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Agreeing with Gerry Baumchen, The first freebags had no through loops (e.g. Strong Dual Hawk Tandem) and short closing loops were tied to internal flaps. Second generation freebags had through loops, but they still rubbed against reserve fabric (e.g. Talon 1 and all Vectors). loop length varies widely depending up the rigger's experience. I have only sewn patches on two reserves, but one of them was in a NARO. The reserve center cell suffered a small tear because a rigger used more muscle than skill in pulling the closing loop through the free bag. Even if I only have to patch one reserve every 1500 repacks, that is too often. Third generation free bags are pinched in the middle they are easier to with only a single grommet through both layers of the freebag (Javelin, Talon 2). They are easier to pack because they need fewer tools and have a consistent loop length. While working at Para-Phernalia, I managed to convince them to switch Softie free bags from second generation to third generation freebags. EOS, Atom and Icon are between second and third generation in that they have grommets in both the top and bottom skins of the free bag, but they also have fabric channels preventing the closing loop from ever rubbing against on reserve fabric. Fourth generation free bags have more secure lines stows to properly stage higher speed openings (Icon, Racer Speed bag). These are mostly found on tandem and military rigs that deploy much heavier and faster than solo rigs. If you have read this far, you understand why I clearly prefer third generation free bags.

Apparently nursing home deaths have dropped quite a bit. The NYT "Morning Update" e-mail says they've gone down 60% from late December to early February. And it's primarily because the residents were among the first to get the vaccine. I said a while back that I was rather 'vaccine shy', and was perfectly happy to be towards the back of the line for it. That I would likely change my mind by the time my turn came. Still not my turn, but I'm now very willing to take the shot. No deaths from vaccine side effects that I've heard of. Serious side effects are rare and usually accompanied by underlying allergies. More importantly, while there are people who've been vaccinated getting sick, it's very few and virtually NONE of them have been hospitalized or died.

PD, Icarus, and Parachute Systems all have "bowling score" boxes for 40 packs/25 jumps before factory inspection/permeability check. Aerodyne allows 40 packs/10 jumps before a permeability check, but doesn't have a way to record except maybe on the data card. PdF allows 40 packs/25 jumps, but no marking on the canopy. Precision and Flight Concepts do not specify. I don't know about ParaTec. These are not life limits. Most canopies can be returned to service after inspection and permeability test.

Just sharing. A younger Harley rider and I were discussing music genres and he turned me on to a rapper named Tom MacDonald. "Fake Woke" and "No Lives Matter." I find the message intriguing, but I'm not a big fan of rap in itself. Well, at least not since Coolio did "Gangsta Paradise." EDIT: I suppose I should have entered the hyperlinks the first time.

Harry C. Schoelpple JANUARY 27, 1924 – FEBRUARY 20, 2021 Harry C. Schoelpple passed away on February 20, 2021 and is under the care of Mullins & Thompson Funeral Service, Fredericksburg Virginia .

There's a huge difference between the idea of 'practicing mistakes' (or 'teaching mistakes') and intentionally putting people into situations they might end up in by mistake and teaching them how to get out of those situations safely. Stall recovery, either under canopy or in a fixed wing aircraft is a very good example. Spin recovery (used to be required to be a flight instructor, not sure if it still is) is another. Understanding how those situations can arise, but more importantly understanding how to get out of them is important. Another example I have personal experience with is skid/jack knife recovery in a semi truck. There's a huge difference between discussing how to get out of a skid or jack knife situation and actually doing it in a full sized truck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amiStk539Kw

Fear can be a training tool, but it must be used wisely. Too many early skydiving instructors came from the military where fear is routinely used to prepare soldiers for the ridiculous levels of fear and confusion they will face in combat. Military instructors gradually ramp up fear to further condition young soldiers. They also use fear as a selection process to determine which soldiers can tolerate the highest levels of fear and uncertainty. Young soldiers with low tolerance for fear and uncertainty become cooks and drives, while those with high tolerance become special forces door kickers. Unfortunately, some military instructors miss-interpret this use of fear - as a teaching tool - as a license to act like bullies or jerks. Fear does not work well as a training tool for civilians who have never been in a life-and-death scenario before. They get over-loaded and freeze. So civilian skydiving instructors need to know when they can apply pressure and when they must back-off to avoid over-loading students. For that reason, I use a minimum of fear when teaching the first solo jump course and emphasis what a good main parachute and good landing approach look like. We can add more levels of complexity (practicing stalls, riser turns, etc.) during later jumps.

