NPower

I also have a pilot and mini risers on my rig and had both brand new. It seemed at first like the slider grommets would not come down over the risers. The risers quickly softened up though. I'm sure yours will too.

Just my own anecdotal experience. I've put about 100 jumps/pack jobs on a Pilot 168 ZPX from new. The first 15 packs were tough and felt like a brand new ZP canopy and wanted to inflate back up and was very slippy. After that it quickly became a lot easier; inflated less, became less slippy and the material became more pliable and less crispy. It felt like packing a regular ZP that had many hundreds of jumps on it. I had to shorten my closing loop by a good 1/2 inch because it was getting loose. My container is designed for a 130-150 range main and the canopy almost falls into the bag now. I'm told that Aerodyne canopy sizes tend to be bigger than equivalent size measurements from PD or Icarus. eg . a 150 pilot is bigger than a 150 sabre2. When Aerodyne talk about ZPX packing down about 2 sizes smaller I am pretty sure they are comparing to the equivalent Aerodyne canopy, not those from other manufacturers.

No problem. I ordered mine last December and it was delivered in April. FYI, I asked RI about this and they told me that the double-tab version (like the one NPower has) is the "old" version, and the single-tab version that only tucks into the side flap but not the BOC is the "new version". Interesting. Did they happen to mention what prompted the switch to a single-tab version?

No problem. I ordered mine last December and it was delivered in April.

Here's a couple of photos of my rig with freefly handle. There's a flap either side of the handle. With one side longer than the other. I personally tuck the long flap under the BOC spandex and the short side under the container side flap. That handle routing flap is just tucked out of the way inside the BOC, under the pilot chute.

This video is designed for APF AFF students on their first day ground training, before their first jump. I was told by instructors that for this reason, given the target audience, a simple and consistent set of instructions was especially important. So that's why there is no deviation in procedures for dealing with something that could be argued 'fixable' like a horseshoe.

I was keen on the C6 helmet. It looked like a great helmet to compete with the G3. But after seeing the way they've treated their pre-order customers; even if they had the helmets in stock, waiting to ship tomorrow I wouldn't buy one on principal now. I try to keep my money out of the pockets of companies who treat their customers like crap.

Makes no difference to me that he gets attention. Unlike some, I'm not bothered at all whether he posts here or not.

Didn't I hear that you also suggested to the DZSO or CI that they could be considered criminally negligent because their student rigs were not equipped with skyhooks? Regardless of whether you were right or wrong about skyhooks, do you really think it was because of your wisdom and expertise or just dumb, flip of the coin type luck? If I were a rigger/instructor/CI and some fresh AFF student rolled up with a know it all attitude, making statements like that, with clearly no experience, knowledge or qualifications to back that attitude up I'd probably show them the door too, pronto. I doubt you were shown the door for promoting skyhooks per se, but more for the attitude. You can't teach people with an attitude like that.

Yep, that's the VC3 with the 168ZPX in the bag. I have an Optimum 160 in the VC3 and it is definitely on the full and firm side. The reserve tray on the VC2 has double the volume reduction compared to the main tray (50 in3 vs. 25 in3). For me, that would be a source of concern about the reserve free bag hesitating or jamming with an OP-160 in there when I need it most, especially if the main tray is also tight. Ask Angela at Rigging Innovations. Only RI can accurately tell you what the intended size range is for each size Curv. She was very helpful with this stuff and previously packed the canopies I planned to use plus a bunch of others into the VC3. She gave me a lot of clarity and confidence about my choices. Happy hunting!

If it helps, I have a new VC3 and Pilot 168 ZPX - about 35 jumps on both. Two things I noticed: - I first picked the rig up in Denver which is bone dry and about 5500 feet. It was a bit of battle getting it into the bag there. That situation improved significantly when I brought it home to the humid sea level air in Sydney. - after about a dozen jumps, it started packing down a good bit easier. It's packing down now to the point of being on the soft and loose end of the range. I asked RI about this and they attributed my results to the dry hot air at Eloy where they test pack and measure up canopies vs. the humid conditions where I pack plus I am a bit of a neat freak when packing. I reckon I could get it into a VC2 without much hassle, but I can't test that since Curvs are very rare here still. But more importantly for me, I'm happier having the VC3 because I wouldn't be confident with the idea of only having a 140 max reserve size allowed by the VC2 at this point. I can't offer advice about that. Have you considered and discussed it with an instructor? Based on the photo I showed them (attached), RI suggested to ditch the ZPX when I decide to downsize to a 150 and go back to standard ZP. Anecdotally, we've had 2 almost brand new 168 ZPX canopies side by side. Mine is predominantly white material vs. predominantly black of the other one. It may be due to other factors (batch of material etc.) but the white material feels noticeably softer and more pliable than the black and appears to pack easier although I suspect the other dude is a lousy packer

It looks like Wichard (France) to me. I have the black hardware (photos attached) and it has their 'W' logo stamped in it. I'd guess that they're also doing the blackening treatment on it, rather than a third party. Absolutely love the rig so far and RI were great to deal with. They managed to push it out a few weeks earlier than expected. Edit (found this): http://www.wichardamerica.com/wichard_en/stainless-ring-8-flat-black.html

Has anyone flown in both a re-circulating iFly/Sky Venture tunnel and an ISG tunnel like VossVind? I'd be curious to hear from folks who've flown in both on how they compare in terms clean air flow and anything else that makes you favour one over the other.

Check the attached photo of a Pulse with red, black and white top skin. It should give you an idea of what to expect anyway with your colour choices. It shows through, but doesn't look overly pinkish to me.

I'm also relatively new to Elderslie; only been there a handful of times. But I liked it and the people there so much that it will be my preferred DZ going forward.