Tandem rig rental?

[velocityphoto 0]

Did a search but didnt find anything .
What would be the bottom line price for tandem rig rentals to maintain them, any ideas? I have 2 vectors.

A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................

[slotperfect 7]

Go to the UPT website and look up the recommended replacement interval for the listed components. Then look up the price for those components. Divide the recommended replacement jump numer on each component by the price. This gives you component replacement cost per jump. Factor in your periodic reserve repack cost (how is up to you), and you will have your rig rental price.

Arrive Safely

John

[riggerrob 558]

Plan $50 to $70 per jump for packing, inspections, reserve repacks, component replacement and ultimately rig replacement when it wears out.

[koppel 3]

oh I wish

most places in Australia pay between $20-$40 if your lucky but then most will not let you use your own gear. THink of the lost revenue for the DZO

I like my canopy...


...it lets me down.

[mrbiceps 0]

What the manufacturer recommends and what actually happens in the real world are 2 very different things. That is why saying a tandem rig costs u $50-70 per jump is a false economy. I looked into it a while ago and saw that the manufacturer recommended that u throw the main in the bin at 1000 jumps. Now we all know that there is not a dz in the world that will bin a tandem canopy after 1000 jumps. So while on paper $50-$70 per jump looks dandy no way does it really cost that in the real world.

[chris74 0]

Hello birds,
I personnaly own 2 tandem rigs ( 1 Sigma & 1 V2 ) but sometimes rent an other one for 25 us$. it is the common price for it in France .
Blue sky
Chris

[tkhayes 124]

sorry to correct you, but we bin our mains after about 1000 jumps, that is all they are good for. line sets every 400 or so jumps and by the third line set those canopies are trashed.

And we charge $65 to rent a tandem rig, including the packing,

So that is our 'real world'

we spend upwards of $2000/year per tandem rig on maintenance. Renting a tandem rig for less than $50 is probably a money losing proposition.

1000 tandems should generate $50,000 or so in profit for the dropzone, otherwise your pricing structure is also messed up. If you cannot afford $5000 of that for maintenance and/or a new main canopy over that time period, then I expect your business needs some level of re-evaluation to see what is working and where your money is going.

[koppel 3]

What you mean is that you don't know any drop-zones in Australia that would retire a main after 1,000 jumps.

There are DZ's in Oz that do a good job of maintenance and others that are stingy with their money. What amazes me is that there are TI's that will jump the gear.

This one has been a big problem with keeping gear good (APF policy) http://hq.apf.asn.au:85/images/e/eb/433A.pdf but I understand that this is being brought into line now as well so things should change

I like my canopy...


...it lets me down.

[timmyfitz 0]

Quote

What the manufacturer recommends and what actually happens in the real world are 2 very different things. That is why saying a tandem rig costs u $50-70 per jump is a false economy. I looked into it a while ago and saw that the manufacturer recommended that u throw the main in the bin at 1000 jumps. Now we all know that there is not a dz in the world that will bin a tandem canopy after 1000 jumps. So while on paper $50-$70 per jump looks dandy no way does it really cost that in the real world.

Are you sure you want to make such a blanket statement such as this considering your limited experience?

[Andrewwhyte 1]

We don't bin our canopies at 1000 jumps. We sell them to dz's where people like you are willing to work.

[riggerrob 558]

I am backing T.K. on this issue.
Pitt Meadows normally retires tandem mains after 1,000 or 1,200 jumps. Remember that Pitt Meadows has a grassy landing area, so canopies last much longer than at desert DZs, because they are not subjected to abbrrassive dust.

By that time, they have been through three line sets and are due for an 8-year inspection at the factory.
The DZO says: "If you have to send a main back for an 8-year inspection, you are in the wrong business."

By 8 years, Strong tandem mains become so porous that they take forever to open and flare like bag-locks, furthermore, they often suffer expensive damage (e.g. a rib torn from nose to tail).

The DZO tried keeping F-111 mains in service after 600 jumps, but they just gathered dust, because none of the full-time TIs wanted to jump them. Now all the F-111 mains gather dust on the back shelves of a hangar.

Any DZO - who would keeps tandem mains in service after 1,200 jumps - has no respect for the ankles of his staff or students. If there is no respect flowing down the chain of command, management cannot ask for respect to flow up the chain of command.

[johnny1488 1]

The Tandem main I have personally put almost 3000 jumps on (Icarus 365) still flies awesome, and you would have to pry it from my rig to get me to fly something else.

My backup rig has a brand new 365 and I don't see too much difference, except for a slightly "crisper" feel in the air, but not enough to make me give up old reliable.

Johnny
--"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!"
Mike Rome

[mrbiceps 0]

Hooray some honest person stops the bullshit and tells us honestly how many jumps goes on a tandem canopy. $50 - $70 per jump , what a joke. I know there are some people going around hiring their tandem rigs out to dropzones for something like $50-$70 per jump which is cool and good luck to them for their little business they have set up BUT they are obviously making money otherwise they wouldn't be doing what they are doing. Im no expert but im going to go out on a limb and say that the real cost of a tandem rig per jump in maintenance and replacement parts is more like less than $20 per jump.

