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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Jeth

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Nice openings, very responsive
none

I have been jumping a Pilot 168 for about 200 jumps. I have always liked my canopy, but I am under-loading it and decided it was time for me to experience a higher wing-loading. Wow, it is fabulous!! I went down to a Pilot 140, and am in love with it!! The responsiveness I am getting at the higher WL is awesome. The turns are so much quicker, and with less input. The flares are awesome! I am having better landings with less input. I landed it in fairly high winds with no problem, and also on a no-wind day I got a great flare and ran it out. On the bigger canopy I did not get very good penetration into the wind. What a difference on the 140! I am able to get much better drive, and I actually get some penetration on final instead of coming straight down.
Another thing I really like is that it recovers really quickly from turns. I can whip a 180 and it comes back up really quick - it's so much fun! I demo'd some other 150's (Safire 2 and Pulse), and those were totally sluggish in comparison. A half flare on the Pilot was way better than a full flare on the Safire.
The Pilot is truly a great canopy. The openings are always on-heading and quick, but still soft (the way I like it). At a low WL, it is very easy to fly and forgiving. And now at a higher WL, I am really getting some sweet performance out of it that is really fun. (And I am still very conservative at 1:1.2. I imagine it only gets better as you increase.) This canopy rocks!!

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coldsteel

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Superb performance, Packs easily and small
You'll have to get in line to order one

The Pilot has always had a solid reputation as an all-round good canopy but the ZPX fabric makes this an exceptional canopy. I jumped a Pilot ZPX 190 today loaded at 1.1. I packed it with a Precision style "psycho" pack job which gave me a nice orderly on-heading terminal opening. The ZPX fabric makes the Pilot way easier to pack than a traditional ZP canopy...suprisingly so. My Wings W-21 main container designed to take a PD 190 ZP was almost too large despite shortening the closing loop to a couple of inches. In flight the ZPX flew and turned in both full flight and braked turns with suprising speed, flat glide and precise handling. Near no-wind landing was an easy standup with a two stage technique. This is a great product! Well worth the ordering wait and the extra $200.

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jamesndavis

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Fast
I dont live on the dz

Just got my new pilot 168 made 3 no wind landings. Great landings very soft openings almost scary low speed malfunction. pain in the but to pack for me I previously owned a f-111. Can't wait to jump some more

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Etch5

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Openings, Flight Characteristics, Flare
None

I've jumped Sabre2, Safire2, and Pilot. Of the 3 I feel the Pilot is the best canopy. I've owned a Pilot 188, 168, and just started jumping my new 150. They have all been consistent with soft on heading openings, great toggle and riser input response, and a sweet flare. My definition of a brisk opening on this canopy is what others have told me is soft on comparable 9 cells.

Color coded packing tabs are a nice luxury, but not necessary.

People say they don't like the short recovery arc. But I think it's nice since I'm not swooping it can only help me out in tight landing situations.

Pilot's are for Pimps!

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surfbum5412

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Openings are soft and on-heading, fun to fly, colored tabs on lines
None that I can think of

Great openings. Fun to fly. Great flare.

ZPX material is awesome, and doesn't take away any performance or change the flight characteristics.

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vehkis

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
openings, easy to pack, control, flare power
quite short recovery arch

I bought my used Pilot 150 last summer. It had around 300 jumps before me and now I've put over 150 more. My wing loading with the canopy is 1,57 and the results have been amazing!

Openings with Pilot are great. They are soft, constantly on heading and predictable. I also use my Pilot when I'm jumping with my wingsuit and even if my opening position isn't straight and some linetwists occur (I've had 7-8 full rounds sometime) canopy still opens nicely and most of all it flies straight! Which means that after opening my arm wings I have plenty of time to undo the twists without any fear that canopy starts to spin. :)

I've also tried 150 Sabre2 and comparing to that Pilot is a whole different canopy to fly. Glide angle is really good when flying on rear risers and I've managed to land to the landing zone from really long spots. Pilot is easy and fun to fly. Comparing to Sabre2 or Sabre it's much more aggressive but still easy and safe. When flying with Pilot you can actually feel the canopy and canopy goes instantly where you want. My friend also compared Pilot to be much like a PD's Stiletto when talking about flight characteristics. This is of course when flying on higher wing loads. I'm sure that with wing loadings around 1 to 1.3 the Pilot is perfect canopy for beginners.

