RogerRamjet 0 #51 November 1, 2007 QuoteI just found these in an old Parachutist, illustrating an "official" Para-Flite story on the Stratostar. A drawing of the canopy and diagrams of the opening sequence. HW What's interesting to me is the apparent inter cell holes shown in the first drawing. My Strato Star had no such holes (just looked at several photo's of me under canopy to confirm). I had one of the first Strato Stars released to the public, so maybe it was something added later? ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 5 #52 November 1, 2007 Quoteapparent inter cell holes As in crossports? I don't specifically remember about Stratostars, and I had a fairly early one, but I certainly remember using a soldering iron as a hot knife to crossport other canopies. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zing 2 #53 November 1, 2007 I used the tin coffee can method to crossport my Strato-Star. You heated the opened end of the can on a stove, slid a magazine into the cell on the bottom side of the cell wall you intended to crossport, then set the hot can onto the nylon and it cut/melted a perfect circle. Low-tech, but effective.Zing Lurks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #54 November 1, 2007 Sure with someone had told me about the magazine part... ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monkycndo 0 #55 November 1, 2007 Quote Sure with someone had told me about the magazine part... I wondered what the circular mark was on the palm of your hand.50 donations so far. Give it a try. You know you want to spank it Jump an Infinity Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 5 #56 November 25, 2007 Well, the Old Stuff pile has stirred again, and my Strato-Star manual has surfaced. It's stamped with Serial Number 2033, and someone has written on the cover "Gold, Black, Red 2 of 10." It's a very good manual. The canopy came with its own one-pin container. Para-Flite noted in the manual that the container "..is part of the Strato-Star deployment system. (Different containers also usable with the Strato-Star system will become available in the near future.)" I jumped it with a Strong Pop-Top reserve, which I used on my only (so far) high-speed malfunction, a spinning bag lock.Picture #1 is similar to one I posted earlier, but with callouts on the drawing. #2 is an interesting attempt to illustrate the dynamics of the reefed opening. #3 explains the dynamic stall. #4 and #5 are larger versions of the ones posted earlier, showing the stowing (and length) of the reefing lines. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmytavino 16 #57 November 25, 2007 Quote Quote Quote ..went out to the dropzone at Seneca Falls and saw the strangest site. Yeah, that was the same band of wackos who were also making square throw-out pilot chutes. I still have mine (but never jumped it.) HW Jimmy Tavino used one of those to deploy his Papillon - probly the onliest skideever in history to deploy a round canopy wid' a square pilot chute ! Well I wasn't one of the "wacko" riggers up there.. Some thought that j parker was a "jumping genius"...anyway i certainly WAS a "satisfied Customer!!!!." hahahah lots of us bought a piggyback rig which was built there,,, the Parker Pig.. Custom Colors ... 225 dollars!!! new!! this was in 1976... ( and I think the last i heard,,,, the TSO on that rig,,,,,,,,,, "should be comin' through, "ANY day Now". ) i guess we were ALL test jumpers...I made about 350 jumps on that rig, then got a REAL rig ,,, a wonderhog with 3 rings..This picture shows the harness, with R3 releases.... ( one of which disconnected on me, this one time, just as i landed after a skydive) ) The square P C is orange and black ,,, and was basically a top skin, with 5 "flares" like the old glide path mains,, ( not a true ram air,,, just a top skin with a padded handle on the center of the top... ) The P C was maybe 20 by 30 inches,,, the flares extended down 30 inches or so ,,, to a point where they all joined together at the bridle contact point...never had any trouble with it.. still have it some where.. i'll try to get some better photos of the P C itself ...to post here ... .... yeah yeah yeah...."the good old days".... well not sure about THAT...... I had a total on that rig once, when i couldn't extract the PC,, and another time towed the pilotchute, after i inadvertantly twisted the belly band, on which the PC pouch was attached... ( deployed a 26' navy conical which cleared the main, (still packed in its' d bag,) and opened) ... didn't spend any time tossing the risers up into the mess.... was booking along pretty fast,, and spinning,,,head low and feet low,,, so i arched hard, felt the main bag fall onto the back of my thighs, and fired the reserve ( blast handle) off my back,,, right up through the open space...so LOTS of fun and excitement included at "no extra charge"... all this was during the times of rings and ropes,,,, and THAT was one of the reasons i was still happily flying my French Papillon.. ... i was very very slow to transition to a strato-cloud,,,,, glad i waited.. jmy as for square Pcs, and round mains... i knew lots of friends who jumped P C's or Sierras, Or Papillons,, deployed outta that rig...so as you can imagine, it was a "Big PiG" rig..... .thanks howard and tbrown, for the nostalgia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #58 November 25, 2007 I have a buddy that was on the 72 US Team, years ago he made me a pilot-chute controlled reefing system that I put on a Cloud after removing the rings & ropes. It was a really long single line bridal that attached to the center bottom skin of the canopy, the line ran down through a ring on the middle of a spider slider then back up through the grommet holes in the center cell...out the top, attaching to the pilot chute. Acted kind of like a pulley system, packed up smaller and easier than the original rings & ropes and had as good or even better openings. Didn't use a bag, the bridal stowed on rubber bands on a small 1/2 flap inside the main container and the suspension line were on the raper. ...anybody else ever see that system? ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #59 November 26, 2007 I've seen that used with a PTCH-11 main over in the Czech Republic. The DZM's wife at Karlovy Vary had a setup like that, but with the "normal" slider (large sail slider with air pockets and D-rings instead of grommets) for the canopy. I would have like to have been using that when I was jumping the "Peach"... taking it to terminal was about like hitting the end of a logging chain!Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piper17 1 #60 November 26, 2007 I seem to recall seeing a similar system used on Para-Foils and we tried that with some Pioneer Titans for style/accuracy jumpers. We also used a "snubber" system with a long reefing/bridle line on a few Titans. It was based on a system the Norwegian Airborne showed me."A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
