nicknitro71

I just finished assembling an band new I4 with a Smart 135 and Pilot 140. Even though everything is very stiff and slippery, all the components went in with no sweat to my surprise. I could definitely put a Smart 150 in but not anything bigger than that.

The reserve free bag is by far the best designed free bag I have ever worked with. It has an internal fabric channel between the grommets so the t-botkin is not needed. The lines pocket is a really neat design. It opens like a BASE canopy tail pocket and it has elastic (not rubber bands) line keepers. I really liked it. The lines are stowed nice and neatly. A really great feature.

I liked the reserve pilot chute, both the construction and the fact that it has a big opening so no .22 cleaning rod is needed to thread the pull up cord.

The AAD routing is also pretty neat and does not leave anything exposed into the pack tray like the older Icon.

The internal coating of the reserve tray is very thick and looks very durable.

Closing the reserve flaps was no sweat and the pack looked nice (sometimes a rare thing on the very first pack job.

I tried to stuff the bag evenly like you would do with a Vector rather that stuffing the ears as much as possible like a Javelin for instance. It seems it worked out quite well.

I'd give the reserve system an A, I really could not find anything that either it did not make much sense or I personally did not like.

The main risers are pretty cool too. The toggles seem a solid design and the front riser loop are the best I've seen thus far. Made from the same webbing as the rest of the risers, they are sewn in such that they are always open. They scream for "hook it!".

Of course the mini-force rings are pretty cool too. By the way all the hardware comes standard SS.

The cutaway handle has a hard stiffener in and it feels beefy, another nice touch.

The d-bag of the main canopy I did not like it much. First the stow are on the sides and not on the top flap like other designs, a minor thing, it takes me 10 minutes to add stows on top. The PC bridle is sewn into the container hence the d-bag-bridle-PC are one unit. I'm not too keen about his design. Also the kill line is embedded in the bridle inside the d-bag. This makes the bridle to accordion fold itself when the PC is cocked. I do not like this, it adds bulk and can spring back. So overall I did not like the d-bag system.

Another thing I found a bit annoying is the slot of the riser cover tuck tabs. It is directly underneath the reserve risers and makes closing the tabs a bit of a pain. If it was let's say 1/4" out it would be much easier to close the risers. I bet as everything softens up it'll be easier to close them up.

The internal riser covers I really did not like. Care must be taken in order to avoid folds and wrinkles. A solution would be just to get rid of them (I am not a big fan of internal covers) or make them much stiffer.

On the good side the I4 comes standard with cut-in laterals and the harness does fit like a glove. I like the leg strap design and webbing (I guess they changed the webbing construction to address some issues).

The hook knife is really neat (not the same .50 plastic knife) and it has its own internal pocket inside the mud flap.

All the stitching, reinforcements, bartacks are top notch.

Overall I am very impressed with the Icon. There are few things (no rig is perfect by the way!) that could be improved but this is a solid rig without any major flaws and loaded with features that come standard.

And it's the most rigger friendly rig I have ever worked with.

A bit of history first.

Stane Kranjc, founder of Atair, released the Viper canopy in the mid nineties. By the way Stane is a great engineer, designer, and a great, humble, smart guy too. The canopy was labeled Winchester Technology UK and imported in the States via Skydepot. This was a fully elliptical canopy, not semi like some think, made out of Galvanor fabric. The Viper flies like a modern 9 cell fully elliptical canopy like the Crossfire 2 or even the Katana. It was a decade ahead of its time, really. Few years later the canopy was modified a little, I cannot tell the difference, very minor stuff indeed, and named Alpha also known as Impulse or Space. Again the Alpha was a helluva canopy and people started loading them up (2.0 and higher) and swooping the living crap out of them even in competition against X-braced. Few years later the Alpha became the Cobalt: The changes were a different top skin 18 pieces vs. 9 and the absence of cross-ports on cells 4. The overall platform and trim of the Vipers, Alphas, and Cobalts, are virtually the same. I think that Vipers and Alphas have more consistent openings though.

Anyway I have jumped Vipers 150s, owned a Viper 135, jumped Viper 120s, and currently owned a H-mod Viper 105 and an Alpha 99. I load the Viper 1.66 and the Alpha 1.76 and 1.88 if I jump with lead which I do on RW and FF jumps. I used the Viper for WS jumps and the Alpha for the rest.

