aad's

[atsaubrey 0]

what is the difference and advantage/disadvantage of a fxc instead of a cypress? i was jumping a rig with a fxc and it didnt look too "up to date".

"GOT LEAD?"

[winsor 187]

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what is the difference and advantage/disadvantage of a fxc instead of a cypress? i was jumping a rig with a fxc and it didnt look too "up to date".

For students an FXC 12000 is cheap and, by and large, better than nothing. When the FXC was the only game in town, you would not see an experienced skydiver use one in anything but the most unusual circumstances. Their level of technological sophistication is abysmal, and they can open anywhere between breakoff and impact according to their whim.

The Astra, made by FXC, is but an electronic realization of the mechanical kludge that is the 12000. It is the gold standard for "artificial stupidity."

The CYPRES is the first of the modern AADs. After over a decade it appears there is some competition; until now the CYPRES was the sole occupant of its niche.

The CYPRES is in another league w.r.t. operational reliability, and is much more expensive. Where people might question the sanity of an up jumper using anything made by FXC, going without a CYPRES is considered bad planning in much of the skydiving community these days.

If you're going to open HIGH, an FXC is okay, I suppose. Just be well versed in your procedures for an inadvertent deployment of the reserve and you should be fine.


Blue skies,

Winsor

[jerry81 10]

I don't think the FXC has many advantages over the Cypres. It's a spring loaded mechanism that pulls the pin on the reserve (or on a main). It can be armed again in a few seconds without having to replace any parts (like the Cypres cutter), so I guess using them on student gear makes sense as far as finances go. That is, if we assume aad fires are more frequent with students. Otoh, an FXC won't open the reserve if the pin gets stuck (bent, broken) in some way. Also, they tend to be less accurate and often fire a little above the set altitude (take this incident for example-the FXC was set for 1000 but fired a bit below 1500 feet). I think they have to be checked regularly just like the Cypres.

I've seen a few FXC saves (and some activations that weren't really saves, but anyway) so I can say it does work as it's supposed to, but if you want an aad in your rig, the Cypres is a better choice by far. (who would have thought, huh?)

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[councilman24 36]

Hey Winsor,

Tell us what you really think. Of course I pretty much agree. On interesting note is that at the US Airforce Academy they have about 350 Rigging Innovations rigs with DUAL FXC 12000's. One for the main and one for the reserve. These are still left over from all most before cypres era and they are their own FXC service shop. They'd like to change but it's a lot of dollars.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[Tonto 1]

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I don't think the FXC has many advantages over the Cypres.

Seriously - The FXC was the reason I never wore an AAD in those days. I wear one now.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[ernokaikkonen 0]

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Their level of technological sophistication is abysmal, and they can open anywhere between breakoff and impact according to their whim.

That's pretty harsh. The FXCs used at my home DZ work just fine; It's a good piece of equipment as long as it's used and maintained properly. I don't recall any problems with them(except the ones we had after they were serviced and a washer was replaced incorrectly).

I wonder if the models used in the States are the same ones used in Europe? Or if the bad name the FXC has in the States is due to the older/un-updated models misfiring? The latest revision works quite well as far as I know.

[PhreeZone 15]

FXC 12000's are up to a "J" revision. The early revisions were more problematic then the more current versions. Nice thing is the revisions should be applied at the maintence windows.

Bad thing to the FXC is you need a pressure chamber to test the FXC at each repack to be legal.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[riggerrob 561]

Yes, the early FXC 12000s were a bit crude and sometimes fired above their set altitude.
On the other hand, the J and M versions that we use are 99% reliable. These days the majority of "misfires" occur below 2,500 feet.

We have FXC 12000s installed in 12 of our student rigs. Cypres are installed in 4 rental rigs and all our tandems. Yes the test chamber is a nuisance, but I would not trust an FXC that had not been through a chamber test at its last repack.

All that being said, FXCs are big and clunky and work just fine for students. But if you are buying new, get a Cypres.