cssriggers

Mf: Altitude Shop Anyone have links/info to manuals, SBs, etc on this rig? Thanks. JHL

Advice: 1. Forget software for awhile; learn how to sew first. 2. Keep your first projects simple. Weight bags are good - either for main packing, or shotbags for reserve/BASE, velcro reserve line protectors for reserves, etc. 3. Realize that you WILL screw up. Become adept at stitch-picking in the process. 4. Use the right materials and machines .... our loft is open to you. We have lots of scrap for practice. 5. From what we've seen in this sport & rigging, most designs come from someone who had an idea, made a prototype, tested it/got input, refined it, then finally perfected it. As far as your gear bag, why re-invent the wheel? Find a bag or luggage design that you like, examine it very closely, deconstruct it (either in real life or in your head,) think through the steps of the manufacturing process, take a bunch of measurements and then reconstruct it with good materials. If you feel comfortable asking, get input from others. You may not be happy with it; may have to refine it. But, you might end up with the best gear bag ever. Good luck! Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

Love this thread. One of my favorite quotes from an awesome master rigger who's taught us a lot over the years: "Yeah, a 5 minute job. I have to take the main off, run over here, measure this, get the stuff, mark that, hotknife a piece, re-thread the machine, adjust tension, sew it and muck it all up, pick stitches and start over, while being interrupted 7 times. 5 minute job - right!" Another quote from the same guy: "I'm going to start charging people just to talk to them and give advice. I mean, lawyers do it!" Seriously, many good points brought up. We've been pretty lucky here, customer-wise. Things that set me off: Someone pencil packing/forging my signature. Especially when their Cypres was out of date when they did it. People who REALLY need their rig by the weekend ... then pick it up 6 months later and don't understand why they're out of date (and meanwhile I could have used that $45 they owed me.) Someone who gets pissy when I ground their rig due to serious/bad harness damage ... I mean, WTF - do you have a death wish? People who don't understand why I don't want to repack their original Safety Flyer, or their YAK trainer rig. Other than that, it's all in a day's work and we love our customers. We educate as much as we can. Apprenticeships -- I second what Sparky said IN SPADES. If someone wants to sit with me, be helpful, and learn ... it's all good. Our loft has a big open door. I haven't seen any real serious commitment w/our apprentices. It takes time spent + dedication + learning/studying to become a rigger. People seem to think they can just do their 20 and test out. The only successful apprentice I've had (besides Dawn, my partner) ended up taking Dave Dewolf's course. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

THANK YOU for your efforts on this issue. We'd love to put soft links on as many reserves as possible. We've been (legally) putting SR-1's on PD and Prec. reserves for some years; looking forward to hearing the results of your inquirys to other manufacturers. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

Awwwww; I miss you too, sweetie. Do good at dodgeball tonight. Your job is to be a "human shield." You must especially protect Dominick and Greg at all costs. And yes everyone, I'll collect the $$ for S and the S S's. (This will consist of relabeling the "Biff Fund" cup.) Eric - when I got home tonight, I found that my bad puppy had chewed up my travel CD case .... I think including all of my Rancid. So if you're game I might have some CD-burning requests for you in the near future. Man, if I keep posting like this I'll need my own profile. I'm open to user name suggestions. Anyone? Karen and Stuart - I really miss you guys. -Dawn #1 Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

HOLY CRAP - a party, have-fun-after-hours atmosphere at CSS???? People hang around after beer light on the weekends? REALLY??? I may have to join you ... (Rigger Dawn here; home today with a BAD cold. Otherwise I'd be working on your gear, not reading and posting here.) Marion - I blame you, fully and totally. You and your slide-out. OK, maybe the UNC kids had a little to do with it, but really ... what do they know? I'm not sure they're even legal. I've heard them referred to as "jail bait" more than once. Or maybe I should just blame this on all of the freaks. (Ellis! I missed you last weekend; did they tell you?) Dawn #2 - you're #2. Be proud, and say it loud. Plus it's easy to remember - Dawn 2, BK 2, etc. I thought no other credentials mattered - is this still valid? Don't be a hypocrite! Stay true to your principles, woman!! (E-mail sent regarding your intricate rigging needs.) Eric - thanks for the CDs and help in the store and all, but stop being uppity. BB gives out the BK numbers, and there will be no dissent. I really believe David should become BK #3 - what a gorgeous black, white an silver kit. What new soda flavors should we explore this weekend? BB- I had some new ideas for a team name; they all involve canopy choices. What do you think of: "GO BIG OR GO HOME!!" or "AIRLOCKS RULE!!"? ...that's what I thought. Joe & Mike - I think it would kick serious *ss to get Somebody (?) and the Something Somethings out here to play at Thanksgiving. Talk to Nancy, and if it comes down to collecting $$ I'll do it. Hey, it worked out for Biff. My cold medicine is kicking in, and I'm off to bed. Thanks to you all for making CSS a really fun place to work. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

