johnmatrix 21 #26 October 4, 2011 Quote Any chance of resurrecting the Nasgull? Is this some other old gear, or just a LOTR reference? (nothing wrong with LOTR references obviously!) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aj4218 0 #27 October 4, 2011 Forgot I stiil had this - an original Comet brochure! The cover is a shot of the late Frank Donnellan, BASE #12, at Netheravon. Chuck used it for the brochure and gave me one of his custom wallets as payment. The things he used to keep and that wheelchair ... Al Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,343 #28 October 4, 2011 Hi Al, Quotegave me one of his custom wallets as payment. He started out making wallets in his garage; the women would show up in the morning, cut & sew, and then go home. The US Social Security folks dropped by one day and said that anyone working on his premises was an employee ( he had them as private contractors ). So he moved the sewing machines into their homes, then he had a truck that would go around each morning & deliver raw fabric, etc & pickup the finished goods from the day(s) before. I visited him one time & he had just landed a contract with DisneyLand for something like 50,000 wallets. He was very busy. JerryBaumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andrewhilton 1 #29 October 31, 2011 I acquired a Comet and matching rig this weekend for the collection. The canopy is a Comet 228 ; the rig I think is a Pigmee and has markings from both Parachutes Australia and Embury Sky Systems on it. Some pics attached, not jumped it yet. Anyone notice anything odd about the rig? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pchapman 279 #30 October 31, 2011 Pull left! Pull right! Must have been that short period of time when companies hadn't yet standardized. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,343 #31 October 31, 2011 Hi Peter, Quote Must have been that short period of time when companies hadn't yet standardized. Nope, things were 'standardized' back in '64 when the CrossBow rig came on the market. It is that there are some of us ( me included ) that believe that the handles should be as shown on that rig for someone who is right-handed. We have just not been able to convince people to go along with us. Something about whistling in the wind. JerryBaumchen PS) I did notice that the risers on the rig are of the 1-leg type. They were quite popular/fairly standard in the days of round reserves. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dudeman17 324 #32 October 31, 2011 Quote Quote Any chance of resurrecting the Nasgull? Is this some other old gear, or just a LOTR reference? (nothing wrong with LOTR references obviously!) I had to google LOTR to see what you meant by that, haha. Never read any of those books or saw any of the movies. BUT, the Nasgull was another (experimental) canopy that Bill Gargano was working on in that time frame (early 80's). Supposedly it flew at like 60 mph, and the few times it was test jumped it was flown, cut away and not landed. Bill described it as looking "like a malfunctioning Paradactyl". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andrewhilton 1 #33 October 31, 2011 Well spotted. No one ever wanted to borrow this rig. I think the handle configuration may have come from the fact that this rig was seemingly originally built with a single handle SOS system ; in configuring it back to having seperate handles on opposite sides, I'm speculating that a lazy / easy option was taken by whoever did the conversion and the cutaway system was left as it was with the reserve handle conversion added to the non-standard side. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dudeman17 324 #34 October 31, 2011 QuoteI acquired a Comet and matching rig this weekend for the collection. The canopy is a Comet 228 ; the rig I think is a Pigmee and has markings from both Parachutes Australia and Embury Sky Systems on it. Some pics attached, not jumped it yet. Anyone notice anything odd about the rig? Wow, stretch the memory banks, but I know that rig! Bill Gargano traded rights with PA so they could build his canopies there and he could build their rigs here. That blue/brown one you have was part of a set he built for a team we formed back then. And yeah, the cutaway/reserve handles could be in any of three configurations: SOS, normal or reversed like yours seems to be. And I would strongly suggest that you have that canopy stress tested before you jump it. IIRC, there was a problem with a particular batch of that light blue material and it's integrity wasn't holding up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andrewhilton 1 #35 October 31, 2011 This rig and main has been in Scotland since bought in Perris new in the early 80s......and the main was used for about 500 jumps over the years, I hope it'll hold for a few more with me under it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimjumper 25 #36 October 31, 2011 The book "Skies Call 3" has a nice photo of a 2 stack over China and you can read the the Comet logo on the end cells of both canopies. The credits say that Andy Keech took the photo. (pg. 89) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
councilman24 37 #37 November 1, 2011 In 1982 I bought a new Northen Lite. I wanted a right hand throw out, and left hand cutaway and a right hand reserve. At the time, like you, I thought the reserve should be your strong hand and also alternating hands wasn't a bad thing. They built me a COMPLETELY opposite rig with a left hand throw out. What the hell I kept it. I also had another Northern Lite that was a 'normal' rig with right hand throw out AND a Crossbow rig with a right hand main ripcord. I jumped all three interchangably. At the Nationals Boogie gear check in 1983 it might have been Bagley doing it. Anyway whoever it was, I showed them the left hand rig first. They asked "you left handed?" I said nope. They just looked confused. Then I gave them the right hand rig. The comment? "your going to kill yourself!" I was throwing a lot of static line students so used all three rigs in a row. (the crossbow was a had a PC main) I only reached the wrong way once. And only moved my hand a few inches before realizing I was moving the wrong hand and switched.I converted the left hand rig to 'normal' before I sold it. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
johnmatrix 21 #38 November 1, 2011 Quote I had to google LOTR to see what you meant by that, haha. Never read any of those books or saw any of the movies. BUT, the Nasgull was another (experimental) canopy that Bill Gargano was working on in that time Awesome, thanks! - it's actually spelled 'Nazgul' in the books but from I can see the Hobbit was also his design as well. Sounds like Mr Gargano had good taste in literature. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rover 11 #39 November 1, 2011 There was a container from that era called a Rapid Transit that had its handles in that configuration.2 wrongs don't make a right - but 3 lefts do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,343 #40 November 1, 2011 Hi Rover, Quote There was a container from that era called a Rapid Transit that had its handles in that configuration. They would do that on request IIRC. And that was because Silly was a 'believer' in that configurtion; as I am. JerryBaumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trae 1 #41 November 3, 2011 in reply to "Anybody ever owned or jumped a Comet?" ................................. What a great canopy . I've still got a fresh one stored nicely. My original ( an ozzy X228 ) gave me over 1000 openings without fail although it got a bit porous over time. The champ CRW guys were using them at the time and if you had one you got to go on all sorts of CRW pioneering records. 8 stacks for me with a couple of hundred jumps and 18 years old ....wow life was good. (thank you 'Plane Scared' for the incedible memories ) Wouldn't've happened if I'd bought a Cruislite or Unit. A Comet/X228 was/is good for cliff soaring and mine gave me many 100's of flights and free hours in the air. There was a cliff a few miles from home that was good in any easterly over 15 knots, 20knots perfect. In nil wind it was possible to get inflation and launch for a 150ft accuracy approach down to the sand. The CRW guys were doing practice crossovers and stacks off the cliff. The current base canopies owe a lot to this type of parachute, cause they were just so reliable and true all rounders and gave base jumpers something they could rely on. Might get mine out take it down the cliff again Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonybrogdon 0 #42 November 10, 2011 I had a Comet 228 Great Canopy. Bought it from Jimmy Davis in a Handbury rig I sold it to Jim kinopa and he sold it to older son MikeTony Brogdon D-12855 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
johnmatrix 21 #43 September 17, 2012 I just did 3 jumps on one of these for the hell of it and am limping already. If I come in on front risers am I going to get more lift in the flare, or am I just going to pound in faster? Aside from the landings, I like it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
