Atair Aerodynamics - Tech Sheet

Please read this before jumping your Atair Cobalt canopy!

2 Stage Openings

Atair canopies are designed to deploy in multiple stages. If you are not jumping an Atair canopy, you are used to single stage deployments. It is important that you read this to understand what to expect, and how to operate your Atair canopy through its unique multiple stage deployment.

Once our canopy is deployed from the bag, the 3 center cells will inflate. The ribs 4 lines from each side are substantially solid with no cross-ports. This prevents the air hitting the nose from inflating the outer cells. The slider is in the up position at this point and will prevent the outer cells from catching air and inflating. The 3 center cells are only slightly wider than the slider, so the force on the lines to push the slider down is low compared to a conventional canopy. The deployment process will pause in this position for a few seconds. The 3 center cells will decelerate you until the force pushing the slider down overcomes the wind pushing it up. Once the slider has moved substantially down the end cells are free to catch air and inflate for stage 2.

How to operate: Once you deploy your pilot, stage 1 will occur right away. The canopy will not snivel. The 3 center cells will inflate and you will feel light "opening force" that will pull you vertical in your harness. Keeping your weight symmetrical in your harness tilt your head evenly back and look at the canopy. You will see 3 center cells, square, stable and on heading, with the slider up. Stage 2, after a pause (exact timing of pause depends on airspeed and loading), you will see the slider move and the end cells deploy.

If you place your weight unevenly in your harness during the pause between stage 1 and 2 your canopy will deploy in a slow turn (not a spin) in the direction you leaned. This may happen often when you first are getting used to 2 stage deployments. Simply correct the turn by either shifting weight in your harness, or with your risers, or with your toggles. If you are lightly loaded or you deploy with a turn you may have end cell closure on one side. This will look as if the nose on 2 outer cells is tucked slightly under the canopy. This is nothing to worry about, simply perform a slow deep flare. When the canopy nears a stall the end cells will pop out and inflate. Quick short pumping of your toggles will not inflate closed end cells.

We recommend a straight pro-pack, pushing the nose to the back and rolling the tail tight. Rolling the nose is unnecessary, although some sky-surfers who deploy in stand positions at higher speeds, like to roll the nose symmetrically towards the center cell. Deployment height depends on airspeed and loading but is typically in the range of 800-1000'. Rolling the nose can increase that height.

Why 2 stage openings?

2 stage openings are safer!

The way a skydiving canopy deploys was designed decades ago, RW flying was the norm. Conventional main canopies are designed for maximum deployment speeds of 120 knots. Now since the advent of free flying, skydivers are substantially exceeding the design criteria of their canopies. Most free flyers do not deploy at 120 but rather at 140 and sometimes above. Atair's development of the 2 stage opening (patent pending) was created out of this necessity in our changing sport. Other canopy manufacturers have left this call unanswered and forced most jumpers to exceed the design limitations of their equipment. Atair Aerodynamics has developed the 2 stage openings to create canopies that have lower opening force to your body and are safe to deploy at the higher speeds free flyers are practicing.

(NOTE: in the last 2 years, since atair has been advertising higher speed ratings, many manufacturers have increased their placarded max speed listed on their canopies. It is important to note that this is not because they have redesigned or tested for higher speed safety of the jumper. The listed number is only a statement as to a max speed for canopy survival, not jumper survival. A fully functional canopy does you little good if your neck broke on opening.)

When skydiving there is always the risk of a premature deployment. At free fly speeds with conventional canopies you risk the serious possibility of severe injury or death from a premature deployment. The opening force can simply break your neck. With a 2 stage deployment Atair canopy, the 3 inflated center cells deployed in stage 1 will tend to decelerate the jumper until the air speed is low enough for the second stage to deploy the remaining 6 outer cells. This significantly lowers the opening force applied to the jumper and reduces potential harm in the event of a premature deployment.

The other safety advantage is that 2 stage deployments greatly eliminate the tendency of elliptical canopies to spin on deployment. A conventional canopy during deployment will inflate from the center cells out to the end cells, this will happen before the slider can fully move down. As a result of the lines running through the slider compressing the canopy, the leading edge of the canopy is not straight but rather snakes in an unstable manner until the slider is fully down. This violent movement of the leading edge will cause off-heading openings and frequently spins. With 2 stage openings the leading edge opens in stages, maintaining a straight non-snaking profile, ensuring a safer opening.