Sep 16, 2012, 10:28 PM
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Re: [riggerrob] How current is your rigger?
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Hi Rob,
My packerA (allowed to pack reserves in Oz), renewed his A 8 week's ago. The system here requires a retest/check every 2 year's.
He's been packing reserves for about 15 years but has slowed down a lot, only packing about 10 reserves a year at the moment. He's never been to a PIA event,but is closely connected to one of the PISA staff (mutual friend of ours). Being that my reserve is a Tempo, between them I can't get much better advice on the reserve. I'm painfully aware that my reserve is only 1 part of my system.
Sep 17, 2012, 12:15 AM
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Re: [riggerrob] How current is your rigger?
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How current is your rigger? around 150 packjobs/year
How recently did he/she earn his/her rigger rating? first one in september2010 (FAA Senior Back)
How many reserves did he/she pack over the last year? around 150
How many patches did he/she sew over the past year? 2
How great a variety of parachutes did he/she pack over the last year? UPT+RWS, Mirage, RI, PdF, Basik, Vortex, Javelin,VSE, Strong, Aerodyne, Paraphernalia, AEROSPORTS USA, National, Spekon and more, variety of sports rigs, tandems, PEPS back/seat/chest
How many PIA Symposia has he/she attended? 1, Barcelona
How many PIA Symposia has he/she lectured at? none
Does he/she think PIA was a sex-kitten starlet during the 1980s? any pictures available ?
How many new riggers has he/she helped train? none in training, but shares information
How many parachute factories has he/she visited? 1
I am my own rigger, still considering that the ink is still fresh on the licence. FAA Senior Back Sep2010 FAA Senior Chest+Seat April 2012
Sep 17, 2012, 9:06 AM
Post #4 of 25
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Re: [riggerrob] How current is your rigger?
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How current is your rigger? several every month this year, except for feb and march
How recently did he/she earn his/her rigger rating? almost 7 years ago, thanks for teaching me , rob! How many reserves did he/she pack over the last year? did 100 this year so far How many patches did he/she sew over the past year? a few small ones, and 1 large How great a variety of parachutes did he/she pack over the last year? 3 rounds in pilot packs, strong tandems,wings,sidewinder,mirage,jav,icon,reflex,ri stuff,to name a few How many PIA Symposia has he/she attended? 3-jacksonville,2 at reno
How many PIA Symposia has he/she lectured at? zero Does he/she think PIA was a sex-kitten starlet during the 1980s? maybe she is/was How many new riggers has he/she helped train? sharing advice with 2...
How many parachute factories has he/she visited?
one
i did have a few guys teach me, but rob, you were the best mentor, with al macdonald coming in behind you
This morning I had a long chat with the new chair of CSPA's Technical Committee. Our main topic was "How to update CSPA'a Rigger A Course?" Do you have any suggestions?
Sep 18, 2012, 2:35 PM
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Re: [Deyan] How current is your rigger?
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= Advertisement: =
Get Riggerrob's reserve repacks... because he scores really high on the Riggerrob Rigger Currency Test (TM).
"If it isn't Riggerrobs, you got robbed!"
Beyond my too harsh sarcasm, yes it it good for riggers to keep trying to learn, and to stay sharp (and to have pride in all the skills one has). Of all the rigging info I've downloaded over the years from dz.com, there sure is a lot from Riggerrob. But one can get too elitist about rigging skills. One doesn't need to do all rigging skills well in order to do certain rigging skills well enough.
Sep 22, 2012, 11:23 AM
Post #14 of 25
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Re: [riggerrob] How current is your rigger?
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Hi Rob, glad that you have met the other Rob. I have worked earlier this year to refresh the sketches on the CSPA rigger A exam (a lot of work using iDraw software). There is now more material on AAD's too and some old hardware and webbing stuff have been removed but there is always place for improvement. I was in charge to administer the new exam to a rigger B candidate having already a lot of experience with rigging. The exam is quite long to write (2.5-3.5 hours). See you at Daytona Beach.
Sep 22, 2012, 11:44 AM
Post #15 of 25
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Re: [riggerrob] How current is your rigger?
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Very interesting thread indeed since too often people get a diploma and sit down on it. This true for all professionals like : doctors, scientists, psychologists, engineers, pilots...and even parachuting riggers and instructors. Getting a diploma or certificate doesn't garantee you will be good and serious about your rating. When getting a rating you just have the paper certifying that you meet the minimum requirements. Your personal value, ethics, seriousness, honesty, knowlewdge, currency...do actually what you are as a rigger for instance. You have to be interested and curious about everything concerned by your rating. Reading, going on manufacturer's Internet sites, visiting their shop, giving seminar at the safety days, attending rigging symposiums, doing some simple research on equipment, writing articles, participate seriously on exchanges on dropzone.com...is what makes you a accomplished and seasoned rigger...a professional class one.