I'm doing 90 and 180 degree turns from front risers and it gives good speed for landing. Still with WL of almost 1.6 I can do a stand up landing without even taking a single step in no-wind conditions which represents of huge flare power of this canopy. Only negative thing what comes to my mind is that recovery arch is quite short but I understand it perfectly - Pilot isn't designed for swooping.

All in all, I recommend this canopy so much for beginners or those who doesn't want highly elliptical canopy. Pilot is a great combination of good openings, great flight performance and fun! And I almost forgot: the fabric of this canopy is so easy to pack comparing to PD's fabrics!

Great canopy! :)

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linebckr83

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Opening, control, easy but fun
none

I bought my Pilot 188 a few months ago and have put about 75 jumps on it. At a loading of about 1.28 / 1, it is responsive yet forgiving. I have done several high altitude hop n pops with it to really get used to different combinations of inputs. It can be extremely responsive for my skill level, which i love, but only when i want it to. Otherwise, its a great ride. The one somewhat difficult thing to get used to was the longer brake lines. They are longer to prevent buffeting of the tail when front riser inputs are applied since your hands are still in the toggles. This moves the optimum flaring positions lower in the stroke. It only takes a couple jumps to get used to, and is really appreciated when fronts are being used.
The openings are awesome! I havent had a single "brisk" opening, and over 90% are straight on heading. On the other hand, it isn't terribly difficult to speed it up if necessary. Right now, it opens consistently in about 800-900 ft, and I'm not complaining. I've had 2 gear-damaging slammers and would be happy to never have to experience that again. Great all around canopy! I think it's a perfect 2nd or 3rd canopy in the progression of downsizing.

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subsea

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
consisent soft on heading openings, colour coded lines,fast recovery,responsive,great flare
None

Have done 250 jumps on my pilot,love it,my pack jobs were not great in the beginning,actually getting frustrated & stuffing it in the bag,but still great openings,can do some pretty tight turns, flies & handles beautifully, have jumped in some pretty hectic conditions with this canopy ,Great for beginners.Nice smooth consistent flare.Have nothing negative to report.

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prodiver913

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Fun as hell, soft openings, color-coded pack tabs
OH opening every once in a while, long snivel

I have had my Pilot 150 for two months now and I have put about 40 jumps on it and I love it. Absolutely love it, It's fun, high performance as it gets for a semi-ellep., and flies and handles beautifully. Doesn't flare as drastically as say a Triathlon but it flares very nicely. Just keep pulling!!!

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beatcreation

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Soft on heading openings, fast recovery, great flare
every once and a while will take 1000 plus feet to open

Been jumping a pilot 168 at a 1.1 wing loading for around 60 jumps. The pilot opens great, flies great and lands great. Packing is easy with the color coded lines which makes packing a bit faster for me. The pilot does pack a slightly larger than similarly sized canopies though. The landings are perfect, however the flare did take a little getting used to seeing how I was jumping a sabre 2 prior to this canopy. The pilot I found does not need a two stage flare just a nice smooth and consistent flare from top down and just keep pulling.

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auburnguy

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Openings, Color coded lines
None

For a beginner like myself this canopy is great. Color coded lines make packing a breeze. Toggles are extremely responsive and can do some pretty tight turns. Front risers can be held down without too much pressure buildup with a little bit of muscle, makes going fast (on a relative basis) fairly easy. Easy deep flare, flat glide ratio, pretty short recovery arch which is great for beginners like myself to keep me from getting into too much trouble.

