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angrypeppers

Reserve inspection & repack turnaround time?

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How many days should I expect a reserve inspection and repack to take? The work is being done by the riggers at the busy DZ where I jump. This is the first repack I've had to do since I bought my rig earlier this year, so I don't know what is considered a "normal" turnaround time.
Burn the land and boil the sea,
You can't take the sky from me.

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I always try to give my rigger a week, and fair warning that it's coming up to make sure that I'm not hitting them on a busy week or when they're out of town. So far, haven't ever had an issue with that.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

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When I worked as my DZ's full time rigger I generally wanted 5 days, you could leave it on a Sunday and pick it up on Friday. If you needed or wanted it turned around faster then there wasa rush service charge. There were some exceptions that I would make and of course my good rigging customers(my regulars) usually got the rush service for free as a thank-you for being a regular customer.

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I've never had to leave mine with my rigger for more than a week (Mon-Fri, so I didn't miss a weekend jumping), but I do give him a heads up when repack time is coming around and drop it off the week before it expires if that fits his schedule better.

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If going to a loft at the DZ say, a week turnaround is a reasonable thing to expect... as in "drop off your rig at the end of this weekend and pick it up next Sat morning"... BUT, since you're new to this and new to them, when dropping your rig off you sould ask when it will be done / be sure they know what your desired "packed by" date is.

Some lofts, when you drop your rig off for a repack, when they're filling out the work invoice with you, they'll ask / write down a "need date".

If you want "rush service" (the definition of rush service my vary from loft to loft, rigger to rigger) they may (likely) charge extra.

Also, be sure you understand what all the charges will be for a reserve I&R. Some lofts / riggers will charge a flate rate for a reserve I&R whether they're just doing an I&R or doing an I&R plus other things like new reserve closing loop, chaging Cypres batterries, installing slider bumpers on the reserve risers, etc., but some lofts / riggers will charge you something for the I&R and then charge you additional $ for those additional things. Again, since you're new to this, when you drop your rig off for an I&R, be sure you understand what's going to be done, what could be needed and what its going to cost to avoid disappointment and misundertandings.

Cheers.

:)

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If you DON'T need it by the next weekend, let them know. They'll appreciate not having fit it in a busy week only to have you show up two weeks later. Also make sure they know your name, address, and phone number. By law we're supposed to have the name and address of the owner and there very well may be questions or additional work to let you know about.

There are some votes same day. I almost never will offer same day service, especially while the owner waits. One, in theory we're supposed to air the thing out. Now, for most rigs there's not much point anymore. I still hang up most of the rounds I do because most of them are only packed once a year. (Pilot rigs) Two, I don't like being rushed and distracted. I always tell customers they are welcome to watch their reserve being packed but the inspection is boring and they'll actually get a better pack job if I'm not distracted. When I told this to one jumper she promptly replied, "I'll just watch you pack someone elses.":S:)] I might turn it around while they wait.

Also, if your rig is used and this is the first time they've seen it, they may not agree with the last rigger on the condition of components, they may find service bulletins that have not be done, or they may not pack it at all. In my area I'm known as the "picky" rigger.:)>:( There are riggers around that will pack old military stuff that I won't (1950's:S), stuff with wear or damage that I won't pack, stuff that is truely outdated in terms of safety, and ocasionaly in appropriately sized gear. The point is just because one rigger packed it, doesn't mean another will. Some riggers choose not to work on certain kinds of gear, no matter the condition or age.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

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Or, like the rigger who gave me a 1400' reserve total (pulled at 1700') "Anything opens at a (insert appropriate white rural dialect) hunnerd twunty mull pah howr" :o:P

This was the same guy who stopped counting his reserve rides at 39, just like Jack Benny. And I'm not kidding. And he didn't do CRW!;)

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

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I always tell customers they are welcome to watch their reserve being packed but the inspection is boring and they'll actually get a better pack job if I'm not distracted.



I think customers should be proactive with the maintenance, meaning, be there to see all the work done. The better they know their gear, the better they will trust it.

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Time could easily be 1 day to 2 months depending on the circumstances. The longest time I had on a rig was 2months. If everything goes smoothly the whole interaction between client/gear could easily be less than 2 hours of time for doing the very basic inspection and packing of the reserve. Add on assembly, washing rig, reline, repair, aad issues, etc. will take longer time obviously.

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Thanks for the info! I dropped my rig off two Saturdays ago, and it will be ready tomorrow...which is the date I gave them (couldn't jump last week) when I gave it to them. So, I'm a happy camper. I would have liked to watch him repack the reserve, but it didn't work out this time. I was able to hang in the harness and pop the reserve before I gave it to them, so that was nice. And no, I don't want my rigger to rush anything! This will be the second repack for my rig, the first was the pre-purchase inspection/repack, and now this one. I'm still a newb, but I'm trying to get to know as many people as I can, as fast as I can.
Burn the land and boil the sea,
You can't take the sky from me.

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bout a week like everyone else said. Make buddies with your rigger, they will hook you up with quicker turn around and such



For really quick turn around date your riggers wife
Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

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bout a week like everyone else said. Make buddies with your rigger, they will hook you up with quicker turn around and such



For really quick turn around date your riggers wife

Ooooo there's a song about that! It's in the Cock Chorus song book.

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Two hours isn't too bad, i only have 16 pack jobs as an apprentice and it only takes me about two hours on a rig and canopy that i am somewhat familiar with (aka. javelin or mirage and a PD reserve)
AAD's taking Darwin out of the equation... Hook tunrs putting Darwin back in

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Two hours isn't too bad, i only have 16 pack jobs as an apprentice and it only takes me about two hours on a rig and canopy that i am somewhat familiar with (aka. javelin or mirage and a PD reserve)



I have over a 150 pack job. Just the packing part takes me about 3 to 4 hours. Inspection to close nears 6 hours for me
"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

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I always tell customers they are welcome to watch their reserve being packed but the inspection is boring and they'll actually get a better pack job if I'm not distracted.



I tell folks pretty much the same thing... they're welcome to watch and I'll be glad to explain things as they go, but it will take longer... also... if they want to "help", I charge triple... ;)


Quote


This was the same guy who stopped counting his reserve rides at 39, just like Jack Benny. And I'm not kidding.



Wow! Just 11 more and under the old rules, he could have got his reserve B-License. :D

39 reserve rides... was this guy a jumper, like, since the beginning of time, or just a really shitty packer?
:D:S

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I have over a 150 pack job. Just the packing part takes me about 3 to 4 hours. Inspection to close nears 6 hours for me



Damn... I thought I was slow! :P

Here's how it goes for me

15 minutes moving furniture out of the way and vaccuming carpet.

20 minutes reviewing instructions and looking for service bulletins.

1 hour or so of inspection (if I don't find anything wrong)

1-2 hours of packing (1 for Javelins, 2 for pretty much anything else).

30 minutes of doing paperwork, sealing the reserve, hooking up the main canopy, lubing cutaway cables, flexing 3 rings, replacing main closing loop, counting tools, moving furniture back, etc...

Be nice to your rigger, we do a little more than just a straight reserve I&R. :)

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