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Nigel Kirby

Rig 'MOT' prior to sale

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Hi all, 

Firstly, hope this is the right forum for this, @Admin, if this is wrong, apologies. 

Old time, low level jumper (2000 - 2012), who hasn't jumped in a decade. Folly of youth bought a rig and I am now looking to sell it on. To note, this is not yet a classified. 

My query is, with the rig still being in very good condition (line set, canopy etc after approx. 100 jumps.) I would like to get a rigger to give it an inspection and I guess a type of certificate or statement of quality which I can then use to create a classifieds add and a reasonable price. The AAD (Cypress 2) is out of its life warranty and with the rig being in a cupboard for 10 years the reserve spring is possibly gone but if i'm honest I just don't know. 

I am based in the UK, learnt to jump at Nethers, did some jumping in France, Spain and New Zealand and have been out of the scene for a decade as noted above. Can anyone recommend a Rigger/company that may facilitate this?

I would also be looking and selling all my other apparel (possibly in part but also as a whole sale job lot?). I need to dig out all the specifics but in short Voodoo rig (V3 size, fits 135 - 170), Safire (I) 149 main; Smart PD 169 (I think) reserve, photos and other details (once I find them) can be provided.

Hope someone can point me in the right direction.

Regards

Nigel Kirby

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Getting a used rig inspected before it sells is normal procedure. Usually the inspection is done by a rigger trusted by the buyer. If it is a long-distance sale, then the rigger often acts as a neutral broker, inspecting the rig, doing any repairs and holding the rig until the money changes hands. When I rigged for Square One Parachute Sales (Perris Valley, California) I inspected dozens of second-hand rigs that were being sold one consignment.

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After only 100 jumps, we expect little wear on a parachute. Any damage is likely to be caused by sloppy packing or sliding landings. Only a rigger can confirm those types of wear.

I expect your pilot chute spring will still be airworthy. Yes, Rigging Innovations had a problem with their first batch of pilot chute springs (labelled Talon or Skyhook) back during the 1980s, but most of those were replaced for free by the factory during the 1990s. By the mid-1990s, R.I. had sub-contracted Dennis Trepannier to make all of their pilot chute springs and those springs proved durable. Trepannier made springs are powder-coated black (Talon 1 or Telesis 1) or red (Flexon, Talon 2, Voodoo, Aviator and later Telesis). Hint: I worked in customer service at R.I. during the mid-1990s. 

I recently repacked a decade old Voodoo and the spring still had more than 30 pounds of force.

For comparison, the old MIL SPEC for MA-1 pilot chute springs required a minimum of 18 pounds force to compress it to within 1 inch of full compression. Most modern pilot-chutes are in the 30 to 40 pound range.

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