Purpose
Main
Material
ZP
Cells
9
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The name says it all... A canopy designed by pilots for pilots.
When we made our “wish list” for an ultimately versatile canopy, we came up with terms that were echoed by canopy pilots around the world. Of course the list included characteristics like: consistent openings, excellent glide, predictable, responsive turns and great landings, but these are the “buzz words” that every equipment manufacturer uses. This is the analytical answer to the question. But experiencing canopy flight is more than just analysis. We had to try harder.

When we pushed farther, and were really willing to listen, we started hearing the more important needs, the soul of the pilot. We heard terms like “effortless”, “fun”, “confidence”, “reliability”, and “safety”. We had finally reached the heart of a pilot.

We designed our Pilot to meet these needs. Our engineering and development team worked for well over a year developing and testing this new canopy. We can now say, we have the ultimate in versatile canopies that you have been looking for.

If you are looking for a canopy that you can truly enjoy, without the need to “work at it”, then the Pilot is the canopy you have been waiting for. “Try one on for size”, trust your feelings and you will not be disappointed. The Aerodyne Pilot: for people who love to fly.

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chopchop

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
excellent on-heading openings, very predictable performance
none

With just about 600 jumps on 2 Pilot 140s loaded at 1.9:1, I find the Pilot to be a very solid canopy. My previous canopies were Stiletto 150s and in comparison, I can swoop the Pilot farther than I could the Stiletto, it opens better and turns as fast. I found the front riser pressure to be quite manageable with good technique. I can consistently get back from the long spots an AFF or tandem video can put me at, open on heading on a birdman jump and then swoop it across the pond.. To me, that is a great all-around canopy. Flat turns and straight in approaches, even downwind landings are also things the Pilot takes in stride.

Bottom line is, the Pilot is one great parachute.

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Stumpy

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 4
Openings, flight, turns
None really

I have somewhere over 200 jumps on 2 sizes, the 168 and 150. All in all i love this canopy. I demoed it, the sabre 2 and the safire 2. I preferred the opening and the flight on the pilot by miles, the openings on the sabre were terrible by comparison (safire pretty similar)
I think the sabre lands very slightly better and has a slightly longer recovery arc, however this wasn't enough to even make it figure in my choices in the end, everything else about the pilot is so superior.
The only thing that took a bit of getting used to was the slightly different flare stroke on the pilot, and PD owners who have borrowed mine say the brakelines are too long, but they are not, you just need to finish the flare!

Would recommend the pilot time and time again.

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jc106wcu

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 4
Great soft and on heading openings
steering lines can be a little long

After jumping every Sabre2 and Spectre from a 230 to a 170, I tested out a Pilot. It's openings are very soft and on heading. First time flyers of this canopy need to practice flares, stalls, and flat turns up high. Some people I've talked to did not like the pilot's flare. The reasoning was because the steering lines were too long and they were not able to get a full flare on landings. Instead of checking the flight characteristics, they trashed the canopy. If you are able to stall the canopy, you should enjoy the flight characteristics and have a great time under the canopy.

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cpagani

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 3
soft openings
takes+1000ft to open and off heading.

I have recently bought a pilot 168 and have 50 jumps on it. Although it has amazingly soft openings, my wing loading of 1:1 emans that hardly evr opens on heading as one cell usually stays closed, nomatter who packs it.

My biggest problem with this canopy is the fact that it usually takes more than 1000ft to open, even when the slider is inwards.

It is also a serious work out to pack.

Other than that the pilot is an awesome trasition from student gear. It allows the student to take controll, whilst at the same time being very forgiving. Its an overall good buy but can get a bit boring.

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idrankwhat

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Everything about it
ID label location

I've got about 40 jumps on my Pilot 168 and I still couldn't be happier with my purchase. It was brand new when I bought it, right off of student status. The color coded tabs are almost like cheating when it comes to packing but the payback comes when you try to put that brand new zero P into the bag! As for the flying, I just can't say enough good things about it. My wing loading is almost 1.2:1 and the openings are smooth, and predictable, and the toggle response is fantastic but very forgiving. Front riser turns smooth but a little heavy on the control input. I attribute that to the size of the canopy and expect that to change when I downsize. Rear riser turns are very responsive, good for dealing with a long spot and are even great if you want to shorten an already very short recovery arc. As for stalls, I really have to flare deeeeeeep and hold it if I want to do a toggle stall and when it finally does go, just returning the toggles back to my chest gives me a nice, smooth recovery. Rear riser stalls are a blast, rock solid and dropping straight down like an elevator. On landing the whole sequence is a pleasure. The turns are responsive whether in or out of brakes and even a low timer like me can get short swoop if I want to due to the predictability of the canopy and the absolutely limitless flare! The only issue that I have with the canopy is the location of the ID label. It's right in the center of the tail, right next to the obvious centerline tab so it gets handled a lot when I roll the tail. Most of the lettering has been worn off by my hands. But that's it, that's my complaint so don't let that deter you from buying one of these fantastic canopies. I'd highly recommend it for newbies and intermediates, maybe even advanced intermediates at higher wing loadings. I'll let you know when I get there because I plan on sticking with the Pilot for my next canopy.

