Can any riggers identify this Talon container please?

[humanflite 0]

I have been offered this container by a distant contact and the person who is selling is pretty clueless as to its exact model etc

heres a few pictures of it,

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv307/blueones22/2.jpg
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv307/blueones22/1.jpg
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv307/blueones22/3.jpg
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv307/blueones22/4.jpg

What I have been told about it is that its a T5 container,(150sq ft main) and he believes it has been used for crew.. which would make sense looking at the graphics on the container.

Im trying to ID what model of talon it is and he has no idea...

Is it the Talon 1?
I was wanting a cRew rig or at least a cheap, reliable spare rig and Im not sure if its worth buying to put into stock so to speak?

Harness Size wise it should fit ok.

Is it cheap to replace the soft housings (for hard ones) for the cutaway? (as in do RI sell them)
What are your thoughts please?

[monkycndo 0]

I have a Talon of the same vintage. It seemed to be a bit of a hybrid between the T1 and T2. Mine has the BOC cover flap they only installed for a short time. My rigger replaced the soft housings. Don't remember the cost. It currently has about 800 jumps on it. Now it is just a backup rig. I have used it for CRW, RW and WS. It can be used for FF, but just make sure the walrus teeth on the main cover flap are in good condition and you install the ghetto keeper(rubberband) on the reserve cover flap. Only do this with help from someone that knows how to install it so it doesn't hinder a reserve deployment.

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[hookitt 0]

Talon 2

It's a good rig. My old Talon 2 is still in use at Skydive Sacramento by the owner of the place. If the price is right, get it. Get the full hard housings. They're not that much to replace.

Good luck

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[sprtdth 0]

It's an old Ghost Rider (a CRW team from Perris) rig.
Maybe call Sandy Reid (Rigging Innovators) and ask him.

CRW Skies
Frank
CRW Diva #58

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

Likely a Talon 2, but possibly a Talon 94, kinda an in-between the Talon and Talon 2.

Have you tried contacting Rigging Innovations with the details on the container (i.e. DOM, S/N, etc.) to try get more info?

The color of the container and the art-work on the back make me believe it is (was) one of the Ghost Rider's rigs / CRW Team that used to jump at Perris a lot. Chris Judas (sp?) was one of them, but I cannot recall who the other team members were. You can possibly search around here and find out.

I have a Talon 94 of similar vintage that I put a butt load of jumps on, but have recently retired. Good rig in my opinion.

Like others have said, it looks like the rig you posted pictures of still has the soft cable housings. You'll likely want to replace them with hard-housings. Its a pretty easy mod and relatively cheap. RI used to offer a "hybrid" hard-housing mod where you kept the soft ends, but replaced the portion of the cut-away cable housing around the yoke with hard cable housings. OR A full-up hard-housing mod where everything from where the cut-away pud to the business ends are hard-housings. I'd bet that's all you can get these days.

Good luck! Let us know what you find out.

[nate25 0]

I just put hard housings in mine. they are really inexpensive. its my first rig but I love it
RI is great to work with. they can tell you what other safety mods are out there for it too

[riggerrob 558]

Best answer to date.

It is a '94 Talon built for the Perris Ghostriders canopy formation team. Ghostriders included: Albert Champagne, Bret T. and the late Jerry McAuley (sp?). It is size "T5" for a Raven 150 reserve. The riser covers are extra-wide to cover bulky CF risers. Pockets - for lead weights - are sewn into the main pack tray.
Soft housings for 3-Ring releases are no big deal as long as you install cables correctly. Sadly, the average skydiver is not bright enough to install cables correctly, so you will probably convert this rig to full metal housings. Just ask Rigging Innovations to supply the flexible metal housings.

Talon 1 is a vastly different design with six reserve flaps, more like a Vector 1.

Flexon shares the hip rings and BOC cover.

'94 Talon incorporates all the advances of Flexon with simplified, trough-style riser covers.

Talon 2 is just '94 Talon with the bugs worked out.

[humanflite 0]

Quote

Best answer to date.

It is a '94 Talon built for the Perris Ghostriders canopy formation team. Ghostriders included: Albert Champagne, Bret T. and the late Jerry McAuley (sp?). It is size "T5" for a Raven 150 reserve. The riser covers are extra-wide to cover bulky CF risers. Pockets - for lead weights - are sewn into the main pack tray.
Soft housings for 3-Ring releases are no big deal as long as you install cables correctly. Sadly, the average skydiver is not bright enough to install cables correctly, so you will probably convert this rig to full metal housings. Just ask Rigging Innovations to supply the flexible metal housings.

Talon 1 is a vastly different design with six reserve flaps, more like a Vector 1.

Flexon shares the hip rings and BOC cover.

'94 Talon incorporates all the advances of Flexon with simplified, trough-style riser covers.

Talon 2 is just '94 Talon with the bugs worked out.

Thanks guys for all your input

Some golden info here

Riggerrob/ Thanks.
Sounds like its worth a punt to me....

I might even use the soft housings to prove your theory wrong

Is the Talon 94 OLDER or newer than the Talon 1?

And the 10 million dollar question - would you all be happy to jump it..? I would going on what Ive read so far!

[airgord 1]

What Riggerrob said. If you want to know more send us an email.
[email protected]. Give the serial number and we can even tell you who it was orignally built for. The hard housing mod is a cinch for any rigger to do and my personal opinion is to get that done just to keep other jumpers from freaking out about the "evil soft housings".
Let us know if we can help you on the purchase.

[riggerrob 558]

"Is the Talon 94 OLDER or newer than the Talon 1?"

Talon 1 pre-dates '94 Talon. I forget the exact date (before I started working for Riggiing Innovations), but back in the mid-1980s. R.I.'s first product was the "original Talon" wiht six reserve flaps, etc. Some people joked that it was just a short, fat, West Coast version of a Vector.
We used to tease Sandy by telling him that the Talon1 was his worst business decision, because they were so durable that we could not sell newer Talons to owners of original Talons, because original Talons were so durable.

"And the 10 million dollar question - would you all be happy to jump it..? I would going on what Ive read so far!

[humanflite 0]

Quote

What Riggerrob said. If you want to know more send us an email.
[email protected]. Give the serial number and we can even tell you who it was orignally built for. The hard housing mod is a cinch for any rigger to do and my personal opinion is to get that done just to keep other jumpers from freaking out about the "evil soft housings".
Let us know if we can help you on the purchase.

Thanks airgord. Will send you guys an email
Riggerrob/
Thanks again

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

Quote

...the hard housing mod is a cinch for any rigger to do and my personal opinion is to get that done just to keep other jumpers from freaking out about the "evil soft housings".

Yeah, I hear that.

Anyway, the Talon 94 I have, I had the "hybrid" hard housing mod done where only the part across the yoke was replaced with a hard cable housing and the soft-ends remain. Had that done at R.I. shortly before R.I. moved from near Perris to Eloy. Subsequent to that, I had one cut-away (SBOS Mal on the main) and reserve ride on that rig in that configuration... obviously worked.

[chrisjudice 0]

The Ghostriders at the time of those rigs were: Jerry McCauley, Bret Townley, Mick Zullo, Ron York and Chris Judice... We won Gold in Rotation and 8 way speed (with Team Infinity) in 1996 wearing those rigs.