PD 9-cell Discontinued

September 21, 2023

I'm currently flying a PD 260 at a wing loading of 0.9. I love it. Although I'm a relatively new skydiver, I find that it flies nicely, it's easy to pack and my parachute atleast is in fantastic condition. I have had optimal flare timing and consistently soft openings.

jsing2010 · January 18, 2013

First canopy in great condition PD 210 and I love it. The flare is great and it's super fast compared to the 300 I was jumping lol

tourer4life · January 31, 2012

...bought it for my first rigg, old but in good condition 93 PD 170 -9cell, not sure about the risiers they semms to be too long - 65cm! anybody knows how long they should be?! Thanks

tlewi6345 · November 11, 2011

I love my 1994 PD 190! Packing is ridiculously easy and it is very forgiving if you trash pack. I am at just over a 1.1:1 ratio. I have never had a bad landing because of the lesser flare, just have to jog it out a little on those no wind days. Canopy takes turbulence better than a ZP canopy. Openings are wonderful! I have jumped Sabre canopies and they opened a lot faster and harder, especially if you don't pack them really nicely. Perfect beginner canopy! I believe that you are not supposed to go more than a 1:1 on a F-111 canopy but the only difference it makes is decreased flare power. Love this canopy!

fireflyer1988 · July 17, 2010

The canopy I got was manufactured in early 1988. This canopy, though old, still had plenty of jumps left in it. I load it about 1:1, and the landing flare was reduced, but still very workable. Packing is a breeze, and the openings are quick, but not hard.

melodiee · May 31, 2010

I did about 70 jumps on my PD-170 when I started with skydiving. It is a good chute for beginners, because the f-111 fabric is very easy to packing :-) and it was very easy to control and fly. Flares are smooth and predictable. This canopy is very forgiving!

tkdsd · June 16, 2009

I've been jumping for about 2 years (158 jumps). I'm about to order my first main and have been flying a Sabre 2 150 (wing loading 1.23). I've demo'd a number of mains over the past 2 years. I got the chance to demo a Pulse 150 last Saturday and managed to get 3 jumps between the rain and clouds. With respect to packing, it was clearly smaller than the Sabre 2 150. Although new, it packed easily. The bottom fabric did have an odd texture but I could get use to it. The openings were on heading with no end cell closures. The snivel was a little shorter than the Sabre 2 150. The canopy was nicely responsive on toggles with fairly rapid changes between 180 left to 180 right and back again. It seemed more responsive than the Sabre 2 150 but it was only 3 jumps. I probably looked like a nut but I pulled high and stayed away from the other jumpers. It was not overly responsive and I did not have any troubles with induced line twists. I could feel when I was pushing it too far and pulled back without a problem. The recovery arc was short as advertised. I was able to land within 20 ft of my target on all 3 jumps. The glide was relatively shallow in full flight (again, as advertised). I could not get much more out of it with respect to glide using the toggles or rear risers. Attempts at stalls (with altitude) were clean with smooth recoveries. With respect to landing, the flares were fine and I had no pop-ups. The landings were easy to time and predictable for all 3 jumps. With the wet grass from the rain and the low winds, I was able to skid across the ground for a decent distance on my feet. I was going to work with the front risers on the 4th jump but the rain settled in so I have no decent info on the front risers although they seemed fine when I used them briefly on the first 3 jumps. Overally, I really liked the Pulse but I generally do not buy when a new product line is introduced. I will have a difficult time deciding between the Pulse 150 and the Sabre 2 150 (order next week). Both canopies are a lot of fun!

LongWayToFall · February 12, 2009

This is my first canopy, and I picked it up for 300 bucks. I have to say, I really really like the canopy. The openings are on the brisker side, but not uncomfortable (always consistent, for the 70 jumps I have on it). When I get another canopy, I will be looking for openings as close to this as possible. Always on heading, and open in about 500ft from the pitch.

I am loading the canopy quite a bit higher than most people, at about 1.25, and it still performs great. The only thing I will be looking for in a new canopy once I buy one, is a more powerful flare. To date, all of my landings have been stand up, but it takes a single motion flare all at once.

The low pack volume is really cool, because you can have a container sized for a 190 and fit the pd210 in it. The f-111 fabric is very easy to handle while packing as well. If you buy one of these canopies and plan on having a higher wing loading like mine, make sure the canopy has a low number of jumps. When I bought it, it had 50-100 jumps, and after the 70 I put on it, I can already tell a slightly decreased flare, so the wing loading has got to be taking a toll on the fabric. Even so, for 300 bucks it got me in the air and I really like the thing. Thumbs up for a great canopy!

FlyinRyan86 · February 8, 2008

I jumped a PD 9 cell on my fourth jump (and again after). This was my first stand-up landing. It was very easy to control and fly. As others have said, the forward speed is weak. I literally hung in the air for at least a minute or two longer than with other canopies of equal size (due to WL). But for beginners, this canopy couldn't be better! Of course the WL could be increased for improved control, flare and speed--this would make for an even sweeter ride.

Thanks PD

Spartacus · July 8, 2006

I put about 50 jumps on my PD 9 cell. It is very easy to pack, which is nice for a newbie like me. Allowed me to focus on things like lines and flaking the canopy. I moved on to zero-p because I got tired of fighting my way back to the dropzone on windy days and watching other people fly away from me with their superior glide ratios. All said, though, it always opened nicely and never gave me any trouble.

jcecil · July 3, 2006

I moved from 288 square foot student Manta canopies to a 260 square foot PD 9-cell, and have been very pleased with it. It is responsive and fun if I want it to be, or it can be very slow and gentle. Very easy to learn the basics of propacking with it, as the material isn't determined to escape at every opportunity. Doesn't get very much drive once the winds get around 25 or more, but that just means I've learned to spot better. This is exactly the canopy I needed to transition from student to A license holder to my current status.