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MagicGuy

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
GREAT openings, Great glide, Very fun canopy to fly even at low WL's
Not a good swooping canopy

I've been jumping a Pilot 150, 1.1 WL for the past 250 some odd jumps. The canopy I jumped previous to the Pilot was a Sabre2 150.

The Pilot is THE sweetest opening canopy I have ever jumped. Sabres (original and 2's), Triathlons, Hornets, Spectres, Navigators, Safire2.. these are all canopies that I've flown previously to the Pilot. None of them compare to the soft, snively openings of the Pilot. Sure, the openings aren't always on heading, but pretty damn close.

Pilots have a really nice flat glide, which makes it nice when you have a long spot. Sure, doesn't mean that you are always going to make it back, but it makes things a whole lot easier. And as for landing off - I've had to do it 3 times and have had no issues sinking it into small areas.

For those looking for a really responsive canopy, the Pilot has those characteristics as well. The turns are the fastest I've experienced. My Pilot is a 150, and it turns faster than 120s that I've jumped. Doesn't add much to the practical flight characteristics, but does make it a lot of fun to fly for those toggle turn, spiraling junkies out there.

One other added note is that for beginners or newbie packers out there, the color coded line attachment tabs make pro packing a very easy task. I use mine all the time when teaching people how to pack - it's a great visual aid.

My only gripe about the canopy, and it will only relate to swoopers, is that the recovery arc on the Pilot is ridiculously quick. It's actually a benefit to those people who aren't going to swoop. The canopy recovers from an input almost immediately. That does NOT mean that you can't swoop them! I don't care what anyone says. I've gotten 200+ foot swoops on the 150 and my WL is a measely 1.1. It just looks scary to anyone watching because you have to hold the front risers until you're at 20 feet! A really crazy sight picture, that's for sure.

Overall, I'd recommend this canopy any time. The quality is great, the openings are the best, and it's a blast to fly even at beginner WLs. And Aerodyne has pretty good customer service, so I've heard (haven't had to call them yet.)

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hurrikanejae

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Quick and easy toggle input, Rides in deep breaks superbly, Opens smoothly, Flares great!
Takes around 1,000 feet for mine to open brand new, difficult to pack when new (obviously)

Just like all the other reviewers and opinions, the pilot is the ultimate 9-cell canopy for any beginner to intermediate canopy pilots wanting to learn new techniques, and master new skills before moving onto to an expert eliptical canopy. The pilot has allowed me the opportunity to actually watch my parachute open while I'm in a comfortable sitting position. That view however, comes at the cost of 1,000 feet of opening time, so be prepared to adjust your deployment height. The pilot 210 I am flying is loaded at 1.18 and it falls noticeably faster than my previous F1-11 PD230; however, it does have an excellent input to output ratio; that is it takes very little toggle input to get a great response. The cons are self explanatory, and the pilot is a great investment.

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zappman

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Soft onheading openings
None

When I had 50 jumps I bought myself a brand new Pilot 168. 400 jumps later I sold it and bought me a pilot 150.
Now, again few hundred jumps later, I just ordered a pilot 132. I'm soooooo loving this canopy. In the 700 jumps I made with the pilot I had only 1 slammer opening. so...that are pretty good odds, i think.

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airdvr

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 4
Nice soft openings!
Like trying to pack a greased pig

All I can say is Wow! This canopy is sweet.

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vtskydivescott

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Great flight, flare, and openings
None

I have jumped on a Sabre 1 when learning to jump which was a good canopy and my first canopy that I bought was a brand new Sabre 2 210 however after 1 season I decided to sell my gear and go with a complete Aerodyne setup. So Glad I did!! My Sabre2 was ok but I got popped a few times and a lot of the times it would turn on me durning opening. I have only had the pilot for a couple of months but regardless of good or "bad" pack jobs it is consistantly opening smoothly and on heading. I am a big guy and it still is soft and smooth when opening. Nice!! Different flare than the Sabre2 but once you find where it is, it is easy to land. I wanted a reliable canopy with great openings and I got it. You can still do high performance stuff on it but just have to add a little more to it than with the Sabre but thats ok with me. Safety and consistancy first! :)