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tnscorcoran

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Smooth openings, great response to toggle input on turns and flare, Colour coding make packing easier.
None

I have about 50 jumps on my new Pilot 150. What a great canopy. She loves to turn and the flare is smooth and responsive. My previous canopy was a Spectre 170 so there was a quite marked change what with the obvious faster approach and flatter glide angle. But no problem landing whatsoever. Compared to the Spectre, the openings were even smoother and the turns were WAY sharper. This is a really nice great fun canopy.

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SkyDiveGlamis

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
The best Openings Ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The darn thing doesnt pack itself.

I have a Pilot 148 Now that has about 1000 jumps on it between 4 people. It is by far the best flying canopy I have had to date. I was about to downsize when a canopy coach showed me a few tricks, now I am gonna jump it about 100 more times before going to the 148. I have nothing but praise for the way the pilot canopy flies!

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andym148

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
nice openings, powerful flair, nice to fly
Did not buy one sooner

I've had my Pilot 150 now for a little over 300 jumps, wing loaded at 1.26. And still find it a good canopy. The openings feel like they take slightly longer than they should do, but the openings are nice and soft, no aching neck after a weekends hard jumping. I do have end cell closure's quite often, but this is due to my choice of hiding the nose right at the back of the canopy. I've tried differant ways of packing it, laying the nose across to the letf and right and then rolling the nose. This was to see how it effected the openings. The openings were just as soft but they consistantly gave me twist's to which ever side i'd layed the nose.
Flying the canopy can be as exciting or as docile as the you want to make it. Hard toggle turn the canopy is quick to respond, and on letting up it's quick to recover into straight and level flight. The only over steer i find is after 4/5 hard 360 turns, but only by about 45 degs. On the front risers 90/270 are ok, and the recovery arc is swift. Go for a 360 and it's very hard to keep the riser down, you have to fight to keep it down, the canopy just wants to plane out into level flight. On double front the canopy builds up some good forward speed, and released in a timely fashion allows eough time for it to recover and give a good flare.
The flare on the pilot is nice and soft, i'm still finding new depths to the flare and getting deep into it before touch down. I've had some good surfs in when ive wanted to, and when i want a straight in approach it offers a nice tip toe landing. And if like me you get it wrong every once in a while, it's very forgiving in all respects.
In conclusion the Pilot is forgiving in the opening, forgiving of bad body posistions. A nice snivel, and flying the canopy can be as exciting as you want it to be. With good landing charicteristics a good all round canopy for beginers to intermediate and with a higher wing loading experianced pilots too.

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Pawel

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Awsome openings ,soft on heading.
None

Received my custom pilot 150. So far after 38 jumps still love the openings. Toggle pressure it's great,canopy turns quick and flys great. Breaks are too long will have to shorten them a bit, about 1 1/2 inches. Packing a brand new canopy is a workout so if you not that good at it give it to a packer. Also like the color coded line groups saves time on flaking. Gread Job Aerodyne...

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Jill_UK

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
nice on heading openings every time, good landings and quick turns
none so far...

I've done about 30 jumps on my new Pilot 188... I've had a nice on heading opening on every jump so far (even though i've been trash packing it basically every jump)...

its a really good canopy for my level (100 jumps), it flys well, you can pick up some speed, it turns quickly and is really fun to fly but it's still conservative enough to be able to fly with confidence...

my landings are known to be completely terrible but I'm getting really nice landings with the pilot, it's very easy to flare and quite forgiving...

packing is a bit of a problem at the moment as I've been flat packing until now, so trying to pack a new, very slippery, ZP canopy isn't working too well but the colour coded lines has really helped me to learn to pro-pack...

overall i'm very happy with the Pilot so far and would recommend it to anyone...

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freeflail

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 4
Good openings and quick turns
short recovery arc

I tried the pilot 150 at a 1.5 wing loading for about 10 jumps. The openings forgave my pack jobs (not used to packing a new canopy - some were a mess)and were thankfully pretty soft (I was flying camera for most of the jumps.)
The canopy was very consistent in all of the controls and turned relatively sharply without much altitude loss. The only thing I didn't like was a recovery arc and corresponding deceleration that was too quick for my taste.
Overall, a very nice, reliable, consistent canopy.

