Tand...Aerodyne vs. Icarus

[Kimblair13 0]

So, our DZO mentioned getting one of the new Aerodyne Tandem mains. Right now we have SET 400's and Icarus 365's and a 330. 365's are the shit. Can those of you that have jumped both (Aero and Ic) tell me differences in the two. Which do you prefer? Thanks.

[bosco 0]

Im a DZO and an active tandem I and there is no comparison.
I bought two A2 canopys about a year ago (both sizes) and myself and the other Tandem I's love them to bits. I absolutely recommend the A2 as the best all round tandem canopy Ive ever jumped (and Ive jumed them all). Openings, performance in turbs, quick flying, good to swoop n glide, easy toggle pressure and flares like a home sick angel.
I took a chance in buying them as Id only test jumped them once but after a few jumps I knew Id made a good decision. I recon I sound like a company rep but I promise Im far from it.
Id put my name to the canopy and Ive worked hard enough for that..

[skydog 2]

What Bosco said.......

The A2 has a little extra all round in flight characteristics IMHO. Icarus canopies are great, but I really do hate seeing the canopy "boiling" around on deployment, but thats just me.

I have jumped the 389 and 350. Even with big students the 389 is as easy to flare as the 365 Icarus i used to jump.

Bryn

Journey not destination.....

[Deuce 1]

We are switching out our 384's for the A2's.

The 384 openings are uniformly softer. That's the only thing they have going for them over the A2.

The A2 toggle pressure is so easy that the student can usually fly them until I take the toggles back at a grand. They are much higher speed over the ground at landing than a 384, and if your passenger cooperates, are easy to swoop a stand up landing with. If they dig their feet in, though, the speed will put their feet and knees down and dragging while you finish out the flare.

Because I jump at Byron, I've landed them in zero winds and 32 mph winds. They are GREAT in the high wind conditions, with good penetration speed for bad spots and high winds etc.

I haven't jumped anything but the A2 and very tired 384's. A2. No brainer.

[Kimblair13 0]

Anyone not like the A2? If it's better than the Ic 365 its gotta be pretty good.

[AggieDave 6]

I've jumped the A2, Icarus (365 and 400), EZ 384 and Sigma 370s. If I can't jump a Sigma 370 I would rather have an A2 then anything else. All in all an incredible canopy that out performs the Icarus and EZ in every way.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Kimblair13 0]

Sweet, they must be good. Just heard they also have a collapsable slider, cool, but I prob won't be able to reach it.

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

Just heard they also have a collapsable slider, cool

If you don't pack for yourself, the obvious statement is to make damned sure that your packers uncollapse the slider while packing.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Deuce 1]

Quote

Sweet, they must be good. Just heard they also have a collapsable slider, cool, but I prob won't be able to reach it.

The slider is just noisy sometimes. We are not swoopers. Sometimes it's a bitch to shut up, and I collapse it. Otherwise no.

Usually not.

[clint 1]

I agree. I have a A2 389(200 jumps) & EZ 384. I really liked the Sigma 370 because it was great to swoop!

I am planning on buying another A2 but this time it'll be a 350. Great all around canopy!

-

Clint MacBeth
Skydive Moab 435 259 JUMP
M.O.A.B. Mother Of All Boogies Sept 19 - 23, 2012

[skydiveoc 0]

clint...you'll really buy an A2 over a sigma, especially when they're coming out with a 340? Are they really that nice?

josh dolan

[dumeirelles 0]

I have 2 icarus 365 and i love them, but many things are different betwen icarus and sigme and A2.
icarus openings are stranger , but this also depends on witch packer you leave the canopie!
Sigma opens much better but icarus land better.
I jumped on a A2 389, i didnt liked it is too big, but i realy would like to try a smaller one, cause A2 flys good.
The only big difference in A2 is that it is zero P on top and F111 on the bottom, icarus is total Z P, i dont know about sigma.

edu meirelles
www.boituvaparaquedismo.com.br

[skydiveoc 0]

Hey im looking for a brazililan Tm for next season who trains jiu jitsu. www.skydiveoc.com

I am wondering with this A2 after 200 jumps, the microline gets so out of trim that it becomes cumbersome to fly...especially for swoopers. SET 400's were notorious for getting out of trim after 200 jumps

josh

[beezyshaw 0]

[johnny1488 1]

I dont like the A2 at all. We have one sitting on the shelf here. All sigmas and now 2 Icarus.

