The Pilot canopy and bad/hard openings

[Thanatos340 1]

I only have about 130 Jumps on my Pilot 188 (Loaded at +/- 1 to 1) but all of them so far have been Soft, Staged, Predictable Openings.

Every Pilot Owner that I have talked to has said the same thing. The Canopy is Known for GREAT Smooth, Soft openings.

[Fab 0]

With 850 jumps I won't blame packing .

Have around 150 jumps on the pilot and I have never had a hard opening regardless how fast I packed. Maybe the slider wasn't all the way up??

I just jumped a sabre2 for the first time and had the softest/slowest opening ever. I heard people saying that this chute (SA2) can open rather quickly.

Did you have any hard openings on the pilot and if so..how many?

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[HydroGuy 0]

My only real slammer was on a Pilot 168...not sure if it was packing or bad luck. Other than that one insta-canopy, no complaints.

Get in - Get off - Get away....repeat as neccessary

[billvon 2,991]

>I just jumped a sabre2 for the first time and had the softest/slowest opening ever.

Yeah, I have had good luck with the S2 as well. From anecdotal evidence, though, it seems a bit more prone to 'rogue' openings.

[skreamer 1]

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From anecdotal evidence, though, it seems a bit more prone to 'rouge' openings.

What, they open so hard they make you see red?

[pincheck 0]

none yet

Billy-Sonic Haggis Flickr-Fun

[NelKel 0]

No, I own a Pilot 132 and have never had a bad opening, I chose the canopy because I jump camera, and have about 400 jumps on Sabre2 150.
I find the Pilot to snivel a bit longer/ big slider. I not interested in longer swoops, or harder dives. I am happy with the performance of the Pilot, but was courious because of the other thread Sabre2 vs. Pilot. I wanted to start another thread away from the heated controversy, and ask if anyone had ever had a bad opening. The answer is yes, but they all attribute it to there own packing. Thanks every one.

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Someone dies, someone says how stupid, someone says it was avoidable, someone says how to avoid it, someone calls them an idiot, someone proposes rule chan

[lilchief 1]

First: i S U C K at packing my Pilot 210. It still has only 38 jumps on it and I sometimes call it a B****.

Anyway, I've had several off heading and a couple of hard openings. All my fault due to lousy packjobs. However, a detail I discovered last time i jumped was the the mid-3-ring that is supposed to reduce the cut-away force on the cables, tend to shift 45 degrees when I'm taking my rigg of. It took me only 20 jumps to realize that! That's probably why I got so many off heading openings.

The times I had some one else pack my pilot, the openings felt like cream

God I'm stupid

"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci
www.lilchief.no

[nathaniel 0]

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considering how huge the slider is.

I've got about 2 jumps on my new pilot and no issues yet. The slider is HUGE. Much larger than the slider on my old Sabre-1 that's 2 sizes bigger, and which always opened briskly but not painfully, except once before I started jumping a wingsuit Also the slider on the pilot seems relatively long / thin compared to the shape of the slider on the sabre-1. I wonder if that contributes to on-heading openings.

My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Lebowski?

[freakyrat 1]

Not at all. Great openings on my 124.

Chris

[Feeblemind 1]

Just one, but it was due to poor body position. The rest have been truly awesome.


Phil

Fire Safety Tip: Don't fry bacon while naked

[GQ_jumper 4]

I've put about 200 jumps on my pilot and had two slammers, one was because i didn't fully come out of my track, and the other i have no clue what caused it, but just after it started to snivel one side of the canopy slammed open and spun me around pretty quick.

other than those two i love the openings on my pilot.

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

[RossDagley 0]

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Its the best opening canopy that I have ever jumped, and it doesn't burn up a lot of altitude.

Agreed with the opening, but interested to hear you say it doesn't burn up a lot of altitude. What are you implying *is* a lot? I get about an 800ft snivel (IE, throw at 3k, in the saddle at 2-2.1k).

The nicest openings I've ever had were hop and pops from 3k - sub terminal if it wasn't for the rustling above my head, I'd not know I was slowing down its that soft

[Zoter 0]

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Has anyone ever experienced a bad/ hard or unusual opening on Aerodyne Pilot, Thank you

When its been Staff Packed.....yes I have had a few 'brisk' openings that spun a little.

When I have packed it pretty much on heading and soft openings....
In the pro pack...when its time to cacoon the packjob
I grab all the seam tapes for the nose 'twist my wrist ' inwards to just turn the nose inlets inwards and then let it hang...and close up the packjob....

I have experimented with other variations in packing the nose.....this one gives me the most consistant results

[proswooper 2]

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Yah, my first jump on a demo pilot was the worst opening i've ever had,slmmed open,4 line twist and slight diving turn. closest to cutting away as well. I think it might have been really bad packing after that it opened alright.

Generally if a canopy opens hard consistently you can blame the canopy. if it opens hard once in a blue moon you could attribute it to some other externality. I have a few hundred pilot jumps on various sizes loaded from 1.2 - 2.3 and have had only smooth consistent openings. I also have several bird man jumps and they also have been nothing but pleasant. Hope this helps

Blue ones

Paul

[GQ_jumper 4]

In the pro pack...when its time to cacoon the packjob
I grab all the seam tapes for the nose 'twist my wrist ' inwards to just turn the nose inlets inwards and then let it hang...and close up the packjob....

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I've always found the rolling the nose didn't do much of anything on my openings with the pilot, could just be the way i do it though. Personally my trick for really making the openings nice is when i roll the cacoon it and go to roll the tail i use two hands, one about halfway down the canopy and the other right at the top, where the lines dissapear into the packjob. i i give it 3-4 good twists at both places then with my lower hand pull the twists down so they are tight. my openings have been so smooth since i started doing this, almost to the point o being too slow when i'm opening sub terminal.

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

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[phoenixlpr 0]

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In the pro pack...when its time to cacoon the packjob
I grab all the seam tapes for the nose 'twist my wrist ' inwards to just turn the nose inlets inwards and then let it hang...and close up the packjob....

I leave the nose where it is and pull the slider a bit in the direction of the nose. I had just soft openings.

[tazidog 0]

I have about 80 jumps on my Pilot 210. I've one really hard opening. Arch, reach, throw...HELLO canopy. It snapped me so hard that I thought I had broken my back...couldn't move my neck for about 3 days. Now that I roll, and roll, and roll it before stuffing it in the bag, there's no problem. I used a packer a couple of weeks ago in Florida. Not quite enough rolling, so the openings were a bit snappier than I liked!

[MikeGerwig 0]

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No I only have 50 jumps on my 168

[phoenixlpr 0]

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I've one really hard opening. Arch, reach, throw...HELLO canopy.

Do I get it right? Was it a low delay hop'n'pop?

[MikeGerwig 0]

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No..............but I only have 50+ jumps on mine However they are " Just get it in the bag " pack jobs. My 168 Pilot has 100+ jumps on it now and it's going into a 135/150 bag for a Javilin J2 container. so ever one is an experence for me. I've had line twist but no hard openings