This is fascinating to me ... mainly because I've seen 16 low main pulls resulting in Cypres fires in the past five years. All resulted in 2-out situations (read - reserve fully deployed. Sometimes quite a delay after full main deployment.) The only time I saw trailing reserve PCs/freebags was on old student gear with large mains (VERY low WLs and slow speeds) and fXCs. Obviously it happens in other situations, and I realize my experience is limited. I believe the incident that Spizzarko referred to is here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1096907;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread While this was not an AAD situation, it's food for thought. I'm not saying that reserves will always open in 3 seconds, no matter what's going on. I am saying that I've seen them deploy pretty reliably after a Cypres fire, with the main fully open or in a state of deployment - except in the case of very large student mains and FXCs. I believe speed is a big factor. Above all I'd hate to see people down & dirty --doubting the ability of their reserve to open low if they're really having a bad day -- no matter what's going on with ther main, and no matter what happened in Russia. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

OK, here's a question: From what you say in the other post, it sounds like the reserve containers stayed closed, how could they realize that their Cypreses had fired if their reserves did not deploy? more details would be appreciated Sounds like ALL of the reserves did not deploy but maybe SOME of them did partially ... at least with reserve PCs or opening reserve containers entering the picture, causing a little wake-up? Or maybe someone got ground rush? PURELY speculating here. Some credible sources are saying Cypreses did fire, and the incident did happen. This could have been easily verified after the fact by looking at the Cypres cutters and/or reserve closing loops. If a Cypres has fired, the used cutter will give definitive proof of that. That said, I'm glad I've never seen a reserve hesitation in real life. I've seen plenty PC lockups and hesitation the ground at I&R pull time on various containers. They have ALL been due to rigger error - specifically stowing PC material where it should not have been stowed. I wonder if this could be a factor here? Back to the OP - I'm glad to see Strong doing this. The stiffener they've always used in Quasar IIs reserve flaps seemed weak and prone to distortion. Hopefully this will help aesthetically, if not functionally as well. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

Hey Michael - miss you, man! Medical status of students is difficult. Overall, I'm more concerned about about their mentation and cognizance of risks involved than with their actual physical condition. At our DZ we have a sharp young woman with severe Multiple Sclerosis who gets actual perscriptions written from her doctor to come out and make a tandem skydive. She's in a wheelchair, with very little muscle control. (Not sure if the perscription is for insurance or what.) She's fully aware that she could get hurt on a bad landing. She has a ball, it's cool for us at the DZ., and she writes about it to inspire others. A few weeks ago I was asked to a first-jump briefing on a paraplegic man in his 40s. He was talking crazy - wanted to take his wheelchair along, wanted to do all canopy control himself, etc. Obviously he had no clue, so I said "no" to this one. In this instance it sounds like this was a sharp woman, aware of her mortality with a "to do before I die" list, and maybe not much time to complete it. As for the medical waiver: Landing a tandem back in Iowa, I had a guy break his ankle. I was ready to sell my gear and leave the sport. Turns out he'd lied on the waiver - didn't mention all of the surgeries that he'd had due to football injuries, which left him unable to lift his legs. I agree with getting a doctor's permission if it's questionable. I'm glad you went with your gut and gave this woman the great experience she had. (I'm betting she didn't need any nitro either - after all these years Dawn still goes on about how you were the most calm and safe instructor she had.) Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

Rarely post- but have to respond to this one. As a rigger, when I sign a packing data card, I'm saying that I've inspected the entire harness/container system and reserve parachute, and have deemed them airworthy. Yes. Yep. This is the HARNESS we're talking about. The HARNESS and the HARDWARE. Not unless you have some criminally lazy riggers. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

This improved line trim modification on your Triathlon is legit. It was developed by Aerodyne, to improve openings and landings. As I understand it, it involves more trim adjustments than just moving the brake lines inboard by one rib. If you send a Triathlon to Aerodyne for a reline, this is how it will come back to you. It just looks kind of funny at first glance, having no line attachment at the outermost corner of the tail. A few of our customers have had the mod done to their Tri's, and have been quite happy with the results. You might want to find out who did the reline, and/or contact Aerodyne to learn more about the mod. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

