Petra vs Pulse

JYRO Petra · Performance Designs Pulse · Canopy explorer

Manufacturer facts side by side, with the source on every row. Nothing on this page says which canopy to choose or what wing loading to fly — that is a conversation for you, your canopy coach and your drop zone.

What differs — read from the data

Petra is made by JYRO; Pulse is made by Performance Designs.
Planform: Petra is listed as elliptical; Pulse as semi-elliptical.
Petra has 7 cells; Pulse has 9 cells.
Petra is cross-braced; Pulse is not.
Petra is listed in 55–89 sq ft; Pulse in 107–260 sq ft.
The listed size ranges do not overlap.
The manufacturers publish different systems: Performance Designs lists a maximum exit weight per skill category and size; JYRO lists a recommended wing-loading range and a chart with jump-number bands. They are shown side by side, never translated into each other.

Structural facts only (manufacturer, planform, cells, bracing, sizes, chart system). How each wing flies is described below in the manufacturer's own words; how it flies for you is a question for a canopy coach.

Side by side

	Petra	Pulse
Manufacturer	JYRO	Performance Designs
Status	current	current
Cells	7	9
Planform	elliptical	semi-elliptical
Cross-braced	yes	no
Aspect ratio	not published	2.59
Sizes (sq ft)	55–89 · custom sizes available Source: JYRO — Petra product page (page modified 2026-09-15) ↗	107–260 Source: Performance Designs — Pulse product page ↗
Designed for (manufacturer wording)	Experienced competitive canopy pilots with thousands of jumps on small, highly loaded crossbraced canopies (competition-specific) Source: JYRO — Petra product page (page modified 2026-09-15) ↗	Novice to Experienced skydivers Wingsuiting Getting back from long spots Individuals who are learning or who have issues packing Individuals looking for a canopy that has a low pack volume Flat packing Source: Performance Designs — Pulse product page ↗
Characteristics (manufacturer keywords)	Firm but not hard openings · Highly sensitive toggles and harness · Very long, steep dive · Long recovery requiring pilot input for level flight · High-speed stalls possible with abrupt inputs Source: JYRO — Petra product page (page modified 2026-09-15) ↗	Soft, forgiving openings with short snivel · Very flat glide · Short recovery arc · Easy to pack · Easy to time flare · For Novice to Experienced jumpers Source: Performance Designs — Pulse product page ↗
Opening	Firm but not hard; brisk when terminal (JYRO).	Significantly shorter snivel than a Sabre2 or a Spectre, and an inflation that is a bit quicker, without being uncomfortable. Easier to keep on heading; if it opens off heading it will generally stay on that heading rather than continuing the turn.
Recovery arc	Long recovery — requires pilot input for level flight (JYRO).	The recovery arc is a lot shorter than on a Sabre2; when you stop a turn it will plane out into normal flight much more quickly than a Sabre2.
Glide	High maximal glide ratio (JYRO).	Very flat glide when flying at full flight, much like the PD Stiletto.
Speed / dive	Very long, steep dive; 'the most high performance wing you can buy' (JYRO) — no airspeed figures published.	not published
Flare	Very powerful and responsive (JYRO).	Approach angle is flatter and rate of descent lower than most other canopies, so the flare is quite easy to time; less tendency for unwanted pop-up or "ballooning" on landing.
Front risers	Very light (JYRO).	Flies reasonably well on front risers, with a somewhat lower increase in descent rate than a Sabre2; riser pressure is firm and builds as airspeed increases; not designed to achieve steep diving turns.
Rear risers	Range, range and more range; very responsive (JYRO).	Rear riser turns are conventional, though the control range is very short; only a modest improvement in glide with rear risers; flaring with rear risers is not nearly as effective as on a Sabre2.
Harness response	Highly sensitive (JYRO).	not published
Toggle response	Highly sensitive; high-speed stalls possible with abrupt inputs (JYRO).	Very responsive in toggle turns; takes less toggle movement to achieve a given turn rate compared to a Sabre2, and descends less quickly in a turn.
Loading system	Recommended wing-loading range 2.5–3.0+ lb/ft² plus a chart with jump-number bands (below).	Maximum exit weight per PD skill category and size (chart below).
Manufacturer-stated experience requirements	700+ jumps at WL 2.2 or above 250+ jumps in the last 12 months Reference from a respected coach/swooper or Petra/Peregrine pilot Competed at least once in the last 12 months (or 3+ Open competitions in the last 3 years)	none stated
Evidence level	B — Manufacturer product information	A — Manufacturer technical documentation

Flight wording is quoted or closely paraphrased from each manufacturer's own documents; where a manufacturer publishes nothing for a row it says "not published". No airspeed figures are published by either manufacturer.

Your wing loading on each size

Exit weight (you + all gear): kg

Enter an exit weight to see exit weight ÷ size for every listed size of both canopies and where each number sits on the manufacturer's own chart.

Wing loading = exit weight (lb) ÷ size (ft²). PD's chart lists the MAXIMUM exit weight per skill category — the category shown is the lowest one whose maximum covers your weight, by PD's own rule. JYRO's range is a manufacturer envelope, not a target. The two systems are never translated into each other.

The manufacturers' charts

Petra — JYRO wing-loading chart

Recommended wing-loading range: 2.5–3.0+ lb/ft² Source: JYRO — Petra product page (page modified 2026-09-15) ↗

22 chart cells (exit weight × size → wing loading), colour bands = minimum jump numbers: 2000+ jumps · 2200+ jumps · 1800+ jumps · 1600+ jumps · 2600+ jumps · 2400+ jumps · 2800+ jumps

Source: JYRO — Petra wing-loading chart (image) (WL_Chart_V4) ↗

Pulse — Performance Designs chart: maximum exit weight (lb) per category

Size	Student	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Expert	Maximum (never exceed)
107	N/S	N/S	N/S	114	138	160
120	N/S	N/S	115	129	155	180
135	N/S	110	132	146	175	202
150	N/S	123	149	169	195	225
170	N/S	143	173	193	222	250
190	140	165	194	218	247	266
210	157	190	216	230	259	275
230	172	210	228	245	268	280
260	195	230	242	262	282	302

N/S = not suggested by the manufacturer for that category. Weights are maximums, not recommendations.

Source: Performance Designs — Pulse sizing / wing-loading chart (FC-0009 Rev. 0 (PD Pulse Wing Loading Chart)) ↗

Sources

B JYRO — Petra product page (page modified 2026-09-15) — open ↗
B JYRO — Petra wing-loading chart (image) (WL_Chart_V4) — open ↗
B Performance Designs — Pulse product page — open ↗
A Performance Designs — Pulse Flight Characteristics (FC-0009 Rev. 0) — open ↗
A Performance Designs — Pulse sizing / wing-loading chart (FC-0009 Rev. 0 (PD Pulse Wing Loading Chart)) — open ↗

Evidence levels: A = manufacturer technical documentation, B = manufacturer product information. Knowledge base version canopy-kb-2026.09.23-r3. All sources used on this site

See it in your own data

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Safety notice: This tool is for data review only. It does not replace canopy coaching, DZ rules, traffic awareness, S&TA guidance, or manufacturer guidance. Everything here is information for learning — not advice or a recommendation about any canopy, wing loading, turn or decision. Your decisions are your own. See the Terms of Service.