Sep 23, 2012, 8:29 AM
Post #16 of 25
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Re: [riggerrob] How current is your rigger?
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How current is your rigger? 80 packjobs ish?
How recently did he/she earn his/her rigger rating? FAA (senior back) fall/winter 2011
How many reserves did he/she pack over the last year? 80ish?
How many patches did he/she sew over the past year? Unaware
How great a variety of parachutes did he/she pack over the last year? Javelins, Vectors, Mirages, Wings, Icons, voodoos.....perhaps more than I do not know of
How many PIA Symposia has he/she attended? 0... but also 9,000 miles away and just began
How many PIA Symposia has he/she lectured at? 0....but again also 9,000 miles away and just began
Does he/she think PIA was a sex-kitten starlet during the 1980s? Not sure!
How many new riggers has he/she helped train? 0
How many parachute factories has he/she visited? not sure
I'm currently in a location whether its him or the guy who learned everything in the army literally 42yrs ago, but despite the fact that he's newer he is quite meticulous and trustworthy otherwise I'd be more than glad to get my reserve repacked back in the states as I travel there few times a year.
I'm also in a location where I've heard that some military people have literally stuffed pillows into their reserve so they can jump and where some people think leaving a reserve packed for 10yrs is good not to open it and repack it because it was packed in the US by a certified rigger
(This post was edited by mchamp on Sep 23, 2012, 8:43 AM)
Sep 23, 2012, 8:50 AM
Post #17 of 25
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Re: [mchamp] How current is your rigger?
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How current is your rigger? 80 packjobs ish?
How recently did he/she earn his/her rigger rating? FAA (senior back) fall/winter 2011
How many reserves did he/she pack over the last year? 80ish?
How many patches did he/she sew over the past year? Unaware
Edited from 50, to 70, then to 80-ish pack jobs? That's progress, of a sort. One more edit and then he or she will be okay. The regulation for US riggers requires 90 days of rigger work in the previous 12 months to be current. Depending on when exactly in the fall or winter of 2011 he or she earned his rating, there's still time to stay current.
Sep 23, 2012, 9:36 AM
Post #18 of 25
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Re: [mark] How current is your rigger?
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One more edit and then he or she will be okay. The regulation for US riggers requires 90 days of rigger work in the previous 12 months to be current. Depending on when exactly in the fall or winter of 2011 he or she earned his rating, there's still time to stay current.
Mark
The regulations aren't very clear regarding what exactly is required to reset the currency clock, are they?
They don't say you need to repack a reserve.
They say you need to do something that requires the rating.
So, if you are packing mains for someone else, you've done something that requires the rating.
Sep 24, 2012, 6:37 AM
Post #21 of 25
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Re: [piisfish] How current is your rigger?
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would you have to log that kind of work to prove currency?
To the best of my knowledge, it's never been litigated. I don't know anyone who has been cited because he or she was uncurrent. We don't know how many hours you'd have to work to have it count as one of the 90 days.
It would be easier to prove you were current (or not!) if you kept a work log, though.
Sep 24, 2012, 7:21 AM
Post #22 of 25
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Re: [mark] How current is your rigger?
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the 90 days requirement is strange... would all of these be equal ? : -1 day A+I+R'ing 10 reserves -1 day directly supervising 1 main packjob -1 day at PIA symposium and sitting in all seminars possible -1 day at PIA symposium and having a beer at the Icarus booth -1 day reading the Gear and Rigging forum on DZ.com
Sep 24, 2012, 8:47 AM
Post #23 of 25
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Re: [piisfish] How current is your rigger?
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Since there haven't been any legal decisions, you are asking me to speculate. Since it is not illegal to drink and rig, then you could plausibly argue that all of those days are equal.
Sep 24, 2012, 9:23 AM
Post #24 of 25
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Re: [piisfish] How current is your rigger?
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the 90 days requirement is strange... would all of these be equal ? : -1 day A+I+R'ing 10 reserves -1 day directly supervising 1 main packjob -1 day at PIA symposium and sitting in all seminars possible -1 day at PIA symposium and having a beer at the Icarus booth -1 day reading the Gear and Rigging forum on DZ.com
it is all part of rigging work
The question is if it is part of the privilege of the certificate.
You can count some reserves. You can count some repairs. You can count packing mains for other people.
I think you should not count the last 2 items.
Regarding sitting through the PIA Symposium seminars, I don't have any idea if FAA would count that, or not.
(Of course, I don't know anything, so trusting my post would seem foolish. Read the regulations and come up with your own limits.)
The FAA will issue you with a certificate if you listen to ten hours worth of technical or rigging seminars, at a PIA Symposium. The FAA certificate says that you have completed refresher training .. or words to that affect.
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