PD Reserve

Stusmooth · June 14, 2016

I cutaway a 190 Spectre to a 193 PD reserve and it opened great and flew awesome. It had a full flare. I am sitting at 200lbs exit weight and had a great stand up landing!

teemukoo · February 24, 2013

I were forced to use my PD Reserve on last summer after bad main packing and I would like introduce this youtube video for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z37lQMP9znE

This is the Reserve I trust :)

devildog · November 4, 2011

Packed a container lock after opening and quickly closing my flaps to look inside my container (wasn't thinking) and had to go to my reserve. Opened soft, on heading, and landing was smooth as silk. Can't give something that did all of that (not too mention kept me alive) anything but 5 stars.

millertimeunc · January 10, 2011

This was my first reserve ride from spinning line twists. After cutting away, I was low enough to not waste any time trying to get stable belly to earth, and pulled my reserve while head low and slightly on my back. I expected a rough deployment, but it opened quickly and with no drama, other than 2 line twists (no doubt related to the position I was in when I deployed it). It is a PD 143 which I am loading between 1.5-1.6, and it flew BIG. It reminded me a lot of a Spectre. I flared a little early on landing and was expecting to have to run it out, but the flare just kept going until I was completely stopped. I think that this is an outstanding reserve, and I'm glad I went with it!

Mr.C · October 30, 2010

Opening was soft. Flight & Menuvering were great. Flare & landing were very nice.
My reserve ride was a 1.3 W/L. My main is a 1.1 W/L.

coldsteel · June 7, 2009

I demo'd a PD Optimum reserve recently. I jumped the OP 193 loaded about 0.9.
The reserve canopy opened just fine at terminal, very firm but quite acceptable. The flight characteristics were similar to other modern F 111 reserve canopies I've flown. I was not able to stall it at altitude to test it's stall characteristics......despite taking a wrap on the brake lines. I think the brakes where set a little too long.....perhaps PD wanted them set up that way. I was hoping for a little stronger flare on the bottom end but I think I may have under loaded it and degraded it's performance.

The outstanding qualities of this canopy are it's small pack volume and ease of packing. It packs at least a size smaller than a comparable, similar size PDR canopy.

I wish I could buy one of these to jump as a main canopy. Why? Easy to pack, really small pack volume, and good performance.

This PD reserve is well-worth the premium price. I think PD should market as a main as well....it's that good.

rgrmike · April 4, 2009

I had my first cutaway today. I was on a 2 way from 13.5K. We broke at 5 - open at 4. I threw my BOC. Wham - loudest sound I have ever heard. My main blew the B and C lines on one of the left cells at the canopy. The right side of the canopy blew all of the lines but 2 just above the riser. I started an immediate high speed spin - almost horizontal to the ground.

I yanked my cutaway handle. Before I could yank my reserve handle my RSL opened my reserve. The opening was immediate. It opened perfectly - no twists. It flew on heading.

It was a great ride to the ground. The canopy has a powerful flair and awesome handling.

This is a super reserve; they hold their value extremely well. Thanks PD for the life saving Ride!

-Mike

BHawks · February 8, 2009

Today we went up for a hop n pop, we were at about 3000 feet. I was the first out the door, I exited, pitched, and the relative wind of the propeller wrapped my main pilot chute down and under me! So I have a pilot chute in tow malfunction at 2500 burning altitude pretty quickly. So I went for my reserve, it opened beautifully, fast, not a slammer and on heading! Can't beat that!

To add on top of this, this was the first reserve I had packed as a new certificated rigger. So I saved my own bacon with my pack job. That makes me feel good to know my work, actually works! Get to buy my self a bottle!

This was my second time looking up at a PD reserve, it is a solid canopy, flew real well, I PLFed it on landing, but I couldn't ask for anything more.

When future customers bring a PD reserve for a repack, I can tell them, I will happy to work on it and it is a solid canopy!

Blue Skies!

Ben

dallycat · January 27, 2009

A while back i had the opportunity to jump a Optima 143.

During a sitfly jump with some friends after deploying my Stiletto 150 I felt it spin up instantly and could not kick out even one twist.. being my first cutaway i was a little nervous but after pulling the handles I looked up to see a beautiful orange canopy in a snivel then it opened up perfectly on heading.

Stowed the handles did a flight check to evaluate controls and found it flew much like a spectre. I like the choice of color, high visibility orange, if i am in the sky under my last canopy I want to be seen! The flare was amazing! I'm loading it at around 1.45

I have a pdr 160 in my crw rig that has never been jumped (doing crw i'm sure it will be someday). I would like to put a Optima in that rig as well. Very happy with the Optima and all PD products, never owned any other canopies than PD.

dlee · September 3, 2008

I just had a cutaway and reserve rid this weekend. I have a 126, loaded about 1.6. My malfunction was a spinning thing that had two cell inflated connected to a ball of crap. I chopped. This reserve canopy opened quickly and on heading, and got me home with a nice stand up landing.

