PhreeZone

I got a used Altron for cheap, should have known something was up then. The functions on the alti were a pain to get started up since the buttons did'nt always work right. Its extremly large for its limited functions.

The final straw came when the posts that the battery cover down broke off the soder on the circuit board.

I am glad I got it for so cheap or else I would have felt even more ripped off.

I've jumped a Lotus a few times each for for a few years and I find it to be extremely similar to a Sabre2. I personally recommend the canopy as a alternitive to the Sabe2 for first time 9 cell buyers since it has the added benifits of the airlocks.

In speaking to BigAir and PD it seems like the best relationship is formed there, PD sews and cuts the majority of the canopies and BigAir designs them. The CAD templetes on the Lotus/Sabre2 are similar so they fly similar also.

The ride through turbulence in a Lotus is different then on a non-airlocked canopy. The canopy will not accourdion and deflate as it hits rotors. Under a non-airlocked canopy you might not feel anything since its your parachute thats dancing all around the sky and might collapse if it gets too bad, but on an airlocked canopy you might feel more of the motion since the canopy is remaining solid the whole time.

The Lotus is no more twitchy then a Sabre2. If you are used to something like an Icarus control range you will probaly find all the PD and Big Air canopies twitchy since they respond to less input then other manufactor's designs.

I LOVE the Samurai. Its got as much flare as I could ever use and its stable in all but the choppiest of turblence. Great recovery arc, light front riser pressure and a negative recovery means the canopy will swoop long if you know what you are doing.

Flare point is halfway between PD and Icarus style so a lot of people have issues at first but once you learn it... it only gets better and better.

The design is a few years old and I'm waiting for the replacement with high hopes!

I put 200+ jumps on a Cobalt 150 last year. The canopy opened great... but that was the only Cobalt I've jumped that did. Mine was a great opener, but the rest of the versions I jumped were eratic at best.

I had issues with the service behind the product. Getting lines changed on it would involve shipping the canopy to a "factory approved rigger" since they don't do the service in house. Another issue I have with Atair is their aggressive marketing of the canopy towards pilots that don't have the experience to fly it. The canopy is a fully elliptical and it needs treated as such. The "it flies big" hype is just that... hype. It feels like its a slow canopy till you fly beside something else and you realise its moving at the same speed as something like a Stiletto.

As for the canopy it had very light riser pressure and could float with tandems even. The recovery arc is on the shortish side, but still long enough to enjoy. A good canopy... if you get one that opens good.

The Firebolt is a nice all around canopy that has a lot of similarities to the Sabre2 and the Stiletto... but I'm unsure how the F111 bottom will last in the long run.

I'd rather have this canopy above my head on a Tandem then on a sport jump.

I just love my S3. There is nothing I find too horrible about the suit. Its not for a beginner though. The wings can interfere in pulling until you get the trick down.

Measure the suit with gloves on if you might ever jump them, they make the suits tight on the wrists. Also watch the zippers, I had one break on the first jump.

I've had my Firefly pants for 2 years now. Absolutly love them. They have more then 400 jumps including more then 50 tandems sliding on my rear. With the reenforced knees and rear, I forsee these pants out lasting my container!

The Merlin suits I've jumped are cut a bit thin so they fall fast compared to other jump suits so you have to keep hitting the brakes, but its a nice suit with some top of the line tye-dyeing.