Aerodyne's Pilot...Very Nice

[docjohn 0]

Just bought a Pilot 150 after demo'ing it at Couch Freaks. Flies just like my Stiletto 150 but opens MUCH better!

Sweet deal from Aubrey as well. Thanks dude!

Doc
http://www.manifestmaster.com/video

[billvon 2,991]

>By now I think we're mostly settled on ZP material

Well, but keep in mind there are three kinds of canopy:

1. all-ZP
2. all-F111
3. Hybrids like the Silhouette

There are places where porosity simply doesn't matter. Take a look at the ribs of your canopy, for example - those huge holes pretty much negate any effect ZP fabric might have. If the canopy has a ZP topskin you are going to get 95% of the performance of a ZP canopy; if it has a ZP top and bottom skin you'll get all the effects of a ZP canopy with fewer packing headaches.

[MarkM 0]

Quote

>At my DZ, the choice of canopy is PD,,,ZPs.

That's different at every DZ. Some DZ's are PD, some are all Racer, some are all Javelin. The best bet is to try the stuff you want to try and make your own call on it.

No no no, you're supposed to just follow the zombie-like fanatical group mind devotion present at your DZ.

"One of us, one of us".

Besides, those "other" guys kill baby seals to make their canopies and they don't eat dolphin safe tuna in their salads. How can you support that?

[aubsmell 0]

Quote

There is the million dollar question. At my DZ, the choice of canopy is PD,,,ZPs. When I ask about the Pilots, or Tris, I get negative responses. I asked about the Hybrid Sillouette and got a negative response. I am advised by riggers and instructors to stay away from non PD products, especially reserves. Looking at reviews and these post, I see that Aerodyne and other manufactures put out good products, so I am searching for responses and experience within these forums for answers. I don't want to paint myself into a corner, without using my noodle.

This is going to be a long post, because I have to tell a story.

Long, long ago, (this summer) at a dropzone far, far from Florida (somewhere in the North East) I brought demo canopies to a dropzone. As is often a requirement of my job. And I had a particular scenario play out just as your saying. There was a woman, most likely late 30's early 40's that was jumping a modern nine cell canopy (a very popular intermediate design, released within the past few years, by a very popular manufacturer) This was a great canopy, and I'm sure there are tons of skydivers out there who own this canopy and will tell you that it's the best thing since sliced bread. And to them it is. However this woman, had a relatively low jump number +-200, and was having difficulty landing.

She was creaming in, nearly every jump. So she came over for advice. So I watched her land, and then gave her some pointers, didn't help. I spoke to her some more and found out that she had already had a good amount of coaching from some folks out there that are far more experienced than myself. Nothing helped.

So I asked her what she wanted out of a canopy, and she wasn't looking for anything "high performance", she was looking for a canopy that opened soft and landed her easily. So I put her on a Triathlon of the same size as her current canopy. One of the best qualities of the Tri is it is easy to land, it has a very forgiving flair range, one of main points when it was created was landing (Tri= meant for regular fun jumps, light CRW, and accuracy). She jumped it and immediately had a stand up landing. First jump. She said she loved the openings, she was happy with the performance. So I was happy to let her jump it for the rest of the day. And it wasn't a fluke; she landed on her feet every time. By the end of the day, she was picking her colors,

The next day she was jumping her own canopy again, it really wasn't too busy, and I told her she could jump the Tri again. She said that she probably wasn't going to buy one because she said that she had spoken to her instructor (who jumped canopies made by the company who made her intermediate canopy), and he said that it was a bad idea to buy anything other than one from the manufacturer that she currently had. Yet she continued to pound in on her canopy.

It absolutely blew my mind.

Now, not saying that the Triathlon is the only canopy out there that would have answered this woman's needs, there may be a canopy in the line up of the companies products that she was jumping that would have better suited her flying/landing style. Or maybe she could have broken her bad habits, or overcome her lack of depth perception, and learned to land her canopy. Who knows?

But the fact that, she would take the recommendation of a person, who more than likely had no experience with the Tri, and NO experience with Aerodyne International (the company I work for, and the company who bought the old Aerodyne, and redesigned the Tri and added all of our new products) is what bothered me the most.

Of course I didn't try to tell her this, I don't feel it is my place to try to break the bond of trust jumpers have with instructors and more experienced people at their Dropzones, especially to make one sale. But what I will say is think for yourself. Read, test jump, check the websites, do what your doing and consult other jumpers, and look for people who actually have experience with the products that your interested in. The best thing for you is to buy the product that YOU are the happiest with.

And that may not be an Aerodyne product, but you shouldn't limit yourself from any brand, if you do the research.

Either way, I may have just babbled for a long time, but I hope you get my point. It is great to consult more experienced jumpers, but don't let that limit you from thinking for yourself.

Regards,

Aubrey

"Those who say it cannot be done, should not interrupt those who are doing it"

[tdog 0]

Quote

But the fact that, she would take the recommendation of a person, who more than likely had no experience with the Tri, and NO experience with Aerodyne International

Quick story that will come back on topic, I promise… I design lights for concerts and events for bands you know and concert venues you have been too… I always chose brand “X” automated lights. There are only a few thousand automated lights sold each year, so the volume is very similar to skydiving markets.

When I ran the lighting department of a company, I refused to become brand “Y” light dealers, nor would I even demo it. At the time, it was a very good decision, brand “Y” sucked and everyone knew it…

Then brand “Y” made the best automated light since sliced chocolate bread and introduced it in the middle of their line of not-so-good products… I still refused to pay attention.

I became outdated in my opinions. I was paid a lot of money to tell my permanent install customers outdated advice…

Then it hit me – actually it was forced into every orifice on my body. I was working for another designer for a real high profile NFL event – and he made me use the brand “Y” product… Next thing I know, I actually liked it, but refused to admit it at the time to save face.

From someone who tried real hard to sell the right gear to customers from the perspective of being an end user too – it is easy to fall in a trap and quickly lose perspective when you fall in love with one brand.

Now, when someone comes to me and says, “I have used both for years, and I like one over the other because of these four reasons” – I really sit down and pay attention.

That is why I love visiting this site, because people who have used more than one brand are making valuable comments about each.

T.

[mjrod 0]

Aubsmell,

Thanks for your input. It is difficult after being out of the sport for 8 years and jumping military ram air chutes to figure out what the heck is going on. I will be talking to you guys soon to demo the Pilot and Solo. I had the same less than positive responses when I purchased a Raven III reserve, even though they have been making quality products for years. At my size\wt of exit wt 250 out the door I am looking for a 210 - 230, nd am jmping a rental Sabre 230 which seems ground hungry, especailly during final.
Reading through the posts, I see a wide array of brands and for the most part, the people are more than happy with the choice they make. I also do not seem to see many used Pilots and Solos out there.

Thanks

<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>