As many know, PD has a demo program, where you call or e-mail and send them some money for shipping and they send you a canopy and a return shipping label. I HIGHLY recommend doing this with your reserve. Your reserve is, in many cases, probably going to fly much differently than your main, ZP vs. F-111, Square vs. elliptical, etc. It is better to have your first jump on a canopy not be after you just cut away low over Bubba McNasty's alligator farm or something.

I highly recommend this canopy and I highly you fly your reserve before you REALLY need it.

mpuente · August 17, 2008

I was spinning when cutting away and it still opened without line twist. Maybe I stopped turning, but never the less, it opened straight on and flew well. It had a great flare and I felt safe under it.

tbrown · November 6, 2007

I've been jumping with a PD193 (WL 1.25) in my rig for over 3 years and had never seen my canopy outside of a rigger's loft at repack time. Until last summer, when a slammer opening blew my main canopy to pieces. With my 9 cell suddenly reduced to a 7 cell with no steering lines and blue sky visible through several holes and tears, I bid my main farewell and went to my handles. Although I did pull silver, my RSL beat me to the punch. This was a subterminal opening, so no surprise that it was soft. But it was very quick and on heading (thanks also to my rigger).

But only then did I discover what a joy this canopy is to fly, and not just because it was an open reserve that was saving my life. It wasn't sporty or zippy, but it was just the seetest ride. It handled so nicely and responded wonderfully to the toggles. I was able to put down on the the grassy strip at Perris, which is rather small compared to dropzones in the grassier parts of the country. And the landing was a very comfy standup. And I'd even forgotten to make a practice flare on the way down. I love this reserve !

P.S. Some 3 1/2 years later I've now experienced a terminal opening on my PD, after a pilot chute in tow malfunction. The opening couldn't have been better - it was quick, clean, on heading, and surprisingly soft. After all the horror stories I've heard about terminal reserve openings, I thumb my nose and say "Not with a PD !". It's everything a reserve could be - right when you need it the most. Eventually I'll replace it with an Optimum, but for now I'm in no hurry.

islandboyflyrz · June 29, 2007

I Had A Reserve Ride In Decemeber Of 06 . I Was Jumping My Stiletto 150 Loaded @ About 1.8 Flying A V2 Wingsuit @ Pull Time My Stiletto Started Spinning Out Of Control So I Used The Cutaway & In 2 Seconds I Was Under This Beautiful Black & Silver Reserve ( Thanx Sky Hook ) . I Load My PD Reserve 143 High 1.8.8 & I Was Nervous But That Canopy Flew Like A Dream . Turned Great Got Me Back Safely To The Landing Zone & What A Sensational Flare . I've Never Buy Another Reserve Ever . Thanx PD !

tallpaul · May 20, 2007

A bizarre chance collision in freefall led to my cutaway pad being caught and pulled from my rig, so I had to come to terms with the idea of landing a reserve for the first time pretty quick.
The opening was instantaneous but perfectly comfortable and bruise-free. My main is a 190 but the 176 reserve didn't feel any different to fly and landing it was no drama whatsoever - tons of flare for a nice soft landing.

I hope I won't have to use my reserve again for a long long time, but I know I can count on it if need be. I certainly won't consider anything but a PD for future rigs.

michaelted57 · March 5, 2007

An aquaintenct of mine at our DZ happens to be a sponsered PD canopy flyer, and so he gets all the cool stuff. This weekend he brought the new 126 Optimum Reserve (set up like a main) to the DZ for those of us who might want to try one out. I had just jumped a standard PD-126 last summer when the PD Tour came to our DZ, so I felt I could make a fair comparison.
This new reserve packs up tiny! It looked equavalent to a 109 in pack volume when I put it in my rig. This is great for those of us who like the idea of a bigger reserve; with an Optimum Reserve we can get more parachute in our container than we could before.
For reference, I weigh 180 lbs without clothes, and about 205 out-the-door, and I have about 4300 jumps. This loaded the 126 to about 1.6 to 1, which is way high for a reserve.
I took the Optimum 126 on a relative-work jump with a recently graduated student because I wanted to see what the opening shoke would be like at terninal. I make a lot of camera jumps, and the opening shock at terminal is a big concern for guy (or gals) with a lot of weight on our heads.
I watched my digital altimeter when I pitched to check my altitude loss during opening. I pitched at 3400 ft exactly. The opening was very firm, but not uncomfortable at all; certainly not any worse than some popular mains. The interesting thing was that as soon as I saw an open canopy over my head, I checked my altitude again, and it read 3150 ft! The opening felt like a very firm, STEADY pull on my harness, but there was no real "shock" as I expected. So this translates into a 250 ft opening with no trauma as is usually associated with such fast openings. NICE!
We had a very stiff upper wind, so we had drifted a long ways in free-fall, and I found myself thinking I probably would not nake it back to the field (even if I had jumped my regular main). I did my CCC and was pleasantly surprised with the powerful flare and responsive turns. I went into half brakes to try to stay aloft in order to get closer to the DZ. The canopy floated very nicely, and I realized that I would make it back easily, so I tried to find the stall point so I could get a better feel for the canopy. I am 5' 10" tall, and I had to take a wrap of brake line on my hands to cause a stall. This thing could be landed in a very tight space if needed. Very quick recovery from the stall too. . . I then applied some rear risers to try to gain some of the lost distance from the stall and to see how the canopy flew in that mode. Rear toggle pressure was not light, but the amount of float gained was impressive. After I got back over the landing area, I decided to not turn into the wind because I was really too low to be making 180 turns on an unfamiliar canopy, so I landed downwind off to the side of the Dz out of the landing pattern. This parachute has a very fast forward speed for a reserve! This could be bad if you have a high wing loading and land unconcious, but you would probably still have the brakes set, so it would be slower than if you had released them. I was able to land the canopy standing up with only about three or four steps out of the landing (downwind with a wind speed of about 4 knots). I am confident that if I had landed into the wind it would have been a one-step landing.
The only thing about this reserve that concerns me is that some will buy an even smaller container thinking they can get a very small packing reserve in it. This will make for some very fast landings under reserves. The idea should be to stay with the same size container, and be able to fit a bigger reserve in it. Remember, this is a FAST parachute.
I would jump this parachute as a main, and like it (alot). It performs more like a main than a traditional reserve, the openings are fast, but not hard, and it packs up very small. This would be a GREAT main parachute for wingsuit flyers or for people who do a lot of big-ways (those of you who do big-ways will understand).
The cost for this reserve is about $300 more than PD's traditional reserves.

