RMURRAY

I will find the comment made by bill booth. sorry, should had done this in the first place... rm

sorry, don't mean to highjack the thread. I only said (some) Racer people say there are no need for hip rings on Racers. rm

if I bought a new rig it would be a racer (of course) - I'd get the 2k3 WITHOUT tuck tabs. Velcro works better than tuck tabs and is easy to replace at that location. I believe I heard this from bill booth also. From other Racer people --- forget hip rings (there is no need - a waste of money). The Racer risers are simple - the entrance for of the cutaway cable is "relieved" so that it will not bind when wound up. I have them along with the red cutaway cable but have no high stress cutaways. I'd like to see an apples to apples comparison with other risers. rm rm

I don't trust packers (packers are a must at a 4 way training camp) with a pull out. throw outs work just fine. those are reason enough for me. rm

this has been discussed many times before! here is the recommendation from RWS....this from the RWS site.....rm 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. © 2000-2003 The Uninsured Relative Workshop, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

just a suggestion but you should set your brakes before you hand it to the packer...I really like JumpShacks snap toggles - it is either (old fashioned) velcro toggles or snap toggles for my VX. rm

we had a guy 84 years old doing a solo (static line) jump. he wasn't listening to instructions very well - maybe could not hear the radio. He pounded in pretty good but got up and was fine. Tough old guy. After watching that I'd say tandem is the way to go. rm

Turbo ZX 165 ft² helluva downsize, don't you think? derek is a lightweight guy and usually borrows a 135 or 120. So not as much of a downsize as you may think from reading his profile... rm

unless my Oxygn cracks in 2 or falls off my head in freefall, I don't see getting a new one. Same with my original TimeOut - the thing just won't stop working! of course some people just need to have the latest and greatest. I'd rather spend the cash on jumps. rm

I have been dumping my Racer reserves at repack time for over 10 years. Although it may not really matter, it always goes to full bridle length. I have had rigs with the normal poptop - not sure about the launch of the smaller ones used on power racers. rm

what do you do when packing - I assume just leave them alone - like they are not there? rm

off topic but checking on your profile - have you ever had to land your 120-M at that high wing loading and high DZ altitude???

but that does not change the fact that at a smaller DZ a larger plane (like a Caravan or Twin Otter) sits on the ground at the beginning and end of the day or during "iffy" weather until you have X jumpers on the load. A smaller but still very fast plane will get things moving. With much fewer shut downs that must be a real plus. I thought buying an existing turbine 207 might be more affordable - where the person converting it has taken the "hit". Back to the subject - I thought Carvans were very expensive to run - it is a relatively new plane... rm Back the real subject - I thought Caravan's where expensive and expensive to run.

for a smaller dropzone, I always wondered if the Soloy turbine 207 would not be a good choice. 7 jumpers to 12 grand in 15 minutes and you can KEEP IT RUNNING. Also, I love twin otters for 4 way rw but it is also nice to jump the local 182/185/206. I think remember a post about a turbine 207 in Finland which got a full load to 2500 for hop and pops - up and down in 2 minutes 45 seconds - something like that. rm

what was wrong with the turbine single otter? rm

Jumpshack has tested their risers (and red cable) and say they do not need hard housings - avoids the potential problem all together. I have never cut away from severe linetwists so cannot comment on how they work. rm

I was impressed when "lowpull" said he is jumping a 10.5 (complete with 2 canopies) pound power racer. Probably a tiny stiletto, not sure what the reserve would be. I imagine it would not have hip rings or the hefty stainless hardware... rm

I knew I'd see a post like this one day - good to see. I will replace my NOS racer with a 2k3 if they are as comfortable....and from what I hear they are almost as good in that way. Too bad Mike F is not with JumpShack anymore but hopefully the good customer service will continue. rm rm

Is that the only source? How do they differ from 'normal' rubber bands that you can get from Para Gear? I don't know.... I would really like to see the mil-spec on them and compare the para-gear rubber bands to the mil-spec requirement, see how they stack up. I'm glad I don't have to deal with this issue since I won't pack Racers. I'm just curious as to the differences. Derek I am sure you can buy them elsewhere. I'd like to read the spec too. It is no BIG deal - I bought a pound, use them for my main as well (and give them away anytime I can)...rm

without shopping for the best price - I bought them from JumpShack.

Rubber is a very broad term - I'm sure it just calls up a rubber type and some requirements. I don't really care much but someone could look it up. Here is the MIL spec number http://www.rubberbands.com/Parachute.htm rm

I believe Jump Shack requires MIL spec rubber bands so I supply to my rigger at each repack to make sure... rm

I contacted Precision and my Raven-M is approved to use PD Reserve Slinks... rm

make sure it does not need lines and then get a dome slider from MEL at the Icarus service centre. They work like a charm on Sabre1s... rm

after talking with MEL at the Icarus Service Centre, if I had a Sabre1 which opened hard, I'd get a dome slider from him. My DZO got one from MEL and it works like a charm --- I'd stay away from pocket sliders. Just my opinion. rm