I recently purchased a used PA Fusion 210 main and have made approximately 65 jumps with this canopy. Its primary flight characteristics couldn't be better. It's stable - even in high winds - is capable of sporty turns even when loaded at 1:1, and has a powerful landing flare that can't be matched by any other canopy I've jumped previously. The openings - however - are scary and dangerous in my opinion. The initial phase of deployment is smooth - exhibiting a long, comfortable snivel of approximately 800 feet. The second phase of the deployment - when the chute begins to inflate along its long axis - is characterized by uneven inflation of the cells and violent 90-270 degree turns to my left that almost always produce line twists. In 65 jumps, I have yet to witness a single, on-heading opening. My primary concern is running into another jumper up or down the jump run. Soft pressure on the right riser during deployment will sometimes inhibit the turn or reduce the violent yaw I almost always experience, but this doesn't always work. I've also been very careful to halt my tracks, flatten my body position to slow down, and maintain a constant heading with a fixed object on the ground for at least 4-5 seconds prior to deployment. Several of my pack jobs have been supervised by packers and riggers and are proper and safe to the best of their knowledge.
I've attempted to contact Precision Aerodynamics with respect to this issue several times: 4 times via email and 9 times via phone - at different times of the workday - over the past two weeks. I successfully connected with a receptionist only once and she gave me another email address to forward my previous messages to - but to no avail.
Between the scary openings and the lousy customer service, I do NOT recommend this canopy or PA products to anyone - particularly newer jumpers. Their website is also poorly maintained and outdated. Many of its links no longer work and very little information - other than a vague, hyped-up description - is available on its products.
I should've listened to my AFF instructors when they told me to "buy a PD." Only a few hours after emailing them the other day, I received a phone call to organize a for a two-week demo on one of their silhouettes.
Fusion
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in Main Canopies
I've attempted to contact Precision Aerodynamics with respect to this issue several times: 4 times via email and 9 times via phone - at different times of the workday - over the past two weeks. I successfully connected with a receptionist only once and she gave me another email address to forward my previous messages to - but to no avail.
Between the scary openings and the lousy customer service, I do NOT recommend this canopy or PA products to anyone - particularly newer jumpers. Their website is also poorly maintained and outdated. Many of its links no longer work and very little information - other than a vague, hyped-up description - is available on its products.
I should've listened to my AFF instructors when they told me to "buy a PD." Only a few hours after emailing them the other day, I received a phone call to organize a for a two-week demo on one of their silhouettes.
Skyfox