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conquestpilot1

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Great, Soft, and Beautiful Openings
Not enough flare at times

I was jumping a Sabre 190 with a 1.3 wing loading... I tried everything in the world to slow the openings. I had advise from everyone. I was cracked so hard at times I had to call it a day and go home and ice my bruises from my leg straps. Well, as soon as I was ready to hang it up with skydiving for a bit... A friend of mine said to jump his Pilot 188. I've watched his openings from his videos before and had wished I could get half of the opening he has. Well, I went on to jump his canopy... Lets just say I can't give the canopy back to him... I love it so much! The openings are Butter! When it come time to pull this little lady is going to treat you well.

As far as the flare... the Sabre packs a hell of a lot of flare. The pilot is not as much. But needless to say this is the only con that I can come up with about this canopy. I definitely recommend!!!

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GPSJane

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Soft, long openings and easy to fly.
Long snivel and a pain to pack!

I got my Pilot 190 a year ago and have put 100 jumps on it. I'll be doing another 30 - 50 jumps on it before I get the new canopy and have been very happy with it.

It took me a while to get used to the long snivels but I have learnt to pack a shorter snivel. I've had problems with consistent off-heading openings but a bit of good packing and change in body position seems to be helping some.

The material is so slippery to pack - especially when it's new! But all in all I've lots of fun with my canopy and I have a soft spot for it so I will miss it when I sell it.

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sparkie

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 4
Good for beginners
not found any yet

I dont have a lot to compare with. Bought my Pilot 210 right after only flying sdudent mains.
Just like to say that it is very beginner friendly, started using it at around 30 jumps and managed to land okay with zero wind conditions. Says more about the main than about my "skills"
I'm jumping a 168 now @ 130 jumps. I only made 1 jump on a 190 before going to the 168. Easy to land (wl now 1,3) for a novice, good flare power.

Edit: I recently demoed a sabre2 150. I have to agree with some of the other posters, that the pilot can become a bit boring compared to a sabre2 for instance. And while the openings are great, they dont leave a lot of time to work out problems before chop altitude, because in my case it takes about 800-900 ft to open.

Hook turns can be done as far as toggle pressure goes, but due to the quick recovery you have to start really low.

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skyflychris

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Everything
Nothing

Just took my NEW Pilot 168 for it's maiden voyage, and I have to say the people at Aerodyne have put together one fine canopy. The opening was soft and easy. It flew great!! It had a completely solid feeling that was very easy to fly but responded like a high end sports car when called on. And the flare was predictable with great shut down power. After flying a Silhouette 190 for awhile, I have to say this is the best all around canopy I have flown. I would highly recomend it.

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katiebear21

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Docile flight characteristics, consistent openings
None

First of all, other than my AFF progression, the only two canopies I have jumped are Sabres and Pilots so please read this review within my limited scope of knowledge. I've owned 3 different Pilot sizes and as I continue to become a better canopy pilot the more I enjoy my Pilot. I made a few jumps on the 132, about 250 on the 124, and about 20 now on my 117. I'm constantly impressed by the slow on-heading openings - especially now since I started jumping a camera. I jump my Pilot for all my Wingsuit jumps as well. I've noticed several differences in the flight characterstics and especially the landing and flaring characteristics as I play with the length of my risers. I had much "mushier" and deeper flares on my short risers but am now enjoying the full landing capabilities of my canopy on standard risers. As I downsize, I'm also learning to enjoy using the front risers with Aerodyne's new dive loops to make turns. I've had wonderful experiences with Aerodyne ordering custom canopies and working with them as I downsized. The company has great sales reps at boogies giving professional advice and making sure you're satisfied before you leave. I would recommend the Pilot canopy to anyone that wants a reliable canopy with the capability to add your own "zip"!