In summary: Packs up VERY SMALL, fast but not uncomfortable openings, POWERFUL flare, practically stall proof, fast forward speed (at least at high wing loadings), Slows down in toggles and floats wonderfully, flies like a main, lands more like a main than a traditional reserve, costs about $300 more than a traditional reserve.

When Can I get mine?

rmccork1 · December 17, 2006

I had my first ride in 10 years on my PD126R this weekend. I'm loading this reserve at 1.8. Tip Toe landing back at the DZ. I would HIGHLY recommend this canopy and would have no problem downsizing to the PD113R if need be. THANKS ROB!

kitpieri · September 19, 2005

Very nice ride loaded at 1.5, nice opening, strong flare, pretty responsive , just sold it cause wont fit new container :((

August 17, 2005

How can you say anything bad about a reserve that worked perfectly and gave you a standup landing after a cutaway? Well, you can't. My PD reserve sure isn't pretty, all dull gray. Now its my favorite color That PD reserve canopy is just gorgeous to me now. I loaded it about 1.2 pounds per sq ft. Opened smooth and straight, handled just fine, and had a decent flare for a stand up landing. What more can you ask for in a reserve canopy? I have Raven IIs in other rigs but have never had to use them. Hope they do as well as my PD if I ever have to use em.

matereti · August 16, 2005

Had a ride with my PDR 126 couple of weeks ago. Opened smooth & fast. Man, I am loading that canopy 1.9 was little bit concerned about landing it. NO problem at all, stall was low were it supposed to be.
Tip toe landing without any problem. In my mind there is no other reserve than PDR. Especially if you are planing to have a bigger wind load on your reserve like I do.

stevejones64 · May 2, 2005

Spinning canopy at 3000 feet, time for the back-up plan. PDR-160 loaded at 1.4 flew great! Practiced landings once before landing and made it back. Was not mushy, and turned nicely. I did not have to take any line wraps or have any built in turns. More expensive, but worth it. I will always have a PD reserve for myself and my family members.

gus · March 29, 2005

pdr-126 loaded at 1.3

I had a reserve ride recently when my mate dumped me out by accident - whilst I was back tracking! It opened quickly but comfortably and with no line twists.

I was seriously impressed by this canopy. I did a couple of practice flares up high, expecting them to be a bit 'limp' but they were quite the opposite. Then I floated around in brakes watching my freebag and was very impressed with the slow descent rate. I landed softly right next to my freebag.

My next reserve will be a pd.

March 27, 2005

I had a chance to jump a PD143R at Dublin 05 and it was alot better than I thaught it would be. It's responsive with a good opening and good flare. I will definately be buying one as soon as I can gather the money and I would recomend it to anyone.

nate_1979 · March 6, 2005

Just got my first reserve ride on a PDR-193 ... My main is a Fusion 210 and this canopy flew as well as my main, the landing was great, awsome flare.. Reserve was fired by my RSL (most likely, assuming the RSL beat me to the pull) on a malfunction that had me in a spin on my back, canopy opened perfect.. I have not jumped any other reserves, and never will..

Jimbo · February 16, 2004

I recently had the opportunity to jump my PD160/R loaded at approximately 1.6:1. The opening was soft, and on heading. During flight I thought I was flying a square main, not a reserve. A few practice flares and then it was time to land, a perfect tip-toe landing on this beast.

This was my third reserve ride, with the previous two being on a competitors product. I'm sold, from now on it's PD reserves in my rigs, nothing else.

migliore · December 9, 2003

I had a spinning mal and when I cut-away, I was thrown diagonally head-down. My PDR deployed while I was like this, and it was a perfect opening. It flew nice and I stood up the landing. I've only had 1 opportunity to evaluate it, but (needless to say) I am very happy with its performance.

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tbrown 26

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377 21

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