Omni

May 12, 2003

Jumper: Bryn Chaffe
1000 jumps
Tandem I / CSI

Previous Canopies: PD 260, Triathlon 190, Diablo 170, Cobalt 150,
Spectre 150, Cobalt 135

Experience: Predominantly cameraflyer with the odd Demo thrown in.

Weight: 220lbs (OTD)
Wing loading: 1.58: 1
Jumps on Canopy: 40

Canopy Review

The Omni is the latest variant of Icarus’ Omega Canopy. It is seven cell, lightly? elliptical canopy.

Like all Icarus’s canopies it is well constructed and finished to a high standard.
The brake lines are set very long. This meant my first jump was spent sorting out the brake lengths for optimum performance. Not a real problem but requires the aid of a rigger to reduce the length.

The ZP used takes a bit packing but not a major worry…….

Openings:

No matter how I packed the canopy it opened the same. I found a straight pro-pack leaving the nose open and a few rolls on the tail was the simplest and saved time.

The openings were on heading and very soft, especially for me carrying a lot of camera gear. They were long but not snivelling, again how I like them. Without the aid of sophisticated measuring equipment I would estimate openings to be around the 500ft mark. The openings were comparable to the two stage openings of my Cobalt canopies.

Non-symmetrical body movement on deployment had little overall effect on how the canopy opened.

I did not have any occasion where I had line twists so cannot comment on the canopies reaction to them.

After Opening:

Once I have checked the canopy I tend to stow my slider behind my head and then undo my booties. I use the rear riser to turn into wind and then do my booties etc. As I load the canopy beyond the manufacturers recommendation I expect the canopy to turn as I move around in the harness. I was surprised how little the canopy turned, a lot less than my Cobalt’s.

The whole process is very stable and with the brakes on the glide is relatively flat.

Brakes off:

Taking the brakes off is like letting a greyhound out of the traps. The canopy (at my loading) turns into a little racing machine. Turns are quick, predictable with no oversteer or cross steering required. Toggle turns are responsive and the recovery arc is quite short. Front riser pressure is about medium (whatever that is) It is more than my Cobalt but less than the Spectre. Risers cause the canopy to dive quite steeply and recovery is fairly rapid.

The glide angle is fairly steep and with a high wingloading I have had to be careful when getting back from a deep spot when filming tandems. This is a point to be aware of and adjust accordingly.

Landing:

I am not a swoop pilot and would say my landings are conservative. The most I do is a 90-degree front riser curve to land.

I can say that in all conditions the canopy has performed very well. In turbulent conditions it has behaved well compared to others and in nil winds I have only had to take a couple of steps at most.

The landing flare is long compared to my other canopies, but it is powerful enough to bring me to a stop when required.

This is ideal for me as I plan to use it for Demo jumping as well.

Conclusion:

For all round performance through all aspects of canopy flight the Omni is a great canopy. It does all the jobs more than satisfactorily. At my loading it deserves respect (as do all canopies) and reacts quickly and sharply.

I highly recommend this canopy and would urge anyone to give this “all rounder” a try. Give Dirtdive a call and arrange a demo today you will be surprised.

Put it this way I liked the demo so much I bought one……… can’t say better than that.

Bryn Chaffe

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