Who's raised their CYPRES 2 firing altitude?

[pchapman 261]

mcstain

Following this logic, if airborne mode is activated at 2150ft, then it will also deactivate at 2150ft on the descent. This seems to suggest that in this situation, programming a negative altitude correction would result in a disarmed AAD at the altitude that it is designed to fire.

I think the answer is that the 150 ft level above takeoff arming isn't an instant thing. For example, there's the drawing in the manual saying that the plane shouldn't fly more than 100 seconds in the range + or - 150 from takeoff.

Even that isn't totally clear, but the idea is that if one lingers for a long time at a pressure close to where one was on the ground, then it decides it is on the ground again.

So if one is takes off on a plateau and lands in a valley, under canopy you'll pass from +150 ft to -150 in under 30 seconds even with a very slow canopy in brakes. The Vigil won't turn off, and would still fire if you then chopped but didn't pull your reserve (assuming you have time to accelerate fast enough).

Also, the 150 ft no fire zone (which doesn't actually have a proper name from Vigil) above the set LZ height, still applies. As was said, that disarming is a different 150 ft disarming compared to the airborne mode turning off, and that level does move when setting a negative altitude correction.

@skydivesg:
Hope you're telling Vigil what kind of confusion can result from a combination of complex devices and manuals that aren't written carefully. We've got a bunch of posters here who are putting a reasonable effort into understanding things, and it is still taking forever for us to try to hash out a common understanding. Inadequate terminology is a problem too -- there are two different 150ft levels that don't have good ways to refer to them.

[Skydivesg 6]

I agree - and what you just wrote @ me was sent to Vigil 60 seconds ago.

And they are listening. And I'm hopeful the new manual will be more clear.

Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

[Bolas 5]

It sounds as if on a Vigil when a positive altitude adjustment is made, the airborne mode altitude is not changed, hence why they say turn off the device after landing at the higher landing area. However, when a negative altitude adjustment is made, the airborne altitude is also lowered by the same amount.

Two different subroutines in the code?

[champu 1]

I would caution against making assumptions about the inner workings of software written by someone else based on what you or I might find to be prudent/reasonable.

I'm much less concerned with clarification of the airborne mode behavior (which, if misunderstood when making activation alt. adjustments, could result in an individual's AAD not firing when they would have wanted it to... too bad for them) than I am with activation altitudes above arming altitudes and above altitudes where pressure changes routinely occur during aircraft operations (which, if misunderstood when making activation alt. adjustments, could result in an individual's AAD firing when they don't want it to... too bad for them... and you... and me... and anyone else in the plane.)

[mcstain 0]

Skydivesg

I'm not ignoring your post but as I just mentioned in the post above, I would like to address setting a Vigil to activate at a higher altitude for the vast majority of jumpers who take off and land at the same location/elevation.

In an attempt to keep confusion to a minumum, I suggest we disuss your scenario in another thread.

But again, lets wait for the new Vigil manual.

Point taken. Perhaps we should get a mod to move our posts to a new thread regardless, as the original topic is related to Cypres 2, not the Vigil...

pchapman

@skydivesg:
Hope you're telling Vigil what kind of confusion can result from a combination of complex devices and manuals that aren't written carefully. We've got a bunch of posters here who are putting a reasonable effort into understanding things, and it is still taking forever for us to try to hash out a common understanding. Inadequate terminology is a problem too -- there are two different 150ft levels that don't have good ways to refer to them.

Might not be a bad idea to direct the Vigil reps to the two recent threads in which these discussions have been playing out:

Current thread: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=4621027

Similar thread in Gear and Rigging forum: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4617303

[Skydivesg 6]

mcstain

Might not be a bad idea to direct the Vigil reps to the two recent threads in which these discussions have been playing out:

I have been making certain they are aware of this and other threads and have been giving them my perspective on all of this. They have been quite receptive to my input.

They are taking this new manual very seriously.

Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

[Skydivesg 6]

Bolas

It sounds as if on a Vigil when a positive altitude adjustment is made, the airborne mode altitude is not changed, hence why they say turn off the device after landing at the higher landing area. However, when a negative altitude adjustment is made, the airborne altitude is also lowered by the same amount.

Two different subroutines in the code?

You are basically correct in your assumptions however, let me clarify something. This is where I hope they use two different terms in the new manual.

I'm going to use a term that many in skydiving use, even though it is not currently in the Vigil manual. (based on my suggestions, I hope that is about to change) The term is: "disarm altitude".

When a negative altitude adjustment is made, the disarm altitude is also lowered by the same amount as the negative correction.

I.E. - I take off at 1500 feet MSL which is my "ground zero" and land at 600 MSL so - I turn on the Vigil at the take off spot and adjust the altitude to minus 900 feet.

This means that after I take off in the plane and as I climb through 150 above "ground zero" (1650 feet MSL) the Vigil goes into active "Airborne Mode".

It is set with a minus 900 feet altitude correction so it will still fire or "Activate" at the normal altitude above the new landing zone because I told it I'm landing 900 feet lower than where I took off.

The new "disarm altitude" will now be 750 MSL (in other words) 150 feet above the landing zone which is 600 MSL?

With this altitude correction for the new lower landing zone, the firing (Activation Altitude) is still 840 feet above the ground at the new landing zone. It knows this because I told it so, using the "Altitude Correction".

Please let me know if this makes sense. Sometimes when you are writing something it make perfect sense to the author but is confusing as hell to the reader. I hope that's not the case here.

Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.