Something I've noticed just now on a longer video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-52UoP6sLfo). From Sigma manual (not claiming they use Sigma): Not a TI, how stupid or irrelevant do you think flying proximity was?

They probably went to a site that doesn't randomly become unavailable for up to 24 hours at a time. If I was an advertiser here I would complain.

Yeah... I gave up on /r/skydiving because it was kind of a trash fire, but I stayed on Reddit in general. I closed my Facebook account completely years ago. Facebook really did kill forums (in general), but I think it did not replace them with anything as good.

I stand corrected, I haven't seen any Icarus or Parachute Systems reserves, I have checked the Icarus (NZ) reserve manual and the Icarus (World) manuals, they both have the checkboxes, couldn't find a manual for the decelerator. People around here mostly jump Smart, Techno, and PD stuff, so I didn't really have that much contact with Icarus reserves. You learn something every day :)

In Other Words.

You have no understanding of what a placebo is or its effects.It is far beyond positive thinking. A lighter understanding. A deeper understanding.

Hi Steve, I only met him once, at his dz, many years ago. He was a tough, old bird. The one thing I remember is that he sued J. Scott Hamilton for inadequate representation/malpractice in a lawsuit Harry lost. Harry got Hamilton for $350,000. Jerry Baumchen

From Linda Miller Clayton was there for the last two weeks. Harry was pretty aware up until about a week before the end. As Clayton said... He was on a very long approach and finally touched down on Saturday. He is not on Face Book but I know he will enjoy reading some of the remarks when he gets back to Salt Lake.

Then there are those extremist that live within their own echo chamber much like DZ.COM

Also remember that 1980s vintage reserves were barely designed to land softly at a wing-loading of 1 pound per square foot. Mainly because no one was jumping mains loaded more heavily than that. Parachutes de France were the first to introduce modern zero porosity fabic that yielded consistent landings until canopies had more than a thousand jumps. Performance Deigns was the first American company to introduce ZP fabirc and they soon developed a series of reserves designed to land softly at similar wing-loadings to their mains. That shift occurred circa 1990. IOW If you jump an old reserve (pre 1990), you are not very bright and ...er ... should pay up your medical insurance. All the older 7-cell, F-111 fabric reserves fly like 1980s vintage mains, considerably different than modern mains.

Only on PD reserves, AFAIK other manufacturers don't require any markings on the reserve.

PD reserves have a limit of 40 packs or 25 actual uses. There's a section of the data panel to keep track with 'X' or '/'

Demonstrates trouble dealing with complex mental tasks. Like telling the truth. Paying his taxes. Obeying the law. You're right.

Hi 13, Re: now we know how to look for extremists Uh, Jerry Baumchen

We argued this last month. You are required to have one more parachute that you plan to use. The regs are written poorly, but that's what they are supposed to say, and that's what the FAA will enforce... If you get caught. Intentional cutaways require a third parachute. Commonly called a 'tertiary' setup, commonly referred to as a 'tersh'. I can't remember which mfg it was that required a cut away to get a TI rating, but if a candidate didn't have one for real, they had to do one on a 'tersh' rig. UPT used to have one on the boogie circuit, used to demonstrate the skyhook. Beginners were NOT allowed to try it (C-license, IIRC).

I don't think it's legally required, but it's definitely a good practice.

This, a thousand times this. This is a case where visualization is very effective. By visualizing the entire chain of cutaway, you begin to eliminate from possibilities things that you might spend time thinking about in a real malfunction. I have an embarrassing number of reserve rides, from experimenting on my gear, and from the old days when malfunctions were just more common. The "practice" of actually deploying my reserve has added nothing to my ability to do so and to control it, and that's what really counts. Wendy P.

you need a third parachute attached to legally do that. not a good idea though, you can lose your freebag and pilot chute.