Jeth · September 12, 2005

I had my PD 9-cell for 6 months. I was going to wait longer to review it, but I recently had to cut it away. Since I lost it, I won't be putting any more jumps on it, so I figured I'd give my impressions from the jumps I did put on it.
This was a great canopy for a first canopy. It was very easy to fly and land. The toggle turns and rear riser turns were responsive and the flare was good for not being ZP. (You do need to complete the flare, though. It will not give you the lift like a ZP canopy does.) I had some fast no-wind landings, and I had a soft slide-in landing on those. It was soooo easy to pack, everyone with ZP was jealous!
The thing I didn't like was that I didn't get very good drive into the wind. I think this may be because I was too lightly loaded under it (~.8:1). I would suggest not going lighter than 1:1 if you want to be able to fly this thing on a windy day. Even with just a 10mph wind, trying to get upwind was a battle. I would basically just sink down and get very little horizontal movement.
Overall this was a great canopy for a beginner. I'm sorry I lost it so soon, I know I could've enjoyed it for a few hundred more jumps.

Iflymkv · October 31, 2004

I just bought my PD-210 used with about 50-75 jumps on it, and was worried about the step from a 260 down to a 210 at my experience level (<100 Jumps/215 Lbs). No problems at all. Good response in the air, I can make the quick turns I want with little worrys, and fly through the coastal air thermals with very little buffeting. I have walked/ran out every landing so far, and agree with the people who recommended it for me, that this is a great beginner main for me. Enjoy, Stack

bpr03 · October 16, 2004

I'm owner of PD 9 Cell 150 sq/ft. canopy. I like it for nice openings, low packing volume (my 150 canopy like 120 from ZP fabric), good landings. To my mind, the best choice for begginers.

fcajump · July 14, 2003

In a world of ZP, swoops, and high speed canopies, the PD-9 cell is a sedan. This canopy will not win swoop contests (though it may have when it was first brought out), but it will consistently get open, get you where you are going, and set you down softly.

I loaded my PD-260 ~1:1 in keeping with my experience when I bought it (~30 jumps, in 1991). As a casual, conservative jumper, I enjoyed flying it ~400 jumps before getting a Spectre. I am now passing it on to a friend who is just off student status, and I have every confidence that she will find it just as reliable and predictable as I did.

Flight behavior is consistent from full flight to pre-stall. As a 9 cell, its stall buffet tends to be a side-to-side buffet before it starts deflating. Break turns are smooth and without allot of swing, full flight turns are more brisk and swing a bit. Flares are smooth and predictable. Loaded conservatively, this canopy is very forgiving.

As with most other F-111, very easy to pack (flat or pro).

Blue Skies,
Jim

jumpdoode · March 7, 2001

i got about 15 jumps on a 9-cell pd190. i weight 140. i think it's a great first canopy. i can do some strong spinning 360's, and have always landed on my feet with a nice tip-toe landing. i can control it very well with only a little bit of experience. it's still fast enough to get to the ground in a reasonable amount of time, but still slow enough not to catch a student off guard. so for it's use as a student canopy i give it a super high rating of 9

June 6, 2000

I have placed about 250-300 jumps on a PD 190. I am loading it just under 1.2. This is a great all around canopy. It is not a hot dog, nor a swoop machine, but for its intended use, it is great. Since my canopy has well over 1,000 jumps on it I have had it sprayed with silicone to prolong it's life (and make it less porus). I pro pack it, rolling the nose and tail, this produces fairly nice openings. On landing I usally do a 90 degree conservative turn to get a fairly decent landing. I have surfed this canopy a bit with a front riser straight in approach. The canopy is great in turbulance, and in deep brakes. I have landed this canopy in a few dozen demo jumps. I have recently relined this canopy, and will sell it as I am moving down to a Sabre 170. I recommend the PD 9 cell series to anyone looking for a docile, easy to pack, forgiving, fun canopy, that will keep you out of trouble until you gain the necessary expereince to downsize. I don't recommend loading this canopy above 1.2, as its landing performance drops off. All and all, a solid tried and tested canopy that will last forever, made by a great company.

This Site Is For Sale

Sign In

Sign In

PD 9-cell Discontinued

Buy from these trusted stores

User's photos

SIGN UP OR LOGIN

User Feedback

Join the conversation

What did you think, Guest? Leave a review and let other users know.

Greenlionsinofpride 1

Share this review

Link to review

jsing2010 0

Share this review

Link to review

tourer4life 0

Share this review

Link to review

tlewi6345 0

Share this review

Link to review

fireflyer1988 0

Share this review

Link to review

melodiee 0

Share this review

Link to review

tkdsd 0

Share this review

Link to review

LongWayToFall 0

Share this review

Link to review

FlyinRyan86 0

Share this review

Link to review

Spartacus 0

Share this review

Link to review

jcecil 0

Share this review

Link to review

Jeth 0

Share this review

Link to review

Iflymkv 0

Share this review

Link to review

bpr03 0

Share this review

Link to review

fcajump 164

Share this review

Link to review

jumpdoode 0

Share this review

Link to review

admin 37

Share this review

Link to review

Find us on Social Media

Activity