[tkhayes 124]

define the 'real cost' as you put it.

how often do you replace line sets, who does the work. how often do you replace canopies? How often do you inspect and touch up the rigs? Flaps, velcro, handles, knobs, tacking, general condition, washing.

who does that work? Who does 8 year inspections? How much is a reserve repack and what exactly gets done during that interval? How much does that cost? WHat about AAD's and batteries, inspection cycles and costs, who does that work?

And last, who oversees all that to make sure that all that is being done?

I would like to know how you do all that for under $20 per jump. If you have the secret, then please share it with us, because I will save thousands every year on maintenance.

[riggerrob 558]

Agreed!

The last time I calculated the cost-per-jump on a solo rig, it came out to something like $26 per jump (paying retail prices for spare parts and rigging).

Which means that most part-time video-graphers are "giving" their footage to the DZO.

How anyone could keep a tandem rig airworthy for less than $40-some-odd per jump is a mystery to me?????

[stratostar 5]

How many tandem rigs do you own and maintain?

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[timmyfitz 0]

One person agreeing (out of many disagreeing) with you is not vindication that you are right. Nice try though.

[davelepka 4]

Quote

I know there are some people going around hiring their tandem rigs out to dropzones for something like $50-$70 per jump which is cool and good luck to them for their little business they have set up BUT they are obviously making money

Obviously. On the other side of the coin are the people who buy a $15k tandem rig and rent it to a DZ for their actual cost and make no money.

I've got news for you friend, tandem rigs are made to make money. Literally. Everyone in the transaction is making money, the manufacturer, the DZO, the TI, so why not the rig owner?

Maybe it doesn't cost $50 to $70 per jump to maintain a tandem rig. Maybe it's $40 to $60, which is exactly why you charge $50 to $70 to rent it out.

[johnny1488 1]

Im not agreeing, Im just saying I have put many more jumps than was stated was safe or appropriate. More of a real world view. I think the rig should make money. If and when I get to buy one, I will not let it jump for cheap.

Johnny
--"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!"
Mike Rome

[RustyOats 0]

Quote

Agreed!

The last time I calculated the cost-per-jump on a solo rig, it came out to something like $26 per jump (paying retail prices for spare parts and rigging).

Which means that most part-time video-graphers are "giving" their footage to the DZO.

How anyone could keep a tandem rig airworthy for less than $40-some-odd per jump is a mystery to me?????

So you are saying that when I buy my own gear I will be paying $25 per jump to maintain it? Sorry if it's a dumb question but that makes no sense to me.

[peek 20]

Quote

So you are saying that when I buy my own gear I will be paying $25 per jump to maintain it? Sorry if it's a dumb question but that makes no sense to me.

Rob may be making some assumptions and may be stating worst-case costs. You might ask him to provide more detail. It sounds high to me too.

[diablopilot 2]

I believe that $26 per jump includes recouping the initial investment for the rig, something most sport jumpers are not concerned with.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[rhys 0]

Quote

sorry to correct you, but we bin our mains after about 1000 jumps, that is all they are good for. line sets every 400 or so jumps and by the third line set those canopies are trashed.

Can you send those to me, I'll pay the shipping! What type do you use?

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[rhys 0]

Quote

One person agreeing (out of many disagreeing) with you is not vindication that you are right. Nice try though.

Not around here buddy, there are too many outspoken 'jump on the bandwagon, all round online internet good guy, post whores' to justify that rationale.

This is how I work it out and believe me I have 2 brand new micro sigmas and have thought about it quite a bit.

I a betting on 2000 jumps per rig, I expect we will get more than that as 'EVERY PLACE' I have worked for get more than that but lets see what happens;

Sigma + main + reserve + spare drogue + aad = $15k

- 10% discount (just ask)

=

$13500

+ 4 linesets (fitted) @ 500

= 15500 + spare parts @1000

=16500

rigging $1000

= 17500
17500 / 2000 = $8.75 you can still throw another couple of grand at it, risers, patchwork, kill lines, closing loops, rubber bands and keep that below $10 a jump.

There are more extras but I will expect to get 2000 jumps out of a rig in 4 years. So the aad will be carried over to the next rig and so will the reserves, containers should get more than 2000 jumps or you are doing something very wrong so this is quite a conservative estimite.

I would be quite interested to see how the $25+ figure gets calculated because even at only 1000 jumps it still lingers below $20


If someone tells you they 'bin' their canopies at 1000 jumps they are most likley lying.

Many will replace them at that stage and will sell them on to get some funds back which reduces the cost again a little. but to throw a canopy away that only has 1000 jumps is quite idiotic and a waste of valuable recources. Unless (of course) the canopy has been mistreated by a harsh environment or treatment.

A container should last well in exess of 2000 jumps and the reserve should last as long as an AAD.

If you use the reserve too much then you need to re-asses your packers training.

I will challenge those that say they 'bin' thier canopies at 1000 jumps to prove it by sending them to me for inspection, I'll take them out to the trash for ya and pay the postage...

I also challenge those same creatures to put thier budget out there to show us where your maths comes from.

Having said all that, I believe one should make a resonable amount by renting out tandem gear and more than $30 per jump even up to $50 would be feasable. but $70 is excessive.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[tkhayes 124]

Strong requires a trade-in for the very reason of getting these old baffed-out canopies out of circulation.