RMURRAY

base openings are not "high speed". rm

I asked her to read the original "question". She did within a couple of days. She stated JS does not spend time reading DZ.com (it is too time consuming) so don't be surprised if there is no answer. rm

the design addresses a problem and it is HIGH SPEED reserve deployment. at 275 lbs maybe you should be concerned more. Having read this from top to bottom, I will now order a speed bag reserve freebag for my racer NOS. Thanks for replying Nancy! Nancy replied once before on this subject on Dec 17 2004, here it is cut and pasted... I have the Mil Spec document that I received from Keener, the manufacturer of Mil Spec Rubber Bands. Jump Shack has sold these rubber bands for as long as I can remember. I will see that it gets posted on the Jump Shack web site, and post it here on Monday. Rubber bands are far superior to the bungee stow for the following reasons. Rubber bands have better retention ability than do the bungee stows. There have been several reserve failures due to line dump/strip that have been attributed to use of the bungee stow, which most riggers don't know or bother to adjust for narrow or wide reserve d-bag. A rubber band will break when it has to (usually between 20 - 40 pounds), thus preventing a bag lock situation. Bungee stows will not break, and are more likely to result in a bag lock on your main or reserve. I have used rubber bands on my own reserve for more than ten years, and would NEVER use a bungee on my last line of defense - my reserve. Mil Spec Rubber bands have been in use longer than the bungee stow has been in existence - some 60 years. We have put rubber bands through the high heat and freeze test during multiple TSO tests. It takes two to three years of extreme temperatures for a Mil Spec rubber band to break down, and frankly, brass has nothing to do with the deterioration. It's a heat and loss of moisture problem. Besides, even if one or more of your rubber bands break on your reserve d-bag, guess what might happen? You might get exactly what you get with virtually every deployment from the old style pouch and bungee reserve bag - a LINE DUMP. For more detailed information read about the Speed Bag (prevents line dump) on the Technical Articles Page at Jumpshack.com. Hope this is helpful. Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it.

I got your cascaded (UV protected) HMA mainly to get rid of Vectran completely. I got Dacron LCLs so can have peace of mind. The extra speed is very noticable. rm

"but someone shouldn't think that they have to keep their hands only on their toggles until they have 200 jumps, as that can be very dangerous for them" I would disagree with your statement above. That number needs to be much higher, especially in Canada where we are not able to jump full time all year round (my local DZ is open all year and we still often get no jumps on a weekend). rm

at 56 jumps you are landing with rear riser input? time to update your profile?

this from the Jump Shack website. They got the website right the first time - that is why they don't need to update it. rm Rubber Stow Bands Break For A Reason by John Sherman December 26, 2000 It has become apparent to me that despite the problems in the past with out-of-sequence openings among other things, that people haven't learned that rubber bands break for a reason. The U.S. Government spent a lot of money developing a specification for parachute stow bands. In my 35 years in the sport I have never found an acceptable substitute. You might find a product which will work most of the time and which might seem to solve your breakage problem. But don't count on it working every time in every situation. If you think about it, you might ask why someone hasn't previously come up with a more durable product. It's such a simple matter, a stronger rubber band, and there are a lot of smart people who have come before us…. I remember the “Red” rubber band that was popular for a while in the 70's. They ended up melting and sticking to the grommets. I remember the Buna "N" "O" rings. They “spit” lines. I remember the Type 17 riser problem that was traced to a non-Mil. Spec Stow band. If you haven’t had a bag lock due to one of these “unbreakable” stow bands – you probably will. I have witnessed three bag lock/cutaways that are directly attributable to “bands that would not break.” Consider this; Parachute "system" designers develop components based upon the characteristics of the stow band. This is a fact. I know, as that is what I do for a living, and have been doing it for over 30 years. I strongly advise all parachutists to use only Mil Spec. Rubber Stow Bands. To use anything else can and will compromise your system. The really good aspect of all of this is that Mil. Spec. Rubber Bands cost considerably less than all of the new-fangled substitutes.