Nice poem, Mike. "chunckers" - WTF??? As this post seems to reference the CRW event at CSS over the 4th weekend, John & Dawn would like to say "thanks." As riggers we always love to see a bunch of CReW dawgs show up at CSS. (And contrary to what Jackson might tell you, it's not just because we might get an increase in business.) We love what you bring - the atmosphere of teaching and learning, friendship, great skydives, intimate gear knowledge and overall good vibes. You do tend to be kinda weird, and you have way too much crap hanging out of your rigs, but you're more than welcome at our DZ and in our loft anytime. Come back soon, Toadsuckers! We'll be ready with plenty of 900# red dacron, velcro, ripstop tape, ZP fabric in PD colors to patch those Lightning center cells, and plenty of extra links for your trim adjustment needs. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

------------ Yeah, I'm genuinely sorry if my post offended you or anyone else; touched on a sore point, or stirred up some old news. The thing is: Many rigging errors are hidden and cannot be discovered by jumpers during the most thorough gear check. IMO, the basis of the rigging profession is accountability and trust. I'm all for keeping problems/errors between riggers & individuals -- been there & done that, many times. I was responding to Kevin's post & hoping to spread some knowledge. Lots of new riggers read these boards. Peace - Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

Hear, hear. The worst thing I've seen was a Javelin where the PC didn't launch after a 50# pull. All of the PC material was pulled up tightly to the top of the rig, and stowed VERY FIRMLY under the closing loop plate. That rigger is no longer in business (though not because of the incident we found.) So - New riggers: don't stow PC material like this on Javelins, and keep pull forces w/in limits. Also, "don't leave temp pins or molar straps in your pack jobs ... count your tools or have a system ..." etc. etc. I feel that as riggers we all need to help each other out, and we should go to each other and keep it among ourselves if we find non-lethal errors. We are all human. But ... people's lives are in our hands! I see more and more new jumpers who think riggers are infallible gods or something, and who think their reserve will work perfectly, every time. Maybe they've seen that orange label that basically says "shit happens" but I know many can't accept that. I'm with Kevin - I'm hoping this thread will expand and maybe someone will learn something from it. Sorry if the "shock value" offends some of you, or if it seems like rehashing old news. Many jumpers reading this board are new to the sport. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

Looks like we're about average - $45, including new Cypres loop (every repack,) new main closing loop (every repack unless it's pristine,) 3-ring maint. and cable clean/lube, inspect main risers, d-bag and PC, pH and tensile test if applicable, band replacement on diaper or in container when applicable. We do charge $3 for a new safety stow if needed - material + time. We also charge extra for a Racer quick loop replacement, due to the shop-hour time involved. Cypres battery or Slink installation free when you buy them from us. We don't charge to uninstall or reinstall an AAD if we're sending it in for service. We're full service & fairly busy so it's simply less paperwork & bookwork to factor the overall price of Cypres loop spools, washers, silicon, paper towels, Type IIA, a retail markup on batts, shipping costs etc. etc into the basic repack & Cypres maintenance. For a full main inspection we charge $20 which includes 100% insp of the canopy, tensile tests, minor re-stitching/maintenance, and a full line trim check with recorded results. It puzzles me that a loft would be more likely to return a main disconnected and unpacked than an individual rigger. Like Rob & Terry, we are not main packers ... but we have an excellent packing staff to hand the rig off to for that. These are the same packers most of our customers use anyway. Sorry for your experience, Nightingale. Sounds like they should have been more clear when you dropped off your rig. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

There was a great presentation at the last PIA symposium about these issues (heat, light, water, etc affecting canopy fabric.) It was given by Jeff Quill, as I recall. Basically he said the UV damage is based on free radical activity. And since fluorescent-colored fabrics already contain free radicals, the degradation process is accelerated in the presence of UV exposure. We've seen in the field that fluorescent fabrics seem to degrade more quickly. It was cool to hear a technical reason for it. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

