parafredo

I remember one of my customer bringing his rig for a I and R on the reserve and he was with his new girlfriend .He was telling her how much skydiving was safe that reserve chute were always opening on a simple handle activation...So,I told him to put his harness on him and do a full emergency manoeuver and activate his reserve to see how he would feel in real life with his rig on him,you know,a best practice exercice ....well,when he pulled his reserve handle,nothing happened!!!!chute stayed in place.Girl was very impressed!!!him as well and I got scared so much to see who did the last repack... but his reserve was done by someone else.Poor lead sealing method was all the cause and I can tell you that day,I learned something else about rigging errors...

I owned one in my collection and it is making the most beautiful stalls I ever experienced..I have a picture too with Patrick De Gayardon swooping it in a ditch!!Old conception but still good.I would not load it more than 1;1

If you have to use a portable sewing machine,I would go with a Pfaff 6122.I have one myself and I used it for 6 years to do little repairs,patches,etc.It is worth it to spend a little more on this one.Never had to send it to repairs,just regular maintenance.It has a good service and warranty and Pfaff is well known. You can do a lot of small rigging work with it when you have to travel between DZ's.

It is just funny to see that some jumpers are still arguing with Bill about 3 rings system...If you want to be test jumper with those reverse risers,fine with me,but next time you have a hard cutaway due to this design..please do not cry about your situation.Just hope to be in shape and well to discuss about your experience next time on this forum.Believe me,I have a lot of respect for PDF product but for this matter,risers,there is NO advantage about reversing the system exept maybe trying to re-invent the wheel.

So that answer my question,thanks to you.I was hoping new improvement in those camcorders but I will continue in mini DV .

Well,let describe the item better then...Sony dvd camcorder model 403.DVD camcorder..NOT WRITER of course

Did someone tried the Sony dcrdvd403 as a regular bases for tandem video work yet?I need feedbacks about those new ones (DVD) record systems and still images from them if they are good enough for that kind of work. Thanks to let me know

A great friend that I knew since 1999 and my sincere condoleance to Katrina and all the family.He did a lot for the skydiving community and I will always remember the jumps and good times we spend together.From all his Canadian friends,we will miss you.

I knew Gus and his wife from Deland and I am very concerned about this tragic loss but also I want to send all the best vibes to the pilot as well and I think some peoples are demonstrating very bad attitude concerning this terrible accident.We should be all support the pilot who is going to live with this for the rest of his life.PLEASE,do not use this forum to blame anyone without seeing any details about this fatal incidents. This pilot saves a lot of lifes just to climb us up to jump run and to be a part of the success of our passion.BE POSITIVE AND RESPECTABLE. Thanks

All my condolences to his wife and all the relatives in Deland.Very shocked and upset about his lost and I will only have good memories.Do not know yet who was the pilot but I am thinking about him as well.

I agree with that.It seems you have too much on shoulders.Material should be 80% bottom and 20% on top.That will really help.

I think there is a weird idea is going on...Simply NO,NO,NO.Use the right tread for the right job.Do not even think about changing or redesigning harnesses work.Hoping that harness will not be tested somewhere,if so,we might see this news tread on (skydiving incidents forum...)

OK,first of all,you should consider to check lines trim to see if lines are in specs.You can check them even by yourself if you cannot get in touch with your rigger.From PD web site,download the trim specs and how to mesure from specs page and see if your are fitting into the factory specs.Even after a 100 jumps,they can be out of trim ,depending how the canopy was packed.Make sure your do this first and have the canopy checked inside/out and then,if you cannot find anything wrong within specs,email PD about the problem that you have and they will work for you to make it open a lot better. Basically,you have to start with the basic from the factory specs.Personnally,I had a sabre 150 in perfect condition and the opening were still kind of hard.I had to fit a bigger slider from PD ,and opening were a lot better.NOT for a video jumps...but a lot better than before. Try not to be a test-jumper to fix the problem,let them do that for you.They will answer all your questions and will try to make it work for you.Feel free to contact them ,they are just great about their product.

I would say that if you have any doubt about the age of reserve canopy or how many times it should be out,sub-terminal or terminal speed,the manufacturer should approve it to be airworthy.That meens the rigger should contact the manufacturer and discuss this issue or any concerns with this issue.Personally,I refuse to repack a Tempo reserve because this reserve came out eleven times and it was full of sand deposit everywhere,even on the lines.I told the owner to send his reserve for a complete check to the company . Main thing is,in a doubt,do not do it and make sure when you decide to pack it,your seal will be on for 120 days. There is no excuses not to communicate or getting informations at this century....phone ,fax,internet and now,cellular with camera!!!

Tell me if I am wrong,but,why jumping a parachute when the winds are faster than the canopy's maximum forward speed?I am a TM and I just don't like to go backward on a jump....

I always take out the main to do a complete inspection of the entire system.I just want to make sure that the main will not be a cause of the next malfunction,why work twice and maybe avoid a fatal incident because the main system was not checked.I always find something to fix on main while doing the reserve inspection.I do not want my reserve repack to open for a stupid thing on the main or something related to that.I saw scary things outhere,believe me.That is my opinion from a lot of experience on the field.