RMURRAY

I just read that smart is reversing their decision and will sell the fourtwo in the US. Sign of the times...

there must be a reasonable shortage, i just saw G.W. reluctantly ask the U.S. to cut down on gas consumption. maybe if the U.S. automibile industry could have actually built a fuel efficient car then this (forseen) problem wouldn't have arisen. also the mindset behind driving 6litre 4wd pieces of shit to drop the kids off a few blocks to school just to look cool/wealthy is a contributing attribute. well said...

this has been discuss many times. I use the instructions on the RWS site - it works well. Here it is... Washing Your Vector Over the years we've seen some extremely dirty Vectors! We've found that many people are unsure how to get their container clean. For that reason, we have put together the following instructions on how to make your Vector smell and look good again. The best way to wash a rig is the "good old fashion way" with slightly warm water and Woolite. Use a big tub; let the rig stay in the soapy water 4 hrs. Occasionally swish the rig around in the tub to loosen dirt. Drain soapy water, fill tub with clean water, and swish rig around until the clear water becomes soapy and cloudy. Drain tub and repeat until all soap and dirt residue are gone, usually in 3 rinses. Let the rig naturally dry, without direct sunlight. We usually allow a small fan to blow air past it to speed up the drying process. We do not recommend using a washing machine. Extended agitation in a washing machine could have negative effects in the long run. This also requires you to wrap the heavy hardware to minimize damage to the machine.

that is how one very experienced guy at our DZ does it. We have no step. I think he is referring to a U206 with the cargo (roll up) door... rm

don't mean to take this off topic but for all you physics professors if travelling 91mph horizontal how low could you cut away and deploy a reserve - lets say with a skyhook? rm

that is insane. I say keep the Mirage and blow some cash in the tunnel - at least it will make you a better skydiver. rm Those are the prices on the RWS website... I've been told it will be cheaper, I have yet to get dealer quotes on it.... yes, you should get about 25% off retail I thought everyone knew that. I still say keep your existing rig - unless it is REALLY ugly and from your 1,2,3 choices, it probably is. rm

it is not mine but is available for her to try out... rm

I have a 92 sq ft Jonathan which was custom made for a sub-100 pound female back in the day. not the latest technology but higher performance than a Sabre1... rm

that is insane. I say keep the Mirage and blow some cash in the tunnel - at least it will make you a better skydiver. rm

JumpShack has been doing this for some time. the mass of the lines outboard of the rubber band is about the same as the mass of the lines inboard of the rubber band. this means when accelerated the lines tends to stay in place. rm

the new Argus does have a swoop mode. not sure if it is for sale quite yet. I jump without an AAD - not too many of us left... rm

isn't 2.0:1 a little light for the VX - how does that affect things??? rm

someone on DZ said the VX is tough (or a challange) to fly well and that is what he liked about it. Any truth to that? what is the JVX like??? I have not seen one yet. I love my VX and don't really care what brand the pros are winning with....

Chuck: I have 23" now and it is a bit of a stretch. How do you reach the slider with your 26" risers. My guess is it blows past the softlinks on the front??? rm

Thielert will soon have a 350HP twin turbo V8 diesel (runs on JET A) that would be great for a 206. Maybe running on Veg oil it would need to be detuned a bit. Still would probably be a rocket compared to a regular 206 and way more fuel efficient... rm

good stuff...learned something today! rm

what does PD have to do with the rig. shouldn't you be using the MIL spec rubber bands that JumpShack requires (or at least I think they require them). rm

Never a problem with my regular Oxygn. I haven't worn goggles for 6 years or so...it may depend on what type of jumping you are doing - I am doing 4 way mainly. rm

why don't you just get contacts??? I have an Oxygn and contacts, never a problem. most of my 4 way buddies like there Z1's. I like the oxygn - better visibility out of it for sure. rm

I think using the right sized main and reserve in a container is 1st prize here. Using velcro to adjust for abusing the gear in some other way is a poor way to manage things. t yes, well here is that post from mr booth.... I left the Cypres control unit under the reserve flap to force people to open the flap, and therefore check their reserve pin at least once during a jump day. And since you should do at least one pin check a day, it's no trouble to set your Cypres while you're in there. It also allows another jumper to turn off your Cypres, without taking off your rig, in the event you have to ride down in the aircraft. Besides, the unit is more "protected" in the yoke. Tuck riser covers are very sensitive to the bulk under them. (Velcro riser covers didn't have this problem, by the way.) When we design a rig with tuck tabs, we can only choose one riser cover dimension, and we base that on the average bulk we expect. When your risers are "thick" like yours, you should ask your rigger to leave very little bulk at the top of your freebag. This will help your riser covers stay shut. If he can't pack with little bulk up top, perhaps your reserve is a bit too large. Even if you choose the "right size" reserve for your container, two supposedly "identical" reserves may have up to 10% different pack volumes, because of fabric and construction tolerances. Every bit of bulk, risers or canopy, up top affects your riser cover's ability to stay shut. So, if you want your riser covers to be as secure as possible, always choose a reserve that will fit "loosely" in your container, so that your riser covers can curve over your shoulders.

I do! Have you seen some of the new stuff? And it will be in places that it has not been. Stay tuned to find out where!

that opinion is from 2000. they now have the 2k3 which is velcroless. some people still order the version with all the velcro. I would probably go with the 2k3 if it is as comfortable as my NOS. Everything as advantages and disadvantages. tuck tabs have disadvanatages. Bill Booth commented in the past that on the shoulder riser covers velcro is well suited because the size of the reserve has no effect. but better does not always win out - the market decides. I was just trying to say replacing velcro is no big deal for me. I do it at 200 jumps which (sadly) is one year. this new stuff mentioned by Mike F will have to prove itself....it will have an uphill battle.

I know this to be true but how much of a difference are we talking about? I mean significant enough to justify buying new risers or not? Absolutely. Four additional inches made my Velo fly like a completely different canopy. what about openings, when you add 4 inches to the risers does the slider tend to stay up longer, does your Velocity "seek" more and open off heading more? someone said this is one of the effects of a longer lineset on any canopy can't remember who it was... rm

my racer NOS has lots of velcro. only costs 20 bucks to replace each winter. no big deal. rm

I guess these reserve PC springs were designed years ago but I wonder why they don't used pre-coated spring wire. In automotive design, we use it all the time. It is fairly new to NA. http://www.interwiregroup.com/iwp_bezinal.html rm