Pilot 188 owners experience

[abean3 0]

Hey guys,

I flew a pilot and really enjoyed the openings and glide ratio. I decided to order a pilot 188 for my new rig. I will be loading it at 1.38/1.

So what have all of you pilot owners thought about your experience with your canopy? I have seen old posts on here, but am really interested in those who have owned a pilot manufactured in the last few years. Any input about performance and experience (Likes, dislikes, tip, or advice) would be more than great!

[Feeblemind 1]

I have 900 jumps on pilots:

Opens on heading (the majority of the time)
Opens soft (the majority of the time)
Nice glide ratio
Predictable response

Deep flare point
very short recovery arch (make advancement in canopy training difficult, PM if interested;to long to state here)
Heavy riser pressure when doing front riser turns

All in all it's a great canopy for beginner - intermediate canopy pilots or camera flyers that want soft openings. I wanted more performance on landing so I moved to a different product. I loved my pilots (I owned a 210, 188, 168 and 150) it was just time to move on.

Note: between 400-500 jumps if you start having a lot of off heading openings and more positive openings have your rigger check the line set. My pilot's got annoyed with me if I kept lines on them to long.

Good Luck and enjoy your new gear,

Feeble

Fire Safety Tip: Don't fry bacon while naked

[NWFlyer 2]

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Note: between 400-500 jumps if you start having a lot of off heading openings and more positive openings have your rigger check the line set. My pilot's got annoyed with me if I kept lines on them to long.

Dropped my rig off with Tim for a repack when I still had my Pilot.

Me: While you're at it, can you look at my main lines and tell me if I need a reline?
Tim: How many jumps on the lines?
Me: About 500
Tim: Yeah, I'm not even going to bother with that. You need new lines.

I put about 300 jumps on a Pilot, and I've since switched to the Pulse (same size). The Pulse has similar flying characteristics, but a higher flare point, which I prefer. It also packs smaller, which made packing much easier.

I had a couple memorably-hard openings on the Pilot. Generally it's snively and soft but when it decides to get angry, it gets angry.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[Joellercoaster 6]

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I had a couple memorably-hard openings on the Pilot. Generally it's snively and soft but when it decides to get angry, it gets angry.

I reckon you can say that about any canopy model, though I was interested in Dan BC's assertion that his (Dacron-lined?) Katana had/would never open hard. I guess careful packing plays a part too.

I've been thumped properly by one Pilot (168), and am certainly due a reline on my 132. I'd agree with all the points people have made above, pro and con - although the assertion that you can't learn to swoop on them is provably false, I'd say I struggle to swoop mine well with my extremely limited swooping ability! Plenty I can learn in the process of that struggle, though.

Utterly brilliant canopy, I am never selling this one: It'll get a Crossfire2 129 as a kid brother this year, but it's definitely staying.

(I saw my original 188 a little while ago, and had a wave of nostalgia for it. Good times.)

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[abean3 0]

Thanks for all the input guys!

I'm pretty pumped about the new canopy. I will be using it mostly for Wingsuiting and coaching for this year and hopefully AFF next year. I wanted a stable canopy and this seemed like the best option.