cobaltdan

im a bit rushed today but here are two links to get you started: http://www.atairaerospace.com/press/2005/04/smithsonian-spotlights-atair.html http://atairaerospace.com/parachutes/composite/ when I get the chance I will post a full update. sincerely, dan preston atair Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

to be patentable an 'invention' must be: 1-novel 2-not obvious to someone normally skilled in the art definition of novel is something not in the public record. or in the public record because disclosed by the inventor within less than 1 year. (if 1 year passes the invention is no longer patentable) Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

we manufacture large aerial banners and someone is trying to patent quite broadly the idea of an aerial flag with a weight.... quite silly. Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

does anyone have any photos or literature showing a demo flag jump prior to 1999? Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

and general rule of thumb for mains is deduct about $1 per jump from the sale price. Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

the quick reserve is manufactured by Atair for the German parachute company Performance Variable. It has a German TSO. sincerely, . Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

>its like asking whats better a ferrari or a lamborgini? they are both engenering marvels, its a matter of personal preference. they are different, but neither is better than the other. thats why theres so many of both canopy's being flown. ---------------------------------------------- one of my favorite stories about why men go into business: Ferrucio Lamborghini and Enzo Ferrari were friends. (Ferrucio Lamborghini repaired tractors btw, and had just got his ferrari back from the factory where it still hadnt been fixed of a problem. distraught he payed enzo a visit and mentioned some possible fixes/improvements to be made. Enzo responded that Ferrucio was just a simple peasent with no knowledge at all about fullblood exotic sportscars and that he should stick to making tractors and leave the race cars to ferrari. within a year ferrucio built a new factory and the company "Lamborghini Automobili" only 15 km. from Ferrari's factory. He started on his knew car in a corner of his tractor factory before his car factory was even ready spending almost every hour developing his car! and the rest is history. . Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

dave barish was working at atair last week, doing some design work for us on a rotating parachute. he lives in ny and i will be glad to pm you with his contact info. its pretty amazing what this man did, long before anyone else. what got my attention recently was a photograph of a beautiful barish ram air parachute with a fully formed nose, near identical to a modern day xfire, and it was dated 1970 ! . Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

both actually. it is a high aspect ratio 9 cell. steve curtis has been test jumping a 95 and we just sent him a 75 for review. Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

some of our onyx canopy has both top and bottom, as does our new prototype in testing (no name yet). we can do top skin designs but it is a pain and would not be economical for a one off custom. sincerely Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

just a quick note, just checked my comp cobalt 95 which is pushing 700 jumps. the most out of trim line is 48mm off. Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

the best way to know is simply to measure the lines. print out the line spec chart from our web site, then measure and compare. If in doubt give us a call. an easy way to measure is to nail a measuring tape to the floor. leave the nail sticking out so you can hook a slink or rapid link on it then pull each line taught one by one, measure and write down. many people like to measure like lines (the left and right) at the same time. on average spectra line sets on cobalts go for 600 to 800+ jumps. Because of the way cobalts are reefed there is less spreading force on the slider, this tends not to friction shrink the outer lines too much. additionally the outer lines are actually adjusted to account for the dimensional change wsith use. this is why you find that cobalts fly even better when you 'break them in'. spectra is my preference as it is the most forgiving and best all around line, however do also offer vectran or technora line sets (except not for brake lines). sincerely, . Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

mel and joe b. do excellent work and come recommended by this manufacturer. . Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

general spirit of the statement? perhaps it is a typo or an incorrect translation from german? yes canopies can be underloaded leading to less than ideal performance, however that point is significantly below 1.4# for any canopy design i am familiar with. Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

i believe you are referring to a manual from performance variable. you should field your question to them. with that said i have jumped contrails and i am familiar with their design. it is basically identical to a stilletto. Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

the contrail is subcontract manufactured for performance variable is is not the same as a cobalt designed and manufactured by atair. Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

"but it's a piece of shit..." why do you say this? . Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

Not true, Atair Aerospace has begun manufacturing their developed composite fabric. Atair invested $2m in the production line, including a custom designed and build cnc weft insertion machine capable of producing 6m of fabric per minute. Atair displayed fabric and video of our production at patcad. - Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

not any? how about a new onyx for the record we do use the same measuring method as pd, not sure why there should be a discrepancy. our scaling is done in flycad software and is quite exact, perhaps pd rounded their numbers or grandfathered the stilletto sizes from a different measuring procedure in the past, but note i have never noticed any significant difference when comparing cobalts to stillettos? we're getting off topic btw... Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

yes on the first jump i was jumping a cypress. i became extremely concerned by the high speed flight and recent death of adrian. i remained in brakes from 1500-750' before making my landing approach. next jump i switched rigs. with this canopy i can continuously sustain a speed in a spiral above 78 mph. Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

using an atair datalogger 16bit resolution, 1000 samples per second (much more accurate than audiables): i weigh 176+ gear and was jumping an onyx 75 . not pushing the canopy too hard i recorded a max of 87mph vertical. Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

your main is not really a life saving device, your reserve is. you can not have one piece of equipment that works best in all situations: e.g. if you freefly at 160-180mph and deploy at 120-140 then it is logical to want a parachute that can deploy at those speeds without inflicting too high a force to your body. it is far more likely that you will deploy at a high speed than a sub 2000' jump. e.g. premature deployment at freefly speeds, or loss of altitude awareness in a freefly jump resulting in not significantly slowing down before deploying. basic physics: the only way to not increase the opening force when deploying at a higher speed is to slow down the opening. its all about force vs. time. so for me, freeflying, i chose a canopy that consistantly takes 800' to open. the instance of a very low hop and pop or a low pull with a long opening canopy such as a cobalt or onyx should not be an issue: first you can speed the canopy opening up instantly by pulling the rear risers slightly, this will cause the canopy (and many other types of canopies) to instantly transition from sniveling to 'pop' slider down and open. second, when jumping a long opening canopy part of your emergency procedures that you drill into your head should be is it time for main or reserve. this was drummed into my head when still a novice by adrian nicols. if you are below your hard deck altitude for your main: go reserve. this is what your reserve is designed for, to open fast and save in an emergency situation. bailing or pulling below faa guidlines is an emergency situation. sincerely, Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

if you are safe under a sabre1/2 or safire1/2 then you will absolutely be equally safe under a cobalt at the same wing loading. the space canopy was identical in planform and airfoil to the cobalt and has a flawless six year track record as a begineer to intermediate canopy. with that said, as everyone is pointing out your wingloading is high for some one at your level. my advice is that if you are not 100% comfortable performing a downwind, crosswind and off airport landing on your curent canopy, if you cant safely fly that canpopy hard, then your not ready to downsize. i understand that you may be bored with your current canopy, but thats where canopy instruction comes in, or if you must switch at least demo canopies at a conservative wingloading. with a little instruction on how to safely practice and push your wing, i think you might be really blown away at how much performance you have left untapped. for kicks ask an experienced swooper at your dz to jump your canopy and show you just what it can do... have fun, be safe. Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

not to try to detract from the article but did want to point out that this is not new technology. we have been using this technique for trajectory control of spinning projectiles for many years. if you go to the aiaa website and search on tony calise (atair's senior scientist) or search under micro adaptive flow control you will find a wealth of information in published papers. facinating stuff. Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

if you like the saber II you sould also demo a cobalt: similar feel, soft openings, slightly higher glide and flare. Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)