sundevil777

I have an I-66N, with a pilot 210 zpx and bulky dacron lines. It fits easily.

It seems there is a lot of activity in a competing technology, fuel cells. Especially with a new thin polymer that can strip the nitrogen away from ammonia, and some innovative way of making ammonia more efficiently. I don’t have the link to post, but it seemed to be real. Ammonia infrastructure is well established and relatively low pressure requirements should make it possible to be distributed by existing gas stations with reasonable investment. Getting hydrogen for a fuel cell from ammonia is a very interesting alternative. It is important to not be tempted to allow batteries to be prematurely declared the technology winner by having government subsidize it exclusively. Should be something like an X-prize for the ability to provide electricity for vehicles by any means whether battery or fuel cell or whatever.

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I only switched to a digital alti after 30 years with analog. I first bought a Viso II, but quickly switched and found a used Neptune II. The altitron has some of the same negatives as the Viso/Ares. The font is a very low aspect ratio, and uses the simpler, cheaper 7 segment type display. I find the Neptune display much easier to read because of the higher aspect ratio and rounded font. It is easy to dismiss the importance of this, but it is real. Many will tell you it takes longer for your brain to process what you see when looking at a digital alti. I find the opposite to be true. Lastly, Parasport has a lousy reputation for customer service.

I will have to experiment with a new pair vs old. A quick search did not find any reference to the filters becoming less effective with use, is this something just from your experience? Thanks for the Menard's tip,

Two books should be considered, both by Pat Works. The Art of Freefall Relative Work (I think that is the title), and United We Fall. The books are old, but the knowledge is timeless, and there is a good bit of old-time skydiving culture to get you into the history of stuff you could have been a part of had you started way back then.

Square 1 parachutes online does not sell parachutes. What is up with the Golden State Gear store or whatever was going to replace it?

The first unit I received didn't make any sound. Another friend of mine took his non-functional unit apart to find a bad solder connection to the speaker. Their customer service is very responsive, and they sent me another unit right away that works. The battery life on a full charge is good. The volume isn't as loud as I expected, max volume is required. The app (when using a mac) needed to program it doesn't work when testing the tones. Their equivalent of the "siren"/screaming tone of an Optima/Quattro is not much different from a normal freefall tone. I think that is a mistake, it should be much more attention-getting like their main competitor. The unit shuts off automatically, but that also means you have to access the button to turn it on every day.

The same place in Ohio that services Cypres units now is an L&B service center.

I never heard of different tones before. IMO the siren tone should not be common to hear, let that siren be the uncommon wake up that you’ve been trying too long, no more time left, must do EP now. Should be much lower than 3.5.

A larger canopy is less sensitive than a small canopy to uneven riser position due to bad body position, or a riser cover on one side that doesn't release at first, or anything else.

1) The critical/center locking stows must not break. I use tube stows for the first 2 locking stows because they are so much stronger. There is a reason the Racer speedbag has so many locking stows - you shouldn't trust just 2 regular rubber bands to hold the bag closed. 2) Dacron lines Not just because they absorb more shock, but also because they have a long history of limiting the speed at which a slider can move down them (my assertion). Whether it is just coefficient of friction or whatever, dacron lines and sliders grommets work well together. 3) Larger canopies As discussed, real world testing experience showed the worst loads with smaller canopies. Whatever might cause an uneven body position/riser position, whether it is a tuck tab riser cover not releasing correctly, or just bad body position on opening, a larger canopy is less sensitive than a smaller canopy.

I suggest finding the thread about always keeping the slider "outside" of the rest of the canopy so it would in theory hit the wind reliably and early to keep it up against the stops, instead of allowing the slider to be shielded from the wind which could allow it to fall away from the stops, theoretically. He had a lot of successful jumps packing like that, a lot of people thought there must be some hidden unintended consequence...

Hard openings just weren't as hard back for the "modern" canopies I used back in the 90s. I think dacron lines has a part in it (see other thread of mine about that more specifically) and I suspect that some explosive openings might be due to the locking stows breaking prematurely. Those locking stows are subjected to their max stress right at the time it matters most (of course), so I advocate locking stows that are stronger than just a rubber band - whether it is tube stows, silly stows/rings/whatever. Have you ever found a locking stow broken when packing - ask yourself if it might have broken before line stretch, not a comforting feeling. We deserve something for the locking stows that is designed to not break. I recognize the argument of a rubber band breaking for a bag-lock malfunction, but for my 2 center locking stows prefer the additional protection against what I see as the primary mode for fabric to be dumped into the air early. Since I first heard about tube stows, probably late 80s, I've used some type including making a lot of them. Never a problem.

After 3 consecutive hard openings as you describe, don't jump it anymore - a visit to somebody/somewhere for diagnosis is appropriate. Serious inspection with the possibility of test jumping by someone else should be considered.

I switched from spectra to dacron on my Pilot 210 with ZPX material. I put it in an Infinity with a size 6 main tray. When I switched, I really expected it to make a big difference, but it is barely noticeable in my rig, even with the long lines of a 210. I could easily upsize to a 230ZPX with dacron in that container.

They aren't selling the normal stuff anymore (very limited selection of gear). I heard the GSG store was sorta the offspring or whatever.

What happened to SQ1? When will the new store's website be up? I apologize if this has already been covered.

I don't think that sort of system is in use currently. With the existing skyhook sort of collins lanyard system, depending on which side of the main riser breaks, you either have both sides cut away and reserve activated, or a high speed streamer/one riser attached but no activation of the reserve, which is OK also. Bill Booth I believe has previously written on this forum about the inherent weakness of mini risers possibly being the most practical way of limiting force. Maybe we'd be better off to not have the reinforcements on mini risers, but have to keep a close watch for signs of damage and replace them after a certain number of jumps or use some force test setup to confirm a minimum strength if in doubt...Risers would need to be made very consistently, maybe destructively tested samples confirming things. It would be a hassle, but could be effective.

A French way of making riggers crazy. I had not considered how the loops would have to be so close to identical.

My memory is that it was a French way of making sure both risers left before the RSL activated the reserve. Used for at least some time on parachutes de France rigs, at least some of them.

Nice, I've never liked the idea of planning to throw your cutaway or ripcord for this reason. I don't doubt my ability to pull, I don't doubt the ability of objects in the air stream to foul a canopy.

It might be that the new version was ready to go some time ago, but the trigger wasn’t pulled because they were still selling the old model easily, and pulling the trigger on the new model might mean a significant investment in production tooling. Their competition (G4) could reduce sales enough to reconsider the need for a replacement.

I jump a Pilot with Dacron lines. I wonder if this talk of stretching risers might all be pointless. What we first should be figuring out is how much of a "crumple/stretch" zone is needed to significantly reduce a hard opening.

Dacron lines rock! The characteristics of dacron lines and slider grommets play well together, or some such thing.