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dharma1976

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 3
Fast if you want conservative if you dont, nice openings on heading
cant find one.

I originally bought this canopy and liked it at first the openings were good and on heading...

then I started playing with the front risers...what I found I did not neccesairily like...the front risers are not predictable...

so my final review is that this is a great canopy for conservative canopy pilots...if you like a standard pattern and want to use this canopy to get to the ground ... buy it, it will server you well... if you want something that will be predictable with front risers, buy a sabre2

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PhilipN

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Smooth on-heading openings, nice riser presure & A lot of flare.
None

The flare just never ends onthis canopy with a wingload of 1.15. And in 20 jumps there have been no bad openings. In the beginning I was worried that the slider was too big, but Ive come to realise that I want it to be this big! (dont know if its big at all.. Im colorblind...) But its just perfect. I suspect though, that it will preform better at a slightly higher wingload, cause when I go from full breaks, to full speed, I feels like the canopy takes a deep breath before it pressurise it self again..

Nice pice of canopy Aerodyne! Thank you! And thank me for not buying the Safire2!

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verticalflyer66

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Soft On Heading Openings, Fun to fly
None

Easy to pack. Trash pack it: Still opens soft and on heading, but don't make a habit of it.

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SkydiveMO

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Excellent canopy for a good price
None

The Pilot is an excellent beginner to intermediate canopy at an easy to handle price. I found the Pilot to open smooth and on heading with little to no complaints about bad body position by the jumper. The canopy was responsive but not extreme, if I had to choose one word to describe this canopy it would be predictable. The canopy never did anything I didn’t tell it to do. Glide was great for the canopy and I had no problem making it back to the airport on a long spot. Flares were strong and riser pressure just right for a canopy in this performance range. The Pilot is not a high-performance canopy nor should it be, it is a well-balanced and stable platform. If you wish to progress into swooping the Pilot is an excellent beginners canopy. The front riser pressure is even and the canopy’s recovery arc ideal for beginners. The only complaints I have heard about the performance of this canopy come from people who misunderstand that the Pilot’s targeted beginner to intermediate performance range. I would have no problems suggesting this canopy to any new jumper or anyone looking for a good all around dependable parachute.

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deforshee

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Softest, on-heading openings I've ever experienced and easy to pack
None really if you keep in mind it is an intermediate canopy

I spent the past weekend demoing the Stilleto 150 and 170 and the Pilot 150, 168 and 198 (I think that was the size of the large one).
I weigh 245 out the door and found I really liked the way both the Pilot 150 and the Stilleto 150 flew. The first thing I have to say is that the Pilot has incredibly soft, on-heading openings, everytime, even in a track.
Secondly, the key to performance of both canopies is wing loading. Both the Stilleto 170 and the two larger Pilot's flew like buses to me, and landing in the larger canopies was far from fun. However when loaded at 1.67:1 their performance was fantastic.
I loved the way the Stilleto flew, and it is definitely a higher performance canopy, however out of 25 openings, I only had one really soft, on-heading opening, no matter how it was packed. Most opened off heading, some were very hard and none were ideal.
I only jump about 300 times a year and I would not want to jump the Stilleto regularly unless I could jump a lot more often.
The Pilot on the other hand opened great every time. It also flew almost as good as the Stilleto with a very flat glide path, long range, and responsive toggle input. While it isn't as high performance as a Stilleto (and I will probably end up with both), it is a near perfect all around canopy. I am comfortable flying it in large formations, with a wing suit or just for fun. I would highly recommend the Pilot with a higher wing loading for advanced intermediate flyers and with a lower loading for beginners since it can be brought straight in very easily as well. I just ordered a new Pilot 150 and I will be keeping an eye out for the Stilleto 150 in the future.

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Airline3

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 1
Opens Good
Very short recovery arc

I made about 10 jumps on the Pilot, all I can say is it's no Saber2. It was not as responsive, there was not as much on the bottom end. I can fly a Saber2 too a stop before it sets me down. The openings were good. The quality was just not as good as a PD canopy either, I looked it over good and it's not bad, just no PD canopy. I guess If money is a major factor and you want a ok, brand new canopy get a pilot, but you would be better off getting a used PD canopy.

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kevino

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Consistent openings under all conditions
Front riser pressure

I have now done 70 jumps on my Pilot, loaded at 1.4. For me the most pleasing aspect of the canopy are the conststent openings - period. Whether it is a Birdman jump, a subterminal hop 'n pop, or a regular skydive, the openings are always good. This is a great conficence builder.

The canopy is very stable, even in turbulent conditions with light toggle pressure and the landings are fine. If there is one con(?) that is a lot of pressure is required to perform a front riser turn.