I have 200 jumps on a 365 this year and love it. I thought the A2 was mushy and had no flare power compared to the sigma and icarus.

Johnny
--"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!"
Mike Rome

[SkydiveKili 0]

Hi,

I have jumped a couple of hundred jumps on both A2's and Icarus.

I found the Icarus to be better for landing, and the openings always seemed to be soft too. there was the odd snappy opening and the odd line twist but that comes down to the packers mood on the day.

The A2's i am jumping are New and the Icarus i were jumping were old and ragged.

The A2's have Dacron micro line and the Icarus' had Vectran.

The A2 389's are very heavy steering for me but the 350's are easy. I cannot remember having hard steering on the Icarus and the Icarus' we were jumping were configured to have only one toggle each side.

I don't really like flare toggles but without them the A2 389's would be too heavy for me.

There are many subtle differences, try both and see what you think for yourself.

as for stand up landings i found them to be reasonably easy on the Icarus' in no wind but these days i just go for the bum unless there is a reasonable breeze, I can swoop longer that way and not have to worry about my knees. I don't want to be like a few of my friends that have to wear knee braces because the tried to stand up the tandem and shouldn't have.....but that is another discussion.

SKYDIVE KILIMANJARO
'Absolute Adrenalin Africa'

http://www.skydive-kilimanjaro.com

[bclark 0]

I wonder how the hybrid A2 will hold up in the long run in comparison to the all zp Icarus mains. What kind of lines are on them? I have heard Dacron and Microline. I know that we get LOTS of jumps out of our Vectran lined Icarus canopies and they still fly and open good. I figure that there is a reason that the Icarus tandem is so popular. It is time proven and rugged, and I still have never jumped a tandem canopy that out flies and out lands an Icarus. I have never jumped an A2, but doubt that a hybrid canopy can last as long and perform as well for as long. I guess that I am biased, but I just love Icarus mains.

[tkhayes 348]

The A2 did not work for us at all in the Strong tandem systems. The attachment point for the drogue kept tearing away and damaging the canopy. THe flight characteristics were great.

It was not built to handle the stress added by the Strong Tandem drogue chute, which stays inflated throughout the deployment.

[skydived19006 4]

Quote

The A2 did not work for us at all in the Strong tandem systems. The attachment point for the drogue kept tearing away and damaging the canopy. THe flight characteristics were great.

It was not built to handle the stress added by the Strong Tandem drogue chute, which stays inflated throughout the deployment.

I'm creeping off topic:

Do the Icarus and A2 canopies hold up ok on a Strong rig? Has Ted threatened to sue you for using something other than his canopies in "his" rigs? A friend of mine is a DZO with Strong rigs, she won't use anything but Strong canopies because "Ted doesn't allow it"

Martin

Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else.

AC DZ

[DougH 270]

Quote

Quote

The A2 did not work for us at all in the Strong tandem systems. The attachment point for the drogue kept tearing away and damaging the canopy. THe flight characteristics were great.

It was not built to handle the stress added by the Strong Tandem drogue chute, which stays inflated throughout the deployment.

I'm creeping off topic:

Do the Icarus and A2 canopies hold up ok on a Strong rig? Has Ted threatened to sue you for using something other than his canopies in "his" rigs? A friend of mine is a DZO with Strong rigs, she won't use anything but Strong canopies because "Ted doesn't allow it"

Martin

Would that even hold up in court? I am trying to think of practices in other industries that would be similar?

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[skydived19006 4]

Quote

Would that even hold up in court? I am trying to think of practices in other industries that would be similar?

I jump/own Eclipse tandem rigs, so my situation with the manufactures is a bit different than others. I don't know what the current procedure is, but previously every instructor (maybe gear owner) signed a contract with the manufacturer. I know Bill Booth prohibited jumping with anyone under 18, tandem demos, and other things. When tandem was operating under an FAA exemption things were quite a bit different than now.

Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else.

AC DZ