These canopies pack nice due to the less slippery Galvanor fabric. This fabric though packs a bit larger than the garden variety (DuPont Solarmax).

The openings are fantastic. On heading, a nice snivel but not a 1000’ snivel like in some canopies. I have end-cell closure on both these canopies on every jump, not a big deal. Both canopies have 28” ZPo-PC. On few WS questionable deployments I had line twists on the Viper. It never spun on me once and kept flying straight.

The front riser pressure is pretty light on both, a bit heavier on the Alpha. Of course on a front riser turn these canopies drop down the sky like a bomb. The recovery arc is longer than a Stiletto of the same size I would say like a Crossfire 2. Rear risers and toggle turns are fast but who cares of those anymore?

For front risers 180 approach pick 400’, for 270 500’. At these altitudes the canopy will plan out on its own and give you plenty of outs. For lower hooks you will have to go for the rears or toggles for the first plane out.

The flare is powerful more so than a Stiletto of the same size. I think those canopies have the best bottom-end of all 9 cells ellipticals. Just amazing! You can actually do a straight in approaches and still get a nice swoop and come to a full stop.

One more thing: You might have heard about that those canopies “fly big”. That’s a misleading statement that means absolutely nothing. Those canopies are very, very efficient. You will get more flare than, for instance, a Stiletto of the same size or even a size bigger, but that does not mean that they will turn and lose altitude like a bigger canopy. An Alpha 99 will turn super fast, and scare you just like any another 99, the only difference is that you will have more flare power than many other 9 cell ellipticals. So before going down two or more sizes, think…

I jump an FX 111 loaded 1.55. Here are my comments:

Openings: The worst ever. Twitchy as hell and you never know what you are going to get. It does open slowly but during the snivel it keeps going all over the place. It likes to hunt a lot.

Harness inputs: Even with the brakes stowed I could not get it to steer. That could be due to the light wingloading (1.55).

Rear Riser pressure: Light, predictable, fast turns.

Toggle: Very short range, it dives like hell on toggle turns.

Front risers: They are virtually useless. It was just like pulling down a piece of concrete. I could not get more than a 90 degree turn out of them!

Landings: The best part of the experience. It planes out with little toggle inputs, nice swoops, and lots of flare even at the very end. Quite hard to bow-tie it.

Packing: What's up with the fabric? I could not bag it right. Slippery as hell. Oh well, myt other canopy it's a Viper 105; I'm a spoiled with the nice south african stuff...

Overall I hesitate putting this canopy in my container. Can't take those openings and the hard front riser pressure.

09/07/04
I just got my FX back from Precision. It was subjected to a x-mod: xaos 21 line set with non-cascaded HMA lines and the addition of the sabliribs and a different slider.

Well I could not believe it was the same canopy! From probably the single worst canopy I've ever flown to one of the best! Incredible. The openings are just dandy. Snivels right on heading and no more hunt. Front riser pressure much, much lighter, more negative recovery, better flare, flatter glide, and the canopy seems faster too in straight flight I think that is due to the low drag of the "angel-hair" lines. Now I can make make it turn very easily with harness inputs and I'm even a bit lighter than when I was jumping it pre-mod.

If you hate your FX like I did send it to Precision and have it mod. Some of the best bucks I've ever spent.

I was one of the first ones to purchase the Neptune. I’ve been though all the updates including the beta versions. Version 2.1.1 and above are flawless. I’m now running 2.1.2 and it’s right on regardless the jump type: WS, CRW, or a 1 sec H&P.

I love the simplicity of use, all the features, and the looks too. Mine original unit was one of the first ones and suffered some minor cracks on the screw bushings. It got replaced for free and the newer one does not have the cracking problem. This problem only affected some older units.

I had some logging problems with earlier software versions but the newest one is again problem-free. If you hear “stories” about logging problems I bet they are referring to units that use/ed older software.

I also have the paralog program. Downloading jumps is very easy. It’s done via an infra-red port. Same deal for the updates available at alti-2 website. The program itself is really cool giving you stats, graphs, and you can be as descriptive as you can on the info you put on each jump.

The Neptune on top of being waterproof is very sturdy. I once tried to land my WS without unzipping the legs and I landed right on top of it; not a single scratch on the unit, just some grass stain on the band.

