mbondvegas

I love the Firebolt. This canopy stands out for its outstanding opening characteristics, ease of packing, fun turns and very smooth, progressive, and powerfull flare.

I have flown via rental/demo the: Manta, Navigator, Spectre, Safire2, Sabre2, and Pilot and owned and flown a Safire1, Triathlon, and Spectre. I still own a Triathlon and love it for wingsuit flights. The Tri's docile nature is great for that purpose. But on other jumps...when I want a little more fun under canopy..I fly my Firebolt...I absolutely LOVE it. Prior to flying the Firebolt, I really liked the Pilot...it's openings were the best I had ever experienced...for both softness and on heading characteristics, it also was equal or better than the Safire2 and Sabre2 in all other characteristics. I had hoped to demo the Fusion and Firebolt as well, but Precision said they did not have demo program...which is just lame and enough reason for me to never buy a canopy from them! Nancy from Jumpshack replied quickly to my demo request but said that they currently did not have a demo Firebolt in my preferred size but that they were making a new one for their demo program. Following this quick reply, I was dissapointed in their lack of follow-up after this initial request and one subsequent request for a demo. So, I had pretty much decided to buy a Pilot.

Well...after that, I ran into a good deal on a virtually new Firebolt and bought it. Well...lucky me!

OPENINGS:

You really have to experience the openings to believe them. I think they might be softer than the Pilot (which is saying alot)...well...they are at least as soft and smooth. The Firebolt is consistently on-heading and does not suffer from the Sabre2's end cell closure issues. Soft, smooth, and symetrical...everytime! If you open low...beware...these soft openings do take a bit of altitude.

HANDLING:

The elliptical planform yields some pretty good fun! Crisp turns and steep dives are to be expected! I load my Firebolt at 1.25ish and it dives hard with strong toggle or front riser input. I know JS states that this canopy is OK for entry level jumpers at low W/L's but I wonder. I would not recommend this canopy to total beginners...at least not based on how reactive it is at 1.25 to 1. That said...when you're ready it is FUN!!!

It is worth noting that the glide ratio in full flight is kind of weak compared to say the Pilot, Sabre2 or Safire2.

Flare:

Excellent! The flare stroke is smooth and progressive and very powerful....I simply love how this canopy flares PERIOD.
Swooping...well I don't really swoop and this is clearly not a swoop monster...but it planes out really well and is really fun to land.

I have about 20 jumps on my PF Track Suit (pants and jacket). This combo is excellent. I have logged average fall rates in the low 70's with minimum rates in as low as 57. The forward drive from the pants is outstanding. The suit is nice looking and well constructed but it is constructed of a ZP like material that does not seem suitable for the potential roughness of BASE approaches and landings...but what do I know... I just use them for skydiving..and I love them. These are Lightyears better than the Birdman Pantz!

The Triathlon is a SOLID canopy. I have an old 1998 220 with alot of jumps on it and it is still going strong! If you have an old one, I know you enjoy the gelvenor fabric (makes packing easy). If you do have an old one...get the 5.0 mod done to the brake lines. It turns a good canopy into a great one. The openings are way slower and the flare is 100% better.

This canopy is known for its on heading openings, but if you do something silly and get a bunch of line-twist...expect it to fly straight. It is one SOLID canopy. If you fly a wingsuit or just want a now frills...and no worries canopy...buy a Tri!

What can I say, the rig design and construction is totally SOLID and super comfy. The rig has excellent pin protection and the hip rings make for a superbly comfortable rig.

I bought mine used (3 Years old) and I had a minor concern with a part of the rig and I decided to drop by the factory when I was in Z-Hills and they offered to "fix" it, repack it, and ship it to me without any questions or charges. I was absolutely blown away! I had heard about how good they were to do business with, but now I know that "Sunrise is the PD of Container Manufacturers."

When I buy new...I'm buying WINGS!!

I bought a relatively new used Javelin as my first rig and I love it. The quality of construction, design and comfort are all great.

I have tried to contact SunPath a couple of times (regarding rigging wingsuit mods {longer bridle, cut corners, etc})and had no luck with getting a response. That is just unreal!

I did get the mods done by my rigger and they are great...but I have lost faith in a company that can not respond to customer questions. Given the Javelin's premium price and utter lack of customer service...I can not possibly see buying a new one.

BM Pantz are well constructed and seem to be built for lots of jumps (be it from planes or fixed objects). Mine have a ton of jumps on them and I like them for fun jumps and as something to throw on for H&P's but if I'm looking for pure tracking performance...I reach for my PF tracking suit. I do wear my Pantz a lot though. The can easily be worn on normal fun jumps and definitely provide you with better drive than most jumpsuits.