"elastics" = rubber bands. Easy to spot a fellow Canadian. rm

skydiving has changed over the years. as the name suggests, it is designed to protect against bagstrip when the reserve is dumped at HIGH speed. it will work fine at low speed - just like millions of main deployments per year. I have replaced the bungee on my freebag with (MIL spec) rubber bands but have not ordered a speedbag because I don't do headdown stuff. I repack once a year - all is fine. rm

I change the lower control lines every 300 when they are vectran. I think this is maybe a little cautious but it is half the number used to change the lineset so makes sense. rm

maybe I should not have used the term "off" --- I would like to see them (have an option to) unarm below 750 ft. Anything situation below 750 ft, you are on your own - very easy to understand. rm

search skymonkeyone responses on the subject. Chuck gave the Vengeance a thumbs down. There are a couple of spellings for the canopy so you may find more by mis spelling it in the search... rm

Agreed, though it's worth noting that an on-off button may not be all that simple to implement. I guess you don't need an button to turn off, it can be automatic. on the subject of pressurized a/c how about keep the door cracked open. is that simple procedure off limits? rm

anyone, why don't they have aads arm at 1500ft and disarm OR fire at 750ft. I would like to have my aad (when/if I get one) OFF below 750ft. rm That would exclude the AAD from saving your life in certain scenarios. Such as cutting away (with no reserve pull) from a low altitude, say around 1000 ft or slightly above. It will take several hundred feet to get up to the threshold speed for firing, and by then you would be below 750 ft, but still at an altitude where the reserve has a chance to work. Fair enough - I'd rather not have it that way. Keep it simple. I want it off below 750ft. rm

anyone, why don't they have aads arm at 1500ft and disarm OR fire at 750ft. I would like to have my aad (when/if I get one) OFF below 750ft. rm

question: when buying a Neptune from a dealer, do I need to be asking that it is the latest (hardware) revision or are all revisions good enough? I'm going to get one soon. rm

skydiving pregnant is not smart either! rm

what about smoking with kids in the confines of a car or house. very selfish (or stupid) people. rm

I agree. sign up for a tunnel camp. find a 4 way team. get a fast canopy (as long as you are not a part time jumper) - and careful with this one of course - . spend some money on top notch coaching. rm

Alright mate, fair enough, but, I have not seen to many dropzones in canada that are real commercial operations, and by this i mean a tandem factory. Furthermore, they are not in prime locations. I learned to jump at Skydive Toronto. Now, they just moved from bloody Angus to the other side of the 400 close to Cookstown. Both places are not really that great. Well, I would have to say the Angus location was better than the Cookstown location because of its close proximity to Wasaga Beach. However, the Cookstown DZ did look like it was going to be real classy. Beautiful new hanger. But Cookstown isn't really a real big touristsy spot, quite frankly, who would ever want to go to Cookstown other than to stop for a piss at the McDonalds? Follow me? Moving on. What tandem student wants to land in a cow field where nothing but highways and flat land is to be seen under canopy? Not me. So we take them to a beautiful place where the sites are spectacular. And we land on an island or a beach. I plan to take skydiving to a brand new level in Canada. It will be top class, organized, well planned and well advertised. As far as staff is concerned, well, this operation will be at the very least a two-way partnership. ONe of the partners being the pilot and the other a fairly qualified skydiver. The skydiver, myself, has been travelling around the world skydiving for the last 6 months. I have made lots of good contacts and also many experienced TI's who are eager to jump abroad. I certianly understand the kind of problems you can have with staff. I have seen it happen. I appreciate all your discouraging info, truely I do. It can only better prepare me for the obstacales I will face. Any other info is more than welcome. bracebridge to cookstown is 1 h 51 min (est). That is a bit of a drive. However, lots of people drive further. I drive about 2.5 hours to do team jumping at Frontier Skydivers in NY state. You can see the Falls from that DZ as well. rm

I wouldn't care. what does it matter? rm

ask a person who took over an established DZ in Ontario and who failed to make a go of it. I think we need fewer DZs - maybe then the existing ones can be more profitable. I have seen many come and go. Just my opinion. rm

that's a drag......

does anyone use the Astra - I see it advertised but never seen one in person. I like the idea you can turn off easily. rm

Of course I am checking on them constantly. The stuff I have is mel's cascaded HMA, dyed blue for UV protection, installed mid 2005. Not sure of the size but it is tiny. Trying to convince my Velocity flying buddies to go for it but they are of the "must send to PD" mindset. big mistake. rm