I don't believe this is necessarily a rule. I think many riggers prefer it, but I'm not sure it's standard. And if the packing card follow the reserve, how do you log a SB for the container? The official packing data card corresponds to & should travel with the reserve canopy. The system leaves a lot to be desired, and I understand your concerns. Ideally whoever assembled this H/C and reserve should have indicated that it was SB 1221 compliant. This info should have been on the data card that came with the reserve. IMO it's up to the rigger who repacks & recertifies the system to make sure the extra bar tacks are there, and the data panel on the reserve has been signed & dated by the rigger who has done the work. If you're assembling used gear, it's not hard to check out SBs and ADs, see if they've been done, and document that you've inspected the system and deem it airworthy. We had a similar situation recently - someone bought a Raven -M reserve via the Internet with no data card. Extra bar tacks on A & B lines were there, and data panel showed that the work had been done by Kevin McGuire (nice job Kevin -- and my wife is still jealous of your automatic bar tack machine.) In this instance it's easy to fill out a new card and indicate that the reserve is SB1221 compliant. We do document SBs and ADs done to the main container on the "reserve" data card as well. Hooknswoop's idea of separate cards for H/C and reserve is a great one. There are many SBs and ADs on H/C's. Also we've sent off many H/Cs for major harness adjustments, alterations, etc and this wouldn't be indicated unless we note it on the packing data card. Lots of food for thought. Ideally, people would never lose their packing data cards. Ideally, all riggers would document Cypres/FXC etc. maintenance and battery changes, and all AD and SB compliance on data cards. When they don't, you might be looking at the $$ for a repack .... but we need to make sure everyone's safe & airworthy. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

I'll second that, although our local FSDO guys are very helpful and do seek to expand their knowledge about skydiving operations. I also second what Riggerrob said - the FAA has much bigger things to deal with. IMO, USPA is doing a good job, and self-regulation is where we need to stay ... especially with issues like mandating AADs and imposing wingloading restrictions. Thanks to mjosparky, Phree, Seal_49, SDUcoach et al for quoting the FARs. These types of threads are always good food for thought, and emphasize the problems we all face (as rigger, pilots and jumpers) with interpreting federal regulations. I don't post much but would like to reiterate what Tom Buchanan has posted. Let's try to self-regulate. The FARs need to be followed (obviously) but we really don't need the government involved in our day-to-day operations. SO - don't bounce without pulling all of your handles in order, and PLEASE don't hook yourself into the ground. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

FYI, bassoons don't use whistles. They use "double reeds." Many casual bassoon players are turning to synthetic reeds these days, but die-hards stick with the natural item. They require a lot of soaking/spit/sucking on/softening up before they can make a sound. Really gives your tandem student something to do under canopy! This is probably our 2nd best joke today - the first was when a close friend-of-a-friend who'd had a low turn incident last weekend showed up. I asked how he was doing & was told -- "Sorry man, he died this morning." Ohhhhhhh man. Skydivers - you gotta love em, as long as they pay their rigging bills. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

yuppers. I know of several folks who have done this same thing. Don't know the legal issues with it, or the ramifications. I am curious though. I am NOT curious about what other riggers THINK is the right or wrong about this. Well, here's an answer straight from the source. 2-pin Cypres in 1-pin container To me, it makes sense to store the extra cutter in the channel beside the control unit cable. The excess cable pocket is already pretty crowded ... less chance of kinking a cable. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

I've always liked the idea of having the brake line inboard of the riser and the excess outboard. Then when you stow the risers in your rig, the excess brake line (regardless of your stowage method) is at the bottom of the riser trough, thus better protected. Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

riggerrob - cool, thanks for sharing. Can't wait to try it; I'm always pushing T-bodkins out of the way and divotizing like mad with my knee prior to the final Racer closing. CornishChris - sorry for the off-topic. AMF Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

I've frayed loops before on tight rigs, and am convinced it was from the bottom of the grommet - not having them totally lined up when pulling the loop through. This was pretty evident from how the closing went, and where the loop was damaged. This is always the last thing I look at before sealing a rig. A tip I got from Mirage for packing tight reserves works great - close all the flaps but leave out the pilot chute, and let the rig sit overnight. The next day it's very easy to close, and no more frayed loops. Edited to add - This can happen on any rig, not just Mirages! Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

Hey bro - Our advice to packers: If you're packing for people with velcroless toggles who have no way to stow excess (i.e. no keepers on the back of the rear riser): Try to stow excess in the bottom toggle keeper. If this isn't possible, stow the brakes so that the brake line leading to the canopy is inboard, and the excess brakeline is outboard. This will result in the excess being at the bottom of the riser troughs (where you can more securely place it) when you stow them prior to closing the rig. AMF Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL

I've jumped an 81 a time or three. I'd agree with a previous poster that this is not a final version and I don't want to review it... But it's the most fun I've ever had under canopy, and it's the next canopy I want to own. I will say that after a 270 it is rock solid, responsive, and very easy to control in rears .. more responsive and easily controlled in rear risers than anything else I've ever flown. Alpha Mike Foxtrot JHL Alpha Mike Foxtrot, JHL