the skinny on cobalts

[yim666 0]

what's the skinny? i'm primarily a freeflyer who yumps a saber, and i'm interested in cobalt's 2 stage deployment system. can you dump in a sit or stand? and how does it react if you're just doing a belly load? is it worth the $? how long does it snivel? (i often have a case of the go-lows) do they pack easily? i weigh 200+ with gear - what can i safely wing load? how do they land ie do you have to amp them in or can you float them? all responses are appreciated.

[PhreeZone 20]

First.... I've only got 21 jumps on a Cobalt 150 loaded at about 1.2:1. I picked it up at 176 jumps and it blew me away. I had a Spectre 170 before and the Cobalt is extremely different then the Spectre.
Second this would be better in the gear section.
The 2 stage openings on the Cobalt operate as advertised. The middle three cells open right away and you have to fly them till you slow down and the slider comes down. I've got 2 medium speed openings (135-145 mph) and one High Speed (155-160 mph) on the system. It's a brisk opening but not a hard one like a Sabre slam. The openings were taking about 600-800 feet on the 150 I was using. There is not of the shaking that a Stiletto does during opening.
They are definatally an Elliptical platform so if your not also looking at a Stiletto as a replacement don't keep looking at the Cobalt. I hooked it up to the Rack to mount it to my container and was shocked at how tapered they really are.
Flying-- Snappy, quick turns. A quick 360 only burns 100-150 feet. Great glide rate. Handles well in brakes and it has both a deep flare and stall point.
Packing-- Made out of that not slip ZP material so packing is a breeze. Pack volume is right on for a non crossbrassed canopy. It packs the same size as a Sabre 150 in my opinion.
Landing-- IMHO it is a swoopy canopy. Only in a good 15 mph breeze was I able to get it to sink into the target. A straight in approch is great and a turning approch really builds up the speed. I was getting 10-15 foot swoops on the first few jumps and that was in 5 mph winds and a straight in approach.
Largest Cobalt Atair currently makes and sells is a 170 so you might want to weight that in mind if you are jumping large gear now. I'm ordering a 150 once I get the money since I was so impressed with it but one of the other jumpers at the DZ (Wildblue on here) was thinking he liked the Stiletto better then the Cobalt. Order a Demo canopy and decide for yourself. Its only like 30 bucks and you'll have it in like 3 weeks Be safe, be smooth, be fast..... and most importantly.... be phree

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[SkymonkeyONE 4]

First, I will refer you to the gear and rigging forum and the gear review section of this website to get all the detailed information you want. There are many threads in the gear forum, so just do a search with "Cobalt" as the key word and you will see a ton of stuff pop up. The president of Atair Aerodynamics USA, Dan Preston, regularly posts to the gear forum and checks it daily. I am a member of Team Cobalt, the Atair factory canopy swooping team, so I am also willing to answer any questions you have; just ask them in that other forum.
Second, some quick answers before you search the correct forum:
Yes, you can dump in a sit or stand, or even head-down (though I don't know why you would want to). Check the website here if you would like a CD sent to you with video of both of those types of openings. Openings from the more standard "belly to earth" position are the same, which is to say EXCELLENT.
Is what worth the money? The parachute? Hell yes; Cobalts are less expensive than all of their direct competitors.
Yes, they pack easily. They are made of South African ZP known as Nylasilk. It is not slippery like the stuff PD and Icarus uses. It is the same type used by PISA and Aerodyne and it makes packing a joy, right from the very first jump.

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i weigh 200+ with gear - what can i safely wing load?

I have no idea what your experience level is with HP canopies nor how many jumps you have. Let me just tell you that I comfortably jump my primary main (a Cobalt 75) at 2.4 wingload. I have landed my Competition Cobalt 65 at 2.8 (wearing 12 pounds of weight for 4-way). I can and have landed both of these canopies straight in on a no-wind day, without any dive or hook, and walked out the landing. I generally throw 180 or 270 degree riser dives and rip it all the way down the beer line. Conversely, there are people on my DZ loading them as lightly as 1.25, and in those lower wingloads they are a very docile platform.
Chuck Blue

[yim666 0]

thanks for your input. i sent in my demo request today. thanks again
yim666
"i sit, therefore, i am"