Prior to my Pilot, I did about 500 jumps on a Hornet, which is the Pilot's predecessor, and also a great canopy. However, the Pilot is certainly a great improvement on the Hornet.

Good allround canopy.

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testjumper

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Openings, recovery habits, responsiveness
No big swoops but fit for it's class

I recently did a bunch of jumps on a Pilot 132 - and what a pleasure it was! I'll draw some comparisons with the Sabre2 135 as I've been putting quite few jumps on that.

I loaded both canopies at about 1.7. The Pilot 132 is in my opinion simply more fun to fly than the Sabre2. Great soft and consistent openings - something PD has not yet quite nailed on the Sabre2. Nice and responsive in flight with front riser input that's not nearly as tough as on the Sabre2.

The recovery habits on the canopy is great. Do a few silly turns and raise your toggles and it settles in and finds its flight path without effort. A brake-fire on my third jump gave me an opportunity to put this to the test and the result was a great confidence builder. Not a swoop-monster but not less so than any other canopy in this class while landings are smooth and predictable.

In the final analysis the Pilot flies like you would expect from a canopy one class up, but recovers like you'd expect from a canopy one class down. You can have loads of fast fun and be safe! What more do you want....

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ikenever

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Openings, flying one and landings
none

Good all-arounder. I use mine for wing suit flights. This canopy will get you back to the dz after a horrible spot. After 31 years of jumping, I know a good canopy when I see one. I see the Pilot! Thanks Aerodyne!

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fatalexpression

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 3
No oversteer, easy to fly
openings tend to dance, front riser pressure builds REALLY quick

I put some jumps on a Pilot not too long ago, and wasn't too impressed. The openings were alright, pretty soft, but they tended to search a lot. Flying the canopy was nothing to write home about. It was stable and had minimal oversteer, but the front riser pressure built really fast and was high from the get-go. Definately not something you would want to learn to swoop on. If you're looking for a canopy to fly conservatively, though, it might be right up your alley.

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karlm

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Openings, Toggle & Riser Pressure, Flare, Landings, Glide
May become a bit boaring

Jumped both the 168 and the 148 (Think those were the sizes) and have nothing but praise.

Must be some of the best canopies available today, but cannot be compared to the Hornet, the Pilot is decades ahead of the Hornet in evert aspect.

Good consistant soft openings, on heading and controlled.

Nice riser pressure and response, both back and rear.

Toggle pressure allows pilot to feel in control, and will be gentle or quick dependant on input.

Pilot performs great at higher loadings, good consistant swoops and flares.

Great idea canopy as a first, or for those not into the "crazy canopy" ride, and versitile for any type of jumping or situation.

You will not be sorry you bought a Pilot, and it will have a good re-sale value.

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TurboChrist

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
N/A
N/A

The Pilot, by most accounts, is the same canopy as the Hornet formerly put out by Parachute Industries of South Africa (PISA). It's semi-elliptical and most often compared to the Sabre2.

Any specific differences between the Pilot and the Hornet, delivered by persons-in-the-know, would be much appreciated!

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dgskydive

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Easy to Pack, Soft openings and a lot of FUN!!!!!!!
Haven't found one yet!

With the job I have, I get to jump just about every canopy sold in the U.S.. Not a bad reason to come to work everyday! Ever since I first jumped the new Pilot from Aerodyne, I have been hooked! This is simple one of the best canopies I have ever jumped!
Let's start with the openings. They are simply beautiful, always soft and always on heading. Stowing the slider is a breeze. The over sized tabs are easy to find and takes only a second and let's you get back to the important things (like looking out for those guys with off heading openings).
Once you are done with the slider the fun beings. Grab a toggle and go. Very responsive turns. I like to spiral mine until I can't fell my toes. This thing really turns! If you like to stay up there awhile just go to half breaks and take in the scenery. The Pilot feels very stable in this position and handles turbulence very well.
I load a 150 at about 1.6/1.7 and when it is time to land pulling the front risers is a snap. Two words. Light pressure, no straining to pull them down. Build up some speed and get ready for a nice swoop! I like to bring mine in downwind. With the flair the Pilot has this is no problem. There is plenty of lift at the end to put me down with maybe a few steps to run it out. If you are not a swoopy kind of person no worries there either. Line it up and bring it straight in for a tippy toe landing everytime.
Packing is very easy as well. Like any Z-P canopy it will make ya sweat at first but it doesn't take much effort to get it in the bag at all.
Bottom line, this is an awesome canopy. For the first time buyer or the experienced jumper. It offers plenty of room to grow and plenty of fun along the way. With a price of 1359.15 USD it's also a great deal!
Great job guys! Keep up the good work! I can't wait to get the Gemini and A-Max! Hope they are as fun as the Pilot!

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