Problem with Mirage G4 – can anyone help?

[rslavick 0]

I want to start by saying that my Mirage G4 container ordered a few months ago is awesome! I absolutely love everything about it and would tell anyone getting new gear to seriously consider Mirage; now here is the kicker…

I ordered two containers, one for myself and one for my wife. Our containers were to fit a Pilot 150, we are nearly the same size but for some reason her container is a “short”. Now the problem is that her container simply doesn’t fit a Pilot 150 (this is not my opinion, it’s a fact from several packers at Perris Valley as well as the manager of the gear store).

It took four weeks to make this container and have it shipped to us; we’ve been waiting FIVE WEEKS to get it fixed.

My understanding is that it’s going back and forth between Aerodyne (our canopy manufacture) and Mirage (our containers manufacture).

Any ideas or suggestions???

Thanks all!
- Ron

[virgin-burner 1]

only four weeks to get it, and five to get it fixed? well, i'd say you're one lucky guy there..

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[Spatula 0]

Well, how long did they tell you it could take to fix? Have you contacted your dealer to inquire, or perhaps speak with the good folks @ Mirage? Start there, and you will probably find your answer.

[marinho 0]

Hi,
Sorry to hear you're having problems with your new gear.
Here is the steps you should follow:
1 - Contact the dealer you made your purchase.
2 - Contact Mirage for more details.
You can reach Ward Wessig from mirage at: [email protected] or 386-740-9222
Aerodyne (the maker of pilots) has nothing to do with the sizing of your container.
Good luck and post back the results of your experience dealing with that. It can help other skydivers!
Cheers,

Gus Marinho

[wardhessig 0]

We do certainly apologize for the length of time it has taken to get this resolved but rest assured we are working diligently on finding a solution to your problem and making sure you end up a happy customer.

We were contacted by Square 1 who is the dealer in this particular instance who told us of this problem. We received the rig to measure the volume of the main tray and to also do some pack studies on this certain container to be sure that it was not a problem with the container itself.

The container is well within specifications and should hold a pilot 150 with ease. We were speaking with Aerodyne to get another Pilot 150 to pack into the container in comparison but that has taken some time to get coordinated. We have packed a Sabre 2 170, spectre 170, sabre 2 150 inside of this container with ease so we are quite certain that the problem lies with the bulk of the canopy.

As you may know, occasionally there are some mystery bulk issues with different canopies due to fabric, construction, and because of several other scenarios.

We do believe that this is the case on this particular container. I personally drove to Tampa to meet my good friend Karl from Aerodyne on it last week and we are now sending the canopy to them to measure the canopy and it's volume.

Once they are finished with it they will send it back to Square 1 with their findings and with their solution but it is definately a canopy issue and not a problem with our container volume.

We would be more than happy to build a new container for the customer if it were our issue but unfortunately the new container would fit this canopy exactly the same way that the current rig does.

You are correct that Aerodyne has nothing to do with the sizing of their container but they do have a little to do with the size and bulk of the canopy.

I'm sure Square 1 and Aerodyne will be able to make sure you end up satisfied with the outcome.

Please feel free to contact me with any concerns.
Blues
Ward

[rslavick 0]

What I do not understand is that we’ve already tried packing two different Pilot 150 canopies into this container, my wife’s which was manufactured around June 07 and the Pilot 150 rental from Square 1 that must have been manufactured prior to Dec 2006. – They both seem to fit the d-bag correctly but neither of them fit into the container.

So you see why I really don’t think this is a random bulk issue with one canopy – if that is the case the Pilot 150 has had a larger than expected pack volume for the last 10-months and I would imagine that they would not fit into the d-bag correctly – maybe you can help me understand this a little better.

We also noticed that the main tray seemed noticeably smaller when visually compared to my container – this might be because it is a ‘short’ but please help me understand this too.

The bottom line is that it’s been 5-weeks now and we still don’t have a solution on the table, I think it’s more than reasonable for me to ask that we have a solution by the end of this week.

Thanks for your time and attention to this matter; you guys make a great container so please help us get this resolved as timely as possible.

- Ron

[Spatula 0]

Just my opinion but, why are you not resolving this via email and phone calls versus over a thread on dz.com? Report the problem and resolution when you have one. But you just airing dirty laundry at this point.

[rslavick 0]

Mirage is awesome, I received an email today explaining all of the details to our situation and long story short we got the problem resolved… thank you everyone for you help!

[BETO74 0]

Yes get Vector container and a PD canopy!!!! problem solve lets move to the next question

http://web.mac.com/ac057a/iWeb/AC057A/H0M3.html

[DeNReN 0]

Quote

Mirage is awesome, I received an email today explaining all of the details to our situation and long story short we got the problem resolved… thank you everyone for you help!

Well now I would like to know what the issue is/was......is it with the container sizing of the main tray etc or a canopy bulk issue???

Considering most containers can go up and down a size from what they are built for having a "no fit" problem seems quite odd.

What is/was the problem??

[kaerodyne 0]

Quote

Yes get Vector container and a PD canopy!!!! problem solve lets move to the next question

There seems to be one in every class.

[Unstable 8]

I thought I'd chime in with a few things to say about Mirage Sys.


About 7 months ago, a Friend brought me a Brand Spanking New G3 he bought from a Dealer down at a Boogie in Florida. The thing was a nightmare, at no Fault to The manufacturer. The dealer assured him it would fit the reserve he just bought (a Smart 150, I believe...) and gave him a killer deal (Don't quote me, but Methinks the new rig for around $1,200) Anyways, come time to assemble and pack, and there was no bloody way that reserve was going into that container. I checked it online, and by one measurement it was 3in^3 too small, and by one 8in^3 in the green. I give it a go after talking to Mirage, and Ward, with some followup, helped us work through the oddly sized container. Also, the dealer included a "slightly Used" and VERY bent Ripcord pin, to which Ward, without asking a question, sent a new one.


I guess If I'm going to have an order messed up by a dealer, I hope it's on a Mirage!!

=========Shaun ==========

[pjc 0]

Out of interest - what size container and reserve ?(also is there an aad?)

I've had a pilot 150 in a Mirage G4/M4 with a PDR 163 (although this was a little on the loose side) and I reckon it would go into my M1 at a squeeze (with PDR 143) both rigs are/were Cypres fitted.

[marks2065 0]

Hi Ron, thanks for posting that things got fixed, however i would like to know what ended up being the real issue, what did they do to fix the problem? thanks

[Jeffrey 0]

marks2065 ,

Let me try to explain this without getting all technical. It is my understanding (for example purposes) that the Pilot 150 should pack very close to the same size as a Sabre2 150 and to my knowledge it has been. This one dose not.

I personally inspected the container in question and found it to be in spec. We then put a reserve in it to test the main container with the many other comparable 150’s and 170’s we have known to work and all worked with no problems. But this Pilot wouldn’t come close to fitting. This rig will soon end up becoming someone’s favorite rig, I promise you.

To date we have supplied many Mirages for customers with Pilot main canopy’s including the above mentioned combination with no problems reported that I know of. But when something like this happens, the rules go out the window and the customer comes first and that is what’s happening now.

Jeff

[marks2065 0]

with trying 2 different pilot 150 canopys and niether fitting i would asume that this pack tray is smaller then the other container - what was the fix for the the problem ?

[drjump 0]

Out of curiosity did anybody check the Pilot 150 to see if it was properly tagged with correct size?