Jonathan canopies

[MikeRMontagne 0]

Hello, I'm curious to find out further information on
Jonathan main canopies, what ever is out there, history,testimoinals- good/ bad. Also details regarding the the
elastic band mod from main to slider.
Am I wrong that this was intentionaly to cause a slider hang-up?

Be Brave, embrace the fear,
even if your not, pretend to be.
No one can tell the difference

[JerryBaumchen 1,357]

Hi Mike,

The best source of info is Brian Germain at:

www.bigairsportz.com

Quote

Am I wrong that this was intentionaly to cause a slider hang-up?

I would not say 'slider hang-up' but it was there to ensure that the slider didn't get loose and come down before it's time.

It kinda hurt when it did; I know.

JerryBaumchen

[hookitt 1]

It will not cause any hang up at all. The bight of line will come right out. It was put there to aid in line over prevention. You can use it but you don't need to.

Many of the Jonathon canopies were different from canopy to canopy. The 136 I jumped was the reason I bought one. The 136 I received was very docile in comparison.

At some point I sent it back and the trim was modified. I believe it was to change the openings. If I recall mine was a bit squirrely when I first got it. I'd define squirrely for you but I really don't remember. I do remember it opened reaaalllly nicely from that point on.

Mine was a good one. Another friend had a good one.

It's hit or miss. If you have one, go jump it and pull high. crank on the front risers, both, then just one and try to mess it up. Mine was rock solid. Yours may not be.

The canopy was pretty good, nothing spectacular but as far as decent parachutes, the few that were at our dropzone were just fine.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[fallfast69 3]

I still jump mine. A busted "A" line about ten years ago is the only problem I've ever had. Nice openings, although hard to get consistent on-heading. I have always used the slider stow for the steering lines and never had an issue. I'm not a swooper so I can't really say if it's good or not, but I've seen people swoop them pretty well. Mine is a 136 loaded about 1.3:1. I bought it brand new when they first came out.

Jon

[MikeRMontagne 0]

Thank-you for the reply, This Jonathan I'm asking about is a friend A&P (here,refered to as A.M.E-
aircraft maintenance engineer) That took this rig
in lieu of work done for a fellow, then the guy passes
on unexpectidly, that was almost 15 year's ago.Yeh,it's been sitting in the back of a hangar that long.
Last year my friend learned I'd taken up skydiving
and asked if I might be interested in the rig.The Vector contain looks in very good condition!
So I showed it to the local member's and the consensus was 1rst it still has a leg-pull sys.,the
Cypress is long dead, and the reserve is a PD126,
which I'm told is too small.
This rig, has stuck in my thought's so I arranged to open the container up, and find out what condition
the main was in, and other than the surgical tube rubber stays being dried-up the main looks almost new. The "Zero-P" is still crisp and save for two very
well done patches ( during manufacturing?) one can
only guess this had little use.The lines are clean and feel smooth like new lines do.
It'd be a shame if this ended up as a wind sock or
wall hanging, so thats why I'm hoping to learn more
about the Jonathan canopies.Thanks & Blue Sky's
Mike

Be Brave, embrace the fear,
even if your not, pretend to be.
No one can tell the difference

[riggerrob 643]

"... the elastic band mod from main to slider.
Am I wrong that this was intentionaly to cause a slider hang-up?

[captain_stan 0]

Quote

Many of the Jonathon canopies were different from canopy to canopy.

It's hit or miss.

I have to conclude the same. Based only on my experience, this canopy peforms poorly, but I have read reviews by those who had better results.

I test-jumped a very nice, low-mileage Jonathon 120 loaded at 1.5, which did everything well except landing. Even though the lines were good and the toggles properly adjusted, it gave a one-stage flare with almost no surf. It landed more like a 7-cell, requiring good timing and an aggressive stab--not much fun to fly. By comparison, my old-school Sabre landed way better at the same W/L, making the Jonathon a big disappointment.

If you're tempted to invest in a Jonathon to jump later on, ask a more-experienced friend to test-jump it for you. I think that's the only way to make sure you're not buying that "wind sock" or "wall hanging" you mentioned.

[Andy9o8 2]

If the reserve is a PD126, it makes me concerned about the size of the main (which you don't mention). What size is it? Don't make the mistake of getting a canopy that's dangerously small for your experience level, even if it's cheap (or free).

(I'd also recommend sizing your reserve so that it will give you not more than a 1:1 wing loading, so it can have a good chance of landing you safely if you have an off-DZ landing or are incapacitated and can't steer or flare.)

[tkhayes 348]

Jonathans are old technology - a generation out of what is avilable today. They were a great canopy - in their day. By today's standards, they are 'terribly average' at best.

Unlike airplanes or cars, you cannot keep replacing parts to keep them flying well. A lineset may help, but bottom line, it is a OLD parachute. jump it carefully and retire it when needed,

[MikeRMontagne 0]

Thanks for the advice ,and as tempting as this may
seem, the old axiom "buyer be ware" is foremost in
my mind. Only three weeks ago here at this D.Z. an experienced skydiver crashed in shattering his femer.
I went to see him in the hospital, the food alone would have finished me off!
No most assuredly, while the rig looks in great shape
I don't. want to be a test dummy

Be Brave, embrace the fear,
even if your not, pretend to be.
No one can tell the difference

[pchapman 279]

Quote

Quote

Many of the Jonathon canopies were different from canopy to canopy.

It's hit or miss.

I have to conclude the same. Based only on my experience, this canopy peforms poorly, but I have read reviews by those who had better results.

I test-jumped a very nice, low-mileage Jonathon 120 loaded at 1.5, which did everything well except landing.

Yet the one I flew landed great -- so I agree with Captain Stan on the hit or miss thing.

The Jonathan 92 I jumped in '95 or so at 1.8 wing loading planed out and landed fine from full flight even on a hot no-wind summer's day. Since I had 200 jumps and only had a dozen jumps on anything loaded over 1:1, it can't have been that hard to land. But it did buck if one tried to front riser it (although I don't know if anyone had changed brake settings.)

AirTime Designs (or whatever the company name was originally) was known for being innovative but also for constantly adjusting and changing things.