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Chris-Ottawa

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Smooth, Zippy, Just all around Nice!
Long Snivel

I got to jump this canopy in my progression. I don't have alot of experience in noticing minor changes in a canopy's performance but I noticed alot with this one. I'm 140 out the door, and I was jumping a Pilot 170 with 10 jumps on it.

Opening:
Pulled the pilot chute, then there was a canopy sniveling above my head. Didn't feel anything open, snivel lasted a long time and it was the smoothest opening I've had yet. It sat me up in the harness like I was in a La-Z-Boy, just smooth and slow. I was watching the canopy snivel for what seemed like eternity. My first jump I thought I was going to have to chop, I thought I had a slider hangup. Canopy stayed on heading the whole time. It was all good.

Flight:
Canopy is very responsive. I felt very stable and safe under the canopy. Does some nice snappy turns and level flight is great.

Landing:
Flare was great, didn't even have to finish the flare to achieve a stand up landing. Didn't have to run it out or anything.

This canopy is really what it says it is. A canopy for the true pilots out there. This would be a great intermediate canopy and can probably be pushed to be fairly swoopy if wanted. I would love to try one with abit higher wing loading to see how it flies when loaded.

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Joellercoaster

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Fun and forgiving
Snivel, snivel

I bought a Pilot straight off student status after trying out a Spectre and Sabre2, and now have about 50 jumps on it. It's a 188 that I load a bit over 1.1:1. Few too many pies after I ordered it, maybe.

Openings are soft - perhaps a little too soft... I've had a couple of jumpers deploy at the same time and be momentarily worried as they see me fall down away from them. The snivelling also seems related to my having a closed end cell about one jump in four, but it's easy to sort out with the risers.

On the upside, only one slammer in 50 jumps (entirely due to deploying partly head down, nothing to do with the canopy :P), and no others that could even be described as "firm".

I can say that the Pilot has never once given me cause to regret buying it. And a couple of times, I've had cause to be very glad I did. Novice pilots will inevitably make mistakes, and there have been a few times now I've come out of dumb decisions without a scratch. Most notably, when I was going to land in a 10' hedge... I had to flare out to level flight to miss the hedge, and was still able to flare again on the other side and stand up the landing.

The Pilot has a really short recovery arc coming out of turns and dives, which is good for your confidence when you're new but still want to be able to throw it around the sky, and still feels agile enough for entertaining and sudden changes of direction :) It flies very intuitively - it has always done exactly what I asked it and nothing else. I have to really whip down a toggle and hold it through a couple of revolutions to get any noticeable oversteer. Rear riser turns and flares are fine, but front riser turns are prohibitively hard over about 180 or 270 (even with the handy dive loops) and you can forget about double fronts - I can just about do chinups on mine without too much change in angle.

Packing has been hard, but that's to be expected on any new ZP canopy. One thing that is cool is the addition of coloured packing tabs on the line groups... very highly recommended for any newbie packers out there, they remove one big potential source of error before you even start.

Landings are probably my favourite thing about this canopy. If I time it right I can get a nice little toe-drag across the grass, but if I don't, it's no big deal. The window of landable flare times seems huge, and there is flare power all the way through the toggle stroke. I can't stall it with toggles at all, and I have very long arms! I've landed it crosswind, downwind, over hedges and ditches and in fields full of crops, and it has never once let me down.

I love my Pilot.

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captaincutaway

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Awesome openings,accuracy or swoop
mushy flare, but almost fixed

The Pilot is a great canopy for all ranges,provided the weight ratio is right.you can half brake and pinpoint land or hog it in and have some fun.The pilot is a great canopy for the semi to eliptical transition,but who am I to say I'm just a dumb ole' skydiver and everyone has opinions.

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IFallFast

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Great openings, responsive turns, great landings, flat glide ratio
a little tough to pack at first

A great canopy for the beginner or the experienced. I have over 200 hundred jumps on it and I am still not bored with it. I highly recommend it for a first time canopy.

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