The Neptune uses a single Li battery that can be easily found anywhere.

I tried to use it once as audible and it is much louder than my Pro-Dytter. The volume can also be adjusted.

I’m very happy with my Neptune and I recommend it to anybody both as visual and audible altimeter.

I did not put many jumps on my S3 but I would like to give a fresh review before I actually learn how to maximize it.

First thing is that despite the number of jumps you have (both FF and WS) if you are not physically fit do not get this suit. Stick with a classic or a GTI. This suit demands a great deal of force no matter your experience level. I’m 5.10 ½ 155 Lb with 6% body fat and I work out regularly still the S3 kicked my ass, arms actually in just three consecutive jumps. To get a decent fall rate those arms must be put to work hard.

Keeping the legs straight is not a big deal. The forward speed generated is tremendous and despite the fact that I’m still far from flying efficiently I got as low as 43 mph for about 5000’ on my fifth jump. This tells me that I should be able to get in the 30s and hopefully in the 20s as I learn more about it. Turning is relatively easy and the S3 does not fish tail unlike, they say, the normal Skyflier although I have never flown one. Pull time is critical because the fabric of the wings could cover the BOC. You just gotta pull the fabric aside with a little search and then pull hard. I don’t slow down or close my legs during pull time. If your arms get tired during the flight, and they will, relaxing them will put you in a steep dive; it happened to me twice. If you find yourself in that situation just bend your knees to reduce the lift from the legs. The most efficient position I was able to find thus far is with the legs completely straight and wide, knees locked, feet pointed out, arms 5 degrees bent at the elbow, shoulder rotated it as much as possible, hands on the winglets, and a slight de-arch. Turning with your feet generate shallower banks, the opposite is true by using the arms. I find the suit easy to turn, fast and crisp, but not too oversensitive. It did not over-steer on me.

My canopy openings have been flawless so far. I jump a h-mod Viper 105. My container is a Wings EXT with open corners, and I have a 28” PC. I place the bag with the bridle grommet facing the BOC.

Overall I’m happy with the S3. To tell you the truth if I was just going to skydive it I would have probably gotten a GTI. The thing is I want to do BASE with it and I need fast pressurization and lots of forward speed. I really think if you are not gonna be doing WS BASE or if you don’t care about squeezing out every MPH an easier suit might be a better option.

Finally the quality of the construction is unbelievable, Robert does a helluva job putting the thing together and the CS at Bird-Man is top notch.

I've now put enough jumps to write a decent review. I custom-ordered my EXT to fit my Tempo 150 and Viper 105.

The quality and attention to details is outstanding. Nicely sewn and put together.

Packing the Tempo for the first time was a pain. We then repacked it once after four months and it went in no-problem. We also had to shorten the loop by 1". Same deal for the main. It got better after about 50 jumps. Now it packs a bit tight but sweat-less nonetheless.

I got the cut-in laterals and the harness fits just perfectly. It's tight, comfortable, allows to move around, and the container does not lift at all. I got full SS with the newer PDF leg-strap buckles that do stay in place. Also they way the articulated ring is designed assures proper flexibility without the need of chest rings. Nicely done indeed.

Mine has the FF handle and the cordura pouch. The latter is highly recommended. My FF handle got replaced with one of the newer ones for free but I am not still fully convinced. I like the feel, security, and looks but it is still a bit hard to tuck it in. I’ll wait until the container fully softens up and then I’ll see to replace it with a hackey.

I think this is a superior and also cheaper alternative to the Javelin. It also makes a good companion to my S3 :)

In the future if I will need another container it is going to be a Wings, no question about it.

By the way Sunrise customer service is top notch and the wait time minimal.

I demoed a Lotus 150 at Rantoul. I jump a Hornet 150. The opening was so hard that I got brused and I also had a line twist. Of course at Big Air thay blamed my body position even though I got stable for 1500' and de-arched! The ride was bumpy, very, very bumpy. Air locks? Holly crap! This is by far the most unstable canopy I have ever jumped, ever. The toggles and risers pressure were similar to my Hornet with a bit more pressure on the rear. Plenty of flare during landing that in turn was the only fine part of the ride. Bottom line: save big bucks and get a Hornet.

Don't get it. For less money you can get a Hornet that is a superior and easier to land canopy. I did not like flying it and could not land it properly.