, enviable amount of lift.) This is one of the coolest things about flying the canopy.
The canopy, when properly weighted has the tendency to glide out of the corner. Even when you are tight in it. I have seen people with less then 150 jumps getting impressive swoops. If you are in to canopy flight, you have to spend a day under the double diamonds.

Dr_Groove
D-23206
Blue Sky Ranch

I think Chuck pretty much went over the background of the COBALTS. I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in. I started jumping these canopies at the begining of this season and now have about 250 jumps on various sizes of the Cobalt. There is so much to say about these canopies that the only way to sum it up is "WOW" You have to fly one to believe it. From the moment you get this canopy and feel the unique South African zero p (which packs like F-111) with the double diamonds sown as part of the canopy, not sown over existing fabric, you will soon realize how easy it is to pack.

Now its pull time you throw out you pilot chute to be welcomed by the "LEXUS" of openings. Cross ports in all cells but 3rd and 6th allow for smooth, controlled, 2 stage soft openings.

Next, you look up to see the unique double diamonds found only on the Cobalt canopies. If you like attention, the diamonds are definately the way to go. So now you start flying around, doing spirals and just checking out the whole behavior of the canopy. The best way for me to explain it is very "user friendly." This thing feels like it is part of you. It responds immediatly to you every command.

But wait, thats not even the best part. Since jumping the Cobalt canopies, I don't even think I remember how to run out a landing. I have never taken more then 3 steps on landing with the Cobalt. It has so much lift it will amaze you. This is all around, the best canopy I have ever jumped, and I plan to keep on jumping them as long as Atair Aerodynamics keeps making them. I recomend the Cobalt to everyone. From the new guy who wants his first high performance canopy, to the most experienced jumper who is looking for that 100 yard surf. Like I said before You have to try one to believe it. Thanks - Mike Gocke D-23590